Same colors, different name

What do these three weaves have in common?

Zen Towels from Oct 2011

 

Trellis runner From Feb 2012

Crackle Weave Study from Dec 2012-Jan 2013 

Believe it or not, all these weaves have the exact same colors in common, except the last one has an additional color of green added.  It just blows me away how different they all appear to be, and yet it must be just the arrangement of colors that makes such a difference!

I love color!  But I especially love weaving!!

My friend Dawn on Ravelry and the author of this blog wanted me to write a review about the crackle weave book been I have been using for my experiments.  I thought I would share my thoughts here, also!  Enjoy!

 

Like all texts, there are pros and cons to the Weave Classic Crackle & More book by Susan Wilson.  My overall impression is very high and I am very impressed with the knowledge gathering that Ms. Wilson has done.  She is obviously very qualified to write the book because she has been weaving crackle since 1969 AND she has achieved quite the honor by receiving the Master level Certificate in Handweaving back in 1990.  I mention this because Susan’s book and the other crackle book I used in my personal crackle adventures this last month (called A Crackle Weave Companion by Lucy M. Brusic*) have conflicting information in them for what certain crackle weaves are called.  As a crackle-newbie, it was confusing until I threw the official names out the window and just concentrated on the weave structures.  However, taking into consideration Susan’s numerous publications along with what I feel is a respectable amount of professional weaving certification, I trust that her nomenclatures are the correct ones.

Crackle weave is already a very complex structure and is not for the faint of heart!  It has some characteristics that are like no other weave, yet you can weave it like overshot, summer and winter, Bronson lace, etc.  A weaver who is new to crackle would definitely benefit from a source such as this.  However, the book Weave Classic Crackle and More is not for the weaver looking for patterns to weave.  It does not tell you exactly how to set up your loom or how much material to use.  The book does, however, cover from the very basics of crackle and builds to the very complex weaving structures, all the way from 4-shaft to 8-shafts. 

Chapter 1 starts with some history and chapter 2 covers the characteristics of crackle, for example it explains how crackle is made up of block weaves and describes each block, including the incidental thread for each one.  The crackle pattern that was written out in a structural draft on page 19 was particularly useful since I was just beginning to learn about it.  This draft gave me a chance to really study what the threads were doing.  The crackle draft is very unique, and can be pretty confusing at times without the right references.  Chapter 2 also has some profile draft explanations and design ideas.  Page 25 was my inspiration for my latest colorful crackle project.  I found her description intriguing enough to try it with six colors and loved it!

Chapter 3 covers many different treadling variations that you can use in crackle, like you can weave crackle as other weave structures: overshot, summer and winter, Bronson lace, honeycomb, and other structures that I’ve never even heard of before, but they are very pretty.  (To be honest, I have personally made it to the summer and winter point so far, but I hope to continue with more studying soon!)

Chapter 4 has some good descriptions on how to design crackle weave.  But first it starts with polychrome, and also goes into weaving crackle in Italian manner, and oddly classic crackle actually fits into this chapter, although the other weave structures in chapter 3 were fun to do, as un-classic as they are!  This chapter also includes information on boundweave and other weft-faced samples.  Later there is a section to help you through designing traditional polychrome crackle, and the reason why it’s more difficult to work with is because of all the independent color combinations going on here.  Even though it is more difficult to work with than classic crackle, it offers more versatility and exquisite design options!  Susan does a really good job explaining the difficulties of this weave.  In this chapter, she also goes into a thorough explanation of hue and value of colors in crackle weave and the design process as a whole, which is extremely useful considering the non-independence of each block in crackle.  Susan includes wonderful pictures to graphically explain this little quirk that makes crackle so much fun!

The last few chapter in the book discuss crackle on 8-shafts, turning the crackle draft, and color-and-weave effects.  It even has a section how to make 8 blocks on only 4-shafts!  And I can’t emphasize enough how wonderful the pictures throughout the book are.  In fact, they are some of the best I have seen in a while, and they are so numerous!  They didn’t skimp in this department!

There is definitely a lot of info in this book and it can keep a weaver busy for a good long time.  One of my complaints though is coming from the point of view of a brand-new crackle weaver: I wanted more structure in my studies because I didn’t have a clue what to do and having something so open was rather scary.  I was afraid I was doing the weave wrong, and I had to study really hard to make sure I wasn’t.  I feel that this book would benefit from a section for the new crackle weaver that said something to the effect of thread your loom like this, now try this, this, and this crackle weave structure and walk the new weaver through step-by-step.  I mean, I didn’t even know what sett to use because it’s a twill based structure but is it sett at twill?  (The answer is no, it has a tabby sett!)  It would have been nice to have that a little bit clearer description and starting point.    However, once I decided to not be afraid and just throw an experimental warp onto my loom, it was so much fun!  I just used the threading from page 19 and went through the weave structures like traditional crackle, crackle woven as overshot and woven as summer and winter.  Like I said before, I have only made it to page 39 in my personal studies, but I have enjoyed the experience!  I hope to be able to continue my studies using this text very shortly!

