I just found this article on WeaveZine. If you page down to the bottom there is a draft for advancing twill and advancing point twill curves on 4 shafts! Where was this 5 years ago for the curves on 4 shafts challenge I was a part of? :^}

I want to try this out...more incentive to finish the scarf on the 4 shaft loom.

Carie

Comments

claudia (not verified)

Hi Carie,

I remember reading that article and thinking it would be a great project to try. I have had the opportunity to see Bonnie Inouye's creations in person and they are stunning. The advancing twills are almost magical in their movement across the web. I say go for it. I have all four looms warped and weaving at the moment and will join you as soon as one opens up. Of course, I'd love to try the 4 harness version.

Claudia

lkautio (not verified)

There is also an article by Barbara Elkins in Handwoven on 4S advancing twills. 

ELKINS, BARBARA. “Advancing Twill Is for Four Shafts Too!” MA 2001: pp. 46–49; errata ND 2001: p. 15.

And crackle (a form of advancing point twill for 4S) has been around a long time ;-)

You can get a different looking results depending on how you add or don't add incidentals and what you do at reversal points.

Laurie Autio

chuck19836 (not verified)

I want to try that pattern.  I had no idea I could do something so detailed on my 4 harness loom

 

naturalfibres (not verified)

I think that this will be the next thing on the loom.  I'm just finishing some towels and was thinking of what I'd like to do next - maybe some scarves.

sewwhatsports (not verified)

I feel lucky, I will be taking a 3 day class with Bonnie next month...

Bonnie Inouye (not verified)

I missed this thread last year, but it just popped up again. Carie, did you try the 4-shaft draft from my second WeaveZine article (linked in your post at the top of this thread)?  My first WeaveZine article is mostly about using 4-shaft looms to weave curves.

http://www.weavezine.com/content/flowing-curves-part-1-overshot-and-weaving-overshot

You need to have at least three blocks to produce a curve, and several 4-shaft weaves give you 4 blocks. Smoother curves are made with more blocks and more shafts, but it is all relative. Laurie is right.

"Advancing" is a method for creating a diagonal sequence in a threading and/or treadling. You start with a smaller sequence, for example 1-2-3-4, and use that sequence like a rubber stamp but move the stamp up by a number. On 4 shafts, it makes sense to advance by 1, but with more shafts I often advance by 2 or 3 or 4.

1-2-3-4  in this example is the first threading block.

2-3-4-1 is the second block. The sequence is moved up by one place, so there are 4 threads in numerical order and the first one is now on shaft 2. 

Third block is 3-4-1-2, and the last block is 4-1-2-3. Advancing twill for 4 shafts.  You can make it larger by starting with a longer sequence, like 1-2-3-2-1-2-3-4.  or 1-2-3-1-2-3-4-3, or make one up.

The reference to Barbara Elkins' article in Handwoven is interesting- I do not consider that threading to be an advancing twill, because it is really an overshot threading. It repeats pairs of shafts, like 2,3,2,3. A twill threading has space between the diagonal lines.You can make an advancing twill on 4 shafts, but advancing points will give design that is a bit more clear. Crackle is an American name and the threading is made from small points which work nicely on 4 shafts.

Overshot gives a stronger reading of the design using two shuttles, and the overshot treadlings for 4 shafts in the first article, part 1, can be used on the threading in the second article.

Bonnie