What You See

open the image in a new window to see the draft entirely

I thought I would show the kind of information I work with when I'm planning a warp.

As mentioned previously, the threading is a point progression over 16 shafts.

(Why don't I call this point twill?  Because while the cloth is based on twill interlacement, it doesn't follow a strict twill tie up - see the tie up area.)

I have woven this draft previously, but this time I was also incorporating stripes of colour and I wanted that high contrast colour to appear in the area of the cloth that would be showing diamonds.

The colours were not kept in strict stripe format, but at times I would mingle the two colours at the stripe borders to give a softer look and also so that the stripes did not become 'boring' to the eye.  Since there is a subtle change at the edges of the two colours, there is more interest and the stripes are less repetitive to view.

Since each stripe might be slightly different, rather than attempt to show the totality of the cloth, I kept that in my mind as I worked through the draft making sure I had the cloth weaving the way I wanted it, where I wanted it.

But it was all very fluid, not set in stone.

In order to see the effect more clearly I did not apply colour to the entire draft but left some of it just one colour in the warp, one in the weft.

While the cloth is twill based, the area of black warp will not show that clearly and the overall effect is that of texture, not a design.

It was while Kerstin and I were touring around northern England, visiting as many textile mill/museums as we could, seeing the paperwork for the Jacquard designs, that it really came home to me that human beings really are the same.  Drafts for the Jacquard cloths were done in different colours, not representative of what the finished cloth would look like, but using colour to clearly mark how the cards would be cut in order to achieve the end goal.

We tend to process information differently, so finding out what is most effective for you is each person's grail to discover.

Yesterday I wove a second towel and I have to say, I'm glad I am getting this one under my belt now as the black on black is a bit of a challenge for me.  What will be even more challenging is the hemming.  So I'm glad I got to this point now before the days slide into autumn even further, making it even harder to see to hem the towels.

I am going to start seeing more obvious effects of the cataracts.  Right now I don't think my perception of colour has been affected as much as the distortion in the cataract, because it is not growing evenly, but has areas of more density.  This makes my vision more difficult in terms of focusing.  I hope that it now grows quickly so I can get it dealt with, not have lingering eye strain as I try to see through the distortion.

Ah - old age - it's a trip!

Tender

magnification of seine twine and a 2 ply cotton yarn - seine twine is generally made up of several plys and much more tightly twisted and an 'ordinary' 2 ply cotton yarn

At a recent class I talked a wee bit about working with 'tender'* yarn.  About how more twist will make a short staple fibre (like cotton) stronger.  But that with the addition of more twist, absorbency will be compromised.

What makes a yarn 'tender'?  It depends.  (OK, now you've all had your drink...)

Short staple is one thing that will contribute to a yarn being 'tender'.  A longer staple fibre will produce a stronger yarn - if all other things are equal - than a shorter staple fibre. 

Examples would be things like quiviut, cashmere, cotton. 

A singles yarn will be more tender than a plied one. 

A thinner yarn will be less strong than a thicker one.

So, when working with a yarn that is likely tender, can you use it in a warp?  Well, yes, but you need to treat it more gently than a stronger yarn because it is, by it's very nature tender.

Winding the warp there should be less tension applied (most weavers hold their yarn way too tight anyway, but really important to wind with only just enough tension and not very tightly).

Beaming the warp, wind more slowly, carefully straighten out any areas with slack tension, finger comb gently rather than use a brush or comb.

To weave, set the tension on the warp as low as it can be effectively woven with.  When advancing the warp, try to re-apply the same low tension.

Stay carefully within the 'sweet spot'.  Do not weave too close to the reed as this will place too much stress on the yarns and they can break.

Beat once, gently.  Do not bang away at the fell or double/triple beat.

Keep your bobbins on the skinny side rather than fill them full to maximum capacity.

Use a sizing if the yarn is really softly spun or - if you haven't used a sizing prior to beaming - use a sizing that can be sprayed or painted onto the warp.  The cheapest hair spray works well on many fibres, like cotton and rayon.  I wouldn't use it on silk.

Many yarns have special 'needs'.  Weave a sample before plunging into a long project to find out if the warp chain should be sized before going into the loom, test how much tension the yarn can withstand, find out where the sweet spot is and get comfortable with advancing the fell frequently.

*tender being another word for a yarn that is weaker and cannot withstand as much as a yarn that is more robust - tender is not necessarily a bad thing...