Thursday, January 7, 2010

Did I Just Jinx Myself?

Maybe it's bad luck to have a lingering last post about one of those days in the studio!

I just discovered a big math mistake for the warp I'm half done winding. Oops!!! Still recovering! (More on that later.....I'm getting ready to make towels for our guest bathroom. Or I was. I will be again by the end of the day tomorrow. No stalling out, I promise!!)

I told you about Saturday when I prepared the warp for green shadow weave scarves, only to find out that the scarf recipient didn't like the color combo once we could really see it.

A few people asked what happens next to that warp.

When I originally bought this yarn, my plan was to wind a dark warp and use the light for weft, making something like the plaited twill scarves in Handwoven.

I had issues with the green color, saying I didn't think I'd wear it. (In fact, I violently disliked the dark green - but it was on the guild yarn table for a very reasonable price so I wanted to make the scarf just for fun.)

Then Jim said he liked it, and we collaborated on a draft for the design. That draft ended up being shadow weave - which I don't usually love, but I'm interested to see how what we came up with turns out. Now that draft is reserved for Jim's scarf.



I turned this warp back into balls for now. (It hadn't been cut). Notice how it's 4 balls of dark and 2 of light?

This green yarn can go back to my original idea and become two scarves with dark warp and light weft, instead of just one shadow weave scarf.

I'm so glad I divide my studio time into design time and production time. I decided to turn the yarn back into balls, without having to endure the pain of doing it right that minute. When I was winding it into balls, I could just get into my early morning, don't think about it zone. Otherwise I think about it and change my mind 800 times.

One good thing about this process has been falling in love with that dark green color. About halfway through winding it back into a ball, I realized it's the same color as a crewel field of daisies that used to hang over my grandparents' couch. All of a sudden I like that color now! (I'm still pretty sure I can't wear that color near my face because that green isn't right for me....but at least I like it now!)

I'm sure it would have made a beautiful shadow weave. I would have stuck with that plan if I had more of the light green yarn, or if I liked shadow weave more. Now I get to play around and figure out what draft I really want to use for this yarn. (And we all know that's my favorite thing to do!!)

8 comments:

LA said...

Ah-ha! Plan B! I really like that dark green yarn, and it will make a great scarf. Your weaving plan is really working for you.

Theresa said...

LOL, no, you aren't jinxed, you are just a thinking plotting and planning weaver! ;-)
It's hard not to like dark green, although like yellow
it can be a hard color to wear right next to your face
with certain coloring.
You'll order up a little snow for me right? Can't be too soon, can't be too late....we only want just so snow storms! ;-)

Delighted Hands said...

At least when you make a mistake right off, you don't have to fret during the rest of the project afriad you will make a mistake- it is going to go just fine now with that out of the way!!!

Benita said...

Something better came along and wanted to be made first. Nothing wrong with letting it step to the front of the line.

I have several yarns I'm not crazy with colorwise, but I know someone will think they are the greatest and it will make them happy, so it makes me happy to make it for them even though I don't know who they are yet. Twice the joy!

~ The Jolly Bee ~ said...

Mind changing, huh? I have a theory that you should just go with your gut reaction. Usually, it's telling you the right thing. Too much "think" time is not always good.

And I've been in a green mood for the past year. I've made many a green afghan. Strange, because I never liked green before. I guess it does tend to grow on you. But, that's a nice memory of the crewel picture. That works for me! Glad your back blogging -- I missed you for a few days there.

Sharon said...

I'm glad you finally like the dark green. I liked it from the get-go, but then I wear that color a lot too. Phew~

Julie said...

Sometime we can just go crazy trying to figure out these things. I like the green and I hope it all turns out for you!

Charlotte said...

It's good that in being so organised you don't have to get yourself into a panic about what to do next. I agree, it's a hard colour to like but I'm sure you'll make something lovely with it one day. Have you thought about mixing it with something else, maybe a colour you wouldn't normally pick? Pink for instance. Often the colours you'd least expect work the best.