Tuesday, May 18, 2021

Vive la Différence -- with Differential Shrinkage


Top photo: handwoven cloth in loom state

Bottom photo: detail of cloth after finishing

"Loom state" describes fabric that has not yet been finished or dyed. In the textile industry, such fabric is also called "gray" or "griege." 

The finishing process is particularly important to weavers because, as I like to say, "It ain't over till it's finished" (with a nod to Yogi Berra). Woven fabric isn't ready to use until it's properly washed. Unfinished or unwashed, it will retain some of the tension that it was under during the weaving process and thus won't feel or behave optimally.

Differential shrinkage takes the process one step further, creating a puckered or pleated fabric, using warm water, gentle soap and lots of agitation by hand or machine. With this technique, one block or group of yarns (such as the turquoise 18/2 merino in the photos above) will full and shrink while the other (the 10/2 cotton in gold) doesn't, creating lots of texture and visual interest.

Deflected Double Weave works well for differential shrinkage because of the plentiful floats and open spaces that alternate with blocks of plain weave. By definition, it has two layers that weave in and out of each other (but never on top of each other, hence the term "deflected").

When I posted some photos on Facebook -- after fulling to create differential shrinkage -- one weaver thought the fabric was stitched double weave. I explained that it only appeared that way because the layers of wool fuse together and the cotton relaxes, losing the gaps between blocks and appearing as if it were one layer.

Here's what the back of the fabric looks like before finishing -- that is, in loom state. (My apologies for the fuzzy image, but I was using my iPhone in reverse to photograph the underside of the fabric while it was on the loom.)


And here's what it looks like after finishing. The cotton blocks in plain weave look almost like they are one layer -- while, before finishing, there are vertical gaps in between the blocks (where the wool blocks are weaving on the other side).


Here are sections of the drawdowns (front and back respectively), which give you a better idea of how the blocks of wool (in blue) might fuse together in the finishing process, making the blocks of cotton (in gold) appear as a single layer. (The technical term here is "fulling" rather than "felting," because we are fusing yarn rather than raw fiber.)



I know there's probably some vibration between the colors in the drawdowns, because they are close to being complementaries -- which is what I wanted! I love the energy of combining opposites or near-opposites on the color wheel.

I proceeded to weave up a number of samples before I cut off the fabric and washed it -- so here are a couple of "before washing" and "after washing" photos.


Back of fabric before washing


Back of fabric (now upside down) after washing

My son, who took both photos -- thank you, Jake -- thought that it looked better BEFORE there was any differential shrinkage. I can see his point, where the fabric may look tidier and more elegant before fulling. After fulling, it might appear to some as messy and wrinkled.

But I like it that way! Differential shrinkage just appeals to me. And there's more to come, as I have maybe 3 yards left on the loom, keeping in mind that 3 yards will shrink down some.... I'm hoping to weave a scarf using these two patterns in sequence.


Thanks for reading!











10 comments:

Wabbit said...

Oh I love this! I immediately thought that it would make a great Chanel style jacket. I just can't decide which side I like best. But I definitely prefer it after finishing. Sorry, Jake! Thanks for sharing, Denise.

Denise Kovnat said...

Oh yes! A Chanel jacket would be lovely — if only I had the couture sewing skills....

Spin Weaver Barbara said...

Amazing - just like magic. Thanks for sharing.

Ruth Henriquez said...

I really really love both the finished and the unfinished cloth, although if it were me doing this type of weaving (and I do want to learn) I would enjoy the unfinished version as an ephemeral pleasure and then finish it every time.

This cloth has a lively presence, and the colors are gorgeous.

You must have a lot of shafts on your loom!

Denise Kovnat said...

Ruth, this is a 16-shaft pattern, although I'm thinking that it could be adapted to 8 to 12 shafts. Another project! I do teach a Zoom workshop called "Designing with Deflected Double Weave" so, if I'm scheduled to teach it in the future, I will let you know.

Ruth Henriquez said...

Yes please let me know about that class. Also I see you have a pdf class for purchase which I am interested in getting once my current project is off the loom.

Denise Kovnat said...

Great! We will stay in touch.

Olena said...

Thanks Denise for the interesting blog!It's an amazing result!

tbrickerbrac said...

I would like to know about any online classes you are planning in Designing with Deflected Double Weave.
I have an 8 shaft 12 treadle Louet Hollandia loom and an 8 shaft Louet Jane70 table loom.
I would love to better understand how to successfully design my own DDW drafts.
I own a copy of Double With a Twist from Marian Stubenitsky but am having problems understanding her notes; perhaps due to the translation.

Denise Kovnat said...

tbrickerbrac, I will be teaching a workshop on Deflected Double Weave in February through the Reno, NV, weavers guild. If you will contact me at my email address, which is listed on the "Contact" page of this blog, I can give you more information. Thank you for your interest!

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