Echo and Jin Workshop Part II

Here are more photos to share from the Echo and Jin workshop with Denise Kovnat.  Instead of adding them on to the previous post, I'm making room for them and any others to follow in a new post.  Enjoy!

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Would like to say this was a great workshop for both structure and color.  Denise did a great job presenting it on Zoom—so much so that I’m ready to do another!   Diane S.

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 Samples from Suzanne W.

 I’m Dharma 16 shaft.  The first one is my sampler washed and ironed for a complete view of the difference patterns woven with various wefts.

 

This Dharma Echo as a Double Weave, resleyed at 48 epi using two wefts.   I used turquoise and a rusty copper 10/2 yarn which were 2 of the colors in the 4-colored warp. 

 

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Everything I thought I knew about weaving with colours, went right out the window with this structure.  This is different.  I tried several colour combinations before I found the right one.  Once you found the right colour, it is absolutely beautiful.  The class was excellent.  Denise did an excellent job. Eileen L.

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After the workshop, I finished hemming and washing this towel from my second set of samples of Dharma 16S 4 Color.   So many of the changes due to both weft colors and treadling we tried were not always what one would expect so it'll be fun to have this available to view as future inspiration, and to show off, in my kitchen.

Great workshop.  Besides learning how Echo works, this workshop is inspiring me to delve deeper into network drafting and tie-up changes.  So much more to explore!  Next on this warp, some place mats, each different but coordinated.

Many thanks to Denise and all involved in providing this workshop,
Barbara C.

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 16 shafts. Next project is Dharma for over the fireplace and if there’s warp left perhaps some clothing fabric in one of my own Jin patterns.  Anni B.

 

 

"Echo and Jin": A Zoom workshop with Denise Kovnat

 In March, COVID closed the door. Not just for Reno Fiber Guild, but for most guilds in this country.  The unthinkable became a reality.  We would no longer be able to meet in person.  We couldn’t hold our monthly meetings with guest speakers.  Our pending workshops had to be cancelled. Our regional conference and Convergence were both cancelled.  But, we are a resilient group and soon Zoom meetings started popping up and discussions about virtual workshops gave us hope that we could continue meeting, sharing and learning in new ways.

In late July and early August, Denise Kovnat held a “virtual” workshop for our guild.  Several other guilds had members who also wanted to join in and so two separate sessions were held over a period of a few weeks.  This coming together with members of other guilds is something that usually only happens at conferences, so we were excited to be meeting old and new friends online.

What follows is the remarkable collection of samples woven using the technique of “echo” threadings and treadlings and also jin (aka turned taqueté) in our workshop with Denise.  In many ways, this was a challenging workshop. Participants chose patterns based on the loom they wanted to use and patterns ranged between 4 and 16 shafts.  Some chose a four color warp and some a two color warp.  The threadings were difficult and without a dobby loom, treadling sequences hundreds of picks long were hard to follow. But, the woven results are fantastic and I think the comments that accompany the samples will give you a good idea about the success of this workshop.

 Here is our show and tell.  Each participant took their own photo. ___________________________________________________________________________________

I had a great time! Learned a lot, have so many resources from the class to continue my learning! This is the Fun House, two color (purple and gold-Lunatic Fringe 10/2); 8 shaft, 2nd treadling with a dusty red (Lily 20/2) weft. I am weaving this as a scarf, hoping I have enough weft! I do have some other red that is very, very close so I think I will be fine. Excited to try the Double weave in Echo.
So glad I did this class!
Shelley N.

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 I absolutely loved this workshop.  I have been reading Denise's blog for some time now and was thrilled to discover I could take a class from her.  Due to the pandemic and the stay at home order, I am very grateful for the opportunity to partake in distance learning via Zoom.  Thanks to
the Reno folks who made this possible!  Sue V.

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This was my sample of 6 patterns(2 colors on each) of 4 shaft blooming leaf.  I have enough warp left for 2 scarves Still deciding on color for weft.  Thanks Denise.   Sue M. 

 

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This is Fish Tank Double Weave.  I sent front and back pictures.  It had large pockets and with one of the wefts cotton 20/2 and the other Jaggerspun Superfine Merino I got some lovely texture!  It was a fabulous workshop!
Mollie F.

 

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Eight shaft samples from Kathy R. after wet finishing.

