Alloy
Tracy Bromwich
Two weeks ago I faced a dilemma. I had several consequetive days to work without interruption and two empty looms plus one fully warped, threaded and sleyed with bright, cheery spring colors. But I found myself in the midst of a migraine episode and feeling weighed down and alienated by politics. I wasn't feeling ready for spring and the hopeful state it implies. I needed something comforting and cozy. So I went a different direction and brought out the box of silk/sea cell yarn I had been saving.
This is color therapy. True autumn colors - tawny, coppery and metallic. Think gold, copper, bronze - even a touch of oil-rubbed bronze and zinc. What do these colors represent for me? Freshly roasted acorn squash with a sizzling crust of caramelized brown sugar on top. The scent of All Spice and baking with my mom. Pressing whole cloves into oranges for a holiday decoration. The crunch of leaves underfoot. These are things that make me feel at home.
THE WARP
The warp is 70% silk/30% sea cell. It is incredibly soft with a beautiful luster. For this design, I selected 6 hand-dyed colorways from the Autumn Fields collection by Handmaiden Fine Yarns. Half the yarns are dyed with tonal variations of one color and half are variegated skeins with high contrast. They have been organized on the loom to blend smoothly between colors and to create a varied striping pattern - with pools of color emerging and then dispersing along the length. The warp is approximately 18 meters with enough for 4-5 wraps depending on their length.
THE WEAVE
I chose a twill variation for the weave. It is a 16-shaft draft by Louis Serrure from Atlas de 4000 Armures - pattern #36232 on handweaving.net. I like the simplicity of the design - how, from a distance, it doesn't distract from the pattern developed by the striping of the yarn while also rewarding close inspection with it's intricate interlacement of warp and weft threads. With this warp fiber, it is not overly thick or dense and has a beautiful drape.
THE WEFTS
I have sampled a number of wefts. Superwash wool features prominently in my selection as I think it pairs nicely with the warp. Of all the suggested wefts, it will produce the softest, lightest wrap. With one exception, the wool wefts are hand-dyed superwash merino wool. There are three colorways I chose specifically to pair with this warp - Phydeaux Designs Copper, Cloves and Pumpkin Spice (shown in the image above). The others I have chosen from among the yarns I have in the studio.
From top of the woven sample and left pirn: charcoal organic merino wool, Cassis superwash merino wool hand-dyed by Wollmeise, Stovepipe superwash merino wool hand-dyed by Madeline Tosh. All the remaining are superwash merino hand-dyed by Phydeaux designs in colorways Pomegrante, Copper, Cloves and Pumpkin Spice. All of these I have in very limited quantity. The length of the wrap may be limited by how much I have available. I will have a better idea of the length each weft yarn will yield once I have woven a larger piece and can calculate the PPI against the number of skeins I have of each colorway.
I have also sampled a selection of cotton yarns in navy, grey, browns, oranges and reds. Many of the same colors are also available in cottolin. I am able to hand-dye colors to match these - or just about anything else - in hemp/cotton and 10/2 organic Pima cotton.
The blue/grey/brown group, from the bottom of the woven sample and left cone: Navy Egyptian cotton, Marine cotton, Navy cotton, Charcoal Grey Egyptian cotton, Dark Brown cotton and Chocolate Brown cotton.
The orange/red group, from the bottom of the woven sample and left cone: Honey cotton, Rust Orange cotton, Brick Red cotton, Red Wine cotton, Burgundy Egyptian cotton and Raspberry cotton.
Weft Fiber choices and prices
- cotton weft $115/meter
- 40% hemp/60% cotton in natural $120/meter
- Cottolin $120/meter
- Egyptian cotton $120/meter
- 10/2 Organic Pima cotton in natural $130/meter
- Australian Organic merino wool in Charcoal $150/meter
- Lace-weight superwash merino wool hand-dyed in Cassis colorway by Wollmeise $150/meter
- Lace-weight superwash merino wool hand-dyed in Stovepipe colorway by Madeline Tosh $150/meter
- Lace-weight superwash merino wool hand-dyed in Pomegranate, Copper, Cloves or Pumpkin Spice by Phydeaux Designs $150/meter
- Add a flat fee of $75 for yarns that I hand-dye
I am opening up the warp for a limited number of semi-custom spots. I will randomly select the number of entries I can accommodate given the length of the warp and availability of weft yarns. To enter the drawing, please complete the form below. The drawing is limited to one entry per person and entries are non-transferable. Please only enter for the wrap that you would like to have made. I will randomly select entries on Wednesday, February 8 around 12 PM Pacific. Winners of the drawing will be notified by email and tagged in the Facebook chatter group, Wonder Woven Love. If there is no reply within 24 hours, I will move on to the next entry. Wefts that are available in limited quantities will be assigned in the order that entries are selected. I will contact everyone whose entry is selected and - in cases where the weft has already been assigned - provide an opportunity to select an alternate weft. For anyone at a complete loss with regards to weft color choice and living within the US, I can send the finished sample piece to help in making a selection. A non-refundable deposit of 10% of the estimated cost of your wrap is required when I am ready to begin work on your piece. Special order yarns will require payment for the yarn up front. Full payment for the wrap will be due upon completion - which is estimated to be within 6-8 weeks. Please allow additional time for special order yarn and yarns to be hand-dyed by me.
*THIS DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED*