Grouse and Silk/Thread Combo

[William Anderson]

This spider even under magnification is puzzling. As best I can tell, I took a strand of fine brown tying thread and twisted or wrapped it with the primrose thread. It's an interesting effect. I don't remember tying it or exactly what I was thinking, but it's a nice body. I should have taking a pic with it wet.



w

[letumgo]

The thread color combination looks very natural. Elegant in it's simplicity.

[tie2fish]

The thread color combination looks very natural. Elegant in it's simplicity.

And the color combo matches the hackle perfectly ... inspired!

[Kelly L.]

William, I LOVE the brown and primrose effect. LOVELY FLY.

[DOUGSDEN]

William,
One flash (at a time) of inspiration just shot thru my round head. What it you sent the primrose silk up the shank toward the head twisted as a seperate component? Send it lastly and twisted enough to make a more defined, almost segmented looking body. I like the subtle lines on the pattern that you have shown above but I am a real maniac for the segmented look acheived with wire (sometimes) or oval tinsel or in this case a hard twisted silk of harmonizing color.
As always, your patterns and designs and methods just blow me away!
Dougsden

[William Anderson]

I like the subtle lines on the pattern that you have shown above but I am a real maniac for the segmented look acheived with wire (sometimes) or oval tinsel or in this case a hard twisted silk of harmonizing color.
Dougsden

Doug, I'm sorry I'm just getting to your kind remarks and comments regarding segmentation. Like I mentioned, I don't recall tying this, and I didn't tie a set of them, but it was very likely something I was trying to work out in an effort to gain the benefit of the contrast and color combination but avoid the more rigid spacing. I'm a sucker for the elegance of the segmented body as well, especially with the "corded" silk brought up the body as a rib, etc, or tinsel or wire. It's very satisfying to make that work, but I find myself trying more often to set up a body construction that captures something more organic which is one reason I like the spun bodies and twisted herls that force you to allow for a slightly more random result. It's a notion that I think is removed from takes vs. rejections (maybe) but we fuss over details and it's something that I find interesting. Especially something so simple in a pattern as minimal as a North Country Spider. It's a fine line for me, navigating between fly design and bs.

w