Progress

Deadline weaving continues over here – it’s another vest but this time it’s specifically for Handwoven.  I was asked to follow the Pantone “Winter 2013” color palette and I boldly chose a set of three colors from Jaggerspun in the 20/2 Maine Line wool.  I had planned to take a page out of Sara’s book (article) and use two colors that are close in value to get a more interesting warp.  That resulted in choosing a purple and a deep blue.  For the weft, I wanted a high-contrast color and I settled on a very light teal.

Next was some quality time looking at plaited twills from a variety of sources.  This was my Saturday:

A combination of FiberWorks, Olesner, Strickler, a few Handwovens and various other weaving books.  I’m so glad that I have a good library on which to draw – it makes a world of difference.  A few hours later and I’d worked up a series of potential fabrics based on an 8-shaft straight-twill threading.  So, time to wind the warp and get moving.  Lickety-split, I was done weaving on Sunday afternoon and then I washed and finished the fabric.  I’d even tested two different setts so I could be sure of the fabric.

Yeah, I can hear it now.  You’re already saying it to yourself, “What was she THINKING?  Plaited twill?  In THOSE colors?”  Well, Pantone was thinking along those color lines, and in principle it seemed like it could work, but once I got the fabric off the loom … ugh.  Suffice to say that it would be fashionable but most assuredly not something that I wanted to stare at for the next four weeks, much less wear for the next 20 years.  I was pretty despondent on Monday.  So, I got out my calculator and spreadsheet and confirmed that I could squeeze out another sample and still be able to choose any combination of colors I wanted for warp/weft.  I threw on another warp – this time, each color by itself in a wide stripe so that I could do a little gamp.

Smart girl.  Should have done this from the start, and “note to self” in that category, but I’m much, much happier with all these possibilites.

Here’s the whole shebang – and now you can see, perhaps, why I think that greenish blue is just a bit “hot”.

None of the green ones are particularly horrible – and that bit in the lower right corner is woven off with 20/2 silk, you know, for science! – but absolutely not “me”.  And, for something that’s going out into the wild, I think it’s important that it be something that I like and not just something that the customer wants.  Otherwise, what’s the point?

So, the decision now is whether I want to use the purple or the blue as the warp.  The fabrics are distinctly different – and switching them out, warp vs. weft, gives different looks, but all of them are worth going after I think.  Even the monochrome ones are interesting – but they’d be a bear to weave.

Yeah, huge sigh of relief over here.  I’ll make it.  It’ll be tight, and I can’t get distracted, but I’ll make it.  Then again, I’ve got these headbands I’ve been knitting …