Monday 8 March 2010

Michael's Enamels



On November 6th 2009, I showed some output from Photoshop of a project using Michael's enamel samples. This is the latest (definitive) version. I matched the plain colours as well as I could to William Hall's shade card for 2/12s cotton. The colours are muddy which Michael says, is the results of using a copper base. The only one which was a problem was the red so I ordered two slightly different shades. Now they are with me, I have decided to use both. I decided that I did not want to make up a coloured square out of two colours of cotton but have both warp and weft the same in each coloured square. The colours have been changed round so that, in each row and each column, there are only two colours. So I need two cloths for the colours plus one black and one grey silk for the pockets. Each column contains 80 threads and I am winding a warp for each column and each colour, 15 warps 3 meters long, each with 80 threads in it. Plus the grey silk which will go on the second beam.

For a minute or two, I considered warping up the Megado from front to back but realised this is not feasible. I could not reach shaft No 1 from the back of the loom to thread it up. 

Last time I blogged about this project, I was worried about the draft. I can just about see it is okay but the warping is correct and, once that is on, I will soon find out if I have the draft right. I started winding the warp last night and have done a third of them.

1 comment:

  1. This is exciting, I'm really looking forward to seeing how this project develops, especially as I'm familiar with the yarns you are using. (I got lots of different colours of 2/12 cotton from William Hall for weaving a colour sampler, now using them in bands and braids.)

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About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.