puzzle

One of the things I love about weaving is that no matter how long you have been studying the intersection of threads, you can still be surprised. Here's the cloth straight off the loom:

And here it is with fringes knotted, awaiting washing.

Flat, right? But we know that the weft is highly energized singles so in those looser stripes we expect that, when it gets wet, it will crinkle up in a most fascinating manner. So, we put in in the bath...

and then we hang it up to dry and find that...

it's still flat.

Those of you who have never experienced a collapse fabric may be neither surprised nor disappointed. I am puzzled. All that spinning and all that extra energy and-- nothing. No crinkles, no seersucker, nothing. All I can figure at this point is that the plain weave stripes are too closely sett to allow the energy to play. They were 24 epi, for 20/2 cotton... loose. But not loose enough. Having worked with gauze, I should know this. Experimentation starts at about half the sett you'd use for plain weave. Next time, I'll try about 15 epi and see what happens.

In the meantime, it is still nice fabric. Soft. Comforting. I like the fringes. I'll wear it. And it is handspun! So it is not a failure by any means. But it does set(t) me pondering.

Comments

[Bill]

I think it is a lovely piece of fabric...even on my computer screen it bespeaks softness and elegance. I can't wait to see your next experiment!