REVERSING THE WEFT COLORS

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I decided to see what would happen if I reversed the weft colors, weaving green where brown had originally been and vice versa. Note that I am still keeping the groups of blocks separated by blank green lines.



On the left, the treadling goes green, brown, green, brown…….repeat
On the right, the treadling goes brown, green,brown, green…..repeat.

Perhaps I can use this ability to reverse colors somehow in the actual weaving.  But first will have to figure out how to make a smooth transition from green leading to brown leading.

COLOR AND WEAVING SOFTWARE

When I was preparing these drafts for the blog, I had the hardest time getting the colors right in my weaving software.  It wasn’t that I wanted a particular green or brown.  It is that I wanted the green and brown to be the same in each drawdown. I had tried to do this by eyeball/memory but that really was not working. 

I finally realized that I could double-click on the brown in the left hand draft to raise the color information section and figure out the numbers for the color.  There are two sets of numbers.  The first set are the numbers for Hue, Saturation, and Luminescence.  The second set are the numbers for Red, Green and Blue.

I wrote down the six numbers for the brown I used in the draft on the left. Then I went to the other draft, double-clicked on the brown, and yes, the numbers were different…..  So I changed the numbers.  Miracle of miracles, the right brown appears!

The greens, however, still look different.  But all the numbers for the green are the same in both drafts.  Perhaps it is the changed juxtaposition that affects the colors of the greens.


“Reversing the Weft Colors“ was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 30, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

A PROBLEM WITH CRACKLE DRAFT

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Anyone who has read this blog for awhile knows that numbers are definitely not my thing.  My mind can get so muddled and confused, especially when dealing with dyeing matters.  But clearly weaving matters on the so-called drawing board also are difficult for my poor head to wrap around.  Witness what I thought was getting close to my final draft.


The first thing to realize is that those solid green vertical lines represent only lines separating the larger threading block groups.  When I did the threading, I left a few empty spaces in the threading between block groups.  This makes it easier for me to keep track of what I am doing.

Also, I absent-mindedly included a once-planned border on the right side.  That is the narrow horizontal strip off to the right separated from the rest by a narrow band of green.  So forget about that, too!

The center is fine.  The left side is fine.  But the right side?  Oh dear.  Why I didn’t see this before, I have no idea.  But I sure see clearly now that the right side does NOT mirror the left side…………   Sigh……………….

I printed out the threading and checked it for the blocks.  I immediately found the problem.  The blocks on the right side were definitely not the mirror image of those on the left.  Almost.  Not quite.  Not quite doesn’t count. How on earth could that have happened?!?! 

Because I liked what was happening on the left side but not on the right side, I redid the threading blocks on the right side.  I left the threading on the left side alone. 

What an improvement!  But there is still work to be done.

Related Posts:  
I Ought Not to be a Weaver
Aiming for Excellence
I Need a Proofreader

“A Problem with Crackle Draft“ was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 29, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

Two Sets of Greens Done

Posted by Peg in South Carolina


The first set of greens I did is at the top.  Two of the greens are not there because they are really, not green.  I am filing them in my general Sabraset dye samples with the blue-greens.

The second is at the bottom.  All seven are there, even the brownish one on the bottom (the third wrapping from the right).  Since I will also be using browns, that one may prove valuable.

I still have a few more greens to try and then I can begin neutralizing one or more of these greens with their complements.  For the yellow-greens, I will use red-violet;  for the greens I will use red. 

I am doing these neutralizing samples, not so much to discover new greens I might use, but to discover browns I might use with these greens.  The browns will be found somewhere around the half-and-half range. So that is the range I will be exploring.

One thing I do want to think about is one small non-harmonic element in the mix.  Too much harmony, for me, tends to create a soothing but lifeless piece.  Perhaps a bit of red or red-orange somewhere?

