Movable Feast

V-shaped scarf in double weave....

Yesterday a present arrived from Sweden - a birthday/thinking-of-you present. :)

The really nice thing about having weavers for friends is that sometimes hand woven gifts appear.

No, the scarf is not sewn into a V shape - it has been woven this way. (For more information see Kerstin's book Weave A V at http://laurafry.artfire.com/)

The scarf was a bit of a challenge to photograph. It's actually a darker blue than shown in the picture but over exposing it allows you to see the weave structure a little bit.

The cloth is woven in 'pockets' of double weave that have had small coins (smaller than a dime) inserted into the pocket during weaving.

I've been thinking a little bit about the nature of creativity and why I can't seem to stop thinking about more and new textiles I want to create. I think I'm an addict in the true sense of the word. I get an endorphine rush just thinking about playing with the thread. But it isn't just the thinking about making cloth materialize (I know, I know - baaaad pun!) it's the actual doing of it, too.

There is an enormous sense of satisfaction in getting the warp onto the beam even when the warp is tangled, like the painted warp I beamed last night. (Ha-ha! Take that you snarled mess! I win!)

I actually kind of enjoy threading - when it's going well - and the anticipation of sleying and tieing on just means I'm that much closer to being able to sit down and throw the shuttle. :)

There are some aspects I don't much like about weaving and generally I ignore them in favour of those I do enjoy. For example, I don't much like hand throwing two shuttles, but there are times, like with the Diversified Plain Weave, where you just have to settle down and do it.

But that's the wonderful thing about weaving. The craft is large enough that it is possible to focus on the aspects that do bring satisfaction and leave those that don't alone.

Currently reading Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris