Sea turtles with waves

I spent yesterday twiddling with turtles again, exploring the possibilities on 40 shafts. This time I decided to work with an unconventional tied structure, using a method I learned in Kay Faulkner’s Ties: Practical, Decorative, and Unconventional lecture at Complex Weavers Seminars. I wanted to put ripples into the background using the ties, so I devoted six shafts to the ties and the remaining thirty-four to the turtles.

I started by drafting a structure for the ties. I used network drafting on a 3-end initial (threading and treadling) to create this draft (click for the larger version):

Then I took the image of a sea turtle, did some magic in Photoshop, merged it with the draft for the ties, and produced this draft:

The ties are network drafted in a ripple pattern, giving the background “waves”, and the sea turtles are made using the heavier pattern weft. This particular draft displays a white warp, a pale aqua tabby weft, and a dark blue pattern weft. I’ll probably experiment with other possibilities for warp and weft later today, including some gradated colors and maybe some painted warps. If I can get this together, I’ll enter it in the yardage show at Convergence, or (if I miss the deadline) make it into a shawl. If I do the latter, I think I will gussy it up with a scattering of beads. Heck, I may weave a few beads into the fabric, just for fun.

And, to finish things off, here is an image of domestic bliss amidst utter chaos: the kittens snuggled together on the disaster area that is my worktable.