Microcomputer graphics and the color-and-weave effect in handweaving

Abstract

Color-And-Weave is the use of both light and dark threads in both warp and weft in a handweaving. Traditional weaves such as twill, point twill, summer and winter, and shadow weave produce many unusual attractive handweaving patterns with Color-And-Weave that cannot be produced without it. The process of weaving these new patterns is interesting and not unduly complex in most cases of importance. The design of these patterns using paper-and-pencil drafting techniques is admittedly infeasibly difficult. However, this problem has been resolved by the use of an inexpensive microcomputer graphics system. In a forthcoming book [1], the authors present the main results of an extensive computer study of Color-And-Weave effects including complete drafts and woven samples for 700-800 nontraditional handweaving patterns. In this paper, we shall present a theoretical approach to Color-And-Weave and discuss the ramifications in the case of the simplest woven structure; namely, Plain Weave. In a companion paper [2], additional details are given on (i) the computer study of hand weaving patterns that was conducted and (ii) the microcomputer system that was used.