Weaverly

The Wheels on the Bus…

And that's all I have to say for now.

Circles, Wheels, Reels

There's a new warp on my dobby loom. Amalgamation again, this time a design with smallish circles. The warp is a warm golden yellow. For the first sample I tried a purple weft for max contrast.

Then I changed things up with a more muted combination, same draft. Funny how the warp color appears to change as the daylight alters over a couple of hours in the studio

As long as we're talking about things that go 'round, here's my warping wheel which I'm about to put on the market. Now that I no longer have looms with sectional beams, this old friend's got to go. It's a first generation warping wheel from AVL, with a cross maker added. Pass the word along. No shipping; pickup only in Greenville, SC.

And a squirrel cage reel, also looking for a new home. An oldie but goodie.

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Now the book department. Two wonderful books I've read lately. Both highly recommended.

Late Nights on Air by Elizabeth Hay

Fools of Fortune by William Trevor

Blue & Gold

Bronson lace on the rigid heddle loom. Gearing up for January.

One space left in the class "Color and Texture on the Rigid Heddle Loom." See sidebar.

A last blast of color on my street.

Towel Parade

The nine little towels are finished and I arranged them on the ironing board for some high quality photography (just kidding). 

Here's a group shot:

Now here's a tricky one that my iPhone calls "portrait mode" with a theatrical spotlight. Oops, the lighting director didn't aim straight.

Well, enough of that. I'd really like to show you an entire towel so you can see the patterning. 

Amalgamation, 16 shafts. Click to embiggen.

Goodbye, Old Friend

Today I said goodbye to my lovely TC-1. It's downsizing time.

The loom arrived here from Norway on a grim, rainy day in January, 2000. The trucker had to leave it outside in the rain as the crate wouldn't fit through the door. Nina and I worked quickly to uncrate and reassemble the loom inside. Nina was able to stay to help only one day. Two of my close family members were seriously ill in hospital. Sometimes you just have to do what you have to do.

The loom was in constant use for the past 18 years. At first I wove some pretty awful things. But I was learning. I got better. I worked with Photoshop®. I did some writing. Bhakti and I got together to work on The Woven Pixel: Designing for Jacquard and Dobby Looms Using Photoshop®  (see sidebar). It was a joyful collaboration, one of the best experiences of my life.

Here I am a few days ago for a final snapshot with the TC-1. Thanks for the photo, Patti & Linda.

This morning I got up early and wove a final few picks. Lampas.

Then the new owner arrived for a quick run-through. She is experienced in jacquard work and I know the loom will have a good home.

Here's the loom partially dismantled. Connections were marked with tape. Parts were wrapped. Pictures were taken of all the critical joins.

The shippers arrived and took everything away to their shop for the building of the crate. Then the crated loom will be on its way to Montana.

Here are two of my favorite jacquard pieces from over the years.

There are still a few days left of the exhibition at GCCA if you want to see some other pieces and are within driving distance. The exhibition was a nice way to end a great relationship!

Goodbye, old friend.

A Gallery Talk and a Tapestry Decision

This past Tuesday I gave a short gallery talk about some of my work at GCCA. I started out with my usual 30-second definition of weaving and went on from there. Here's a picture Bruce took while I was talking about the Lampas diaries. Why was I dragging my purse around? Only the queen and I know for sure.

A little tapestry study I did last summer in a class taught by the wonderful Tommye Scanlin at Arrowmont has been languishing on my worktable. Yesterday I decided to finally mount and hang it. After I got it stitched to the background, I had to decide which way to orient it when putting the hanging hook on the back. I wove it in orientation #1, but as I turned it around and around, it was apparent that it might be better in another mode. Here are all four, in order from 1 to 4. I'm now thinking I like #4 the best. What do you think?

End of Warp?

It's getting close. These may be the last 2 pieces on the amalgamation warp. I'm calling it warp #1, as there will be a lot of amalgamation to follow. The more I explore this structure, the more it intrigues me. I seem to have circled around to my beginnings in network drafting. The big weaving merry-go-round.

Looking a little closer:

And now the ultimate purple weft. There's always got to be a little purple.

 

Only a Few More Days

Only a few more days to see my jacquard work at GCCA. The show closes November 8. Here are a few of my favorite snapshots from the exhibition. 

Go to Greenville Center for Creative Arts for gallery hours and directions.

What If…

Thoughts about amalgamation this morning. What if…

I'll bump this to the top of the list for my next warp. Sixteen shafts. Click to enlarge.

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In the reading department, I've just finished Eli Saslow's "Rising Out of Hatred." Well written, fair-minded, full of surprises, and couldn't be more timely. Highly recommended.

Variations and a Jacquard Sighting

Here are a few more weft variations. The first one is a cream colored (more a pale café au lait), and the second a bright yellow. Both give good contrast to the dark blues & greens of the warp.

It's getting close to the end of this warp; I think there's enough left for a runner of indeterminate length. I've cooked up a small repeat pattern for a striped effect, which turns out to look like teardrops. The weft is a medium dark gray and the pattern doesn't pop out as strongly, but click to enlarge and you will get a better idea.

I'll close this post with a jacquard sighting from this morning's appointment. It's much more cheerful than most waiting room upholstery.