October Weave-Along Towels

Day 355: Well, here they are: three shadow-weave towels and a "file sample," off the loom but not yet wet-finished, and I have to laugh at myself. I got so carried away with the rhythm of dark-light, dark-light that I completely forgot to put the yellow weft stripe in the last two. Shadow weave is fun! These were woven at 24 epi, more closely spaced than I usually weave with 8/2 cotton. There isn't much room for fulling here. I think 18-20 epi would be a better sett. The height of the vertical pattern rectangles is greater than the width of the horizontal ones, i.e., I did not achieve a balanced weave of 24 throws per inch, the preferred result for shadow weave when perfectly square motifs are the goal. Even so, the weave gives such a compelling optical effect that in this case, a balanced weave was not really mandatory. Widening the sett for this pattern would elongate the horizontal rectangles to the correct proportions. Switching to 10/2 cotton would also achieve the same end because it would beat more firmly. But they're towels, right? And this was my first time playing with shadow weave, thanks to Chris Acton's "October Weave-Along." Next up: a holiday tablecloth in overshot, and it's already partway hung on the loom.

Shadow Weave

Day 347: One of my favourite YouTube weavers hosts "weave-along" sessions in April and October. I couldn't participate in April because I had a project on the loom, but this time, she caught me just as I'd reeled off the summer-and-winter coverlet. The loom was empty, and I had not yet decided on a new project when she announced that the October Weave-Along would feature shadow weave. Shadow weave is not a technique, but rather an exercise in "colour and weave," i.e., using colour within a given weave structure to create a design rather than using only the weave structure. It is a relatively new style of weaving, developed and introduced to new weavers by Mary Meigs Atwater in 1942. It is related to "log cabin," but carries the same principle further to create more complex designs. Warp threads are hung in a repeat of one dark, one light, and weaving is done with two shuttles, again one dark and one light, always alternating. The design is governed by the threading, i.e, which heddles/shafts hold the threads. It is fun and fast to weave, with a rhythm which is almost like a dance. I'm nearly done with the first of three towels in green and yellow.