The Enigma of Shadow Weave Illuminated: Understanding Classic Drafts for Inspired Weaving Today

Everything handweavers need to understand and create shadow weave fabric that shimmers and glows with color. 

The unusual structure of shadow weave creates works that shimmer and glow with multifaceted dark-and-light color. How and why did the legendary weavers Mary Meigs Atwater and Marian Powell develop it? And how, exactly, does it work? Even better, how do you write shadow weave drafts of your own design?

This guide provides the answers, with a focus on Marian Powell’s method of weave drafting. With master weaver Rebecca Winter, learn the history of the intricacies of shadow weave and understand the weave structure and how it functions as a color-and-weave effect. The book takes up where the much-respected (and hard to find) 1976 classic by Marian Powell, 1000 (+) Patterns in 4, 6, and 8 Harness Shadow Weaves, leaves off, offering the translation and explanation that today''s handweavers have been waiting for. It includes valuable resources that bring history and today''s weavers together: the drafting system developed by Mary Meigs Atwater, the drafting system developed by Marian Powell, and how the the Powell method functions within block theory.

Expand your weaving with included drafts—the five original drafts developed in 1942 by Mary Meigs Atwater, as well as 10 original drafts developed by the author. Handweavers of all levels, on eight or fewer shafts, can be confident this book will provide everything they need to know to advance their skills toward a clear understanding of shadow weave. Get ready to create your shadow weave gems.