Related Posts: 
First Green Skeins
Dyeing Records

“Two Sets of Greens Done“ was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 28, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

ME AND ZIELINSKI: THE TWO DRAFTS COMPARED—PART TWO

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I still wasn’t satisfied with my decision to go with Zielinski.  So I did some more working and thinking. I needed to work things out using two colors of weft, since that is what I will be eventually weaving.   First, my blocks with alternating treadles using two colors.


Next, Zielinski’s blocks, but my tie up, also with alternating treadles using two colors.

I am so glad I did this.  My threading blocks win.

I learned something very important.  In designing the treadling, I have to watch very carefully from block to block.  In the original version of both blocks, there appeared to be treadled blocks much too long.  They were.  I had not checked to make sure that the first treadle of each consecutive block, on which I throw the green weft, was a different treadle from the preceding block.

To correct this I need to make the following changes.  The second treadling sequences reads 5,6 repeat;  the third reads 5,4 repeat. The result is that both treadling sequences result in the same block appearing in the drawdown. So I must changed the third from 5,4 to 4,5.  And the next treadling must be 3, 5. With these changes there will appear 3 different treadled blocks in the drawdown. 

I need to make similar changes in the remaining treadled blocks.  Making those changes results in the drawdown appearing on the right above.

I could change the order of the colors.  Doing that would also solve the problem.  But that would result in an unpleasant doubling of colors.  The easiest is to change the order of the blocks.

Related Post:   Me and Zielinski: The Two Drafts Compared—Part One

“Me and Zielinski: The Two Drafts Compared—Part Two“was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 25, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

ME AND ZIELINSKI: THE TWO DRAFTS COMPARED—PART ONE

AND A QUESTION ABOUT ORGANIZATION

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

When I started seriously working with these crackle drafts, I used overshot treadling because overshot treadling reveals most clearly what is going on.  So I decided with all the confusion going on with Zielinski’s threading blocks, which are somewhat different than my threading blocks, I would return to working with overshot treadling.

First, the draft with Zielinski’s threading blocks

 Next, the draft with the threading blocks as I did them originally.

The black is the warp.  The green is the weft. The second draft is wider because I  have repeated the outside block group on each side.

These are three different sets of treadlings.  The two sets I am going to incorporate into the final design are the bottom two.  Right now, I am thinking that Zielinski wins out.  Why?  Because, though imperfect, the weft diagonals are a bit more clear in his.

So now I have three folders in my Green Crackle folder:  Possible Drafts, Working Drafts, and Final Working Drafts a la Zielinski.  The three folders are growing fatter and fatter—well, they would be if they were real-life file folders in my actual filing cabinet……..

ORGANIZING DRAFTS?

And I have a question for your readers.  What do you do with drafts you have done for a project but discarded?  Do you keep them?  Delete them? Save them to another folder?


“Me and Zielinski: The Two Drafts Compared—Part One“was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 24, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

FIRST GREEN SKEINS

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Here is a photo of the results of the first batch of green dyeing.

This was taken in incandescent light and the colors are quite accurate. I did have to do an unusual amount of fiddling in PaintShopPro to get those colors accurate.  But when I look at these skeins in florescent light, those three green skeins on the right look definitely blue.  Well, teal, but a very blue teal.

So……viewed in incandescent light, those green skeins are quite useful for this project.  But, viewed in florescent light, no.

In any case, it is the five skeins on the left that have been entered into the group of colors I will probably use for the next piece.

Meanwhile, I have drawn up recipes for another seven greens which may or may not support those five greens of choice.

Next step?  I need to make a 1% DOS dye stock solution of SAB black and then, having made that, make a 0.1% DOS solution to use for mixing in with the other 0.1% DOS solutions I have been using.  Then it’s back to another dye batch with the Mason jars and electric frying pan.

