Weaverly

A Reading Weaver and a Trip to the Fabric Store

Over the past few weeks I've read the following fiction. All good. Nothing particularly about weaving, but a lot about creativity, sense of self, and a generous helping of history.

Flaubert's Parrot, Julian Barnes; Woolf Hall, Hilary Mantel; Headlong, Michael Frayn. Read one. Read them all.

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My friend Mark sent me an article about Sandy Chilewich. If you enjoy her design work and minimalist esthetic, take a look.

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A trip to the fabric store. At the remnant bin, you could stuff as many remnants as fit into a plastic bag, all for $10. The bin was pretty deep. Catalina decided it would be easier to make her choices if she got into the bin. 

Some other goodies at the same store; I think my doppelgänger designed this one:

Loom-controlled seersucker, anyone?

Or perhaps a bit of passementerie?

Giscaux with White Balance Corrected

Yesterday I photographed Giscaux with full gear, and since some of you were asking about how I deal with white balance, here's the scoop:

I use two photoflood lights with tungsten bulbs and diffusers. The first shot in any session is always with the gray card.

 

Then in Adobe Bridge, I use the White Balance Tool, click on the gray square, and save the resulting setting to apply to all the other exposures in that session.

Here's the finished portrait of Giscaux, after color correction, and cleaning up of the background.

Here's a closeup. Click to enlarge further.

Whatever Makes You Happy

This is what I saw in front of me while I was stopped for a traffic light yesterday morning:

I lost him in traffic down the road, so wasn't able to get any more information. Too bad. If I ever have any unwanted snakes (I did have one once), I won't know whom to call. 

But back in the studio, this makes me happy. More granite.

Click to enlarge the draft.

Yellow

All tied on, ready to go. Two inches wider than the previous warp, after a little creative engineering. 

 

Giscaux, Day Four

Are you getting tired of this one yet? Have courage. There is probably one more day left. Me? I'm not getting tired—little surprises keep popping up to entertain me. Like the unequal buildup between the samitum and the satin areas. Just when I think that the satin's going to outstrip the samitum in height, the design changes and the inequalities are reversed. It's a little tug of war. Fun.

Series

We've been talking about working in series, and the gains to be reaped from constant repetition and refinement of an idea. An example: today's post from Susan at Avalanche Looms shows some amazing variety woven from a simple threading. Very inspiring. Check it out. 

And downstairs—this continues. Exactly half done.

 

Giscaux, Day Three

Slow but steady. More picks, more circles, all the while listening to the fascinating podcasts at Bookbinding Now.

A comment by design binder Donald Glaister resonated—that it is important to celebrate a completed work before sending it away. That's what I do here, although it's more a case of celebrating work in progress. 

I also like to celebrate the wrong side. Here's a peek with my iPhone, which I've achieved by striking a contortionist pose:

 

Tie-On

A little bit at a time. The new warp is the yellow one. Tying on while listening to podcasts; the March 13 interview with Velma Bolyard on Bookbinding Now is an interesting one. 

Peekaboo

Giscaux, Day Two.

More circles peeking out. This is so much fun to weave.

Click to enlarge.

Giscaux. Day One.

In Search of the Perfect Circle

The hardest thing I've ever tried to weave is absolutely consistent, streak-free plain weave. I still can't do it. The second hardest thing is the perfect circle. I've been trying for years. My circles are always too tall or too squat. It's the battle with aspect ratio. But today I think I've come pretty close. I'm very excited! So come celebrate with me. Here is Giscaux, day one.

There will be a lot of circles in this piece, of various sizes. If I maintain a consistent beat, they should all come out round. There is no automatic cloth advance on this loom; it all depends on my inner consistency, which is always suspect. Meanwhile, here's a closeup. Samitum & satin.