I had to reduce the size of this image to fit it all in because there is quite a large repeat happening which doesn't show up until you get the design shrunk down - or get far enough away from it to really see what is happening.
And this is why I keep coming back to the loom! These delightful surprises when you put something onto 'paper', generate the tie up and treadling and something appears that absolutely surprises and delights.
So this one is definitely going into the queue as my next tea towel warp.
When I bought weaving software it was still pretty controversial in handweaving circles. Some people felt that using software would be detrimental. That people would not understand what was happening unless they did drawdowns by hand. Or at least that was one argument.
What I found was that I didn't spend any less time generating drawdowns. What I did was make a whole lot more of them. And because I could make them quickly and fairly easily, I felt no qualms about deleting the ones that didn't please me.
So the above? I'm well into hour two of messing around with twill progressions,. Fine tuning. Tossing the ones that I didn't like out. Starting over. Trying again. Adjusting things.
Using weaving software has made me a better designer as I am less inclined to keep a draft just because I'd spent hours making it.
And now? Now I feel compelled to get to the loom and weave another towel. That will make 8 on the cloth beam, tension is getting more difficult to reset when I advance the fell, and it is time to remove the nearly 10 yards of cloth on the loom and start the next section.
Because this draft delights me and I'm looking forward to getting it into the loom. But first? I have to finish weaving the warp currently on the loom.
I'm calling this one May Flowers.
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2 comments:
it's beautiful. And I agree. Sometimes technology makes us more willing to try out something "far out" because a fail doesn't waste hours. It's like people claiming that spinning fiber on an e-spinner isn't really spinning, like your legs treadling are what make it spinning!
Wow! I love it! I went through the same experience with designing drafts! I was doing it all by hand and then I tried Fireworks and never turned back! I love how one can quickly modify a draft and change colours to make endless versions of the same original design! I often spend hours playing with Fiberwoks and it is so much fun!
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