Related Posts: 
Green Dye Sampling
Making Stock Solutions

“First Green Skeins” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 23 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

GREEN DYE SAMPLING

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

My original plan had been first to dye seven variants of green at 2% depth of shade (DOS) and at 4% DOS. 4% is, generally speaking, the most saturated color you can get.  0.25% is pretty pale.  But, as I am wont to do, I changed my mind as I was beginning to make the dye liquids.  As I was mixing the colors, I decided that dyeing yarns at 2% and 4% DOS at the same time was just a little too complex.  In addition,

1. I could easily make errors in the measuring. 
2. I might have trouble, once the yarns were dry, deciding which yarn was in which dye pot. 
3. Finally, I was interested in the less saturated versions only in the final colors I was going to use.

Here are the eight skeins, each in its own dyepot (a Mason jar) absorbing the color. The orange yarn (5/2 pearl cotton) hanging off the edge of the jars is looped through the skein and tied.  It gives me something to hold on to to lift the skeins in and out of their jars.

When these sample are dyed and dry, I will evaluate to see if I want to do more greens, using the same five 0.1% solutions but in different proportions.

Related Post:  Dyeing in the Kitchen

“Green Dye Sampling” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 22, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

MAKING STOCK SOLUTIONS

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I am spending a lot of time working with the drafts for this next green crackle project.  But I have not neglected (too badly) the dyeing.  The skeins, having been made and weighed are waiting for the next step.
Next step?  I do not have any Sabraset Navy stock solution. Nor do I have enough 1% stock solution of Sabraset Sun Yellow so I need to make a liter of that as well.
Yellow is a weak color.  That means it takes a lot of it to have an impact on the color. So I always go through yellow dye more quickly than the other dye colors. 
That means I have to make stock solution for SAB Sun Yellow fairly often.  That is not so bad because Sun Yellow has a tendency to form nasty small clumps of gangrenous looking curds if left standing for too long…………..
So the 1% stock solutions of both SAB Sun Yellow and SAB Navy are made. I only made a half liter of the Navy as I will not use much of it and, as I rule, rarely use it.

Now I have enough of the five dye colors to proceed with the next step.
1% dye stock solutions are much too strong to use for dyeing fiber that weighs only 1 gram.  It is very hard to be accurate with the small amounts of stock solution I would be using.  So I need to make 0.1% stock solutions.  And here are the five 0.1% stock solutions, three different blues at the back, two different yellows in the front.

Next step?  Get out the dyeing equipment and soak the skeins!

Related Posts: 
Dyeing Books: Some Favorites
Dye Stock Solutions
Yarns and Colors for Green Crackle Project

“Making Stock Solutions” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 21, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

THREE CRACKLE DRAFTS

Posted by Peg in South Carolina


Well, I don’t like either draft 2 or draft 3……………………………
And I’ve decided against the borders in draft 1.  For the moment, anyway.


“Three Crackle Drafts” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 18, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

SO WHAT GIVES WITH THE THREADING?

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I took each of my blocks and compared them with each of Zielinski’s blocks. The results quite surprised me.

Most of my blocks were to be found in Zielinski’s blocks, though clearly I had ordered my blocks quite differently. Also five of the threading units (A, B, E, G and H) looked just a little different, but in reality they were the same, just approached differently.

One of my blocks (D), however, was not to be found among Zielinski’s blocks.

I also discovered two identical sets of blocks among my blocks:  C and E, and G and H. 


Here are the details as they appear in my E-Sketchbook:

Next on the agenda?  Create a new draft, using the same block design, but substituting Zielinski’s threading units.  Here is what is now the correct profile threading draft (carefully saved on the computer……….):

Note that I have spaces in the profile threading so that I can easily distinguish the groupings.

Related Post: 8 Crackle Blocks on 4 Shafts: How Not to Thread

“So What Gives with the Threading?” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 17, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

GIVING UP BLOGGING?

Posted by Peg in South Carolina 

I have noticed that for the past few months that the number of weaving posts on the blogs I subscribe to has been diminishing. I noticed as well that the number of returning weavers to my blog are less than half of what they had been. 

At first I thought it was summer.  But the drop does not seem to be reversing itself.

Then last week several bloggers (not all weavers) have written that they have decided to give up blogging, either entirely or for the immediate future.  Why?  Some had been blogging for a couple of years and decided they were tired, or had taught all they felt they could teach, or had too many other things they needed to do.

