#ply split

[weftist]

I made a little basket :)

[weftist]

Next ply split band complete! I doubled up my cords for convenience - it's a lot easier when I can see the plies more clearly.

I made this band to learn one of the techniques to make color work. The colors start separated on the left and right. Then, using POT, any time you split with a pair with both colors, you split the cord of the color you want to show and pull the other one through. This creates diamonds of 8x8, with the limitation that the edge corners must be the color of the color coming from the right on the front of the band.

That first diamond shows what happens with all standard rightward splits. The bottom two diamonds are my own designs, a leaf and a manta ray.

The colorwork diamonds are the same colors on the front and the back, though there is a different technique for colorwork that is inverted on the front and back of a band.

Up next: I am going to try to make a basket!!

[weftist]

Wip of my first ply split basket! I'm using cord I made out of paper ribbon.

This is my latest project under the tutelage of Linda Hendrickson who had been an excellent teacher. Basket pattern is hers

[weftist]

I am learning a new thing! This is called ply-split braiding.

I am lucky enough to be in a weaving group with Linda Hendrickson, who has offered to informally teach us how to do this.

She's doing some very cool art with this technique, mostly she is making baskets right now:

(image source)

Basically, you make some 4-ply cords, then braid them by pulling one cord through the plies of another. There are tons of really cool structures and designs you can make with the technique, so I'm looking forward to learning more.

My main issue right now is that I need specialized equipment, a cord maker and some gripfids. I have made some very janky cords and gripfids, but the jankiness of both is really slowing me down.

Stay tuned for more! And if you're interested in trying it out, check out Linda's youtube

[weftist]

New ply split braid with a new technique! The technique from the first braid was SCOT (Single course oblique twining), which is where you split multiple cords and pull one through them all.

This new technique is POT (Plain oblique twining) where you split only one cord and pull another through, working in pairs. I like the way POT works, and I am starting to see how it could be used to make colorwork designs, if I had cords with two plies in each color instead of all four plies the same.

In the background: Basketball the cat is using an in progress sweater as a bed.

[weftist]

Whirligig braid complete! I enjoy these systematic braids- once I know the steps, I can follow them fairly automatically. I'm looking forward to the next one, which should start opening doors to me to make my own designs.

[weftist]

Second go at the waves ply-split braid! I was having a lot of trouble with the first one because of how uneven my cords were. This second try was much easier.

Just like all the fiber arts I've ever tried, it's all about the tension.

[aw-textiles]