Friday, March 19, 2010

Loving Leno

















A couple of weeks ago, I posted about sectionally warping the breadcloths onto Lillian. I had planned to use a swedish lace pattern in the middle of the breadcloths with the color work around the edges. As I began to thread I remembered that Lillian, being a counterbalance loom, and being a little cranky at times, does not like to use an unbalanced weaving pattern! So there I was, wanting something in the middle of at least some of the breadcloths but not knowing exactly what to do. Maggie reminded me that the finger manipulated laces would be a way around that unbalance shed problem.

I had received a gift subscription for the Weaver's Craft magazine for my birthday. I had also bought all the back issues. Issue number 12 is about these hand manipulated laces: Leno, Mexican Lace, Brooks Bouquet, and a Leno motif. So I read thru them and decided to start with a 2/2 Leno around the center of the breadcloth.

With Leno lace you use a smooth pick up stick to hold up 2 threads from the lower shed on top of the stick and then you let the upper two go under the stick. That way they have a twist in them that will be held in place by the weft pick that will go right thru it.


With this lace structure you have to do a little extra weaving so that the plain weave fills in around the lace, I quickly figured out how to do that. You weave only the plain weave section back and forth before you tackle the lace. You do this in sections. (I reread the issue after I had started this cloth and realized I did it all left handed, starting from the opposite side!)




You can see the sticks in the shed above the lace in this picture.










































You do the same thing on the middle section too!
































I will build up this last edge section as well before I make my return pick.















Now with much better lighting you can see that I am past the lace and ready to do the color work at the other end. I am really enjoying this lace work, I almost feel as if I am sculpting rather than weaving.

















Wally is outside this beautiful morning, so no pics of him today.

Happy Weaving, Tina

5 comments:

LA said...

That is truly LOVELY! I know that Lillian is giving you a great shed! I really want to buy one of those cloths when you get them off the loom...blue is my color, after all! It would look so good with my Grandmother's dishes.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, Tina!!

Linda

Anonymous said...

Love the breadcloth!!! You're making it so unique and interesting!
Weaver's Craft is a great little magazine.
Carol

Bonnie said...

That is beautiful. You will have to bring them in when you finish. A great day for Wally to be outside.

Maggie said...

That is absolutely gorgeous! How fun!