Home again. SE Fiber Forum was in every way a great conference. Saw wonderful old friends, heard a fine keynote address by Kay Faulkner — she gave a design-themed travelogue with countless weaving inspirations, in a genial, well organized manner — attended an efficiently run fashion show, took a tour of other studios for more good ideas, cruised the vendor area while somehow keeping my fiber lust in check, and last but not least took a fabulous workshop with the inimitable John Mullarkey. If you ever have an opportunity to study with John, run, do not walk, to sign up. You will gain a new appreciation of tablet weaving from a master teacher.
Here's a snapshot of John explaining the fine points of S- and Z-threading. Got it?
Back in my home studio, I was able to complete the sleying of the reed, despite multiple phone warnings from the National Weather Service regarding a violent hailstorm coming through the region (it came and it went.) Here are the first few inches, before I quit for the day. This lampas warp is threaded in blocks, and I'll be exploring a few structure variations in the primary warp. Click to enlarge.