I’m in my third year of blogging.  Is it time for me to stop?  Have I said all that needs to be said? Stopping certainly would free up some time for me.  Quite a bit of time, actually.

I let that roll around my head for awhile. Then I realized that I could not stop, even if my readership has dropped.

Writing this blog is where I do a lot my thinking.  Or, to be more precise, writing this blog is where I continue and refine my thinking about what I am doing.  Writing this blog is also where I solidify some of my skills.  Writing this blog keeps me open to possibilities.  Writing this blog is even where ideas come to me.

Last, but not least, I like writing this blog. Or at least it is the reason that keeps me writing even when I don’t feel like it (which is rare). Perhaps this is the most important reason to keep blogging?

I love to weave.  I love to write.  Both are all about process.  And the writing reflects the process. And if the writing of it inspires even one weaver to engage or continue engaging in her own weaving journey,  I would feel that to be of great value.

Related Post:  Blog Writing

“Giving up Blogging?” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 16, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

8 CRACKLE BLOCKS ON 4 SHAFTS: HOW NOT TO THREAD?

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Things had been going quite well in terms of designing the green crackle project.  Or so I thought. 

Over the weekend I cleaned up paperwork from my last project.  Got everything nicely organized and put away.  Got the current paperwork nicely organized in its folder.

Then I went to work on the green crackle project.  In the process of that cleanup, I had thrown out stuff.  Important stuff.

DISCARDING AND RECOVERING

I had thrown out the paper copy of the threading for the last crackle project.  Not a problem?  After all I can just print it out again.  Oh no. I had marked with pen the various blocks. That was the valuable part, the part that was not on the computer.  I used this to work out the threadings for the current green crackle project.

So I looked for the threading block draft for this green crackle project I am working on. I had thrown out the paper copy, but I knew it would be on the computer.  What’s more,  there were no handwritten notes on it. So what was on the computer would do just fine.
I opened the file that all this stuff is stored in.  Not on the computer.

Thank heavens I am recording stuff in my E-sketchbook.  I went to it and there was the threading block design.  So I used that to create one in the weaving software and saved it.  I made sure I saved it and saved it in the right place.   And printed it out.

PROBLEMS WITH THE BLOCKS

Then I started examining the threading against the blocks and discovered that I had made an error in the block order.  I could understand how I made the error. I had simply failed to reverse part of the left side of the threading block draft to reflect the right side. That was an easy mistake to make and easy to correct. So I corrected it.  

PROBLEMS WITH THE THREADINGS?

But then as I was rechecking the threading units in the blocks I started seeing some strange things. Some things I did not understand.  Something seemed to be wrong, but what?  And how could anything be wrong, since everything seemed to be working out just fine?
So I checked out the threading notes for 8 blocks on 6 shafts in Zielinski’s book (Volume 8 in his Master Weaver series.  There I discovered that my blocks were not always the same as his blocks.  This is copied from my E-sketchbook:



As I said, I see nothing wrong with my blocks.  I don’t see why I can’t continue with those threadings.  They worked fine in the last piece.  On paper they seem to be working fine in this piece.

NEXT ON THE AGENDA
Still, I need to redo the draft in terms of Zielinski’s threading units and see what gives.  So, time out from dyeing and back to work on the threading.

Related Posts: 
   Multi-Pocket Folders
   E-Sketchbook
   Preparing to Design Next Crackle Piece

“8 Crackle Blocks on 4 Shafts: How Not to Thread?” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 15, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

SAMPLE SKEINS WOUND AND WEIGHED

Posted by Peg in South Carolina
I finally did something sensible.  In the past when I have made mini-skeins (I’m talking about skeins 9-10 yards long here), I simply used my warping board.  For some inane reason, this made sense to me.
This time I used my regular skein winder.  Faster.  Easier on the body.  Silly me.

