Friday, November 26, 2010

Baby Steps?





the cover of Magic in the Water....






one of the project pages from Magic....



Does anyone not know what Magic in the Water is? It's a 2 inch ring binder filled with information on what wet finishing is and how to do it. The 'meat' of the book is the project pages where you see the completed project in a full colour photo (taken by Joe Coca, the official photographer for Handwoven), the draft used with suggestions for fewer shafts if many have been used, an explanation of how the cloth was wet finished with not just the finished state sample but the loom state as well. Samples cover cotton, linen, wool (both woolen and worsted), alpaca, mohair, Tencel, silk. Techniques include things like brushing up a nap, how to do on-loom twisted fringes for woolen blankets/scarves, one way of how to do a four sided fringe for cotton, warp sizings etc.

If weavers learn through examining fabrics woven by other handweavers (or industry), then there is much to muse over in Magic.

I've just decided with the holiday season upon us I would do a special offering - order Magic by the end of the year and get a free hand woven tea towel as a special gift from me to you (or go ahead and re-gift, I won't mind!) http://LauraFry.artfire.com

With my intention to reduce the amount of stuff I have, I thought this would be a perfect way to make a baby step in the right direction. Find new homes for some of the last copies of Magic, and give people a present which will also help to clear some of the inventory from my storage room.

So please, even if you have your own copy of Magic - spread the word?

Wishing everyone the best for the coming holiday season.....

3 comments:

Meg said...

Oh, yes, every weaver should have this. I strongly recommend it! With or without the special gift. :-D

Geodyne said...

Laura, I'd just like to say that I've wanted this book for a very long time, and have only really been putting it off because I'm between houses and in the middle of an international move. I do intend buying one either in December or January (irrespective of teatowel because I've always wanted a copy of the book!)as soon as I have an address you can send it to.

I'd be very happy if you set one aside for me.

Cate Markey said...

I second this...every weaver should have one. It is a lovely resource and full of handwoven samples. It will change the way you think about weaving if you haven't thought or done serious "finishing." And the tea towel? Laura is the preeminent tea towel weaver and I regularly order these just to give my kitchen and soul a boost!