Leno Iridescence?

My summer project is to do some more experimentation with leno and gauze weaves.  One thing I wanted to try is to push the boundary of how light and airy I can go with this structure, so I am trying some very fine silk yarn.

I also thought that with all the different angles the yarn takes, it might be a candidate for iridescence.  The real proof will be when I get it off the loom, but I think it is happening: here are photos of the fabric on the loom from two different angles.  One angle is showing the reddish weft more, and the other the blues in the warp.  This fabric is plain gauze, with each pair of warps twisting the same direction at the same time.
 

Weaving at the senior center

I've started going over to the senior center in town, where surprisingly they have a weaving room, which has accumulated a half dozen floor looms, most of which are sitting unused.  I thought I'd come hang out and see if I can lend a hand at getting the looms operational and in use.  One of the looms has had an abandoned cotton and linen warp sitting on it for a few years, so I fixed some errors and got it tensioned and weaving after a fashion.  I'm told it was to be a tablecloth.  I chose some various whites and off-whites and a turquoise accent to complete the windowpane check.

You can see one of the apron straps had frayed and finally broke, which we'll have to replace.  I'm wondering if anyone recognizes this loom.  It has an interesting side-tie-up system.  It's also missing its ratchet handle, which makes it difficult to tension, so I'm hoping we'll come across it and can get that back on once I get this warp woven off.  The loom will be pretty much impossible to use by someone without much grip strength.

Cool colors for a hot project

Painting a warp for some gauze scarves in fine silk.

Master-inspired palette

The artist-inspired pallette I used a couple posts ago resulted in this double weave and sprang piece. The painting from which I took the colors is "The Pink Cloud" by the neo-impressionist Henri-Edmond Cross.

The scale is really too large for my taste.  The fabric is about a yard high and even bigger in the width.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it.

...but whatever I decide, I do have a series of coordinating scarves to go with it.

Off the Loom

Throw blankets, off the loom and wet-finished.  Going up in my Etsy shop.

Color Challenged

A project for my color study group, where we each picked an artist "Master" to study.  I chose the impressionist painter Henri-Edmond Cross.  His work certainly has me putting together combinations of colors I would not have thought to try before!

Another Dye Day

Yesterday was the third annual Fiber Day I've participated in at the Huntington Library and Gardens.  Weavers and spinners were there demonstrating, as well as us dyers.  The dyeing we do at this event feature dyestuffs from plant materials.  This year I tried dyeing with kamala (Mallotus philippensis) and indigo (Indigofera tinctoria).

Top row, kamala on wool premordanted with (left to right) iron, copper and alum.  Bottom row, left to right, indigo on unmordanted wool, and indigo overdip on the same three kamala-dyed as above.  The indigo was such a strong color it overpowered the yellows, so I got teals instead of the greens I was after, but still pretty.