I made 25 skeins, weighed them all at one time.  They weighed 26 grams.  I decided that figuring 1 gram for a skein was close enough.  And that is how I have re-written my instructions.
The scale I use is a triple balance scale.  Most dyers use electronic scales.  But a really accurate electronic scale costs a great deal of money, much more than the kitchen scales sold in stores.  Those are fine for weighing food, but not nearly accurate enough for dyeing. The triple balance scale, on the other hand, is relatively inexpensive and extremely accurate.  Having forgotten high school chemistry, I did have to re-learn how to use it, and it is more fiddly to use than the electronic scales.  But it is extremely accurate.

“Sample Skeins Wound and Weighed” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 14, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

WEEKEND READING

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Abby Franquemont doesn’t post very often.  But I keep her in my Bloglines reader because when a post does appear, it is generally a winner.  And so it was with the post I read today:  Go Ahead: Be a Beginner.   Here she talks about things that peeve her that people say to and expect (or don’t expect) of beginning spinners.  And she also talks about the value of cultivating a beginner’s mindset for even advanced spinners.  Abby is a spinner but what she has to say has much truth for me in other parts of my life as well.

In this post, Should I Give Up? Robert Genn addresses this question asked of him by a painter.  Genn talks around the problem for awhile, but by the time he reaches the end he has some advice I find useful.

I enjoyed reading Priming Your Mind for Painting  by Lori Woodward Simons.  It’s a short piece with not much new to say, to me anyway.  But I did appreciate one thing she included, and that is quotation from the leader of a recent workshop she took:  

I never paint anything unless it resonates emotionally with me.

That is very much how I feel about weaving.

“Weekend Reading” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 11, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

 

YARNS AND COLORS FOR GREEN CRACKLE PROJECT

Also a note at the end on photography for those interested in such matters
Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Taking a break from looking at the computer screen, I checked to see if I needed to order any yarn.  It turns out that I have plenty of 60/2 silk, which is for both the warp and the pattern weft.  But I seem to have no more 120/2 silk, which is for the binder weft.


By the way, for the curious, the piece of yellow at the bottom left corner is the first piece I wove—a yellow wool and mohair afghan which I keep draped over my computer chair.

120/2 silk is very fine, but fortunately Treenway Silks offers it on cones as well as skeins. That means that I will not have to wind cones from skeins before I wind smaller skeins for the dye baths. So my order is in.
 

I do not have enough of the silk tram I ordered from Habu.  I plan on using this for some, but not all, of the pattern wefts.  A phone call will be in order tomorrow.

And I have started work on the dye formulas I want to sample.  They are mostly some different variations of yellow-green.  I will be mixing Lanaset/Sabraset dyes and will use SAB Sun Yellow,  SAB Mustard Yellow, SAB Turquoise and SAB Royal Blue in various proportions. 

After I finish the yellow-green sampling, I will take the colors I like and want to use and add varying degrees of red-violet to them.  Red-violet is the complement of lemon yellow, so I can use a bit of it to tone down the various lemon-yellows.  Using a bit more of the red-violet should give me some possible browns to use.
 
There is no red-violet in SAB dyes so I am using a formula I have used in another sampling and like.  It  uses SAB Scarlet, SAB Violet, and Washfast Acid Magenta in various proportions.

Then I will do the same thing with violet.  There is a SAB Violet but I don’t like it alone.  So I will combine it with SAB Royal Blue an Washfast Acid Magenta, which will give it a more brilliant character.

Also on the sampling to-do list is using black to create varying degrees of grays.  Then I plan to combine one or more of these grays with any browns I find from earlier trials that I like.  I will see what happens.

These formulas are now made up only in terms of percentages, not in terms of actual amount of dye.  I need to wind and weigh the skeins to determine the actual amount of each dye stock solution.

I will be winding small skeins of 20/2 silk.  I use 20/2 silk instead of 60/2 because it is much heavier and so I do not have to make very larger skeins for the dye samplings.

