By Chase Ford
Weaving tabby with only one color of yarn that is the same in both the warp and weft can look a little plain. However, use two or more colors in both the warp and weft and suddenly plain weave is anything but.
Making a "color and weave" sampler is a great way to find out how different colors will interact with one another within a weave structure so you can make the best choices for whatever project you’re working on.
For this sampler, we used Brown Sheep’s Nature Spun yarns in worsted weight. In the war,p we alternated two threads of 116 Blue Boy and two threads of 146 Pomegranate in a repeating pattern. The colors in the warp stay constant throughout the weaving process and the weft is where the opportunity for play and discovery happens. The number of weft picks and the color order creates the changes in pattern.
We tried several different variations using the same colors we used in the warp, and we used some other colors as well: 157 Boysenberry and 109 Spring Green. Using just one warp, we made eight different samples on our Cricket loom.
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Sample 1: 2 blue, 2 red—houndstooth! |
Sample 2: 1 blue, 1 red |
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Sample 3: 4 blue, 2 red |
Sample 4: red weft |
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Sample 5: Purple weft |
Sample 6: 3 green, 1 purple |
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Sample 7: 2 green, 2 purple |
Sample 8: 1 green, 3 purple |
The next time you warp your loom, give yourself room to try out a few ideas.
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