Because the bug IS the feature…

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Originally published at WormSpit. You can comment here or there.

Every once in a while, I get this neat synchronicity on my journal reading list.  This time, one of my LiveJournal textiles buddies, Not Just a Girl wrote a post about dyeing with cochineal, and just a page down from it, I found Bug Girl’s extensive post on Cochineal, covering a lot of the uses in food, makeup, and other applications.  For anybody who’s ever been curious about what cochineal looks like on-the-hoof, check it out!

More about cochineal culture, and use in textiles, at insectimages.org

Three-Color Doubleface

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Although I’m good at what I do, weaving-wise, there have always been some areas in tablet weaving that have been difficult for me to grasp.  Three-color doubleface has always been one of those.  Thanks to Guntram‘s exquisite work, I’ve been obsessed with it lately.

Tonight, I decided I just had to sit down and plug through it.  After many amusing (in hindsight) false starts, I finally figured out the basics.  I can’t say that I threw it to the floor and made it my bitch… but at least it doesn’t throw ME to the floor any more.  It’ll be a while before I can successfully design in it, I think – plotting where the threads are going to twist which way makes me a little dizzy.

The way in which it resembles couched gold cord makes me very, very happy.

Closer to, you can see the structure a little better – it’s created by just one yellow thread in each tablet.  I can tell this is going to call for some careful consideration of colors – the combination of three colors makes quite a difference in the look of the finished band.