Summer And Winter Weave

Day 266: The floor loom stood empty for less than 24 hours before I started hanging the warp I'd measured out a couple of weeks ago. I knew exactly what I wanted to do: a "summer and winter" weave lap robe in 8/2 cotton. Why do they call it "summer and winter?" The weave produces a fabric which is light on one side ("summer," right, underside on the loom) and dark on the other ("winter," left). Although the two sides are distinctly different, they are not exact opposites of one another, given the fact that the warp is a single colour. The threading (i.e., the order in which the threads pass through four sets of heddles) and alternating colours of weft picks produce the pattern. In this case, I have opted for a traditional blue/white theme, but modern weavers now weave "summer and winter" in whatever colour pattern they choose. Blue/white and red/white are the most commonly found in vintage pieces. Weaving "summer and winter" is a painstaking process. Each coloured pattern throw is followed by a white tabby pick, so the weaver is constantly changing active shuttles. The sequence does not lend itself to easy memorization except that the tabby picks always raise the same two heddles depending on which direction the shuttle will be travelling (in this case, 1/2 from the right, 3/4 from the left). I find it easiest to let my hands "remember" the order of the tabbies while letting my mind focus on the pattern throws. I also find myself looking at my feet more often than in other weaving because the treadling is easy to confuse.