Weaverly

Closing In

As walking out in public becomes more and more fraught, I find myself spending more hours at the loom and at the computer. That's not the best thing for my physical body, but I do enjoy the extra time with the threads. You know what I mean. I know you do.

I won't show you a picture of what's on the loom, because it hasn't changed much from the previous post. 

Then again, maybe I will! It's my blog. I can change my mind and I make the rules here.

So here's what's on my loom:

Shadow weave. I fiddled with the draft for so long, and when it was as good as I could get it, turns out it is almost exactly the same as one of Marion Powell's. This book is a treasure. My copy is old, well worn, and falling apart. 

Shadow weave makes me wonder about adding end-and-end color alternation to some of my amalgamation drafts, so here's an experiment from this morning (click to enlarge):

Compare it with the structure-only version of the same draft.

Well, I feel better already. Happy weaving, folks. Be kind to each other.

Byways

Weaving activity is at a temporary standstill, but sewing goes on bigtime. I've developed a new relationship with linen fabric, and find that it is a joy to sew and an even bigger joy to wear.

There are new challenges to meet, such as neck gussets on this historical frontier shirt. This pattern is not for sissies!

Weaving has gone underground but is still very much alive in my head. I try to do a daily draft just to keep my skills sharp.

And of course I love my morning walks. Still avoiding the Swamp Rabbit Trail because of the crowds of (largely unmasked) bikers and walkers, but there is good opportunity for walks on the neighborhood streets. 

Just finished reading a lovely book, Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen, by Mary Norris. Hilarious and very moving.

Life in the Slow Lane

Job One for today, after the morning walk, was to clean and oil my sewing machine. This dear machine, acquired in 1972, has been a loyal workhorse and friend. I haven't looked in her innards since our move, and it was definitely time. I am embarrassed. She was full of lint and never complained.

I gave her a good brushing out and vacuuming, and a few drops of oil. I put in a new needle. Now she's so happy she almost sings!

Such a coincidence: a package of linen arrived. I zigzagged the ends and put all the pieces in the washing machine to preshrink. What gorgeousness. All ready to go.

As I now limit my weaving & sewing to 1/2 hour at a time, there is plenty of opportunity for reading on the back porch.

Just finished reading The Other Bennet Sister, by Janice Hadlow. Jane Austen fans will enjoy this reimagining of the story of Mary, the middle sister in the Bennet family, the plain, bookish, and nerdy one. The book is faithful to the spirit of the original Pride and Prejudice, but gives a contemporary twist to the Mary's character and struggles. A very satisfying read, although a bit on the longish side. I loved the sly references to P&P. 

More images of the home front—here is afternoon sun in the breakfast room:

—and of course today's stint at the loom.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and be safe.
 

The Fabric of Civilization

Fiber artists of any stripe, here's an excellent book on textile history. Virginia Postrel's new book will turn your old ideas about fabric and civilization down unexpected pathways. The Fabric of Civilization is divided into chapters loosely related to individual textile processes, such as spinning, weaving, and dyeing, and the author points out that textiles are the basis of our number systems, our banking, our commerce, and our science. This book is full of stories of individuals who innovated entire systems because of their sensitivity to textile processes. The author actually learned to spin and weave while writing the book, and her explanations and diagrams are spot on. Profusely illustrated with photos and diagrams, and contains a comprehensive bibliography. Highly recommended. It won't be out until November, but if you pre-order you'll get a special gift: Postrel's woven bookmarks for the first 50 people who pre-order! Full disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for reviewing purposes. 

Changing topics now. Kudzu. Here it is in my neighborhood. I have a friend whose cows eat kudzu. I also knew someone who harvested, retted, spun, and wove with kudzu. She made a vest. It was very scratchy and essentially unwearable. 

Back in the studio, I'm weaving samples of shadow weave with black silk (gifted) and natural wool/silk noil yarn from my stash (at least 40 years old). I haven't woven much shadow weave, but I find it fascinating. I invented an original draft for 8 shafts, then discovered the same draft in Marian Powell's 1976 book. Nothing original in weaving, it is said.

A big thank you to all the great folks who have been making this time of isolation bearable. 

