(120) Color and Design in Huck Lace Towels
The structure of Huck Lace provides a treasure trove of pattern for weavers. It is a shaft-efficient weave structure where an 8-shaft loom produces 6-block patterns; and a 4-shaft loom produces sixteen different ways to combine textures of warp & weft floats with plain weave.
Weavers will learn how “blocks”or units of huck lace are threaded on four and eight shafts, and how they can be combined to expand design possibilities. Discussions will focus on converting a profile draft into a threading and treadling, and how literally thousands of designs are created with a single threading draft by changing the tie-up.
Participants will use printed Design Pages and Transparent Overlays from Neilson’s book An Exaltation of Blocks to explore thousands of design possibilities for 6-block Huck Lace. A Transparent Overlay Template is used to determine the tie-up.
Instructor:
Experience Level:
Beginner
Maximum Class Size:
16
Materials fee:
$25 covers coil bound booklet which includes design exercises using design pages, transparent overlays, a Huck lace template, and a transparent grid for locating 2-block motifs (the design pages and overlays are stored in envelopes bound into the booklet.)
Equipment required
4-shaft Loom, 8-shaft Loom, Pre-warped
Student Supplies:
Pre-threaded loom (drafts will be sent via email by instructor prior to workshop):
- 4 or 8-shaft loom (ideal width 18”, narrower looms will use a slightly smaller draft)
- 8/2 unmercerized cotton in four different colors
- 6 or 12 dent reed – 3 ends/dent in 6 dent reed, or alternate 3 – 2 ends in 12 dent reed
- Sett 18 epi
- Threading and reed hook
- Tape measure
- Boat shuttle with four different colored bobbins (use the same colors as your warp or you can experiment with other colors of 8/2 cotton from your stash)
- Spool winder
- Cotton or linen cord (like seine twine) about 10 yards – will use for “lashing on” technique
- Cotton rag strips or other heavier yarn (no knitting yarn) – will use to “open-out” knots prior to weaving. I use the equivalent of 6 strands of 3/2 cotton, or something about that weight. Only need about 4-6 yards – enough for 4 to 6 shed openings.
- Scissors
- Tapestry needle
- Weights for warp repairs (if knot occurs in warp)
- Masking tape
- Paper for note taking
- Extension cords to reach wall outlets if you use a clip-on light
For Design Sessions:
- Graph paper – 4 squares per inch. Use commercially printed graph paper, make sure it’s 4 squares per inch. Do not use graph paper printed from Internet. The grid is slightly out of synch with the transparent template you’ll be receiving.
- Pencils and good eraser
- May want to have a few colored pencils
Homework:
- Warp and thread a loom with instructions provided.
- Bring pad of commercially printed graph paper 4 squares to the inch