September 2025: Pseudo-Crackle Weave Recreation
This is a recreation of a sample woven by four members of the Kitsap Guild and published in the SWG Bulletin in 1975; the 1975 Bulletin article cites that the sample was “planned by Alice Streutker and the article written by Nita Minard, adapted from Mary Syder’s workshop for Kitsap Guild 1968”. The 1975 article starts “Crackle weave is one of the few weaves which fives four design blocks on four harnesses and avoids long weft overshoots”. Click here for the 1975 article.
Recreation (below) woven and described by Carol Buchmiller.
My sample is less vibrant than the original since I was working with stash on hand. The pattern weft could have been plumper as well. I had to treadle from bottom to top to match the original sample. The doubled tabby made for a nice firm fabric—a good trick for future projects.
Warp: Mercerized cotton in Astra 5/2 Spice, alternating with Silk City Fibers 10/2 Pompeii Dust
Pattern weft: Borgs Vavgarner Mora in brown, red, and tan, Broder Medici needlepoint wool in dark olive, one strand of each held together
Tabby: Same as warp, a pick of each in same tabby shed
Sett: 214 ends (two repeats) at 20 epi, 1 per dent in 20-dent reed
Finishing: Hand wash warm in wool wash, pressed to damp, dried flat. Shrinkage was 5% in length.
