Another Beginning

I am starting a new tapestry on the Big Shannock. I like to get the loom warped while I contemplate the design. I probably won't start working on the piece until next year.

I am thinking this tapestry will be a rendition of the planet Uranus. I am currently contemplating a piece about 32 inches wide and perhaps five or six feet long. 99% of the piece will be woven with all black yarn. I have been collecting black yarn for the last couple of months. I may have just enough to weave the waves of space which I see in my mind.

To keep my sanity while weaving this other project [thirteen feet of yardage woven with sewing thread] ...I wound off and dyed my tapestry warp a lovely violet-black. Given I will be using a large variety of black yarns of different materials, sizes and shapes I am sure there will be some warp showing here and there. This color choice seems like a far better color than white to peek out from my black weft yarn.

I will be tying this dyed warp onto the leftover warp from my prior piece. I have never done it on this loom, but I have done it on others so I assume it will work. I have wound off more warp than necessary just in case I think the dark warp might work well on the tiger piece I am envisioning next on the queue.

Harvest Moon - First Sighting

It's Resting

My latest tapestry is off the loom and resting. It is 32 1/4 inches square with only 1/8th of an inch pull in on the sides. I seem to have much improved edges by weaving from the back. From the photo, you can see I have some finishing to do...some ends to clip...some slits to sew...a hem to fix...and some thought as to how hang this piece.

Once hanging, I will post the front of the weaving.

Ahhh...the end is in sight!

Ah, I finally like my mountain dunes. I ended up over-dying some green yarn to tone it down in a number of shades. I also added a few curves on the dunes that mimic the curve of the moon and things are looking up. I am going to finish weaving the bottom of the dunes to square up the piece and take it off to see how it looks. It's tough when half the piece is all rolled up on the bottom bar of the loom. I can't tell how tall the mountains should be. I'd like the moon to dominate and be imposing in this piece. Time will tell.

Here a mountain there a mountain...

These mountain dunes have been quite a dilemma.

My original thought was to have blended color dunes using the darker colors that I used in the moon. Unfortunately, the result, as seen in the first photo makes your eye go to the mountain vs the moon which is the focal point. It is even more apparent when standing and viewing the entire piece. So, I ripped that out...

My next thought was to keep with the original colors in my first concept but get rid of the detail and go with large sections of saturated color. This too did not get my approval. You can see the results in the second photo. It looks like a comic book...not a bad thing...just not what I had envisioned. I really do want the moon to be the focal point.

I think the issue is that the yarns I am trying to use have values which are too dark. The darkest draws the eye toward the dunes vs. toward the moon. I initially thought these colors would make the moon pop. The blue surrounding the moon makes the moon pop. The dunes are competing for the viewers eyes. I would like them to set back and just be there to provide context. You can see the value contrast in the black and white photo I took.

I now am going to rip this stuff out and try sand colors. Eeek...making the sand dunes actually the color of sand dunes...what is my world coming to. I will try adding a bit of those saturated colors from the moon here and there. Check back in a couple of days and see how the latest version looks.

And I thought the mountains would be the easy part!