Tag: weaving

Double sided 3 color pattern with rigid heddle

Posted on by Jeff

From Flaab I also bought a small rigid heddle. Back home, I wanted to try it on my weighted frame and chose to experiment 3 color patterns from Annie MacHale (https://www.taprootvideo.com/preview_class.jsf?iid=12&cid=2)

As the heddle is quite narrow,  31 threads, some modifications were needed. The first idea was

I then decided to modify it to get a 3 color pattern on both sides (and changed border threads)

Modifications are very simple and not obvious with a white weft. To show them, here is the pattern with a red weft.

Everytime I pick up a thread, I drop the right next one. Very easy to do (that was my first 3color band) and result is nice.

Here is a picture of the setup

The two faces of the band.

Tissage aux cartes

Posted on by Jeff

Bonjour

Petite pause estivale.

J’ai commandé auprès de Flaab des cartes de tissage en bois que je recommande vivement.

Pour les utiliser partout, j’ai construit un petit chevalet qui peux être utilisé seul

ou avec une ceinture.

Les poids sont faits avec des boulons de roue de voiture (80g) enveloppés dans des petits sacs en tissus.

J’ai choisi un motif simple assorti avec le lieu.

 

A few improvements for this new year

Posted on by Jeff

Hi

For this new year I present to you some small improvements for Seizenn.

Lists of patterns

When you save a pattern, it is by default visible for everyone in the public list. It’s now possible to make it private using the “restrict” button in you private list.

Loom colors

You can have colors in your «loom palette» that are not used in your pattern. Now those colors are bordered with brown like this :

Rigid heddle pattern

In loom editor you can load default pattern for some popular rigid heddle

You then get

New tools

Seizenn was first designed for plain weave or baltik bands. I then added a grid tool. I recently wanted to explore some other weaving technics.

Now you have two new tools.

The first one to draw heddle loom patterns

https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/#/heddle

A second one to draw tablet patterns

https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/#/tablet

Those tools are very simple, I mainly created them to undestand how those kinds of pattern work. They reuse main principles of seizenn, and I just added a few new things like right-click menu in tablet tool.

I could improve them if they would be useful for someone.

Jeff

Extract colors from a picture

Posted on by Jeff

Hi

In Celebration of plain weave (page 27) Annie MacHale explains how to extract colors from a picture to create a color palette.

I tried to add a basic function like this in Seizenn. (https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/).

Open the Palette tool and go down the page to

You first need to load a picture. You can get a random picture from unsplash.com with  or load your own picture with . If you use Seizenn on a smartphone, you can get access to your camera !

For example, with a random picture, you can get :

Then Seizen use two different algorithms to extract colors from this picture :

With the first button, you take all those colors to create a new main palette

But it could be tricky to find yarns with the wanted colors. So instead of getting all the colors in a new color palette, use the second button.

Imagine that you use this main palette (the default one) and that you have all those colors at home

When you click on the “filter” button, Seizenn will try to find de nearest colors in your main palette that will fit the colors from the picture. You then get

(Sometimes, if main palette quite poor, it chooses colors that doesn’t seem to be very relevant)

Clic on “Add colors…” to get those colors in your loom palette and remove colors you don’t want to use.

You are now ready to design a pattern inspired by your picture

Link to the pattern : https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/?sc=Fa8

Maybe not the perfect tool, but a first try to see if it would be useful for someone.

Jeff

 

Seizenn interface evolutions – text buttons

Posted on by Jeff

Hi

The first version of seizenn (https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/editor.html) was created to work on desktop computers. When I began v2, I wanted it to work both on desktop and mobile devices and not to limit it to English speakers. I thought icons should help me for that two goals.

I received feedbacks saying the new interface was too disturbing.

As I continue to learn new programming things, I’m now able to adapt the new interface https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/

Now on top right of the screen there is a new menu :

  • the broken chain only appears when you are offline
  • clic on the icon with the profile to log. It’s red when you are not connected.
  • the third one shows if seizenn detect a desktop or a mobile device.
  • with the first checkbox, you choose if you want menu on the left of the screen or at the top
  • with the second checkbox you choose if you want to use icon or text button
  • use the selector to change language.

As an example, with the icon/text checkbox you can choose between

  or

When you open Seizenn on a desktop, the tool uses text button on the left by default. On a mobile device, it uses icons on top. You can change as you want.

You may notice that I now use the new link https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/ for the new version in replacement of https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/v2/. The old version remains available on https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/editor.html

I hope those new evolution will help you.

Jeff

 

A new way to register patterns

Posted on by Jeff

Hi

From the start, the method of saving and registering pattern was a bit clumsy.
You had to save the pattern in Seizenn’s screen, get two codes and then go and register it in the blog. It was the only way I had found to be able to assign a pattern to an author with a very simple Seizenn tool and without an authentication system (https://www.raktres.net/blog/2018/10/06/display-your-patterns-in-the-gallery/)

The new version of Seizenn ( https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/) allows me to develop much more efficient functions, for example a new way to save and share patterns.

First you log in the tool.

For that, open the main menu with and choose the  menu.

Type in the username and the password you use on the blog.

When it’s done, a little character appears at the top right of the screen. You are connected.

If you then save a pattern with the    button, you only get the shortcode to your pattern :

Go to the gallery page from the main menu.

The screen is devided into two parts, “List of public patterns” and “List of your patterns”. Click on the title to open the panel you want to open and click on “load” to refresh the list.

Your pattern should now be visible :

I will now work on improving personal page and gallery screen, adding functions, improving the interface.

Do not hesitate to leave a comment if you have any remarks or proposals.

Buy a loom or build it?

Posted on by Jeff

What I like in weaving is that the idea is very simple but ways to achieve it are countless. Even for something as simple as band weaving.

A great subject for handyman.

First you can weave with almost nothing as in backstage weaving. Incredible how much intelligence could fit in a few sticks. At no cost.

Rigid heddle is a bit less rustic.

With two heddles and a pulley you get an African loom, really fast.

Inkle loom need some more materials.

Even if it is just a piece of wood with a few pegs, it is far more complex than backstrap. Some technical difficulties appear such as the tension that bends wood (needed to add additional pieces of wood). And different shapes could be tested.

And so many ways I didn’t explored yet (or explored but with not enough success to take a picture).

You can of course buy a loom. A good looking tool, well designed, nice to use, easy to start with.

But not the pleasure to face the challenge to create your own tools.

pickup with rigid heddle

Posted on by Jeff

Hi

I wanted to try rigid heddle. I ordered it on https://shop.stoorstalka.com/en/products/weaving/, and received it quickly with a nice handwritten note.

First try

I then designed a pattern for key ring raktres.net/l/bR (you can also try with the new version of the editor)

Then wove it using the picture from the editor

The pattern quite accurate.

Edit on october 22 2021:

The main difference comes from the size of the yarns that was not rendered. With the new update, you now get

A new version of the pattern editor for test

Posted on by Jeff

Hi

Annie sent me a copy of her book https://www.etsy.com/shop/ASpinnerWeaver. I’m very happy that the pattern editor could have helped her to write such a great book.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/ASpinnerWeaver

 

I then decided to update and simplify the seizenn editor. You can found a test version on http://www.raktres.net/seizenn/v2/editor.html, I need some feedbacks before I could replace the present version.

inkle wave pattern editor - raktres.net

Some improvements :

  • new look
  • drag and drop for colors
  • a “value” button, to view a pattern in black and white (page 8 of Annie’s book)
  • a button to load a pattern from a short code
  • and few other things

Fell free to send comments if you find bugs or if something doesn’t work the way you would like to.

Hope you will like it.

Jeff