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Re-design, Re-thread & We’re Off!

Corris Weave with Silk
Just getting started

I mentioned in a previous post that I wanted to rework a section of the weaving between the repeats…well, I found a way that only required one repair (string) heddle to be created in each section, which still was a pain in the tuchas but I went with it. So I had 6 sections of 9 threads each which first I counted out, to make sure I was shifting the correct threads. Fortunately they were in batches of three, so I counted, recounted, found an error, recounted again…then I could move one…..

Satisfied now I had the right threads, I removed them from the heddles, trying desperately to keep them in order, I re-threaded 8 of them and made a repair heddle out of silk and threaded that one last.Then I re-threaded those into the reed.

  • Just getting started with green silk
  • A little further along
The beginning of Corris Piece #2

Once I got started weaving with this lovely green silk, I decided I wanted a darker and deeper and richer shade, like some of the threads I tried in the sampler. I loved how the turquoise came out and also the deep violet and royal blues. I decided to over-dye the silk and some of my rayon cones. I spent a day and a half winding hanks off of many cones and had a dye day in between weaving…I do find its good for me to break things up and do different things each day.

Some Dye Day Pics

  • Three kinds of silk
  • 5,000 yards each of Cotton and Rayon, I did not get to the cotton
Undyed Yarn

I thought I would get to everything but the cotton will get done another day. So be it. I also had 4 t-shirts I had tied up previously waiting to dye with this batch as well so my day was full.

  • 3 kinds of silk, drying
  • Rayon
  • Rayon
  • Rayon hanging to dry

Here is the overdyed silk getting incorporated into my work:

  • All the colors
  • silk 2 & 3 I think
  • The three silks
  • Silk 1 & 2 I think
  • silk 1 & 2
The finished piece will show the transition of color much more clearly

So this is the journey. I am getting faster at walking the treadles, using both feet in order, working the advancing point twill pattern. I still unweave to fix bits, and I still have to count from some starting point to figure out where I am in my pattern…I find a center, either a one or an eight and I count. There is no paper. I have no paper.

Just 1234323454345654 etc….with L and an R between each. I do know that evens go with R and odds go with L and from which side to throw so there’s that. I say all things considered I am making good progress.

🙂