Applesies #10: Diamond Applesies

This is one of those patterns that I will need to follow the pattern, step by step, all the way to the end.  This is not an easy repeating pattern that can be memorized...at least by me.  It's the last of the "easy" patterns...I'm thinking this probably should have been included in the next section.

I had a lot of difficulty choosing colors for this one, but finally settled on navy blue with a blue-grey background and a border of red and rust-orange.

So once you warp up your loom, you will start rotating your cards starting from the BC position.  Your cards will be facing right.

Cards 1-3 and 20-22 will always be turning forward.
Turning sequence is:
First:  1-3 F; 4 B; 5-6 F; 7-9 B; 10-13 F; 14-16 B; 17-18 F; 19 B; 20-22 F
Second:  1-5 F; 6-8 B; 9-14 F; 15-17 B; 18-22 F
Third:  1-4 F; 5-6 B; 7-16 F; 17-18 B; 19-22 F
Fourth:  1-3 F; 4-5 B; 6-17 F; 18-19 B; 20-22 F
Fifth:  1-3 F; 4 B; 5-6 F; 7-16 B; 17-18 F; 19 B; 20-22 F
Sixth:  1-5 F; 6-17 B; 18-22 F
Seventh:  1-4 F; 5-18 B; 19-22 F
Eighth:  1-3 F; 4-19 B; 20-22 F
Ninth:  1-3 F; 4-19 B; 20-22 F
Tenth:  All forward
Eleventh:  All forward
Twelfth:  1-3 F; 4 B; 5-18 F; 19 B; 20-22 F
Thirteenth:  1-3 F; 4-5 B; 6-17 F; 18-19 B; 20-22 F
Fourteenth:  1-4 F; 5-6 B; 7-16 F; 17-18 B; 19-22 F
Fifteenth:  1-5 F; 6-17 B; 18-22 F
Sixteenth:  1-3 F; 4 B; 5-6 F; 7-16 B; 17-18 F19 B; 20-22 F
Seventeenth:  1-3 F; 4-5 B; 6-8 F; 9-14 B; 15-17 F; 18-19 B; 20-22 F
Eighteenth:  1-4 F; 5-6 B; 7-9 F; 10-13 B; 14-16 F; 17-18 B; 19-22 F

See what I mean?  I can't memorize this.  I was told that you look at the pattern and that will tell you how to turn the cards...it's a lovely pattern...it's just going to take some extra time.

The back is EXTRA cool!

Applesies #8

Took a step back (or turned a page back) and started Applesies #8 while visiting with my delightful MIL on Valentine's Day.  Hubby and his dad went out to the movies, and the ladies stayed behind...I didn't have any need to see Jupiter Ascending.  This one is called Fine Crooked Knees with Small Applesies.  Maybe it loses something in the translation from Finnish.  I liked the color combination from the sample in the book so much that I decided to copy it...although I used Navy blue instead of black, but otherwise it's the same.

The turning sequence is as follows:
* with cards A-D on the top, cards 1-9 back, 10-14 forward (x 3)
* all cards back one quarter-turn
* cards 1-5 forward, 6-14 back (x 3)
* cards 1-5 back, 6-14 forward (x 3)
* all cards forward one quarter-turn
* cards 1-9 forward, 10-14 back (x 3)

Now, if you want to have lovely, tidy edges, you could turn cards 1, 2, 13, 14 forward always, then reverse direction when it gets over-twisted.

Applesies #9

United Chicken Runs is weave #9 and while I wanted to do #8, I saw this one and went...oooo!

SO, again, while I can't disclose the threading because it's *in the book* (which, if you are still reading my blog with interest, you should *totally buy*!), I will explain the turning sequence.

Cards 1-3 and 16-18 need to turn forward all the way through...or switch to turning backwards after it gets too twisted up.
While that's going on, cards 4-15 will turn back for six turns.
Then 1-3 forward, 4-7 will turn back, 8-11 forward, 12-15 back, 16-18 forward for two turns.
1-3 forward, 4-5 back, 6-13 forward, 14-15 back, 16-18 forward for two turns.
Then mirror...
1-5 forward, 6-13 back, 14-18 forward for two turns.
1-7 forward, 8-15 back, 16-18 forward for two turns.
All forward for 6 turns.

That's the whole turning sequence!





3 1/2 yards finished.

Diagonals....Defeated by Dragons

This is a moment of sincere frustration.  I found a very cool Dragon Heads pattern called "Dragehoveder" on the Historic Tablet Weaving Facebook page, but despite several attempts, verifying the threading, varying the turning sequences, and a lot of cussing, I finally decided that this was not going to happen.

The threading isn't very difficult...it's all dark-light-medium-light...



I struggled with it for hours...literally...weaving, unweaving, cutting it off, trying again.



