More Better Pies Cream

Unexpected computer issues (as compared to the expected kind? 🤨) delayed finalizing my cartoon (yes, unexpectedly) for a bit, but I think I may finally be ready to ink the finished tracing. I still need to check with a graph overlay at my epi to see what pixelation will do to my curves and angles, but finally I have a loom of the dressed variety, a drawing I think I can live with, and a tracing I hope I can weave with.

I’m planning on weaving this as a multiselvedge piece so that my final postcard sized weaving will be ready to mount once it’s off the loom. The green section is waste yarn to make weaving the white warp easier; the cartoon to be woven sideways on the white section.

When I was dressing the loom a bit of a lightbulb moment went off. I’m pretty new to this particular way of dressing a four-selvedge piece, following instructions to be found on Susan Martin Maffei’s website. If I’m right, tell me if I’m right?, the wrapping to secure the lower loop of the actual warp just happens to also set the spacing for the actual warp and thus, using the same size securing yarn as will be the size of my weft bundle should yield two half-bundles between each (doubled but still thinner) warp. Since technically I want the space between warp threads to be a wee bit over the space the warp bundle will need (helped along by the finer grist of the warp I’m using and the expectation of an unavoidable bit of space between the “two half-bundles”), using the warp bundle to secure the warp should, I hope, end me up with exactly the number of ends per inch I need… Yes? No? Clear as mud? Magic?

The proof is in the pudding, as they say, or in this case, proof in the ice cream, rather. More to follow…

Question of the Day

QOTD: I have this thought that I am to weave as a postcard for the American Tapestry Alliance swap, focus had to be “food”. I started weaving the plain version but had a mishap and thus the opportunity to add to my cartoon before restarting. The updated version is definitely more interesting, but looking at it I think maybe it anchors it as a piece of pie on a plate and loses the optical illusion quality I was reaching for. Do you think? Should I stick with the plain one and embellish the background in a more background-ish fashion, hopefully keeping the “pies cream cone” quality?

New one:

Original:

So what do you think? I suspect I haven’t enough people stopping by to see it that I’ll get a collection of comments in time, but still, yes, I’d love to hear what you think…

Why yes…

 Clutter in the background is my middle name…

This evening: Edgewood Garden Studio roving in Norwegian Luster Wool, Four Horses colorway.

Daedalus Martin at the upper notch of the 3 setting and 4 count, usual grist, Z spun singles hopefully destined for tapestry weft.

SparrowSpin Exmoor Horn

 And work on a potential cartoon for the larger Hockett loom…

This is the third bobbin full, actually, and I have a bit more of the pound’s worth yet to spin.

Exmoor Horn combed top from Laughing Lamb Fibers, Z twist singles in my usual grist, 4-5 count at 50% on the Daedalus Sparrow, destined for tapestry weft as I have this persistent desire to spin my own tapestry yarns.

So, question of the day, does anyone know the difference between weaving with Z twist singles and S twist singles? Overall and in a vacuum, I’d assume they would end up mostly the same in a tapestry, especially since weaving goes to and fro and the unbalanced singles would thus technically balance themselves out. But then a little voice whispers to myself, “Yes, but the warp does not change direction like that…” So my warp is cotton, most often seine twine, and I assume (I should check to make sure) it is spun Z and plied S? And some warp yarns are cabled, so would that be Z singles, S cable units, Z ply? Need to check. Unless you might know? And unless you might know how the twist on the warp might interact with the weft? I know that for some techniques it matters. (Robbie LaFleur mentions that it matters in Frida Hansen’s transparency weaving technique, though that uses a wool warp and I don’t know much more about it than that… yet, maybe?) I’m sure that there are more reasons for playing with twist and directional-ness, something that is easier to experiment with if I’m spinning my own yarns along the way.

Sometimes I Get to Have a Little Class…

In general, I have a hard time being a daytime person. Usually this matters not, but events like doctor’s appointments and in-person/live classes and meetings can be difficult. Saturday's plans included the ATA / Kennita Tully Soumak Class - starting at noon and running until 7PM. Zoom, yes, but still, yikes, a long day and emphasis on the day time requirement. Turns out it was not even a bit of a problem - I really wanted to explore more about soumak going into the class and Kennita is an exellent, engaging teacher. We learned and wove, had an anecdote or few, and learned and wove some more and all of a sudden, "Wait, is that the time?!" Now my only problem following the class is whether to sign on for her Elements class. It does hove a bit of price to it and I'd had plans to do some topestry exploration on my own, but... 10/10 for the class I just took - I’d be psyched to continue learning in a Kennita class and it does appear that Elements has a lot of subject to matter...

If anyone that happens to read this has taken/is taking the Elements class, I’d love to hear what you think...

Progress so far on my sample from
the Soumak Class…

(PS: Please forgive my yucky camera angle. The selvedges are straighter than they appear, I promise. How does one choose between comera/iPad shadow or skewed angles for in-progress shots, I wonder?)

I Move Slowly

No matter how careful I am with my calculations, it always amazes me when my selvedge threads line up in the reed with my edge width marker tape!

This warp is designated for one of my dear daughters and will hopefully resemble a wild-ish set backing for the tank my… ahem… grand-lizard, would that be???… lives in. At the very least, it should give me some practice with greenery and the soumack I hope to learn more about in Kennita Tully’s upcoming class.

I do move slowly but I hope to tie onto the cloth beam tomorrow. (Note to the wiser than me, also, avoid this season’s norovirus at all costs — it is nothing like the yarn and takes one’s “I move slowly” to an extreme…)