Plan C
In my heart I still think I'm 39 (who is that old woman in the mirror and why is she stalking me?) but two years ago I was forcefully reminded that life is fragile and that we - none of us - knows how much of it we have to utilize.
I've never been one to fight with my loom or materials, so when I finished towel #6 I decided that I'd had enough of coaxing both the warp and the weft and it was time for Plan C.
Last night I changed the tie up and treadling once again, this morning changed out the pick wheel for one that gave fewer picks per inch and am now quite happily weaving the towels this way. Still coaxing the pesky linen, but that I can manage without getting too disgruntled. :}
It is a good thing, I think, to remember that a threaded warp is simply a set of possibilities, and if something isn't working the way I want I can change something about what I'm doing that will work better. Sometimes Plan C or D is actually a much nicer result than my original plan!
And sometimes while Plan A or B is nice, it simply isn't worth the time and effort to get there. I have been known to throw out several pounds of warp yarn because it was just not worth the effort to continue to use it. I have a bin where I collect my thrums, pass them along to a surface designer who takes what she wants, and then sends both of our studio waste to the Salvation Army. The local branch has a textile recycling program.
I am no longer a 'young immortal'. I have a limited amount of time in this place. I don't want to spend it struggling when I can achieve nice results by having a conversation with my loom and/or materials and agreeing that a different path will make both of us much, much happier.
Currently reading Dead Soul by James D. Doss (catching up on earlier novels in the series that the local library doesn't have by requesting them on ILL)
6 comments:
What ever the pattern those towels are lovely. Question, how much warp do you put on for any one project??
I rarely dress the AVL with less than 10 yards. This warp and the red one before it were each 20 yards.
The Fanny generally gets 11 meters for tea towels. Scarf warps may be 5 meters for rayon chenille so I can do two on the warp, or 11 meters for four scarves.
For sample warps I usually do at least 3 yards.
cheers,
Laura
Thank you Laura. you will think I'm slightly touched but my last warp was 21/2yards I followed the instructions out of Handwoven. Afterward I laughed to be so dumb. Thus you can see I'm not a production weaver. But I love your blog
If 2.5 yards was all that was required to do your project, then there is no need to make a longer warp. :) But I'm lazy and like to get more bang for my buck - dressing the loom with a longer length for several items is more efficient.
OTOH, a new weaver generally needs practice dressing the loom so shorter warps make good sense until the process is learned.
Cheers,
Laura
Beautiful as usual. Noticed what you're reading now also. I think I have read all of those books. Am going to start the audio of Swan Thieves soon. Should be good for lots of weaving hours.
Always enjoy hearing about new books/authors...will look for Swan Thieves. ;)
Cheers,
Laura
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