Juice Box, 2023

Juice Box was created using a technique called deflected double weave wherein two separate woven structures are joined in one cloth. Here, groups of threads from one weave alternate with groups of threads from another via long floats that slide above and below the two layers. This affect was made more subtle by the addition of more than two colors and their randomized arrangement, but if you were standing in front of the piece you could still separate the two layers in certain places and note where they interlock to become one. For this design, I used superfine merino wool. On the loom, I had to use a "soft beat" to slide the horizontal/weft threads in place, meaning I applied only light pressure to keep space in between the threads. The cloth appeared gauzy and open. Once removed from the tension of the loom, the threads collapsed into each other to fill the open space, creating a delicate cloth. I gave it a warm soapy bath and agitated it to get the wool fibers to expand and the yarn to shrink even closer together.