Weaverly

A Bit of History

I pass it every day on my walk. This morning the light was perfect, and I bring you this:

A replica of Thoreau's cabin on Walden Pond. According to Furman's website:

Built by students during May Experience 2009, the Thoreau Cabin is a replica of the cabin Henry David Thoreau lived in at Walden Pond. Students in the MayX read Walden while building the cabin by hand and gaining a deeper appreciation for the experiences Thoreau had. The cabin will now be used for classes and research.

I hope you all have a good holiday, and meet some new people. Be kind to one another.

If you have time, throw a few picks. Don't beat too hard.

Slippage

There has been some slippage of the schedule. Our house is not complete, and stands in a sea of mud. Moving day was to be tomorrow, but has been forwarded to Halloween Day. Very funny.

Fortunately I have my spinning tools with me, and of course my trusty little rigid heddle loom. One more warp. This is another trial of Berroco Mykonos. Still pretty stiff at 10 epi, but I love it nevertheless. 

I finished spinning the roving I started at National Spinning & Weaving Week, and washed the skeins & hung them to dry.

Done. They started out as Malabrigo Nube.  

Next I tackled the pound or so of CVM I bought from a farmer in Maine a couple of years ago. This might keep me going until Halloween. Perfect. It will certainly be good spinning during the World Series.

 

Celebration in the Gazebo

Yesterday the spinners celebrated National Spinning & Weaving Week at the Gazebo in Travelers Rest. What a great time we had! The weather was perfect, and lots of folks stopped by to see what we were up to. The Gazebo is just adjacent to the Swamp Rabbit Trail, so there was plenty of bicycle traffic.

Horizontals and Verticals

I completed this brocade sample while listening to the Mueller hearings. It took me back to the early days in this house when I was weaving a poncho while listening to the Watergate hearings. 

While I mull over the day's events, I'll just say that I was thinking about horizontals and verticals, things on square and off square, and boundaries.

Here are some more rectangles, this time on the walls of my new studio.

The following picture credit goes to Bruce. We check out the new construction every few days.

A Few Messages From the Universe

It seems there are some messages for me out there. Now to decode them. The first was in the parking lot when I went for groceries.

Then, on my walk, I saw this tidy pile of sod in front of my neighbor's house. It looks a little like a dessert recipe in my file. Then again, maybe the beginning of a fiber project, with bolts of fabric assembled. What exactly is the message here? Requires further study.

Later on my walk. A proto-newspaper. Trying to read the fine print.

Meanwhile, downstairs, a sample of two-heddle weaving, with a ground and tiedowns. Stay tuned.

And finally, a sneak peek at my new studio. 

All in all, I would say that the news is good.

 

Dallas

We've just returned from a trip to Dallas to visit old friends. Here are just a few of the interesting venues we took in, in between some of the best restaurants we have ever dined at.

The Bishop Arts District, great place for strolling, where I spotted this succinct statement on diversity:

The Perot Museum of Nature and Science, where Nathan Sawaya's mind boggling exhibit of sculptural works executed al in Lego blocks, "The Art of the Brick," had us (and hundreds of school kids) enthralled. Here is the Bayeux Tapestry, Lego style.

At the Nasher Sculpture Center we enjoyed seeing  Sheila Hicks's "Seize, Weave Space."

Helpless - Not Really

Yesterday we drove out into the country to see if we could find this old house again. Yes, it was just where we'd left it. Seemingly occupied, but barely. Nobody home yesterday. Did some sketching. Are you old enough to remember "Helpless" by Crosby, Stills & Nash? Blue windows behind the stars, Yellow moon on the rise...

The old barn was appealing to a weaver, too.

And then we checked on Uncle Bud. Looks like he hasn't been there in a while.

Back at home I finished weaving the orange scarf. Here's a view of both sides at once.

This morning I cut if off, twisted the fringes, and sent it through the washer & drier. It is modeled here by my studio assistant.

And a closer view, if you like. 

Of Apples and Tabby

A couple of days ago we had the pleasure of going apple picking with friends. An orchard high in the mountains of South Carolina is a magical place to be on a brilliantly sunny day. And sharing the experience with friends makes it twice as good. Here Patti and I are making a selection of Honey Crisp apples. Yannis was kind enough to take the picture (and carry the apples back). 

Here's a good one. Photo credit Patti.

And one I took. I wasn't standing funny. The top of the mountain really slopes that way.

This heavenly spot is in Flat Rock, NC. Read about it here. And their apple cider doughnuts are divine.

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We head now to the Department of Construction. Did you know that "tabby" has yet another meaning, not just the familiar plain weave, or variety of cat? Willy, our architect son, tells me that tabby is a kind of concrete common in coastal South Carolina. It's made of oyster shells! He provided me with a picture of this example in Beaufort, SC.

Who knew?

By Water and By Fire

The handspun yardage was cut off this morning, washed, and is hanging out to dry on the deck. 

It's all handspun wool and wool blends, both warp and weft. Plain weave.

That was the water part. Thursday we drove up to Asheville to celebrate an anniversary. 

Here are the rapeseed fields on the Biltmore estate. Rapeseed is the stuff they use to make canola oil, I learned. 

One of the gates near the main house.

Now for the fire part. We spent the evening viewing installations of Chihuly glass art on the Biltmore property. The strategically placed lighting enhanced the glass in a dramatic way, both outdoors and in. The next picture was just as the sun was going down.

Here's the only indoor installation.

My personal favorite was in one of the ponds, and the water added greatly to the effect with mysterious reflections.

Click here for more information about artist Dale Chihuly and for more information about Chihuly Nights at Biltmore, take a look here.

Delight in Small Things

At a certain time of day in summer months, the light comes through my kitchen window at just the right angle to throw a shadow on the cabinet, highlighting the collection of little animals resting on the window frame. "Remember me?" they say.

While downstairs, where the light is dimmer, I'm rapidly using up the odds & ends of yarn on bobbins, randomly weaving stripes, hit & miss.