It looks like I will be starting with about 25 skeins.  I will do more if I see some more ideas I want to try as a result of this batch of dyeing.  So my next steps are:

1. Wind 10-yard skeins of 20/2 silk.
2. Weigh the skeins
3. Rewrite the dye stock formulas in terms of actual amounts of dye needed.

So now it is time for some actual physical labor!  At least I have quite a bit of 20/2 already wound on a cone so, at least for now, I do not have to wind another skein of it onto a cone.

Photography Note:  I have a new camera which lets me take far better pictures, both inside and outside, than my old one.  But this photo reveals the difficulty that still exists of getting colors right.  The major issue was caused, I think, by the brightness of the LED screen versus the comparative dimness of the rest of the room.  The result is that the overall colors are just a tad too dark, except for the computer screen.

Because I was most concerned with the colors on the computer screen, I selected it, moved it to its own layer and played with it.  The result is better, except that now the blue borders that Windows uses for its various toolbars are definitely not blue.

I could have selected the entire computer screen, reversed the selection so that everything else was selected instead and then lightened that a tad.  But I did not think about that because only what was on the computer screen concerned me.

There are other issues as well.

• The round yellow light on my phone to the right of the computer.  The light is really red…………   Sigh……….
• The glare of the blue button at the bottom of the screen.

Finally I just have a ton left to learn on using this camera.  I doubt that I shall learn it all in this lifetime!

Related Posts:  
Dyeing Records
Dye Stock Solutions

“Yarns and Colors for Green Crackle Project” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 10, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

A FINAL WORKING DRAFT

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Note the “A” in the title is not “The.”  And put the emphasis on “working,” not on “final”!  Not done by a long shot but am getting there.

This draft consists of slightly under 334 warp ends (I am excluding the blanks between warp block groups).  I can’t quite tell how many treadles because the other two drafts are at the top of the draft page in my WIF file but are not visible here.  At this point it looks like there are roughly the same number of treadles (not including the binder threads) as warp ends.

I have a lot of rethinking to do because the threading blocks are either one or two units wide in the draft.  In reality, working with 60 ends per inch, I will have to increase the widths of the threading blocks. 

The last crackle I wove had 8 threading units in each block.  I liked that.  That will have to be the width of the major blocks here.  I fear I may be able to have only two side panels.

Similarly with the treadlings.  Here on the largest treadling block there are 10 treadles (not counting the binder treadles).  This too shall have to be altered.  But first I have to deal with the threading issues.

My next steps will be:

1. Working on the threading so that I create the same effect as is shown here but on the larger scale real life weaving demands.

                                                     OR

2. Deciding that I want to weave a wider piece, a shawl or yardage, for example. 

The second path is very tempting. 

1. I am clearly not going to make the deadline for the Washington D.C. show no matter what I do.

2. I did “promise” a long time ago that I was ready to up the challenge of weaving this structure in fine silk from narrow scarves to wider shawls. 

3. I like what I have done with the threading blocks and really do not want to compromise the threading design.

Based on these thoughts (and forgetting about the difficulties weaving wider with fine silk creates…….sigh………), I think I will continue to work on this threading in the light of making a wider piece.

Related Posts: 
   Maddened by Ideas
   Crackle Shawl/Art Piece

“A Final Working Draft” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 9, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

LONG FLOATS IN CRACKLE AND ACCIDENTALS

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I did discover some long floats as I was looking at the last draft.  Floats in crackle are limited to floats of 3.  But I found several spots where there were floats of 4 or 5.  I looked at the threading and discovered that they happened at the place where I moved from one threading unit to another.  So in these particular places I had to insert an extra warp end between the two blocks. 
In crackle these extra warp ends are called accidentals.  The need for them in crackle is common, especially when moving from one block to a block which does not follow in straight twill sequence.  For example, moving from block A to B to C and so forth in straight twill order does not generally require these extra accidental ends.  But moving from block A to block C or block D, for example, might require one.
I  wrote a post two years ago about these. I titled the post, unfortunately, Crackle: the Incidental Threads. The term “incidental” is incorrect;  the term should be “accidental.”