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 I had a terrific time weaving these samples and trying out all sorts of different color wefts.  Being able to weave at home, made it possible for me to weave with 16 shaft patterns.  I learned lots and have lots more ideas for the future.  Thanks for the workshop, Denise.  Beryl M.

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Thanks to the Reno guild for the opportunity to attend the Echo and Jin weaving workshop. Denise Kovnat is a knowledgeable and patient instructor. Her ability to pivot and teach via Zoom is outstanding. I am thrilled that I was able to complete and document all the samples for the class. As a slow weaver, that rarely happens. I am inspired to deepen my understanding and have started planning a project based on my new skills.  Mary P.

 

 

Sage Weavers Highlights

Sage Weavers meetings continue throughout the summer months when the guild has a bit of a break in June, July and August.  Vacations leave our meetings a bit sparse sometimes, but it is still fun to connect when and where we can.

In July and August we had members back from CNCH and MAFA.  And, some had just been busy at their looms, so we had lots to talk about and lots of projects to enjoy.  Because many of you did have vacation plans and weren't able to join us this summer, here are a few highlights.

Diane S. brought in a luxurious scarf woven with 60/2 silk in two different painted skeins.  She said that the colors were of a very similar value, therefore worked well with each other.  Diane's draft used a parallel threading with a nonrepeating treadling sequence.  Sett is 60 epi, and beat at about 56 epi.  The design is striking, the hand is wonderful and Diane showed off her  trademark double weave selvedge.  She thought you might want to try a double weave selvedge on your next piece?  Here is a link. https://callybooker.co.uk/2017/10/comparing-selvedges/   (Note that you will need four shafts dedicated to the selvedge treatment).

 Rae brought in a couple of towels woven using three shafts (see our previous posts from our last year's 3 shaft study group).  This towel was woven with the light  side up - but Rae found that she like the side with the bright stripes better.  What do you think?  This towel was woven with 5/2 cotton and sett at 16 epi.

 Sue M. had been to a Rosalie Neilsen class on Rep Weave.  She wasn't pleased with her first attempts, so she put on another warp and wove  this stunning table runner.  She said it wasn't an easy weave because the warp was so dense that all the shafts tended to rise every time she tried to open a shed.  Slow weaving - but a stunning piece.  The warp was 3/2 cottons sett at 48 epi.

Lorene S. has been experimenting with thick and thin structure.  She did a couple of infinity scarves, but brought in the ends of the warps to show us what she has been weaving.  They both feature chenille as the thick thread in both warp and weft.  The circle  pattern was featured in Handwoven Nov/Dec 2016.  This same magazine has a lot of information about thick and thin and Diversified Plain Weave which is the guild's structure study for this next year.  Circles are rare in woven design and these are really special.

Anni B. needed to beef up her stash of baby blankets - just in case!  She found Tom Knisely's article in the May/June 2019 issue of Handwoven and wove several blankets on the same warp.  Anni says she rarely follows the pattern or directions without changing something, but this time  she did.  Both of the pieces shown here were woven on a straight draw threading.  The amazing part of the undulating design is  that the floats are tied down with a tabby pick between each pattern pick.  The other design is a waffle weave and can be used as a nice thirsty towel for baby.

 

Kathy R. has been following along with weaving lessons from the Jane Stafford's Online Guild.  She was intrigued with a recent project that used linen in the warp and silk in the weft.  Kathy used some 40/2  linen that had belonged to her grandmother who was also a weaver.  The linen gives some body to the scarf, but the silk really changes the character of the piece.  The scarf is very supple and its drape is amazing.   In order to get the shear sections next to the firmly woven sections, you need to cram some  threads closely in the reed and spread others out in a loose sett.  The weaving is done pretty much in the same way by lightly beating several picks and then carefully beating wefts  with greater force for the closely woven sections.  A great technique that is well worth learning.

 

 

Kathy also belongs to the thick and thin study group.  At a previous Sage Weavers' meeting we discussed the fact that Summer and Winter can be woven with thinner tabby picks and a heavier pattern weft.  Kathy wove two textured silk scarves in Summer and Winter using this technique. Another way to get an undulating pattern without the floats!

 

 

Every Sage Weavers has handwoven pieces that amaze.  If you are interested in weaving and live in the Reno area, please check our blog calendar and join us when we meet.