Just the plaiting to do now ...

Here is my rug, showing both sides and some close-ups with and without flash. In reality it is quite a lot brighter and vibrant than these pictures suggest.

Some details:-

Sett: 5 epi
Reed: 10s, sleyed alternately and with a floating selvage of doubled ends.
Warp: 10/6 linen.
Weft: 2 ply Axminster rug yarn, used singly for plain weave and four-fold for the pattern.
Width: 36"
Length: 58"

Design based on Peter Collingwood's instructions for four-end block draft (paragraph d on page 319), blocks threaded either 1323 or 1424 - summer and winter pattern.

I based the design on the Fibonacci sequence of numbers, which was rather complicated by the pattern being spread over groups of four, and sleyed at 5 epi. I therefore had to multiply the Fib. number of inches by 0.8 to determine how much to weave and keep the weft stripes in the correct proportion.

There is definitely one side of the rug which is superior to the other - the weft was taken up differently by the two pattern blocks, and I could only control it satisfactorily on the side facing me as I wove.

This is a rug for my friend Janice, who is on holiday at the moment - perhaps I shall save some of the plaits for her to do, as a special treat ...

Rug

Perhaps you would be interested to see the rug I am currently weaving - unfortunately the photos show that a photographer with a tremor and a digital camera will produce a blurry image. However, I think it does give a fairly accurate idea of the colours and structure of the rug.

I have modified my loom for rug weaving. It has a heavy steel bar strapped to the beater and heavy metal poles for the warp to tie on to, instead of the usual wooden sticks. There are two wooden blocks on the floor between the loom and the skirting board to prevent the loom creeping towards the wall as I beat. And, my favourite adaptation, an extra strong reed which I ordered specially (it has my name engraved on it by the manufacturer!), which should not bend.

I will show a picture of the rug when I have finished it ......... full steam ahead.