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Closing the Gap Between European and Persian Families.
Article © MAIL User: Quizad Saderack

Article written for Maille Artisans International League


We all had to go through the very frustrating Persian weaves debuts. Unstable, mesmerizing, incomprehensible weaves, I tell you. Well, not anymore. I can assume many, if not all, of us know how to make the most common European weaves, like European 4 in 1, European 6 in 1, European 8 in 1, etc. From this simple knowledge, I will try to squeeze a better understanding of the Persian weaves.

First of all, let's examine what is the main difference between a simple connection, or unit, of Euro and Persian.

Image: units.jpg

As you can see, the only real difference is one simple connection. The yellow ring is flipped until it's vertical and opened to go through the red ring. Now, this is only theory, so let's use this in a more practical manner. Let's start with a strip of Euro 4 in 1.

Image: euro4in1strip.jpg

Again, the concerned ring is in yellow and the possible connecting rings are in red. For clarity, I chose to use the one on the right. Using the red ring on the left would still create a Persian stitch flowing in the same direction. To have an opposingly flowing Persian chain, one would need to use the upper row of the Euro strip, but that is another matter. So this is what we'll do: flip up the gray ring on the right of the yellow one to give us room to maneuver, then flip the yellow ring toward the red one until it bumps into it in a natural way. Like this:

Image: euro4in1flip.jpg

Now open it, and connect it. You should have something like this:

Image: euro4in1persianfirst.jpg

Now keep applying the same theory to the next ring on the right, like this:

Image: euro4in1persiansecond.jpg

Keep going, all the way to the end of the chain, and come back to finish what is on the left of the first yellow ring. This way, you can become competent in both directions, as it might be impossible sometimes to start where you want. I'm just doing this for you own good! :)

By now you should have something like this:

Image: euro4in1done.jpg

This is basically a chain of Half Persian 3 in 1 with a row of Euro still attached, highlighted in green in the picture. Now, many things can be done. One can take away the Euro stitch to be left with HP3in1. One can also add a second row of Euro to the Euro row and use the same theory as above to create HP3in1-5 connections. One could also add two rows of Euro instead, and make the top one into Persian, so it ends up being two oppositely flowing HP3in1 chains linked by one Euro stitch.

Now let's expand the value of this knowledge. How about Euro 6in1, 12in1, 100in1? Yes, the theory works with all the basic Euro weaves. In fact, a very simple formula can explain the outcome of the technique on Euro weaves. x/2+1=y, x being the first digit in the Euro weave, y being the first digit of the final Persian weave. Ex: 6in1 : 6/2+1=4 , so 6in1 yields Half Persian 4 in 1. Euro 8in1 yields Half Persian 5 in 1, European 10 in 1 yields Half Persian 6 in 1, vitam aeternam. So if you want to make some insane Persian 21 in 1, make some Euro 40in1 and you should be all right.

Now lets keep expanding. What happens with rolled weaves, like [weave=Box Chain]? The same theory applies. Boxchain 4in1 will become Full Persian 6 in 1, as you can see in this evolution image, green being Boxchain, blue being one side FP, on side Box, and yellow being FP.

Image: boxtofp.jpg

Now this is where I stopped experimenting. There are probably a few more examples of weaves on which you can apply this technique. Feel free to let me know so I can add them to this article.

Final word:

This technique is perfect for starting a new strand of HP, as it is stabilized by the Euro rows. It can also be used at the end of an existing strip to make a border, like at the end of a hauberk. I also use the technique to start my FP strands. Once I have 4-5 units, I make it into FP and keep weaving FP.

The only bad thing about this is the AR change between Euro and Persian weaves. What will make smooth, dense Euro is impossible to make into HP. And the more intricate the Persian row is (4in1, 5in1...) the more cramped will be the chain before the Euro row is removed, like this:

Image: euro6in1persian4in1.jpg

So make a little stable chain, take away the Euro row and keep weaving. Unless you do want the thing to look like a shrimp having a seizure.

I hope this helped a few of you understand the Persian weaves a little better, and possibly make them your favorite weaves for a little while.

Have a good day, and keep weaving!
Original URL: http://www.mailleartisans.org/articles/articledisplay.php?key=272