Weaverly

Mixed Messages

No weaving content here, just a picture I took yesterday. 

Round and Round She Goes

After what feels like weeks and weeks of planning, cutting, stitching, and pressing, the tops of the mantles are finally taking shape. In the upper picture you can see the padded acrylic supports at the far end of the table, and closer to the viewer are the actual padded and faced outer layers. The padded supports will be attached to the undersides of the finished mantles with hook and loop tape (still to be stitched on).

Here is a closeup of one of the holes. I think the edges look nice. They remind me of the faced neckline of a collarless dress, from the days when I used to make such things.

Robert Burns's Warping Wheel

Yesterday evening I was listening to an old vinyl recording of Jean Redpath singing To the Weaver's gin ye go, her interpretation of the Robert Burns song. As I am New Jersey born and bred, I was not sure of the meaning of most of the Scottish dialect; luckily,I found this text of the Burns original version and a standard English translation on the World Burns Club website. A copyright notice precludes my quoting any of it here, but I urge you to look at the text, as this cautionary tale of the fair maid and the bonny weaver lad makes fascinating reading.

I'm wondering if Burns's warping wheel looked anything like mine…

…or if it was more like what we think of as an upright warping reel. Does anyone have a guess?

The Hartness Organ

Organ music—you either love it or you hate it. I'm of the former persuasion. Last week we heard visiting organist David Heller perform on the wonderful Hartness Organ (built by Fisk) in Daniel Memorial Chapel, Furman University. Beautiful music, and a beautiful sight. Click to enlarge. Watching Dr. Heller's agile footwork reminded me in some small way of my pre-dobby days. 

Three Haiku for Midweek

1.

Swimming at the Y,

Water warm and nearly still.

I have my own lane.

2. 

Is it time for lunch?

Peanut butter sandwiches

With banana. Yum!

3.

Red, peach, and maroon—

Cotton, linen, and bamboo.

Winding a mixed warp.

Interior Architecture

The support structure of the Torah Mantles (the cut-to-fit pieces of 1/4" acrylic sheet) will be covered in cotton fabric with fusible fleece for padding. Then this hidden sandwich will be attached inside the actual mantles with pieces of hook-and-loop tape (that V word).  It's a pretty involved structure, but I believe I have it worked out in my head. I think about this a lot at 4 A.M. 

Serendipitous Pattern

My house is in a neighborhood which was developed in the 1950's, and is a short driving distance from downtown. Old-timers here have told me that this area used to be densely wooded and a prime spot for deer hunting. Fortunately many of the trees remain. My bedroom window faces east, and every morning the tree just outside casts interesting shadows on the blinds. These patterns are a constant in my life, although they do change subtly with the passage of the seasons.