Summer and Winter on the (pool) Table Loom

If you've been reading Leigh's blog (I love her polychrome rug) you know that the Online Guild of Weavers, Spinners, & Dyers have just completed the March workshop. We studied Summer and Winter weaves.

Summer and Winter is a three element weave, like overshot. Traditionally, the warp and structual weft (the tabby or tie-down) is of a smaller diameter, often tightly twisted yarn. The pattern weft is larger, more loosely spun. Tradition, however, is just the starting point and and you can use te same yarn for all three elements, leaving the structure to give texture to the fabric.



This is the basic draft which shows both the pattern weft and the tabby weft as the same thickness.



I warped the Dorothy with 6/2 unmercerized cotton and used the same for both the pattern and tabby wefts.



Here you can see the pattern because I used a blue 6/2 unmercerized for the pattern weft, keeping the white for the tabby.

Besides coverlets, blankets, and table linens, summer and winter lends itself well to fashion textiles. Next up for sampling: using 5/2 perle cotton for pattern and 10/2 perle for the tabby and 4/4 cotton as the pattern weft with 10/2 as the tabby.

Putting this in the can't beat 'em, join 'em file:



The pool table remains a LARGE part of my fiber studio. It does, however, make a nifty stand for my table loom. (Tacky vinyl tablecloth was left after my recent dyeing!)