Chasing Moon Shadows

A new project is in the works on the Macomber loom! The warp is 60% cotton/40% linen - my favorite fluffy cottolin from Sweden. I designed this one at the beginning of August - immediately after returning from our week-long camping trip in Sequoia/King's Canyon National Park. I considered naming it "Serenity Now" as that was what I most desired as I emptied all my bins of cottolin yarn cones in search of a tranquil color combination to instill a sense of peace in my studio as we began our last month of summer vacation. But as we've now just returned from a spontaneous road trip up to Oregon to view the total solar eclipse, I thought the term Penumbra might capture quite nicely the spirit of these colors. It is a very lunar colorway - with silvery, muted tones. The design is symmetrical - with silver dominant in the center. It transitions on one side through a greenish-grey to light blue, followed by dark blue and on the other side through iris to a silver-blue and mauve-grey. It features random pinstriping throughout in colors that complement and contrast with the base colors.

The 7 seven main colors

Following are some photos of the warp. The first photos provide a comprehensive view of the colors and organization. The last offers an artistic view.

The warp has been threaded in a straight sequence on shafts 1 through 8. This allows me to play with different weave structures, which may be varied by changing the tie-up and/or treadling. I discovered some fun new weaves this way as I made my way through Obsucra. Ultimately, my goal with this project is to settle on one weave structure and weft fiber that provides the tactile qualities that compliment the characteristics of the warp fibers. I have chosen to begin with a weave I know to have a lovely visual interest in the finished cloth and is not overly dense - it will be both pliable and breathable. Sampling with a variety of weft fibers and structures will allow me to discover the particular combination that yields the fabric characteristics I am after. This will be the weave structure that I will send for ASTM testing to comply with the new federal safety standards for infant sling carriers set to go into effect on January 30, 2018.

There are 40 yards on the loom to play with, along with a variety of weft fibers. I would love to dye up some yarn that compliments the warp colors, as this one does - a lace weight superwash wool/sllk yarn I dyed in a custom colorway.

For a simpler look, there is also the possibility of choosing a solid-color yarn - which will allow the colors of the warp to read with clarity. The following shows the warp with a silver cotton weft.

I am happy to work on any variation you can dream up! I have space on the warp to work with 4 people on a custom weft/custom length piece. The price will start at $105/meter and may increase depending on the specification of a premium or custom-dyed yarn. Exact pricing can be found on the following form. I will keep the form open until I have allocated all the warp I have available. A deposit in the amount of 10% of the cost of your piece is due to hold you place. The balance will be due upon completion, which is expected to be by the end of September.