We can discuss our thoughts, questions, and progress here!

Comments

Weavolutionary6

I spent much of last year weaving twills. I have studied much of what can be done on a 4 shaft loom and during this time interleaving twills really caught my imagination. I spent much of this morning playing with interleavin treadlings in Fiberworks. I'm going to weave off the rest of the stripe warp in various interleaved twills, and warp up my 8 shaft loom for a block twill sample. I'm much more excited about this chapter than I thought I would be.

I'll do my best to make more time to post photos more frequently than I did last month! Thank you to everyone who diligently posted photos through out their plain weave study.

Queezle

I have felt as if I understand twill, and have actually considered skipping weaving for this chapter (gasp).  I'm so glad to hear your enthusiasm, it will help me get into it.  The interleaved twills do sound interesting, and I know that just because I think I know something about twills doesn't mean that there isn't a lot of very good information, and lots here for me to learn. 

Erica J

Well I got in one interleaved sample while TAJ napped. Here is the draft, yes this is still from the plain weave stripes. I should note I really liked rethreading/repurposing that colour sample warp into stripes. It took me 60 mins to wind the entire warp and maybe a half hour to beam. By rethreading I essentially saved that time. :) 

Later today, 2/2 twill and plain weave, which I haveusd before. I really love that combo and look forward to seeing what happens in these cotton stripes.

ainz

My head is spinning due to the scope of chapter 2. Will I ever asimilate all this information? 

Unlike my more experienced fellow weavers, I think I will start easy: use a straight forward 4-shaft threading and first just play with the treadling. Only then do I think I will understand all this information. I have Marguerite Porter Davidson's book. I will do a large sample with some of the 30-odd plain twills, then move on to the Modified Twills chapter. I do not believe I will have time to move on to the Twill Combinations chapter.

But once I feel a bit more confident, I might try some of the drafts in MWS - just to keep pace with all of you. 

Ok. I am off. Warping time. 

theresasc

through chapter 2.  There is some very good and fun looking cloth to be woven.  I think I am going to thread an 8-shaft straight draw and see where it takes me - should be fun.

There are corrections to chapter 2 - please do not forget to download the errata, I posted the link here.

Erica J

Here are my 2 interleaved twills samples, which I wove up today. I've got a warp ready for weft faced plain weave and twill, which will go one the 4 shaft loom first. Plus I'm going to warp up for some 8 shaft block twills at least, then that will move onto my satin for Chapter 3. Yes I am planning to get the most of my warps for this study! :)

Here is the draft I posted earlier woven up and off the loom.

Here is my favorite interleaved twill woven up and off the loom. This is woven with blue green weft.

Queezle

I am a bit torn between trying the double faced and interleaved twills, and corkscrew is still on my list.  sigh. 

But I think that, like theresa, I will also warp up a straight draw, 8-thread, with the expectation of doing some interleaved twills.  And I think I will use two alternating warp colors, but have the colors be fairly close, so that maybe I can use the same warp for some double faced samples.  

Yes, there is a lot to this chapter, and I am pretty excited.

Happy groundhogs day tomorrow, everybody! Its nearly 50˚F in Utah, hinting that spring might be here already.  Weather is such a cruel mistress.

theresasc

nice samples.  The warp stripes have a wonderful effect along with the structure, my eyes really like the look of that.  Did it ripple any after wet-finishing?

ainz

Aren't Erica's samples full of joy? The colors are so lively. I think they would work very well on my new terrasse....

Queezle

And its a lively and joyful melody.  The colors are amazing.  So inspiring.

theresasc

Half way through threading the warp.  I still find dressing a floor loom easier than my table looms.  I also found my roll of adding machine tape.  When weaving with 8-shafts on my table loom, I find it works really well to write out the treadling on a piece of adding machine paper and tape it to my loom.  It helps while weaving and I have a good record of how I treadled a piece.

Weavolutionary6

Thansk! I wa really pleased with my stripes. I took a faur bit of time xomkng up with hkw to create the stripe sequence. I used several techniques from daryl Lancaster's Color and Inspiration class, http://weavolution.com/?q=node/25675

Therese I'm jealous of the adding machine tape. I would love to have some for the same use! I have to make due with sticky notes and something to track where I'm at in the repeat.

theresasc

should still be available at any decent office supply store.  People use it for both adding machines and cash registers.

theresasc

I am starting with an undulating twill.  This is really interesting for me to create this effect through threadling rather than threading.  I have woven a few undulating twill projects and the threading is always a challenge and to be able to create this effect on a straight draw is really cool.

Chpt. 2 Undulating twill

ainz

Love the look, Theresa. 

Ok. That settles it. I will work on the sampler pieces until I run out of warp and then I will go for something far more creative. Yes!

endorph

I love your sample - undulating twill is a favorite of mine

theresasc

this is a fun sample so far.  I have wove 3 repeats with the light yellow, now to try the light blue.  I am enjoying the way the colors are coming together along with the pattern, win-win.

Queezle

After a yarn inventory, I decided to switch to 8/2, and measuring is in progress.  Perhaps will be able to get the loom threaded this weekend.  I have to be quick; I will be traveling for 2 weeks in March and so am hoping I get a jump on Chapter 3 during the last week of Feb.

Erica J

My weft faced plain weave and 3/1 twill is on the loom.

I started winding my silk warp for twill/false damask/satin samples. Each mini cone I ordered from Halcyon Yarn holds 2" of 3.5 meter warp. So having made the classic mistake of not checking how muxh yarn I needed, this willbe a 4 colour warp insteadof solid colour. So I' wondering if anyone has tips for designing in the raddle, I'd appreciate it, as I would like to warp back to front.

Queezle

Erica, I feel for you - I think we've all done that before.

I managed to get the heddles threaded for my twill sample - before the sun went down.  There is so much to learn in this chapter.

 

Queezle

Twill Sample chapter 2 MWS

My warp is 8/2, at 24 epi (possibly a bit loose, but so far looks OK), threaded in a straight draw 1-8.  I decided to start with a simple 2/2 twill (bottom of photo), then moved on to a 3/2/1/2 twill tie up.  In the middle is a regular treadling of this tie up, and then at the top is an interleaved twill.  These two sample follow the images on page 44, figure 2.14a and 2.14c.

Weavolutionary6

Great warp and fun samples so far!! I should have done a nice contrasting plain weave between my treadling variations!

Queezle

If I didn't do the separation, I'd never figure it out later.

But - I have a question for the group.  I think I found another error.  Figure 2.14C is the treadling that I did for one of my above samples, and its exactly the same as figure 2.14d.  The only difference is where the treadling starts - otherwise the structure, etc, is all the same.  right?

I've been working out different spacings of the interleaving - that is on both 2.14c and 2.14d, the two twill lines that are inteleaved are spaced 3 apart.  And so clearly we can have different spacing (but my weaving program suggests the results are not terribly different).  OK, I'm going to move on - but this is sure fun!

Weavolutionary6

Well we're half way through the month andhalf my twill/satin warp is wound. This is my last long weekend until April, soI plan toget a lot done with my extra day at home!

Queezle

On page 48, Sharon gives a brief consideration of corkscrew twills.  However there is not much information.  I did a bit of googling, and decided that there seems to be little consensus on what constitutes a corkscrew twill.  Am I right?

Erica J

I noticed that as well! I was hoping someone would have more information.  :)

Erica J

Well my block twill sample is going  very slowly! I just started threading today. I'm going to help with the Cambridge Guild display at Textiles in Focus tomorrow. So unless I can get the loom moved into the living room. I may be weaving this sample the first week of March. I'll just need to rethread and sley for satin.

Queezle

Erica, I've read the satin/sateen chapter twice now, and still have no idea  what I will do.  I too had planned to use the second half of my twill warp, but it is 8/2, and satin/sateen is said to be much more effective for fine warps.  And I cannot decide on a threading - lots of variations. Ugh, I'm probably just overthinking it, and I seem to have the flu, which makes everything worse - especially if there is thinking involved. :( 

theresasc

There is a section of corkscrew twills in "A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns", pgs 62-66.  Carol Strickler has them grouped as Manifold/Corkscrew twills, also called interlocking twills.  There are a couple that look pretty interesting, but I do not think that I can recreate with the way my warp is now threaded.

I wove some double-faced 3/1 twill, 2.13, with each of my weft colors.  I really like the look of this twill.  It just seems to be so much more defined than a standard 3/1 twill line.  I cannot wait to see what it looks like and feels like after wet-finishing.  I am weaving each one of my samples twice, one to keep as is off the loom, and one for wet-finishing.  It takes so much longer to do this on a table loom, my floor looms have spoiled me rotten!  New pictures here.

