WEAVING STUBENITSKY CODE BY MARION STUBENITSKY
Marion Stubenitsky appeared on the American weaving scene in 2014 with her very modern fabrics woven in what she calls Echo and Iris. You may have read the articles on these structures in the Handwoven issues listed at the end of this article*. Weaving Stubenitsky Code is her second book, published in 2018.
This is a book for every weaver. Those of us who rely on recipes. Those of us who rework a recipe for our preferred yarns and colors. Those of us who love the possible combinations of shafts and treadles that create unexpected structures.
The book is written with text in Danish printed beside text in English, so it looks more wordy than it really is. The “codes” are various ways a structure can be woven on 2, 3, or 5 threads with 1 additional tie-down thread. She sees that pattern in **Dr. Bateman’s Park weaves. She uses the concept in Huck lace, Moiré, plus more Variations.
Here are a few ways to enjoy this book: 1. The photos and charts are exciting. Just enjoy the pictures. Look at some of the samples with the B&W filter on your phone’s camera to see better contrast on some of them.
Pick a project and follow the recipe. For several 4-shaft projects, the threading stays the same; simply change your tie-ups for new structures. Note: These fabrics have warp and weft of equal diameter. Thick & thin, textured yarns will give whole new looks. 2. Another way to enjoy the book, spend time in her explanations. She lays out the “codes” logically. She illustrates the changes from one threading to another clearly. There are prompts to take each threading even farther on your own. These are not your grandmother’s weaving designs. Every chapter has 4- and 8-shaft projects. Several have projects for 12 to 24 shafts. [Does DFA need a small Dobby loom?] You don’t need to understand how to use the code to weave her projects. This is a great reference book. Keep checking it out from time to time. As your weaving skills increase, even more of her projects will capture your imagination. Footnotes: *Echo & Iris technique in Handwoven magazine: Iridescent echoes table mats. Handwoven: JF15, 30-32 [8-shaft] The weaver of echo and iris. Handwoven: ND14, 20-21 Weaving with echo and iris. Handwoven: ND14, 15 ** Dr. Bateman was a physician who retired to Seattle and used his 16-shaft table loom to try as many combinations of threadings and treadling as he could imagine. The most exciting structures are reprinted in another DFA library book, Weaving Innovations from the Bateman Collection by Robyn Spady, Nancy A.
Tracy, Marjorie Fiddler.
