After you all glazed over due to arithmetic overload in the last post, I redid my color test. I like this one better – it has no lavender, though the rose looks sort of mauvey in this scan.
Question: What was the attitude in period towards randomization of color design? In Arch History 2022, I learned that during the High Gothic/Renaissance, the ideal was Mathematical Perfection, so I would extrapolate from that towards repetitive stripes, rather than randomized ones. But I’m willing to be wrong. – Does anyone know about extant fabrics with uneven and non-repeating stripes? My modern mind likes random stripes.
The Fibonacci sequence meets this need for you I think. It is mathematical perfection and when used for striping gives a fairly random look. 1,1,2,3,5,8,5,3,2,1,1 rows of various colors will make it seem random even if they alternate sequentially (red, orange, yellow, blue, red, orange, yellow, blue, etc.) I remember reading about this at MagKnits http://www.magknits.com/chilly04/patterns/fib.htm Copnsidering that the Fibonacci sequence was “discovered” sometime in the 12th century it would be quite plausible that Greet could be aware of the sequence. Although other earlier cultures were very aware of this sequence. Leonardo Pisano (Fibonacci) was the one that figured out the mathematics behind it and used it extensively in proving other mathematical theories including the Liber Abaci. But Sarah would know all about these numbers through archetectural studies.
Aha! Someone beat me to Fibonacci! Remember that this is descriptive, not prescriptive. Meaning that Fibonacci just put his observations of nature into a mathematical formula. He noticed that many things in nature progress in gradually increasing amounts (leave whorls on a stem, the swirls in a snail’s shell) and found the relationships.
I personally find the rust weft a bit jarring, especially with this large a set. Were it mine, I would do the set a bit closer to make it more warp-faced, and find a yarn about half the diameter (or even less) for the weft. (then you could use the rust for warp stripe). I don’t know if you remember the striped shawl I showed you–held together with a very fine weft. Maybe I could scan a chunk of it for you.
–Ann