Painting with Many Colours

Maybe "painting" with fiber is a bit of a stretch but those of us that work with yarns deal with the same challenges as painters.  We also have challenges that are unique to our medium. 

detail of unbalanced weave

In weaving, the colour in the warp will blend with the colour in the weft.  This gives an equal mix if the cloth is a balanced weave.  If the weave structure produces an unbalanced mix the result is a colour that involves a different proportion of warp versus weft.
Close observation may reveal the individual hues but viewed at a distance the overall impact can be quite different.  Sometimes this is a planned event that results in great depth of colour.  It can also be a pleasant surprise when yarns are selected for their individual beauty.  But sometimes a beautiful warp is turned into mud by an unhappy choice for the weft.
Spinners are able to blend fiber of different hues in different proportions in order to produce a yarn of a specific colour.  As with weaving, a close view may show a beautiful mix of different hues but at a distance the overall effect can be a surprise, sometimes pleasant and sometimes not.

double weave
 

 We can learn a lot about colour theory from books.  Studying works of art is also a good way to learn how colour is used with composition to tell a story.  You can train your eye to see colour nuances in nature or photographs like the one of this tree trunk.  At some point, however, you have to put down the colour pencils, dive into your stash and start experimenting.

colour gamp

 That is what prompted our guild president to suggest a GUILD COLOUR CHALLENGE.  The goal of the challenge was to create a design that involved multiple colour interactions using at least 3 colours. 
Some folks kept to the 3 colour guide line but this table runner really pushes the experiment to the limit.

We all have our preferred pallets.  You can see it in our choice of clothing and in our houses.  When we work in our favourite colour range we are more likely to be satisfied with the final product.  Maybe it is because we have honed our ability to create pleasing combinations in a limited range.  Maybe it is simply because those colours make us feel good.  There can be a practical reason for limiting your pallet, if items must match your decor or wardrobe but it can also be boring.  So, if you want a real colour challenge pick a colour that you just hate and see if you can create something exciting using it.

Busy Bees

Our guild members have been busy bees the last 2 months.  Maybe it is the rain that is keeping us in doors and suggesting cozy activities to make the winter pass faster.  Maybe it is that mound of yarn that we don't want to deal with when the spring cleaning urge takes over.  Maybe inspiration from a workshop or study session has fired the need to create.  Whatever the cause, our guild members have been weaving and knitting like fiends.

 Several members came with multiple projects so the pictures show here are just a sampling of the items.  Some are finished pieces like the colourful shawl.  Others like the endless yardage, are hot off the loom and will reappear as a top or jacket in a future blog.  Will you remember the picture of the yardage?

 Often the best part of show and tell is the story behind the item on display.  Take this knitted handspun shawl for example.  When the final shawl provide to be a mite too small the knitter came up with an inventive fringe that is highlighted with beads.  It not only enlarges the piece, it transforms it into something unique.  Some times our apparent failures are really just an opportunity to apply imagination. 
The rosepath baby blanket also has a story to tell.  Many of us have planned to make a gift for an expected grand child only to find that 9 months goes by awfully fast leaving us scrambling to finish a blanket (in the right colours) right up to the delivery day.  This grandma-to-be is thinking ahead.  She is stocking up, just in case.  Now that's planning ahead!

There is an industrious weaver hiding behind this lovely blanket.  A perfect project for the winter. 

The final photo in this posting is a series of samples from a workshop on colour that one of our members took recently.   It was impossible not to catch her enthusiasm so we are all off to work on that next project which is our Colour Challenge piece.  The colour challenge pieces are due on Monday March 18th which is the date of our next regular meeting.