*A side note: In comparing this book to the other one mentioned (called A Crackle Weave Companion by Lucy M. Brusic), I like it so much better because the other book seems like a collection of a lot of obscure references that are hard to get a hold of these days.  Also, it is written like an essay and the pictures aren't quite as good.  The ways the examples are written out are hard to follow and understand. I didn't reference it as much as Susan's book.

 

Slurpy towels (and blanket)

 The crackle weave has been cut and sewn!

I cut the entire warp into two sections, one section was cut into thirds and became 3 towels, and the other section was cut into 2 more section and then joined into a small baby blanket.

 For the blanket, I joined two sections together.  It was kind of an experimental seam.  I have one edge on each side, and then I sewed it twice.  It's not too thick, and it is pretty flexible.  And having one edge on each side makes it somewhat reversible.  It's not the most glamorous seam, but it sure will be strong!!

I turned the edges of the hand towels down and sewed it, but it just seemed so stiff.  So for the blanket, I serged the raw edges and folded it over once.  This was after I sewed the two panels together so I could make sure that the edges would be the same throughout.

 I tucked in the corners so the surged edges will last.

The blanket is so busy that you can hardly see the seam or the edges!

So the colorful crackle warp is done... 

And the towel has so much color and energy!

Also, Brian and I both noted that it has some distinct texture on it... I can't quite describe it, but it's not a "soft" surface like a 2/2 twill, it has raised ridges that just slurp the water right off your hands.  I have never felt a towel quite like it... it's a grand experience!
 

I'm going to send one to my sister in Utah as a very late Christmas gift, because her other gift never got there. :(   There is one towel in my kitchen.  And the last one?  I'm not sure yet!

 It just spreads joy wherever it goes!  Look how it adds so much color to my kitchen!

Oh, and the baby blanket?

 Don't worry, Zip and Scout are the only babies around here for now!  But this little colorful beauty will be put away for another day, when there is a little one running around here!

Finished Crackle

This fabric washed up so beautifully!  

The softness became accentuated!

 The gaps have all filled in with the puffing and shrinking of the cotton fibers!

  The crackles have cracked!

 And it has come together so wonderfully!

But I'm still unsure what exactly I want to use it for!

Originally, I made it for dishtowels.

But once I started seeing the fabric come to life, I wanted a blanket from it!

Hopefully I can decide soon as to what it should be...

PS.  Lookie who got a hair cut!!  He's so cute!!

Less fur balls, less hair in the house, a clean smelling kitty... it's wonderful!!!

We gave him an adorable little lion tail that is poofy on the end!

Dishtowels or blanket?

I just can't decide yet... 

... do I want to cut it into dishtowels??

 

... or leave it as a blanket?

All I would need to do for a blanket is cut it in half and sew it together.

Of course, some dishtowels would be so chipper and fun this coming spring!

Dishtowels or blanket?  Hmmm...

 What a decision!

PS.  My friend Jeen on Ravelry found my crackle weave so inspiring, she made these wonderful potholders for me to match!!  They are just beautiful!!!

Thanks Jeen!!

Almost done!

I thought this view with the loom all folded up was very pretty!  Someone told me it looks like a tulip field from an airplane.

 

 As you can see, this project is almost done!  It has gone pretty fast!  I have felt so inspired lately by all of this color!  All I want to do is weave!

Especially when the weather is pretty cold outside... 

How to save $35 with a plastic straw

Today's lesson is how to save $35 with a little plastic straw:

Since I am using 3 shuttles, I decided to wind up the smallest bobbins because I can use them even on the big shuttle.  I don't have 3 shuttles all the same size, and I didn't feel like buying yet another shuttle, so I figured I could use my small bobbins on these large shuttles just fine.  The only problem was the movement back and forth would sometimes pinch a piece of yarn and stop it from moving freely.

But I had this extra plastic straw for a water bottle and I just cut off the ends and put it into the shuttle to keep the bobbin from slipping left and right.

It works like a charm... just a bit on the ghetto side, but it did save me some money!  I love figuring things out like this!

And... I found a wonderful gift in my mailbox yesterday!  This is from a Ravelry friend named Cindy in South Carolina!

It is a beautiful little sachet filled with a wonderful cinnamon smell!  She made the sachet from her woven samples that were leftover from scarves she made for Christmas gifts!  What a great idea to use up some samples!!  It is just beautiful and thoughtful!!  Thank you, Cindy!

Crackles up close

Do you see the crackles?

 It's the threads that move around slightly and don't stay straight.  It's what gives this weave structure its name!  I think it's really cool, because it really catches your eye and adds to the design.

It's not very predictable though... not all of them move! 

More joy!

You can actually see some of the "crackles" forming already!!

This weave is just soooo exciting!!!  And it looks different at every angle!  I love it!!