It’s been a while since I posted about freeform techniques, but I haven’t forgotten about them. I had a chance to play around at the end of a couple of warps, and now I finally have a warp on the Megado which is dedicated to using freeform echo weave to interpret data about Arctic ice loss. Yes, there’s quite a lot in that sentence, but I won’t unpack it now. I just want to share some quick photos before 2017 makes its getaway.
The warp is a mix of cotton and silk yarns from my stash (along with a sparkly thing I found there as well).
I haven’t got two distinctly different layers, but I am using a parallel threading to get the greater warp density.
I have two different liftplans: one for ‘ice’ which is warp-faced and angular, and one for ‘water’ which is weft-faced and a little more curved. To keep things as simple as possible, I am weaving ‘water’ on the right and ‘ice’ on the left, so there is only one shed change per pick. The first pick goes from right to left, so the first two lags are pegged (1) water pick one (2) ice pick one. The second goes from left to right, so the next two lags are (3) ice pick two (4) water pick two. And so on. This minimises the amount of thinking I need to do about the actual lifts, so I can concentrate on the freeform element.
Nonetheless, when I started the weaving, on the Friday before Christmas, I made every kind of mistake and then some. I wove an inch. I unwove an inch. I wove two inches. I unwove an inch and a half. I wove the same inch three times and it still wasn’t right. And can I just mention that unweaving freeform is the stuff of weavers’ nightmares? I left the loom and went to a Christmas party instead.
After almost a week of cooking and feasting, I finally got back to it yesterday and wove the first few inches straight through, no mistakes. It is amazing what difference a holiday can make!
My intention is for this to be the start of a series. Always supposing I can finish the first one…
“Echoes of Freeform” was posted by Cally on 30 Dec 2017 at https://callybooker.co.uk
Monika Auch
Looks great and icy..love complicated weaves…back to work myself this week. Have a great 2018!
Cally
Thanks, Monika. You too!
Judy
Looks great Cally, all the best to you and your family for the coming year.
Judy
South East Queensland
Australia
Cally
Thanks, Judy, and the same to you. Have a great year!
Sandra Rude
Really cool design idea. Looks great on the loom, and will gain more textural difference once off tension and wet finished. Happy New Year to you!
Cally
Thanks, Sandra. And a happy new year to you too! Hope 2018 brings you good health and much weaving.
MegWeaves
I do look forward to seeing more on this series/development. I want to get into it, too, but with not too much pick up, for which I’d have to give it time and thought before I can “plan” it. Same with Summer & Winter I’ve been wanting to do on auto-drive for ages. Let 2018 be a freeing year on the loom, then, albeit it carefully planned and on cruise. LOL.
Cally
Haha, yes, that sweet spot where planning and not-planning are in perfect balance! Different for each weaver’s temperament of course…
amyfibre
What an intriguing design idea! I love how you take science-y ideas to the loom. Being of a distinctly non-sciency mindset myself, I am a bit awestruck.
“I finally have a warp on the Megado which is dedicated to using freeform echo weave to interpret data about Arctic ice loss. Yes, there’s quite a lot in that sentence, but I won’t unpack it now.” Looking forward to the day when you unpack! Post session perhaps?
Cally
That’s funny, I don’t really think of myself as science-y, but I do like data and have found a new source to mine for ideas… I resolve to be a better blogger in 2018 and post more regularly, including about this project. I have no excuses now that the move is accomplished!