Tartan width? Sett? Repeat? Stripe to Stripe?

[Rex_Tremende]

The thread count of the tartan may go something like 10K 5R 10K 5R 2Y 5R 10K 5R 10K. K=Black, R=Red, Y-yellow. The sett begins and ends in black. The yellow strip is in the middle. So a repeat might be the yellow stripe in one sett to the yellow stripe in the next sett, or the fist red stripe in one sett to the first red stripe in the next sett.

The size of the sett would be measured from the first black thread to the last black thread, in the above mentioned ,made-up, tartan. But you should get the same measurement if you measure from the middle of the yellow stripe to the middle of the next yellow stripe.

Just for fun, I plugged this one in at Tartans Authority's Design Studio.

What confuses me on this is why isn't there a swath of 20K where the pattern reverses itself? To see it better, I swapped out the last black for a violet.

Regards,
Rex in Cincinnati

[M. A. C. Newsome]

What confuses me on this is why isn't there a swath of 20K where the pattern reverses itself?

It's because usually the first and last numbers in the thread counts are meant to be "full pivots," meaning that they are not repeated when the pattern reverses itself.

Almost always today when you see a thread count given a full pivot is meant. However, you cannot always assume this. A lot of errors and variations in tartans have crept in when people misinterpreted whether a particular count gave a full or half pivot.

For a good example, take a look at the "Old Gordon" aka "Gordon of Esselmont" offered by various weavers. This is the Gordon tartan with three yellow lines. Sometimes they will all be equal in width (as they are supposed to be) but in some instances the center yellow line will be twice as wide as the other two, because a count was interpreted as giving a half pivot, so the size of that line was doubled in production.

Aye,
Matt

[arrogcow]

On a side note, I have also played with the Tartan Authority's tartan designer. Is there any way to tell how big a sett will be based on the thread count? Also, Barb once said here that tartans have to have even numbered threads, but TA's site lets you put in odd numbers. If I make a tartan with an odd number can it still be woven?

This is what I have been playing with.


Adam