Weaverly

A Gathering of Friends

Wednesday's monthly meeting of The Weavers' Guild of Boston was a banner event for me. The Guild had invited me to be their featured speaker, and 100 participants showed up on my screen for this Zoom event. I had such fun scrolling through the thumbnails and seeing old friends!

After the business meeting and before the lecture, participants were sent to breakout rooms, randomly assigned, and I got a chance to chat with more old friends. 

The lecture went well and there were none of the technical glitches that sometimes plague Zoom events. Thank you WGB!

It was hard to wind down after all the excitement. I went outside to see the moon before bedtime. After nine o'clock most of the neighbors had gone to sleep. The sky was gorgeous.

The next day was rainy. Here you see evidence of an attempt at multi-tasking: on the way to lunch, holding an umbrella with my left hand while shooting the raindrops with cell phone with right hand. 

It appears that green is still the color of the week. Broccolini for dinner.

And another reminder from the cosmos: find your calm.

I'll tell you where I find my calm:

Winding a new warp with 16/1 linen, just in from LoftyFiber. 

And in the Department of Books, just finished reading The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud. 

 

The New Moon, and Steps Forward

Yesterday evening, I saw the new moon. Actually I didn't know if it was the old moon or the new one. I've not been paying enough attention. I had to look it up. But I think it's the new one.

In the studio, I cut this linen runner off the loom. It was tied onto the old cotton warp. In linen it's so much better. I washed & ironed it this morning. There is an unexpected iridescence. 

But there is also a naked loom. Dear me.

Choices to make. Alternatives to consider.

I think I've got it sorted out. Now to take some steps forward.

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In the Department of Books, I just finished reading Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.

More Samples, and an Interesting Book

The most recent doubleweave sample is interesting to watch on the loom, when you can see both sides, as in this view.

The piece is now off the loom, hemmed, washed, dried, and ironed. Here's what I'm calling the right side, or face...

...and here's the reverse side. Actually either side could be called the face, but once you decide, that determines which way you sew the hem.

The sample is 10/2 cotton @ 32 epi and ppi. Warp dark blue and pink, weft turquoise and gold. Now I'm going to try it in 30/2 linen, in other colors. Tying on, the usual bird's nest.

But all comes out OK in the end.

Is this a cosmic message?

Time for a walk around the lake. I don't usually see all the black swans in one place, but here they are. Three out of four, anyway. Number three in diving for food.

At the farm, they are setting out cauliflower plants. 

And back in the studio, I am enjoying this brand new book, which arrived from the U.K. a few days ago: The Draught Book by Jeremiah Fielding, edited by Foster, Dunbar, and Harper. It's an excellent study of an 18th century Lancashire weaver and his drafts, set out in original notation as well as modern format, with photos of woven samples. The historical section is fascinating reading, and the mostly monochromatic utilitarian fabrics are clearly depicted. Highly recommended.

Studio Time

A late night in the studio. Sometimes you just can't go to sleep unless you beam the warp and get it out of harm's way.

The next morning, I got this far.

And a day later, some weaving is actually happening. 

This is an interleaved threading, based on an original overshot draft and woven as doubleweave on eight shafts. 

Kinda fun! 

_______________

In the Department of Books, I just finished reading The Girls, by Emma Cline. Very noir, and very good. This is not one to cheer you up, be warned.

Choices

A lakeside view from yesterday. 

Today was a different matter, with torrential rains and tornado warnings.

In the studio, the linen double weave runner is cut off, washed, dried, and steam pressed.

Here's a view up close:

I tied a new linen warp onto the remains of the previous, this one blue and gold end-and-end. I'm weaving it as a type of Jin, with one shuttle.

And now a break for yoga class (masked and distanced). A community jokester has added signs at the water fountains (click to enlarge):

Which one would you choose?

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Finished reading: Trust Exercise by Susan Choi, Say Her Name by Francisco Goldman, Monkey Boy by Francisco Goldman.

Pink

The pink warp was cut off yesterday. It looks very ho-hum in its unwashed state.

Nothing like this wonderful picture which inspired it. This is a draft from Pyysalo & Merisalo, "Hand Weaving Patterns from Finland." I altered the draft slightly.

But after washing & drying, the fabric assumed its true state, with active curves & hollows. I wove four placemats and a very long table runner, pictured here.

The "wrong" side is very interesting, too, quite unexpected.

My universe seems to be in tune this week. This slightly coral-toned pink is showing up all over. 

Double Weave Variations

After overthinking my new warp I finally got the bugs all sorted out, and wove this sample:

Then I went to new weft colors and another lift plan variation, and came up with this:

Here's a closer look. Click to enlarge.

Just read:

The Shepherd's Life: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks. Wise, heartfelt, funny, engaging. Five stars.

Nature Abhors a Naked Loom

I guess you can figure out what's going on here. Two warp chains, incorporating colors from my cotton stash.

Spread in the saddle, ready for beaming.

Lease sticks behind the shafts, ready for threading.

Threading is finished.

A new warp holds such promise.

First picks. This is halvdräll, something I've never woven before.

Four shafts, very pleasant weaving.

In the books department: I have just finished reading Hilary Mantel's The Mirror and the Light, the third and final volume in her Wolf Hall trilogy. Really wonderful, for so many reasons. Writing style, character development, philosophical insights. Fiber artists should love it especially for the many detailed textile descriptions. 

Finlandia

This is one of the very first books in my weaving library. Publication date is 1960, and I bought it for $1.00 at a used book store in New York! It's absolutely lovely and would probably fetch a fair sum today on the used market. My copy is now well used.

This draft, on page 8, for drapery material, is one I've admired for a long time, but I have finally gotten around to weaving it. 

First I modified the original slightly, to eliminate the doubled long floats. The following picture shows the sample on the loom, in 10/2 mercerized cotton at 24 epi and ppi. The mercerized yarn does a good job of reflecting light from the weft floats. 

I thought the original version, in the book, was actually better, so I rethreaded and wove it with the doubled threads.

I thought it was still too open, and resleyed it closer, and liked this third version the best. The plain weave sections are 2/dent in a 12 dent reed, and the doubled floats are now 4/dent.

Here are all three samples off the loom, before washing (click any of these to enlarge):

And here they are after washing and a light steam pressing:

...and a close-up of the most closely sett version:


Draw-in and shrinkage is about 15%, not surprising. It's a really nice fabric, and would be good drapery material, as suggested by the authors. I think it would also make fine place mats or runners.

The next step is to weave it with a heavier, contrasting colored thread as substitute for the doubled ends. 

Back to Swan Lake

After 14 months of lockdown, we're finally permitted access to the Furman campus again. Hallelujah! I have really missed my almost-daily walks around Swan Lake. This morning I savored every step.

In the studio, I've been taking a hard look at this draft from Pyysalo & Merisalo. I wish there were a way to achieve a plain weave selvedge without additional shafts, but I think it's not possible. If I weave this, I'll have to use the dreaded floating selvedge.