« February 2017 | Main | April 2017 »
A neighbor left this monitor in the street for trash pickup. The sun was at such an angle that my reflection appeared in the screen, as if I were on TV at that moment. Such things amuse me.
While rummaging in the cupboard for ingredients for last night's dinner, I found this artifact. Certainly a sign that I should improve my management skills.
On the other hand, after one of many sudden thunderstorms we have had in the past few days, this appeared over our roof:
This past Friday we drove up to Penland to visit Tommye and Bhakti, who are leading the Spring Concentration in fibers--eight weeks of weaving bliss. Thank you to Bruce who took these pictures, as I was too busy talking.
There are twelve students in this group, of all ages, most of them beginners, and they are advancing rapidly in their weaving journey. You may recognize Edwina (seated at the table) in the above picture. She was also visiting, although she has a long history of teaching at Penland.
Tommye (right), is a well known tapestry weaver.
And here's Bhakti (standing, left). She's a jacquard weaver of formidable skills, and most of what I know about jacquard I've learned from her.
It was a wonderful day, in one of my favorite places. I've been student and teacher here; entering that beautiful studio overlooking the mountains always makes my heart beat faster.
***************
In other news: check out Cally Booker's wonderful video. It's a celebration of the tribe of weavers!
I have a lovely few ounces of green merino/soysilk/angelina roving I was saving for a special project, and began spinning it this week. I usually spin with a light-colored cotton towel in my lap for better visibility. The towel wound up in the laundry, and somehow there was still some roving rolled up in it. Well, you know the rest.
It's what I've always told my students: wool in the presence of water, detergent, heat and agitation = felt.
Last week we went to Devils Fork State Park to see the Oconee Bells. The timing was good. This rare flower was still blooming. You may prefer to call it Shortia galacifolia.
Oconee Bells prefer a shady streambank, like this one on our walk:
Fast forward to yesterday, when I was trying to use up all the bits & pieces of yarn on my bobbins. There's nothing like a basketful of empty bobbins to stimulate new weaving ideas. I'm getting there.
Bits and pieces, nothing coming together, but cleanup must occur before I go forward.
I got up in the middle of the night, stepped out into the hallway and was startled by this sight: Lulu the wicker dressform was waiting by the basement stairs. I had put her there to remind me to take her downstairs to the studio. Serves me right.
Of course I carry my mobile phone around with me at night. Don't you?
In the studio, a new warp is underway. I'm committed to using up some of my stash in mixed warps. This was an enjoyable exercise on a freezing cold day.
It will be a simple point twill on a four shaft loom. But I'm still on the lookout (always) for jacquard. Here is a jacquard sighting from a few days ago.
You've asked for more photos from Friday's presentation of "Woven" at the Poinsett. Bruce was my best ever date that night, clad in handwoven vest, and carrying his ever-present camera. He graciously provided me with some of his photos. Les voilà!
And here's a favorite of mine: an architectural detail of the Poinsett Hotel. Thanks, Bruce.
Last Fall I was approached by representatives of the Northeast Georgia Health System who were planning a 65th anniversary celebration and were looking for a weaver to establish the theme of their conference, held at Greenville's historic Poinsett Hotel. I agreed to participate as a weaving demonstrator at their meeting, and also to create a wall hanging for them, based on one of their core values, stewardship of the environment. The completed work, "Woven," was introduced last night and met with a very warm reception! It will find its eventual home at their Georgia headquarters.
When the weaving first came off the loom last December I laid it out on a bedsheet on my deck to see how it all went together. It's constructed of six jacquard woven panels to be hung side by side, just touching but not actually connected. The image is based on a photograph I took while hiking in the woods and is constructed in double twill. Click to enlarge.
At last night's celebration, it was mounted on a temporary frame with spotlights. Here is a snapshot during cocktail hour, to give an idea of scale. The total piece is 81" wide.
While the conference attendees were gathering, I was posted on the mezzanine giving a weaving demo on my very portable Wolf Pup loom. Here's an interesting view of the loom, with the featured hanging just visible in the upper left corner of the photo.
To emphasize the theme of the conference, the organizers had created this label for the weaving. The label will be included with the piece when it reaches its final home.
A big thank you to the Northeast Georgia Health System for including me in their meeting and honoring me with this commission.
Today was the final session of the OLLI spinning class. Everyone is now spinning yarn! There are rumors of a loom being purchased. Always good to see new fiber enthusiasts in the making. Nice work, spinners.
During Wednesday evening's massive storm, we heard a crash and then the power went out. Turns out several large trees in my neighborhood had toppled, taking poles and power lines with them and generally wreaking havoc. We sat on the front porch in the dark, watching the flicker of neighbors' flashlights. Fortunately our house wasn't harmed. Thursday evening the power still wasn't back. I spun for a while by candlelight. That got old quickly. There was a veritable symphony of power saws. Duke Energy did a heroic job of putting things back to rights and the power came on last night. We were awakened by all the lights in the house going on at once. No complaints!
Back to work today. This tipsy plaid is zooming along. It's a relaxing weave. Working with two shuttle seems like such a breeze after months weaving with three!