The Book- Launch and Learn! Corrections Made!

Well, it has been an amazing and busy couple of weeks since the launch of my book on March 18th. After day 2, it was obvious that the initial print run of 250 books was not going to last long, so I placed a reorder. Some folks had to wait for that second order to arrive before I could send their copy out to them. I appreciate the understanding. Over 300 copies have been signed and mailed.
If you don't have one yet, here's where you can get it: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ASpinnerWeaver

Waiting for the ink to dry. 

Thanks to everyone who ordered one!!! Media mail is slow, so some are still waiting for delivery.
One customer reported that she tracked her package and it was sorted through 3 locations within an hour of her home before it finally arrived. Still, I love the U.S. Mail and am grateful for their system which works great most of the time.

I've sent books to people in 7 countries besides the U.S. Extra thanks to those who paid as much to have it shipped as they did to buy the book. It's hefty, weighing 1 pound and 6 ounces packaged, and is expensive to ship overseas.

Some lovely reviews have been written on Etsy and I have received many nice personal notes, FB comments and phone calls. I love hearing what each person liked and/or found useful in the book.

My local guild, the Las Arañas Spinners and Weavers Guild, arranged a little book-signing event at our last meeting and I was delighted that so many of my peers wanted copies!

The PDF version is in the works and almost complete. We are working out the delivery system as the file is too large for Etsy to handle. Each of the 200 pattern links in the catalog had to be checked as they will  be live links in the PDF. Although I swear I checked them all before we went to print, some errors were found in this round of checking. Also, a customer wrote to mention an incorrect pattern number referenced in the text. HORRORS!

So...... If you have a copy of the book, please note the following corrections.
If you would like to print them to insert in your book, here's the link to a printable page:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oiw6t1mjrzwevqa/Document.docx?dl=0

Page 111, Caption for Figure 102 should refer to

Pattern # 159

Pattern # 19 : Short link nn

Pattern # 71 : Short link nX

Pattern # 147 : Short link nZ

Pattern # 152 : Short link nP

Pattern # 172 : Short link nb

Pattern # 194 : Short link nh

Sorry for any inconvenience!

Annie 

My Book Is Now Ready for Purchase!

It's a book about weaving design especially for inkle weavers and band weavers. Learn what you need to know about color and design for weaving narrow warp-faced bands.  This book is a feast for the eyes, containing many inspiring, full-page, color photos. 

Take a look at this video for a sneak peek inside! https://www.facebook.com/annie.machale/posts/10218311760173904

In the book I distill color theory into some basic guidelines specifically for band weavers and demonstrate how to get extraordinary while using a simple plain weave. The art is in the warping and the possibilities are endless!

This book is available in a spiral bound 8 1/2 x 11" paperback or an ebook.

It includes:

* Color terminology and color theory basics
* Pattern design basics and advanced tips
* 115 pages
* 105 color illustrations
* 200 interactive pattern charts -Open them using the online program "Inkle Loom Pattern Editor"

The book is divided into three sections:
Section One is a discussion of color theory and band design including my best tips from years of experiments. Get ideas and resources for choosing color combinations.
Section Two illustrates how to create plain weave patterns by breaking it down to the various elements which make up a design. Learn how to to use chains, teeth, stripes, etc. and how to balance them to get pleasing results.
Section Three is a catalog of 200 individual interactive patterns plus tips for turning these into thousands upon thousands more.

Scroll down for a sampling of pages. Click on them to enlarge.

To see pattern samples and get a preview of the way they work interactively, check out this blog post: http://aspinnerweaver.blogspot.com/2018/10/free-interactive-patterns.html

CLICK HERE TO BUY A COPY!

Musical Harmonies and Color Harmonies

A while back I received this enthusiastic message, "I have been searching high and low to find a strap to match one of my guitars. I am so happy to have come across your website! I absolutely love your straps! They are exactly what I’ve been looking for."
(My website is here: www.WeaverGuitarStraps.com)

 "I would love to have one made to match my guitar if you’re interested. The guitar is a 3 tone sunburst Telecaster. It has a few subtle appointments that make it what I consider to be a very beautiful guitar, off white binding and abalone dot inlays on the fretboard."