 

 

CelticCats

Cloth is about half way done and the inkle band for the ties is about 5" long (lol).  I had several troubles with this cloth, weaving the linen and cottolin together.  Now, however, everything is moving along quite nicely.  I can't wait to finish the cloth and make the apron.  

Queezle

That is really beautiful!  I like your colors and the layout of stripes. 

Erica J

I am going to get my twill block warp threaded today! I had to move the loom into the kitchen to get it done, but hey! Thankfully Oli is very understanding! 

theresasc

the apron cloth as well.  The colors and stripes are really well planned.

Love the idea of a loom in the kitchen - what a way to keep on weaving!

Artistry

16/2 linen makes beautiful satin/ sateen blocks, not too fine either! Lone Star Loom Room in the States has a lot of Bockens, beautiful colors:) Cathie

Artistry

Also if go for the Bockens linen it will really have a sheen, exploiting the characteristics of satin, double whammy :) sett and beat, crucial .

Queezle

I know I shouldn't say this, but I am tired of my twill sample!  In fact, I snuck in a bit of satin/sateen and a bit of waffle weave to test those structures on this yarn/threading/sett combination.  Hoping to finish this weekend, and possibly sneak in a project, even if it means using the second loom, who lives in the basement.

theresasc

I am kind of the same way.  I was very pumped up for the twill samples and put a longer warp on this time and now I am very bored with it, and I really have not woven that much on it.  As for sampling at the current sett, it is 8/2 unmercerized cotton and I use it all the time so I am aware of how it is going to wet-finish.  I have not quite decided about where to go from here.

 

Queezle

I also do not anticipate any surprises with wet finishing.  I finally decided to just weave up some of the twill patterns in the 8-shaft book, and to study the ones I select so I can place each into one of the categories laid out by Sharon Alderman in MWS.  It seems like a useful intellectual exercise. Hang in there, Theresa!

 

theresasc

the push and the ideas.  I have my book of 8-shaft patterns sitting right next to me.  I have that book out a lot.  I will have to page through and find some stuff to play with.  If yo8u have your sample threaded on an 8-shaft straight draw, try the sample #2.13 on page 44 in MWS.  It is a double-faced twill, that is one that I have found really interesting and think that it might wet-finish up pretty cool.

Queezle

I've been traveling for work and having touched my loom in weeks.  I'm so happy to be back (just today), and getting back to Theresa's suggestion to try #2.13 on p.44.  It is very nice.  Hopefully I'll finish the sample up today.

 

 

CelticCats

I finished the apron and then did a set of towels with the same tie-up.  Kitchen ApronPurple Towels

Queezle

I like both fabrics - they're just beautiful. 

I'm getting a bit tired of samples, and am hoping to getting a project going this weekend.

Erica J

You could always skip ahead to waffle weave and weave some lovely absorbent towels! :)

Queezle

Whew - too much work travel - but finally I am ready to present some of my twill samples.  Twill - first samples

My warp was threaded in a straight draw (1-8), used 8/2 cotton, at 28 epi.  The top sample is a simple 3/1 straight twill.  The second sample is a 3/2/1/2 twil.  The third sample used the same 3/2/1/2 twill tieup, but treadeled it as an interleaved twill - 1-5-2-6-3-7-4-8- etc.

The photo might look a bit funny, as I folded the sample over to show the front and the back. Among these three, I probably like the interleaved the best - it is interesting to look at and has a nice and stable hand.  It would make a good dishtowel or place mat.

Queezle

sample 3 (again) and sample 4Here are before/after images again,  the upper images is another shot of the interleaved twill, as described above.  The one beneath it shows the same tie up, again interleaved, but with the two twill lines closer together.  Sample 3 is treadled 1-5-2-6-3-7 etc, but sample 4 is treadling 1-4-2-5-3-6-4-7 etc.  In sample 3 there is a peek of warp between two heavy weft lines, while in sample 4, two dark blue weft lines are so close it appears as if its a single thick dark blue color.

The back side is very different, though - different from the front and different from each other.  Sample 3 shows prominent twill lines, while sample four's twill lines are less distinct, as there are tabby-like spots of color.

DiMarg

Many years down the track..thank you for these links. Posselts articles are helpful. I have Oelsner but very little information is given. I think he presumes that we know it all! Thanks again, Diana