Serinde lives up to her name update 27 Aug 2024

[Roland]

I remember doing paper weaving in school, and I loved it. I didn’t do anything as fancy as the twill.

Using paper with words is an awesome idea.

[Mabel Figworthy]

I suppose like Roland my memories of paper weaving are very much kindergarten/primary school, but your picture shows you can do very interesting things with it!

[rcperryls]

I also have a vague memory of weaving paper in primary school. But this is so interesting and has a kind of creativity that seems really different, though I'm not sure why.

Carole

[Serinde]

Here are at least 4 completed Days of Christmas. No, not in order. I do them by which templates are arranged on a page when I photocopy it.

So, from the top the partridge and its pear (tree), a turtle dove and a French hen. Plus a goose (no eggs, thankfully).

[rcperryls]

I couldn’t get the images on my iPad. Will try on the computer in a bit. I really want to see them.

Carole

[Mabel Figworthy]

They are so attractive!

[rcperryls]

Now I see them!! They are great and will look fantastic on a Xmas tree!

Carole

[Serinde]

Well. I met a temptation I couldn't resist under any circumstances. Furthermore, I have been aided and abetted by DH and various pals. Whilst not as old as my namesake, nevertheless, I can confidently say that I am no longer young. Or even middle aged. So the question I keep asking myself is this: If not now, when? Well, in this case "when" is in April. How many boxes did this tick! (Lots, is the answer.)

[Steam.Jo]

How wonderful, I am sure you will enjoy it

Jo

[Mabel Figworthy]

That sounds amazing - looking forward to hearing about your experiences there!

[fccs]

Wow! That sounds absolutely amazing!!!

[Serinde]

I've been doing a bit of sampling before heading off on this retreat, mostly to remind myself how one actually weaves... here's one for you. The reason it might be interesting is that, along with wools designed for tapestry weaving, I also experimented with "tapestry wool", which (despite the name) is generally scorned for this purpose. (There's a story there, but shan't bore you at the moment.)

The dark red and dark purple sections are Appleton tapestry wool from my stash. Being of a curious nature, I treated it the way I would any fibre I didn't know much about: I measured it. So, it is 18 wraps/inch and 1090 yds/lb. Perfectly respectable. It's not a knitting wool, obviously. As a matter of fact, it is worsted spun from long-staple wools in 4 ply. It's double the size -- but crucially the same yarn -- as it's little brother, Appleton 2-ply crewel wool for embroidery, which is often used for tapestry weaving. (I prefer weaving with it to embroidering with it, that's for sure.)

And the tapestry wool behaves well in this small piece. Plays nicely with the other wools. The only problem is with the selvedge, which bulges -- probably because I didn't pull it in quite enough to accommodate the undoubted fact that it is a bit "bouncier" (has more air in it).

Can you see the optical illusion in the pink and blue row?

[Mabel Figworthy]

i like the subtle transition in the pink and blue - is it difficult to do?

[Serinde]

This technique is called hatching, because the relays line up. If you were to employ this technique randomly, it's called irregular hatching. Both of these are used to create colour illusions. The technique isn't hard in itself, but it can be used in very sophisticated ways to produce subtle shifts in colour and even transparency. In my little bit, for instance, you get a hint of a lavender colour that isn't there.

[richardandtracy]

Fascinating, Serinde.

It's the same effect as when blending threads in cross stitch. I'm actually quite surprised it happens with a 'pixel' of that size. I'd love to know the angular resolution of the eye so it's possible to predict how near you can be before the effect breaks down for a given size of colour block.

Regards,

Richard

Edited to add: Wikipedia suggests that the angular resolution of the eye is 0.017 degrees, giving a blend breakdown distance of 1.1m/42" for 28ct where the threads are around 1/76" wide. That is obviously much further than happens in reality, so there must be something else going on at the same time in the brain. Curiouser & curiouser.

[Serinde]

One's brain is an amazing thing, that's for sure. It will try to make a pattern out of randomness, like clouds, or (in this case) the colour your eye sees if it were possible to actually mix that pink and blue together.

[Serinde]

Here's a couple of samples of my colour experiments when I was on the retreat at Ardgour. Doesn't look like much, I realise, but we were out on walks learning the Gaelic words for the landscape and colours (and how they are used). Also warping a piece of cloth to be handwoven and then weaving it. And learning the choruses to the waulking songs. In Gaelic. Whew! I learned a lot from everyone else, which is what I was hoping for, but it has left me with a problem. My stitchy bug has gone into a huff. Jealous, I expect. Oh, dear.

[Mabel Figworthy]

the top part of the one off the loom looks like a lake with the land around it throwing a spit of land into it!

[Serinde]

Yes, it does. It's a technique called irregular hatching, and what I've come to realise is that it needs more contrast is showing sea and land, for example, to be really effective.

Here are the three little samples done. The green and blue ones are from my week in Ardgour. I'm particularly pleased with the bit of hatching at towards the top of the blue sample which looks almost green -- but no green was used. Result! The one on the left was done in Sutherland -- an attempt to catch colours. It's peculiar shape is due to a fundamental weft error at the bottom: the yarn I used was too thick for the warp, pushing it out by about 2mm or so. Once I had checked the width, I realised my mistake. Should probably have continued by putting enough weft in to keep the selvedge straight. However, I wanted to test whether I could pull it in gradually, which I did manage, so that by the top, it was exactly the right width. Live and learn, eh.



PS The colour at the top of the blue sample isn't black -- it's "Night Sky". I learned from Joan Baxter, who was our mentor for the week, that she never uses either black or white. It has to do with the way wool in particular absorbs light plus "white" wool, unbleached, is actually yellow. Every day a learning day.

[Mabel Figworthy]

i like the way all these samples invite your brain to make "sense" of them, and to see something in them - like clouds!