I’m very happy with how this pattern is working out.

This is more tablets than I’ve ever had on the loom at one time – it’s causing some tension problems, but I think I’m getting them mostly sorted. This will eventually be the back of a fancy woven name tag / pouch – it will have my name on the front, and this on the back, and then a woven neck strap. Kind of like those little pouches you get at conventions that hold your convention badge and your meal ticket – but for the hardcore handweaver set.

Here, you can see the tension showing up. It’s frustrating – I’ve tried the little tricks that usually work, but can’t seem to get it as even as I’d like. I know you can’t see it at arm’s length, but it’s definitely there… if you look at the square part of the knots on the left-hand portion, you can see that the ones near the border are more compressed than the ones near the center. This is 75 tablets, Gudebrod Size A filament silk sewing thread.

This is the other part that will be joined to the knot part. I’m going to rework this piece; there are a couple of design issues that I want to address, like the knotwork being too close to the edge – and there’s one significant weaving error that I hadn’t seen until it was inches back.

This is how I have in mind to put them together. Once it’s all done, the entire thing will be immersion-dyed gold; I’m hoping that the black will pick up a golden tone, and the white will take up a uniform gold color. I think this will be easier than trying to unspool all the white into skeins, and then wind back to spools for warping. I’ll post more going forward – just had to share what I’ve done so far!

0 replies
  1. theoldone
    theoldone says:

    Absolutely incredible work as always!
    I’ll have to lure Sindra to a computer to see it tonight (maybe I can get her to take up weaving again).

  2. theoldone
    theoldone says:

    Absolutely incredible work as always!
    I’ll have to lure Sindra to a computer to see it tonight (maybe I can get her to take up weaving again).

  3. hugh_mannity
    hugh_mannity says:

    My head just went all splody.

    Just when I’d got it nicely wrapped around a simple 24 card 4×4 threaded in pattern.

    One of these days…

    Thank you for being such an inspirational moving target 🙂

  4. hugh_mannity
    hugh_mannity says:

    My head just went all splody.

    Just when I’d got it nicely wrapped around a simple 24 card 4×4 threaded in pattern.

    One of these days…

    Thank you for being such an inspirational moving target 🙂

  5. omenode
    omenode says:

    Oh yum, nice stuff mate. they are the kind of patterns I would if I could,try to make. Thanks for sharing once again.

  6. omenode
    omenode says:

    Oh yum, nice stuff mate. they are the kind of patterns I would if I could,try to make. Thanks for sharing once again.

  7. herveus
    herveus says:

    Hmmm…

    My most recent bit of 3/1 twill was 77 cards in 20/2 silk. I had no problems with uneven tension across the weft at all (nor did I when I was weaving the same in 5/2 perle cotton). I don’t use a warp spreader, and I do draw up the weft “firmly”.

    Do you do the “leave a loop” thing, or do you just draw the weft up tight on each pick?

  8. herveus
    herveus says:

    Hmmm…

    My most recent bit of 3/1 twill was 77 cards in 20/2 silk. I had no problems with uneven tension across the weft at all (nor did I when I was weaving the same in 5/2 perle cotton). I don’t use a warp spreader, and I do draw up the weft “firmly”.

    Do you do the “leave a loop” thing, or do you just draw the weft up tight on each pick?

  9. admin
    admin says:

    I’m drawing the weft moderately tight with each pick – this particular silk seems to get too good a hold on itself if I try to pull it the shed after. The tension on average is just fine – I’m just trying to make it more average across the whole band.

  10. admin
    admin says:

    I’m drawing the weft moderately tight with each pick – this particular silk seems to get too good a hold on itself if I try to pull it the shed after. The tension on average is just fine – I’m just trying to make it more average across the whole band.

  11. monkeybung
    monkeybung says:

    You realize, of course, that you’re a madman? Brilliant? Yes. But a madman nonetheless. I love this sort of weaving, but it makes my eyes bleed and my crow nature go “Oooh. Look over there! Shiny!” and never get back to finishing it once I’ve stepped away.

    Beautiful work as always!

  12. monkeybung
    monkeybung says:

    You realize, of course, that you’re a madman? Brilliant? Yes. But a madman nonetheless. I love this sort of weaving, but it makes my eyes bleed and my crow nature go “Oooh. Look over there! Shiny!” and never get back to finishing it once I’ve stepped away.

    Beautiful work as always!

  13. herveus
    herveus says:

    Hmmm…

    My gut reaction is “then you’re not drawing it up quite tight enough from the start”. Of course, that’s just my opinion… 🙂

  14. herveus
    herveus says:

    Hmmm…

    My gut reaction is “then you’re not drawing it up quite tight enough from the start”. Of course, that’s just my opinion… 🙂

  15. admin
    admin says:

    I finally figured out that (a) starting out with it more perfectly even, helped make it more perfectly even throughout, and (b) I can adjust the spread, by pinching the fell at the selvedge in one hand, and pinching along the fell to spread the threads with the other, and (c) the areas with double-face work tend to spread out, whereas the areas without tend to stay more compact. I think the twisting pattern makes it want to spread more.

  16. admin
    admin says:

    I finally figured out that (a) starting out with it more perfectly even, helped make it more perfectly even throughout, and (b) I can adjust the spread, by pinching the fell at the selvedge in one hand, and pinching along the fell to spread the threads with the other, and (c) the areas with double-face work tend to spread out, whereas the areas without tend to stay more compact. I think the twisting pattern makes it want to spread more.

  17. rexenne
    rexenne says:

    TAGGED!

    You haven’t posted in a while, so I thought you would enjoy indulging us with some random info. *thwap!* You’ve been tagged! Visit me blog for the tag information.

  18. rexenne
    rexenne says:

    TAGGED!

    You haven’t posted in a while, so I thought you would enjoy indulging us with some random info. *thwap!* You’ve been tagged! Visit me blog for the tag information.

  19. rutemple
    rutemple says:

    any followup pix yet?

    Hi you – I first encountered you and your work when you posted a show and tell of your red and black knotwork, and also the peacock brocade at the end of one piece. How delightful to find you on Ravelry as well!
    Are there any followup pix to this, how did the gold overdye work?
    In my brain I’m imagining saffron – where you let it soak a day or two and then dunk into the dyepot; but I’m more curious to know what you really have done with this.

  20. admin
    admin says:

    Re: any followup pix yet?

    I haven’t taken follow-up pictures yet. The over-dye was a mixed success. I use acid dyes, and was going for a slightly brownish gold, but it went more to the brown side, and some of the black looks “scuffed” in a couple of places – like perhaps it got stuck against the side of the dye pot. I’ll probably still finish it up one of these days, but it’s lingering in UFO-land for the moment.

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