I can never resist a creative challenge like this. So, what would I make to match this guitar?
Since I LOVE color blending, I started with a design which played off of the color gradation, or "burst" as they call this type of paint job on a guitar. I used 9 colors and loved the progression!

But, it didn't include any of the colors from the abalone, which he really wanted. So, Jason, being very clever, found his way to the "Band Weaving Pattern Editor", my favorite design tool and created his own strap pattern, shown below! Good job! Not enough threads, though.

He and I kept playing with variations on this design until we got one that he liked. 

I sent him some photos of yarn, so he could help choose the colors. Then, magic happened!

He wrote, "When I started looking at a color wheel to help pick the colors for the guitar strap, I realized that it was separated into 12 sections just like the circle of fifths used in music." 

 (Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths)

"You and I had already discussed some possible colors inspired by the finish adornments on the guitar so I had an idea of some bass notes, or base colors to look for. 

I used the I V vi IV  musical progression and set the C note to line up with orange on the color wheel which gave me:

I - C - Orange

V - G - Yellow

vi - A(min) - Green

IV - F - Purple/Wine red

There was the palette!  I used that as a base when I set up the colors in the pattern editor.  

So what we have represented in the colors is: 

The red, orange, and yellow gradient from the sunburst finish on the guitar body. 

I really liked the first weave you did with the really elaborate gradient, It was beautiful! I wanted to make sure we paid homage to that.

Then we have the green which was matched to the slight tint of green in the pick guard and also one of the colors in the abalone inlays.

There is also a deep purple / wine red which matches the abalone and the darkest shades of the sunburst finish.

Black as a background color.

And finally the off-white from the binding on the guitar.

We checked all of the boxes from the original inspiration!"

So, I wove Jason's design, sent him a photo and it was a hit!

His response, upon receiving the strap,  " It’s awesome!  It looks even better in person!

I am so happy with it!  It matches the guitar beautifully. I’ve attached a picture for you.

Thanks again!  This was a great experience.  You are a master of your craft!"

So then, he made me this color wheel combined with the circle of fifths so I could experiment!!!

"You could find the chords to a song you like and see how they correspond to the colors on the color wheel - or vice versa- You could use the color from a pattern you create and then see how it translates musically.  Bear in mind too that you could shift the color wheel or the circle of fifths in either direction to get different combinations. Like if C lined up with blue instead of red, you could still use the same intervals and get a harmonious color palette.

Depending on ones knowledge of music theory and/ or color theory you could dig kind of deep with this.  You’ll notice that a lot of the same harmonious relationships exist on the color wheel and on the circle of fifths.  

Using this method, any piece of music could be interpreted as color and any instance of color could be represented by sound."

I'd love to  hear from anyone about experiences designing with musical harmonies!
~Annie

Readers' Gallery of Works in Pink

There are a lot of talented people out there who read my blog!
Last week when I asked for photos featuring pink items, I was happy to receive the following photographs. What fun!'

Marieke Kranenburg wove this belt in a combination of plain weave and crossed warp.

She gave me the following link to explain the crossed warp technique as I had not heard of it.
https://www2.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/periodicals/wj_08.pdf

Pam Groff  of Wide Sky Ranch sent me this photo of a PINK skein. This is what she told me:
"As an alpaca breeder for the past few years and as a result of having my own white yarn, after much consternation, I faced the challenge of learning how to dye yarn and have not looked back! I simply love the process of researching popular color ways, finding or developing the colors with Gaywool acid dyes, and then the fun application of dyes. It’s simply magical." 

This band was woven by Kathryn Nielsen to hold the detachable pocket. Click the photo to enlarge it and see the lovely detail in the band as well as the hand-embroidered pocket!

Judy Chapman needle felted these little piggies with wool around wire armatures.

Cynthia Loveall sent this photo of the second band she has woven on her inkle loom. She says" I like hot pink, fuschia or magenta but not pastel pinks." This is a sentiment that she and I share. 

Nancy Ayton sent this photo with the following note: "The yarn is a little more rose color in real life, but still pink.  This technique is from Laverne Waddington’s Complementary Warp pick up book, done on the inkle."

This is my dose of pink for the week. I'm working on a custom order and these colors were the customer's choice.