I'm using up the rest of my Shadow weave warp after doing the samples and decided to do doubles on Wall of Troy. I'm fine with the first turning point being 4 - 2 - 4 , but when I get to the second turning point do I use 1 -3-1 and end up with a smooth surface but 3-1-3-1-3 in the pattern, or do I use 2 as the turning treadle but get a slight ridge? Both seem to work, but which are the proper turning points for Wall of Troy when doing doubles?
Shadow weave doubles
The proper second turning point for Wall of Troy, double units, in the Atwater system, would be 3-1-3. Introducing a treadle 2 would be jumping across the blocks, so out of sequence (thus the ridge). Doubles Wall of Troy makes such a neat looking effect in shadow weave!
I think that I am going to love this Shadow weave! I just started watching the videos. What do you think of the idea of substituting charcoal grey for the black in Shadow weave? I am thinking that I will have a muted effect, and that it can be nice. My fear is that black is needed and 6 yards of a warp that is not going to work is too much to bear. Please advise. Ronit.
If you're using all the colourful yarns that Jane used for this warp and weft, I'd stick with the black. It has the right amount of contrast with the rich brights. Charcoal would be too muted, and you might lose the images made by the shadow weave, they might become muddy. Just my opinion, but I have woven shadow weave without enough light / dark contrast and it does lose the effect. Learn from my mistake and stick with the original black. You'll love the end result.
I like learning from others' mistakes, rather than having to make all of my own mistakes. Thank you very much.
What do you think of the contrast in Zephyr, for the scarves, with Rose and Pewter or Steel and Mythical Pink? Is it the same, that we really need the closest to black/white contrast for the awesome shadow result?
thanks.
Zephyr is a bit different in that the silk reflects light, making colours look lighter. As an example in Zephyr I wove some cowls using Suede and Espresso, which look like they have enough contrast on the computer screen, but completely blended together and don't show any of the shadow weave at all in reality.
I think your combinations of Pewter and Rapture Rose might be a little too close to each other, as Rapture Rose reads as a soft medium in real life, not as a dark. The Steel and Mythical Pink might work, with Steel reading as a dark and Mythical Pink very similar to Pewter in intensity. Ebony and Mythical Pink might be too much, with the Ebony making the Mythical Pink read like a white from a distance. Your choice of Steel is what I would choose, myself.
It's hard to tell until you get things on the loom and really look at them. If you have weaving software, try to get the colours as close to the yarns as possible and take a look at the drawdown for contrast.
The other option to consider is Ebony (yes, black) and Rapture Rose. I think that would give the most pink-forward result, and keep the intensity contrast strong enough for the shadow weave to show. Play with colours in your software and see what you like. It's a fun way to get to know the structure better, too.