BuzzFuzz

Experiment

Sustainable

Traditional

This sample was handwoven on an ARM Touch60 Loom. A weave structure with floats was used for this sample. The floats were then cut to create a fuzzy texture. The warp of this weave is an ice blue, extra fine monofilament polyester (donated dead stock from Botony Weave). The weft of this sample is a blend of an extra fine iridescent purple and yellow yarn (sourced from Bart & Francis). These two yarns combined creates my own interpretation of what the colour a “bees purple” could look like. Woven together along with the ice blue weft creates a semi-translucent material that reflects the light to show different hues of a shimmering yellow-purple with a subtle fuzzy feel to the material.

Material

Fiber

Craft

Textiles

General Technique

Constructing
Structural modifying

Specific Technique

This material was hand-woven across 24 shafts on an ARM Touch 60 loom. Hand- woven using a combination of a super fine iridescent purple yarn (82% polyester iridescent & 18% polyamide) and a special iridescent yellow yarn (82% polyester iridescent & 18% polyamide). The width of the warp is 12” and the length is also 12”. A pointed draft was used to create the large floats. The floats are secured and woven
throughout the sample and are then cut leaving multiple ends fraying from the surface of the material. This creates a subtle fuzzy texture. The wrap yarn used is an ice-blue monofilament yarn from headstock yarn curtesy of Botony Weaving Mill. A blend of two different yarns were used at the same time to create my own version of the colour “a bees purple”.

Properties & Qualities

Application

Sample Making Art

Qualities

Textured

Colour

Blue Violet Yellow Other

Sample Information

Date of creation

Designed April 2021, Framed Piece created July 2022.

Dimensions

Width 8inches x Height 10inches x Depth 1inch

Weight

774g

Culture & Context

This piece is inspired by bees incredible ability to see the world through ultra violet (UV) light. This reveals hidden UV patterns on flowers and in other areas of nature to help attract the bees. It also allows them to see colours outside of our vision spectrum. Bees see the colour yellow differently to us through UV light and scientists have called this colour a “bees purple”. Using a blend of iridescent ever-changing yellow and purple yarn I have tried to recreate a similar interpretation of this colour that reflects sunlight revealing different hues of yellow-purple depending on where it is shining on the material. The cut floats on this piece are inspired by the bees fuzzy hairy bodies. I have recreated this through cutting the floats leaving the yarn ends standing up on the piece for a fuzzy texture.

Process & Production

The process of this material was hand weaving the floating jumps and yarns across the weft on a 24 shaft ARM Touch60 Loom. There were sections of plain weave to keep the yarns in place when I cut the floats after I had taken it off the loom. There is a lot of time spent on setting up and calculating the woven structure as well as the actual weaving of the sample. The piece was finished with the cut floats and sewn to keep the sample clean and neat.

Recipe Details

24 shafts using an ARM Touch 60 loom.
Pointed draft was used with a warp width of 12” and sample length of 12”.
There are 60 ends per inch (epi) for the warp and a weight of 150g.
Warp yarn : ice-blue monofilament polyester yarn from dead-stock yarn from Botony
weaving mill.
A woven structure with large floats across 24 shafts was the structure used and then
cut to create a fuzzy texture once off the loom.
Weft yarn : a super fine iridescent purple yarn (82% polyester iridescent & 18%
polyamide) and a special iridescent yellow yarn (82% polyester iridescent & 18%
polyamide).
Once weaving was complete, sample was removed form loom and edges were
stitched to secure before mounting to canvas to frame.

Credits

Craft Maker

Amy Kerr (AK Textiles)

Library Contributor

National College of Art & Design Ireland

Photographer

Colm Kerr Arc Studios Ltd. & Amy Kerr

Practitioner

Amy Kerr

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