I didn't like having the orange-brown in it, either, so I replaced it with white (or rather shifted the grey to the "medium" color and made white the "light" color).  After nearly throwing the loom across the room a few times, I abandoned the idea and made Egyptian Diagonals instead.





It came up to just under 3 yards, which is a yard shorter than my usual trim lengths.  That's how much loss I had in attempting to make the dragon heads work.  Grrrrr...

Now, if you want to do Egyptian Diagonals, it's fairly easy!  So here's now it's done...

First, thread your cards (I used 14 in the project above)

Egyptian Diagonals

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

A

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

Navy

B

Navy

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

C

Grey

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

Navy

D

Navy

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Navy

White

Grey

White

Grey

OK...Now that it's all warped up, get your weft anchored and turn a few passes forward to get the tension all good.  Sorry...all my words went away and I'm brain.  

Each turn is a quarter-turn.  After each quarter turn, throw the shuttle.  Each turning sequence will be done twice.

So, turn all cards back and throw the shuttle.  Repeat. 

Turn cards 1 and 2 forward, 3-14 back a quarter turn.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-4 forward, 5-14 back a quarter turn. Repeat.

Turn cards 1-6 forward, 7-14 back.  Repeat

Turn cards 1-8 forward, 9-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-10 forward, 11-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-12 forward, 13-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn all cards forward.  

Now you'll reverse stuff...

Turn cards 1-12 forward, 13-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-10 forward, 11-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-8 forward, 9-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-6 forward, 7-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-4 forward, 5-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn cards 1-2 forward, 3-14 back.  Repeat.

Turn all cards back.  Repeat.

The problem with this pattern is that the outside cards will be twisted up terribly and the middle cards will twist and untwist evenly.  If you have fishing spinners, this would be the pattern to use them on, otherwise, you will have to untwist your warp several times during your weaving.  Of course, I couldn't find my spinners and had to untwist four or five times.  Time consuming, for sure.

Easy enough?  You can do it!

Colorful Small Applesies

The first pattern in the Applesies book is a fairly simple one-and-a-half pattern...I find this curious.  Did the maker run out of cards?  Or threads?  Or just goof?  Or was this one-and-a-half diamond pattern deliberate?  We'll never know.

The pattern is easy enough.  After threading with the cards facing right--and remember, because this is a book that is currently being printed and sold, you need to buy the book to get the threading directions (I am only providing a little extra help reading the pattern)--make sure the cards are in the A-D position on top.

There are 11 cards in this little weave, and the turning sequence is quite simple.  The outside cards (three on the left, and two on the right) will continue to turn in the same direction--forward.  The rest of the cards will turn three quarter-turns forward, three quarter-turns backward.  Repeat!  Easy as that.

When the twist gets too much on the outside cards, reverse the direction to turn back instead of forward to untwist.  After another yard or so, you may need to switch back to turning forward again.  When you change directions, there will be a little lump of weft on the edges.  It's normal.  Don't worry.  Keep on weaving!



Finished piece--4 yards, about 1/2" wide

Applesies & Fox Noses #7: Tree Climbers

After finishing up the #1 band, Colorful Small Applesies, I started a new project for my dear friend, Bekah.  She chose #7:  Tree Climbers.  It's a four-color band (could be done with 3, but the edging has a two similar light colors that alternate).  

This one is a bit more tricky, but not impossible...after some studying the pattern and experimentation, this is what I came up with:

Turn back all cards – 5 turns

Then turn card numbers:

1-4 back; 5-8 forward; 9-14 back – two turns

1-4 back; 5-10 forward; 11-14 back – 5 turns

1-4 back; 5-6 forward; 7-14 back – 2 turns

When twist is too tight on the outside cards, you can reverse the directions of those cards to untwist…

1-4 forward; 5-10 back; 11-14 forward – 5 turns

1-8 forward, 9-10 back, 11-14 forward – 2 turns

All forward – 5 turns

1-6 forward; 7-10 back; 11-4 forward – 2 turns

The twist on 5, 6, 9, and 10 will continue to build up, so you can either put spinners on those cards or untie and untwist those cards when the twist becomes unmanageable. 

If, instead of untwisting, you want to simply reverse the pattern, you can get a mirror image of the pattern.  If you want to try this, you would use: 

Turn back all cards - 5 turns

1-4 back; 5-8 forward; 9-14 back – two turns

1-4 back; 5-10 forward; 11-14 back – 5 turns

1-4 back; 5-6 forward; 7-14 back – 2 turns

(just like in the first part…but then…)

1-4 forward; 5-6 back; 7-14 forward – 2 turns

1-4 forward; 5-10 back; 11-14 forward – 5 turns

1-4 forward; 5-8 back; 9-14 forward – 2 turns

All forward – 5 turns

Have fun!