Archive for June, 2006

However I did manage to doodle and draw some of my own celtic knots based
on all the beautiful decorative stonework in Scotland and Ireland. The
craft of stonemasonery in these countries have a wonderful past and continuing
tradition.My free, asymetrical design captured how I perceived Ireland.
Although I was only there for a few days it seems a place which is ‘re-knotting’
itself into something new and perhaps unknown. Ireland’s past history and meaning
trying to be seen through the maze of new development and building.

So when I came across Sara Lamb’s celtic knotwork pickup pattern suitable
for an inkle loom I was keen to get going on it. I’m using 20/2 silk doubled
for the ground weave set up and multiple strands of fine space dyed rayon
for each of the 12 pattern threads which need to be much thicker than
the ground threads. It’s coming along well. I’ve included a PDF file on
the threading configuration I used for Sara’s pattern. If you set up the
inkle loom like this you can see that the first pattern row will start
with an UP shed. This makes the pick up and push down of the pattern threads
on each row of the design minimal and works with the threading rather
than against it. [See Sara's description] Also see Tracy DeGarmo’s site
for a pattern.

I’d like to thank Sara for her wonderful weaving blog, it really encourages
me to get weaving. Next on the loom I’m finishing those bookmarks, and
staring a new painted warp for some woven shibori while knitting scarves.
This is the one I’m doing at the moment.