Happy Birthday, Charlotte Brontë

Happy Birthday, Charlotte Brontë. You have given me so much pleasure over the years. I wish you had had an easier life.

This morning's walk was another of those springtime gifts.

Goats and sheep, oh my.

A brief glimpse into another world.

Back at home I am scanning woven samples. Now I hope I can match up the correct drafts with these. I am a woeful record keeper.

A little less taxing: making bias tape.

 

New Vistas

I didn't think it was possible, but they have put the lake on lockdown. How can you lock down a lake? Goodbye swans. Goodbye ducks. Goodbye blue egret. 

I know it's the smart thing to do. And I still have a place to walk. It's just that I didn't have a chance to say goodbye to the turtles. Here they were two days ago. Hundreds and hundreds of them, sunning themselves on the artificial islands.

And the trees that were just starting to bud. I thought I would be able to observe their daily progress. Not to be. Not this year.

And so back to the studio. I've found a new enthusiasm: downloadable patterns. As long as the printer paper, ink, and scotch tape hold out, I'll be OK. 

Department of books: I just finished reading Lily King's "Writers & Lovers." Highly recommended.

Origami Bag

Some recent short woven pieces are becoming origami-style bags, or what are now termed "bento bags". Do a search, and you will find hundreds of examples and instructions galore on the net. These bags are really easy to sew, and quite useful around the studio (and at the grocery).

The requirements are simple: a piece of fabric three times as long as it is wide.

The asymmetric stripes in the warp take on interesting relationships after the folding.

In the book department, I just finished reading a pretty good police procedural, Peter Robinson's "Aftermath." Fair warning: lots of blood and gore, but the characters are well developed and the story cleverly plotted. Take this one to the beach. Summer will be here before you know it.

Getting Warped

This week marked the first session of my brocade class at OLLI. These weavers are not novices. I didn't have to spend a lot of time explaining warp, weft, shed, and all the other arcana of weaving. We just dove in. All hail the rigid heddle loom.

As you can see, we share this room with the chess classes.

Each warp is a different color. That wasn't planned, it just happened.

I think collectively we walked several miles.

A very congenial group of nine.

Meanwhile, back at home, the long warp on my 16-shaft loom has been finished, cut off, washed & ironed. There are three long pieces of cloth and a few little samples at the end. I really enjoyed all this sampling on a straight threading!

A gray day on my walk. I think the tower is leaning. Some people agree with me.

In the woods a lot of brown, but it makes the little bit of green all the more startling.

The purple cabbage relatives in the Furman Garden supply a welcome jolt of intense color to the winter landscape.

I just finished reading "First You Write a Sentence." by Joe Moran. I found it entertaining and highly useful. Thanks for the recommendation, Carla.

Selective Focus

This is definitely slow cloth -- 6 yards of handspun warp, plain weave, on a table loom. But it is very pleasant to weave, and most days I spend an hour or two on it. 

The loom (my new Louet Jane, with warp & cloth beams moved to the uprights on the floor stand) shows an interesting view of the path of the cloth. In this photo, you can see the warp beam on the bottom, and the cloth beam above it. I've focused on the cloth beam here. Everything else is out of focus.

And in the next photo, I've focused on the cloth at the fell. This will eventually become a poncho. Remember ponchos? I wove so many of them in the Sixties. Now they're back again. 

Those muted autumnal colors came back to me this morning on my walk. It was very misty. I saw flotillas of ducks, the black swans, the white swans, and a blue heron. 

In the department of books, here are a few I recently finished reading. All recommended for your pleasure. Olive, Again, by Elizabeth Strout (a sequel of sorts to Olive Kitteridge, which I also enjoyed); The Noise of Time, by Julian Barnes (fictionalized biography of Dmitri Shostakovich); and Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont, by Elizabeth Taylor.

 

Shades of Brown & Gray

Some recent observations. A walk in the woods.

A jacquard sighting in a waiting room.

A walk around the lake this past weekend.

Another walk around the lake.

A new warp.

And something to really celebrate: we have unpacked the very last carton. All books and records are shelved. We pause now for some liquid refreshment!