CCW 2012 Exchange

The Cross County Weaver's challenge for 2012 is "black, white + 1 color". I have been thinking about this challenge since July 2011, when I picked up some 16/2 cotton at the Mannings after the MAFA workshop weekend. A long time ago, I saw the draft for "Squares" (page 51) in Robin & Russ's 200 Patterns for Multiple Harness Looms and I thought this might be a good candidate for exploration. I started sampling that 8 shaft pattern on a table loom.

I really liked the first sample fabric, but I wanted to evolve it someplace new for this challenge. So the next step was increasing the stripes from 6 to 8 warp threads, and redrafting the pattern to get the stars in the B&W areas (instead of plain weave). This meant bumping up to 12 shafts, but the result was more dramatic and appealing to me. However, with the increased emphasis in the B&W areas, I felt the need to decrease the lime green areas for better balance. So I rethreaded and wove a third sample. Bingo!

With three samples in hand, I thought I was ready to thread up the big loom and weave yardage. But then yet another thought occurred to me! So I redrafted a 4th time, and now I am actually dressing the floor loom for the "real" yardage. Stay tuned for the "final reveal" ;- )

(FYI, it's due in March, so if I forget to update, someone please remind me!)

2/8/12 Update

I am weaving the first few inches, and SO happy I redrafted a final time to clean up the green intersections. Also, the B&W areas alternate in "twirl" direction on the final draft. The treadling is a bit complicated. I am using 12 of my treadles, but a modified tie up. 1-8 are like the Strickler book for the B&W areas, but 10-12 work in tandem with the 1-8 so the green stripes do what I want them to do, when I want them to do it! I have the last 4 treadles labeled A, B (= alternating green tabby), and GL (For green left) and GR (you guessed it.) My initial tie up didn't work to keep my body balanced on the bench, so I had to retie. Now it is working a lot better! I certainly hope I am as excited to weave the 7th yard as I am the first pattern repeat!

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2/9/12

I realized my tie up is not quite the same as Strickler, because I alternated the direction of the twirls in the draft and treadling. I also wanted to use two feet, to balance the load when lifting. And put the fewest warps on the farthest shafts. (This is on a jack loom.)

Tabby is 4+12, opposite 5+11

B&W pattern is 1+9, 2+9, 3+9, 4+9, 5+10, 6+10, 7+10, 8+10 = 8 pics per color x 7 stripes = 56 pics in ascending or descending order

Green Stripe 1 is 1+11, 1+12, 8+11, 8+12, 1+11, 1+12

Green Stripe 2 (not shown in draft) is 1+11, 1+12, 8+11, 8+12, 1+11, 1+12

The green stripe is the most difficult to treadle. Now that I have woven a bit, I am thinking to redo the tie up. Add shafts 11+12 to treadles 1-4, and shafts 9+10 to treadles 5-8. These treadles are in the center of the loom. I can then use 2 treadles on the far left and two on the far right, to tie up the 1+11, 1+12, and 8+11, 8+12 options to make treadling the green easier. (I like to leave an unused treadle between "treadling units" if I can, so my feet know when I have jumped to a different part of the treadling.)

Also, because the color change is very quick, I am weaving with 3 shuttles at the same time. It takes a bit of concentration to keep the selvedges neat while the unused weft runs up the edges. I came up with this idea to park the shuttles on the castle nose-up, so they are out of the way when weaving, but the weft is in proper position so I can capture it entering or exiting the shed as needed.

>Sigh< Yes! This will be tedious to weave. Anyone have a good audio book recommendation?