Beadwrangler Special Feature
December 10, 1997

	Ileana Somerson's Weave World
	December 1997

Weaver's Fall 1997 Issue

If you plan to take Madelyn van der Hoogt's 3-day workshop at the Florida Conference this march called "Fabrics That Go Bump," get the new issue of Weaver's, Fall 1997. Madelyn is the managing editor,and the magazine highlights pleats, honeycomb, cells, ribs, furrows, and even ombre. This is actually Part 2 of the idea--"The search for purposeful pleating, crinkling, bending and curving..."

First, be sure to read Bob Cox's retort to the "Spouse's Corner." Very, very funny. Then go right on to a Weaver's Project, "Honeycomb Pouches, " by Katherine Cranston. Using four shafts, create little pouches to match every outfit or to give as gifts.

Doramay Keasbey has come up with "Square Ribs, a lovely insulating cloth used for years in other countries. A Weaver's Project for a "Square Rib Vest" follows with instructions for 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, and 16-shaft looms.

For a different surface design, try "Honeycomb Ribs" by Diane Kelly. Her Weaver's Project highlights pillows with beautiful ribbed effects. Tracy Kaestner follows with a "Honeycomb Evening Top," an elegant fabric woven in silk, showing fine cell weft peeking through a grid.

Lynn Tedder got a piece of commercial fabric that intrigued her, and figured out "Integrated Cell Weaves" from it. These two-color weaves look very intricate, but they can be woven easily with this article as a guide.

Dini Moes gets another fascinating effect with "Drafting 'False Double Weave'." Vicki Masterson goes on to "Playing with 'False Double Weave'," in which she gives instructions for a 12-shaft fabric with many interworking colors and weaves.

A Weaver's Project by Ruth Blau takes us back to Honeycomb with instructions for a beautiful carryall using fabric strips.

Another Weaver's Projuct, "Cellular Spectrum Scarf and Vest," by Carolyn Chapman, shows "pure colors in a background of another pure color without the bulk of double weave."

For another interesting texture, try Mary Berent's "Bump on a Log." Show up your heavier yarns against thinner plain weave in a sturdy cloth with a delightful texture.

Now for "A Perplexing Plethora of Pleats." Here a distinguished group of weavers made pleated scarves without overtwisted wefts. "Pleats result from the draft, the fibers, the weaving technique, and the finishing. These mind-boggling scarves were concocted by Madelyn van der Hoogt, Ruth Morrison, Anne Field, and Marjolyn van der Wel.

A lot of this is explained by Erica de Ruiter in the next Weaver's Project, "Scarves in Diagonal Pleats," which required 16 shafts. But Bonnie Inouye's "Pointed Furrows gives 8-, 12-, and 16-shaft explorations, developed from several experimenta warps. Bonnie's Weaver's Project offers a beautiful "Furrowed Scarves" plan on eight shafts. I used this one for some hand-painted cotton warps which I crossed with fine wool.

Here's where spinning skills come in handy. Sandra Rude tells how to make "Collapse Scarves," in which an overtwisted weft makes the difference. It is easy to overtwist yarn on the spinning wheel. The width of these scarves goes from nine inches on the loom to less than four inches when finished.

"Collapse fabrics add drama and mystery to a weaver's life. On the loom a loose, gauzy weave is flat and unappealing. After it's washed, the fabric becomes densely ridged and rippled, decreasing in size to almost one-third of its original width in the reed and yet maintains a soft hand." This is a description of Kay Sekimachi's "Collapse! In Double & Plain Weave."

Adelanna Ray's Weaver's Project, "Fancy Pleated Collar," depends on the difference in shrinkage between wool and silk. This is a fairly simple way to achieve a complicated look.

Alice Schlein has written many articles about Networking, most of which go right over most heads. In "Ombre: Twill Stripes," she gives a 4-shaft straight draw threading with a networked treadling. It gives wonderful results. The 8-shaft version offers more variation.

Make sure to read the final article by Sallie Guy called "Random Warp Simplified." Sallie explaing how to use a spool rack and warping paddle to achieve wonderful random combinations of color in the warp. She goes on to instruct the reader on how to make a double-width blanket. This article should be required reading.

Please don't be intimidated by this issue. It contains many new ideas worth exploring, and all are well explained. Weaving should have colors and textures that make each piece distinctive. Here is a magazine full of those ideas.