The Project
Waffles and Ice Cream! This kit is designed in anticipation of the heat of summer. Hot reds with a glowing golden sun.
The structure is waffle weave, which plays around with combinations of long floats and plain weave, to create a fabric that collapses in on itself when wet finished. What starts out as a fairly flat and predictable fabric shifts and moves, creating hills, valleys and unexpected complexity.
I find that waffle weave is an exercise in letting go. The structure is stunning on the loom and it is easy to get attached. When it changes dramatically in wet finishing, it can feel just a bit heartbreaking. But then when I can let go of what it was and let it fully shine as it is, I find myself delighted.
This is a fun weave, perfect for summer. For shaft looms, the warp is threaded for a point twill and treadles can be walked. The eight-shaft pattern uses six shafts for the waffles and two shafts to control the selvedges. On the rigid-heddle loom it is an eight-pick sequence, using only one pick-up stick.
From left to right: Four-Shaft, Rigid Heddle, Eight-Shaft. All with Viele Or weft. With additional shafts, the waffles get deeper and the floats get longer.
I love the difference between the three patterns…the way the crevices in the waffles deepen with additional shafts, the shallow and beautiful ripples which show off a more complex fabric on the rigid-heddle loom.
Since the threading for shaft looms is a point twill, you have the option of weaving a rose path design on the same warp with just a tie-up change. Some of the samples in the reveal are of a six shaft, unbalanced rosepath…one side is warp faced, the other weft faced. On the rigid heddle loom, you can simplify by weaving in plain weave or make it more complex by using two heddles for a finer fabric.
Project #7 Rigid Heddle Towels
The Rigid Heddle project uses one pick-up stick, a 12-dent heddle and an eight row pattern repeat. You can use the same warp for a plain weave fabric or if you are ready for a more complicated project, thread using two heddles for a finer towel.
Project #7 Four-Shaft Towels
The Four-Shaft project uses a four shaft point twill threading so you can weave a rose path on the same warp. 12 dent reed, 24 epi.
Project #7 Eight-Shaft Towels
Six-shaft waffle weave with selvedges on the last two shafts. The threading is a point twill and you can weave a rose path on the same warp. The picture shows an unbalanced rose path where one side of the fabric is warp faced and the other is weft faced. 12 dent reed, 24 epi.