Passimentrie Weave - Week One

I've found lots of challenges this first week in weave - creating the warp, threading the loom and following the weave patterns. 

I started to create wrappings to inspire me in terms of colours to use in my weaves. I initially created two colour palettes; one bright and one dark to symbolise fun and beauty from Blackpool Pleasure Beach and the dark side to fairgrounds like was demonstrated at Belle Vue. 

I also designed my warp with this in mind - I wanted a lighter side and a darker side which could reflect my initial colour palette. I have 24 ends on each side; three lots of eight. This creates a float when I weave into it which creates slight gaps which links to the structure of the rides in Blackpool as well as the distance between the two attractions. 

Before I began weaving, I wanted to refine my colour palette in order to put colours together that complimented each other. I also wanted to look for some yarns and threads that would create an unusual and different texture on the surface of the woven pieces. I found some yarn at home that looked slightly like purple mohair and some yarn with bobbles on. 

I decided that for this first week I would concentrate more on the bright, colourful, fun side so I experimented with different yarns and threads in order to sample. 

             

I like the effect of the thicker chenille yarns with the warp colours along with the fancy yarns I found and used. This adds an element of 'fun' into the samples.