Saturday, February 23, 2008

M's and O's

Yesterday's snow day gave me the time I needed to get the warp threaded and sleyed.



This is the first time I used the threading chart that comes with Fiberworks. It was very easy to follow. Although I was a bit blown away when I got to the end and had 18 threads instead of 8!



I checked and there were no threading errors so I guess it was a counting error.


This is one repeat of the treadling. I'm using WEBS' Eight-Two Alabaster for the weft.



It looks like the sides are sort of wavy. (If you click you can see the curve on the edges of the warp dominant blocks.) It seems like the 3-4 end warp threads get sort of twisted during the weaving of one block but not the other. I slid my finger in and opened the shed right to the fell but I don't know if that's a good thing or not. If I don't the weft won't pack all the way down on the first shot of the block. I might cut off after the first towel to see if washing tightens it up.

I love the fabric and am already thinking of other design possibilities. Leigh played with bright colors for her towels. Kristin wove several scarves using a turned Ms and Os. I'm thinking of a wrap using a handpainted warp with some sheen, maybe rayon or silk, with a cotton weft.

4 comments:

  1. Looking good! The warp and weft colors really work well together. I am interested in your selvedges as I had some problems with mine. Did you thread the M's & O's pattern all the way out? I tried a 1 - 4 plain weave threading, but the weft didn't want to pack in very well. I wasn't sure if it was the draft or the fact that I tend to have too much draw in with my shuttle throwing. I'll be very interested in how yours wash up. Washing helped mine tremendously.

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  2. I love playing in Fiberworks-PCW, I would be lost in my weaving without it.
    Are you using floating selvages to help stabilize the curvy sides?

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  3. Christine beat me to my first thought of using floating selvages. My other idea is using a temple. I've had my warp threads at the end twist as well and tried straigtening them. I think I did end up weighting them. My memory stops there, what else is new, so it must have worked or nothing awful happened!

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  4. I love it!!! Gorgeous! Does your software program tell you how many heddles in your design? If it does and if you wound as many threads as that number, then you have made a mistake somewhere. On the other hand, you may have accidentally wound too many threads on the board. I make mistakes like that occasionally, despite the best of care in counting.
    Do you have two more (unused) shafts? If you do, you can set up a plain weave selvedge. Otherwise the floating slevedge business would help some.

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