“Long Floats and Accidentals” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 8, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

CRACKLE AND OVERSHOT: BLOCK WIDTH

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I have woven very little overshot.  Maybe two pieces.  A long time ago.  So do keep in mind my lack of experience with overshot as you read this.
If I understand overshot correctly, block width is generally determined by float length.  As a result, the width of a block is determined by the maximum float length that will work in the particular yarn and sett one is working with.  The use for the finished piece also comes into play here.
In crackle, however, or at least in “traditional” crackle, the float length is a constant:  3 warp ends.  So block width is not determined by float length.  Rather it is determined by the number of individual threading units one creates to make up a given block width.
Zielinski talks about the possibility of weaving crackle with floats longer than three.  Weaving 60/2 silk at around 60 epi certainly provides an opportunity for working with floats quite a bit longer than three. I picked up on that possibility in two earlier blog posts:   Crackle with Floats of Four (or More) and Treadling with Floats of 4: 8 Crackle Blocks on 4 Shafts.
Weaving with more than the 3 floats, however, would reduce the warp/weft interplay.  The longer the floats, the less interplay there would be.  But the reason I am so interested in crackle is precisely that warp interplay!  What I need to do sometime is to put on a crackle warp with say 5 floats in each threading unit just to see what actually happens. That will have to wait till I am done with my current project.

“Crackle and Overshot: Block Width” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 4, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

THE WORKING DRAFT REVISED

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I have given up looking for the original WIF file………… But here is the working draft revised and I like it much better than the original anyway, so there! First the profile threading draft.

Next, the draft itself with three different overshot treadling. And next to it the draft with alternating treadles, both treadles weaving the same pattern color.


I have purposefully kept the drafts small because keeping them small shows better what is happening. Even using only one color I like the alternating treadles much better than the overshot treadling. Less clarity, yet the overall pattern is still visible.
And finally the draft with alternating treadles, one treadle carrying green thread and one carrying brown. The treadling still follows the same pattern as the overshot treadlings, but for every overshot treadle a second treadle for a separate shot of yarn to be thrown.
The two weft colors very much obscure the pattern, though the pattern can be made out. One reason for the great obscuring is the contrast between the two colors. With less contrast, the pattern would start to emerge a little more clearly.
The effect that colors have on the visibility of the pattern is something I intend to consider in the overall design. It might be interesting to move from highly contrasting weft colors, gradually through less and less contrasting weft colors, ending with two weft colors that are almost identical. At least from what I see on the computer screen, this looks possible. But what about with the actual threads?
Related Post: Alternating Treadles for Blooming Leaf

“The Working Draft Revised” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 3, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.

LOST MY WORKING DRAFT!

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Yes!  Darn it all anyway!  I have mislaid the WIF file for the beginning of a working draft!  I have looked everywhere.  I have even looked at WIF files that I began with to see if I had written over one of them.  No luck.
The draft is a peculiar combination of the Blooming Leaf and Rippled Diamond.*  These are drafts I have been playing with. The threading combines ideas of the two drafts. But I used a threading and tie-up I had developed working with straight draw crackle threadings.  Without further ado, here we go.
First, the profile threading draft.  Note that the separations indicate separate block groups that can be repeated as individual groups. 

And here the draft, with three possible treadlings. The treadlings not my own idea. They come straight out of the Rippled Diamond draft in Davison.*

BUT……………………
I cannot find the WIF for the draft!  In a way, it doesn’t matter because I am going to reverse the threading so that the slant in the outside blocks is down and the slant in the center block points up.  But STILL…………WHERE  IS THE DARN FILE?!?!
*I have not blogged about my trials with Rippled Diamond, but the original draft—a regular 4 shaft crackle-- can be found in Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern Book.
Related Post:  
I’ve Been Doing Things Backwards
Re-arranging Tie-ups for Overshot Treadlings

“Lost My Working Draft!” was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on September 1, 2009. ©2009 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina.