Hello, friends! It is time to begin weaving the golden project – woohoo!! This is the good stuff, boys and girls!
Starting off light…
Throwing in an accent yarn for fun!
So, this will be a 2-shuttle project. One shuttle to hold the majority of the weft yarns and one shuttle to hold the accent yarn. I like to use a rag shuttle for a big clump of yarns (doesn’t sound very scientific, does it?) and a boat shuttle for a single. There are many types of shuttles – it just depends on which ones you like best in each situation!
Meet the boat shuttle!
And the rag shuttle!
I think for this project, I’ll start with some pale colors and go from there! Plus, I want a little pattern in the fabric. So, I’m using a thicker, tan-colored wool that slides in every fifth pass. Hopefully, it will create a subtle, checkerboard effect once it’s all done! And let me tell you that as a weaver, or any artist, you make your best, educated guess as to the outcome and then let the chips fall where they may! Who knows? It’s always a bit of surprise at the end!
Golden goodness
Back & forth we go!
To slowly change the color of the fabric, I like to swap out a few yarns at a time – exchanging a cream color for a light brown and so on!
It takes two…
If you were a fuzz on the fabric…
You know, when I create this type of fabric, it is all simply plain weave – over, under, over, under. I don’t use a fancy weave structure. Not that I don’t enjoy a fancy weave structure! But, it doesn’t need it. The colors and textures stand on their own quite nicely. But, it is an interesting challenge to ponder – how do you incorporate a more complicated weave into the fabric and still allow the colors/textures to shine without being overpowered by the pattern? Hmmm… Deep thoughts from the weaver… I’ll get back to you on that one… Trying not to hurt my head here…
And the yarns go up!
Getting darker!
And there’s more weaving fun to come! I have a feeling that the weaving portion of the program is going to go fast! Hold tight! I’ll talk to you soon…
Related Articles
Art, Dressing the Loom, From the studio, Planning a Project, Weaving, Weaving Terms
