Weaverly

Music to Love, and the Start of a Search

Yesterday we drove to Hendersonville, North Carolina for a concert by one of our favorite groups, Pan Harmonia. This production at the First Congregational Church was billed as "Baroque Vibes," a cute play on words, as the instrumentation included flute, harpsichord, bassoon, vibes, and percussion. Some, but not all, of the selections were indeed of the Baroque era, but we were also treated to some contemporary work, and a lovely bagpipe finale with the entire ensemble joining in! Here's harpsichordist Barbara Weiss tuning up before the concert.

After coming back down the mountain, a quick bowl of subgum wonton soup and the following auspicious message:

At this point I don't know what that item might be, but it's a good start for an adventure.

Two Gifts

 

From me to you. First, a 16-shaft crepe, 3 repeats:

Second, some music from my back yard:

Download Birds

Have a good weekend, everyone.

 

Song and Dance

This is what my dobby controller sounds like when I turn it on. The first click is the on-switch, and after that come the solenoids firing off one at a time in a jazzy little dance rhythm. This is a good sound—it means all is well, electronically speaking. Click here to listen. DobbyStartup

And so far, all is well. I've been indulging my pursuit of crepe weaves, and yesterday's batch just came out of the washer. They're not dry yet, so I can't put them in the scanner, but here is a handheld closeup right from the laundry room clothesline:

…and the draft:

Through the Viewfinder

I've received a few email queries about my new camera, so in order to condense this rather baroque tale, I'll just tell you what I ended up with: a Canon S95. I love it. If you want more information about the camera, there's plenty on the web; just google it. What I'll give you is a few representative pictures (Yesterday's grasshopper picture was also taken with the S95).

The camera is excellent in low light conditions. Friday we attended a blues concert at Trillium Arts Centre. The group is Blue Studio:

Vocals, mandolin & guitar by Phil Garrett (who is also a painter/printmaker):

Harmonica by Dave:

Here's Russ explaining the virtues of his new electric bass ukulele:

The music was enjoyed by all:

Saturday afternoon I took some snapshots in the back yard. Fall is on its way, no doubt about it.

And lest you think I've forgotten our fiber content for today, I'll end with this picture of a hank of handspun llama yarn. Click to enlarge any of these, but especially this yarny one. The S95 lens is incredibly sharp! 

And the camera really does fit into a pocket.

The Bookcase From Hell, and a Treasure

This morning I tried cleaning out a bookcase that had been accumulating odds & ends for years. I separated the books into piles: one for the library used book sale, one for my younger relatives, one for the trash (believe me, they deserved it), and one to reshelve. I now still have two whole shelves of clip art books! What was I thinking? I also have a two foot long (and growing) shelf of books-purchased-on-impulse-and-not-yet-read. Ditto what was I thinking. Evidently not thinking at all.

But I did uncover a little treasure. It's a book from my very distant past, one I remember reading over and over until it is almost falling apart. It's this book, first published in 1935:

Here's my signature on the title page. It appears to be pre-kindergarten (click on any of these to enlarge).

And a couple of quick snapshots of two of my favorite pages. This first one features a bit of fiber content, just so you know.

I found the next one very upsetting when I was a little girl. For some reason I always assumed Bobby Shafto wouldn't come back. Perhaps he never did. I think the yearning expression in the girl's posture gives it away. Bobby Shafto, on the other hand, looks quite pleased with himself, very fit and successful.

The silhouette illustrations always charmed me. Here's that perky pussy cat who had been to London to visit the queen:

Now that's the way a spinning wheel is supposed to look!

 

And Yet More Stripes

Woven while listening to Verdi's Macbeth.

 

 

Flutes and More

Today we drove to Asheville for lunch with friends Kate and Chris. Kate is the driving force behind the fabulous Pan Harmonia chamber music group, and Chris is the artist behind the Abell Flute Company (a well-matched pair). We were given a tour of Chris's studio. Here he is telling us about the grenadilla wood (also known as mpingo) he uses for his flutes and whistles.

Grenadilla is extremely dense—so much so that it doesn't float in water. Chris ages his supply of grenadilla for as much as ten years before it is ready for flute making. 

He also makes wonderful whistles. His flutes and whistles have silver fittings. 

He has made his own guitar (just for fun).

Chris's workshop is located in the Grovewood Studios, also home to other artists and and the North Carolina Homespun Museum. Here's an installation of Lyman Whittaker's wind sculptures near the front door.

And something I found absolutely hilarious: this sign outside the Grovewood Cafe:

Fabulous Fourth

Up until the last minute, it was uncertain whether the July Fourth festivities with the Greenville Symphony would take place. A very noisy thunderstorm was moving through Simpsonville, site of the concert and fireworks, and the lightening was impressive. But the storm finally moved on. At the start of the concert, Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel, observing the twentieth anniversary of his defection from the Soviet Union, led the orchestra and audience in the national anthem. 

The final number was Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, including the firing of five real cannons supplied by a team of Confederate reenactors. 

Those lovely curved shapes in the background at left are the porta-potties. If anyone was inside at the time of the cannon blasts, I'm wondering what they thought.

The fireworks were the best I've ever seen. 

Hope you all had a good holiday, too.

Various Things That Have Come My Way on a Saturday in July

Started the day listening to Mozart's Mass in C Minor. It has given me new energy and cleared my mind. 

This quote from Ray Bradbury is about writing, but it could just as well apply to weaving:

“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.”

N. Miami has passed along some good advice for writers. Again, substitute "weaving" for "writing" and you're off to a good start.

Did you know about Sophie Taueber-Arp? I didn't, but now there's a new book about her. She was a weaver—and worked in many other media as well, including dance, architecture and puppetry. 

Here's another photo from Penland:

And a reworking:

Have a good holiday, everyone!

Lighten Up

Testing time for the standup sacks. I put a pickle jar inside this sack, filled it with water, and stuck in a bunch of tulips. It works! Stands up nice and steady. 

Just as I was writing today's entry, Sue Mansfield sent me a link to a delightful video. It features a mill in Sao Paulo. Weavers, you will love this one.