Cayla Kennedy
Weekly 4: Make a One-Bit Flipping Bead
This week, I created swatches that explored the tabby weaving structure a bit further, with inlays and overshot. In addition, I figured out ways to incorporate a copper wire coil which becomes an electromagnet when hooked up to a battery.
For my first swatch, I worked in tabby while using inlays in a semi-overshot style, though varied how many rows of tabby were woven between decorative wefts. In the end, my swatch was shorter than I wanted it to be and the electromagnet did not sit exactly the way I wanted it to sit, though I did like the decorative incorporation of the ends of the copper wire.
For my second swatch, I used adacad to draft a simple overshot structure, and followed the draft. I found that I often lost track of which row I was supposed to be doing, and it was at times difficult to make sure the correct warps were raised, as the structure was not plain tabby. I ended up using a popsicle stick as a supplementary heddle, which was far more useful than weaving in and out like I did for the first swatch. I also tried to make an eye with some inlays, and incorporated the electromagnet in the middle of that.
In my exploration, I found ways to make my weaving structures more visually interesting while maintaining their structural integrity. I was challenged by the incorporation of the thin copper wire, and in the future I hope to explore further how it can be incorporated decoratively and practically.
Cayla Kennedy 