Tien Chiu

You are here: Home / All blog posts / Drafting and redrafting

by

Drafting and redrafting

I’m getting closer to a draft I like.  I’ve been playing with network drafting, setting up a basic line in warp and weft and then redrawing it on various networks to see how that affects the line.

Here is my basic line:

Basic threading and treadling line, establishing the basic pattern
Basic threading and treadling line, establishing the basic pattern

And here it is, redrawn on three different networks:

Same pattern, warp and weft redrawn on a straight draw six-end initial
Same pattern, warp and weft redrawn on a straight draw six-end initial
Same line, redrawn on a straight draw four-end initial
Same line, redrawn on a straight draw four-end initial
The same line, redrawn on a four-shaft, six-end rosepath initial
The same line, redrawn on a four-shaft, six-end rosepath initial

This is instructive.  The shape of the line, not the chosen network, determines the overall shape of the result.  The network chosen affects the smoothness of the edges and the texture of the overall piece, and the tie-up determines how it is shaded in.  (I think.)

I’m not 100% happy with my results yet – the parallel snaky lines are too similar/parallel, I’m looking for something much more organic.  I think I will either have to change the shape of the line a little more radically or else introduce some reversals into the line…more fiddling is needed.

I was really hoping to get the threading completed this weekend, but given where I am and the rest of my weekend to-do list, it doesn’t seem like that’s going to happen.  Well, take things one step at a time.  Hopefully I can get my draft finished and the loom threaded by the end of next week.

Comments

  1. One thing I learned from Bonnie was that a draft in which the line stays within the number of shafts looks more static, whereas a draft whose line “wraps” across the shaft boundary may look more dynamic, because it flows farther from side to side.