Pleasant Surprises

 

This was not the book I was going to write about here, today.  I was, in fact, going to talk about Jack Lenor Larsen - a contemporary of Mariette Rouseau-Vermette.

I've told stories about my (brief) encounters with both, I think in my memoir A Thread Runs Through It.  I've certainly talked about each at one time or another, possibly even here.

But neither were particularly on my mind when I logged into my public library website looking for a new book by Kate Heartfield, due out in September, according to the announcement I saw on Facebook a few minutes ago.  (If you like historical stories imbued with fantasy/magic, you'll probably love Heartfield.)

I put the title of Kate's book into the search bar, but since the library doesn't yet have a copy of that, the search results spit up a bunch of books that didn't seem very connected to my search.  But!  There it was.  The biography of Mariette Rouseau-Vermette.  And it was already in the collection so of course I snagged it.

As soon as I saw it, I thought about Jack Lenor Larsen, which was who I was going to talk about in today's blog post, because Allison had a number of his books about contemporary art, textiles for interiors, his memoir, etc.  

And I also saw a notice from a weaver in New York today about Jack Lenor Larse.  And somehow all of those things snapped together and, well, here I am.

Newer weavers may not know who Larsen was, and the contribution he made to modern textiles.  He studied with Dorothy Liebes, just like Rouseau-Vermette.  And as I thought about those tendrils of connections, I thought once again about how, well, a thread runs through all of it.

Larsen put together a large number of books, some with Mildred Constantine (two of which are in the current guild eBay auction - just saying).  He was an advocate for textiles of all sorts.  And I managed to convince him to do the keynote speech at the ANWG conference held here in 1997 - because as he put it, I'd asked him 5 years in advance and he couldn't think of a reason to say no.  

Both Rouseau-Vermette and Larsen were of the preceding generation of weaver/artists/designers and sadly seem to have disappeared into the wings.

But we are our history, and both of these people made significant contributions to textiles and art/design.

I really hope someone buys Larsen's books.  And I hope that people will search out Rouseau-Vermette's bio.

We stand on the shoulders of giants.  These are but two of them.

Next!

 

Draft shown on desktop screen 

I'm over the halfway mark on the current warp so it is time to get the next warp designed.  This warp will be two shades of beige and the fine linen from Lithuania will be woven on it.  I think the two cones of linen will finish off one warp, although I may run out.  In that case I have some other fairly fine linen I can switch to using, or I could complete the rest of the warp with one of the 2/16 cotton yarns I'm trying to use up.  If that is the case, I will adjust the tie up so that there are fewer interlacements.  

The linen is finer than the 2/16 cotton, so I've incorporated plain weave in this version, but it could easily be changed, if necessary, to accommodate the cotton.

With the two faces of the cloth looking quite different - one side will be warp emphasis, the other weft emphasis, I'm probably going to use the cotton and the 'right' side. 

If I need to change to cotton to finish this warp, the two sides of the cloth will be more equal.

I took the draft out of Ars Textrina - one of the old German weaving pattern books translated by Pat Hilts - but changed the arrangement of the repeats, then changed the transitions between the motifs and added 'borders' to the sides, and hem areas to the beginning and end.  So, not entirely my original work, but changed significantly enough I don't feel any compunction about doing this kind of jigging of a draft designed, potentially in the 1600s, although who knows, the German weaver might not have made it originally but did the same thing I just did and drew on the work of a previous weaver.

The book auction is humming along.  Today most of the purchases were made by people with active bids on other books so I only had one parcel to package and mail.  I also had massage this afternoon and feel like I've been run over (sort of), so I worked on this draft, then worked on the article for School of Sweet Georgia.  I will let it sit for a few days now, then look for the illustrations to go with it.  Perhaps I'll send it to a friend to alpha read it for me, make sure I've fixed the typos and that I've worded things clearly enough.  The due date is May, and May is fast approaching.  Today was a good day to do some wordsmithing.

But now?  Now I think it is nap o'clock.  Doug has been working on the cutlery drawer in the kitchen.  Maybe when I get up he'll be done his fix-it work.

Repeats

 

Yesterday the auction for the copy of Handloom Weaving Technology closed so last night I listed another copy.  (Allison had 3 copies in her collection.)

Not all of the books are getting bids, and eBay automatically re-lists them.  Right now I'm letting the listings stand without change in hopes that word will reach that one person who wants that book.

The challenge these days is that the cost of shipping has increased exponentially, especially to the US (given Mr. Trump pulled the US out of the postal agreement - just in case you want to know who to blame for that huge increase to the US).  

OTOH, the fact that I can send something to pretty much anyone, anywhere in Canada or the US for a relatively small amount is pretty amazing.  

I am holding books until people finish their 'shopping', then adjusting the shipping charge.  This has resulted in some savings for two people - so far - and a few others are still holding until they are done bidding.  eBay doesn't exactly make it easy, but once I have the amount and tracking number, I have been able to notify the purchaser of the tracking number (yes, it costs more to have one) and issue a refund.

Some of Allison's books are a bit...esoteric.  Like the history of spinning wheels in Canada.  Anyone know someone who is researching that topic?   They really want that book.  Japanese Ikat?  Chilkat Blankets?  These books are niche topics in a niche market, but still valuable for all that they were published a number of years ago.

So please - spread the word.  And I will take 'offers' on the re-listed books.  First offer that comes will get the book.  Bearing in mind I need enough money to cover the shipping and the eBay fees...

Gratitude

 

The guild auction begins to 'end' today as the first lot of books I listed reach the time to count up and see what has sold and what is left.  I think I took 5 days to list all the books so each day will see the final count for that day's listings.  eBay says they will automatically re-list anything that doesn't sell, so the auction will continue for at least another 7 days beyond this current offering.

I'm really hoping the above two books find good homes.  And I'd like to remind US bidders that the prices you see for the upset price is *Canadian* dollars and therefore you get an exchange rate 'discount' if you are purchasing.

Just saying.

Over the past four years our guild - like everyone else on the planet - was hit with the limitations imposed by a pandemic.  This year the guild has begun to host in person classes again and hopefully workshops.  We have a large guild room where we can keep our library for the use and convenience of the guild members, equipment for use in the room and some for rent which can be taken home.  (Not the looms, although guild members can come and work on them whenever they like.)

We have a booth at the large craft fair in November, and other fund raising that goes on to help pay for the room rental.  

The proceeds of this auction will be welcome income to pay for the on-going expenses of the guild, the largest of which is the room rental.

For those who have placed bids, thank you.  I'm so grateful Allison's well loved books will be going to new homes.

Books on my Mind

 

Blurb is offering 20% off of books on April 21 and 22, 2024 if you use the coupon code "FLASHAPRIL"

Books have been on my mind more than usual the past few weeks as I sorted, inventoried, put values on, then listed the guild books for auction on eBay.

As I looked at Allison's carefully collected library, I thought about why she would choose the books she did.  Some of the books are 'old', some I remember when they were first published.  Some I own - or used to.  Over the years I've culled my library on several occasions as I ran out of space to keep them.  Or needed some cash in a hurry and I had collected some 'rare' or 'desirable' books I knew others would want.

And then I added to the mix by publishing first Magic in the Water, more recently my other three titles.

I follow a number of writers on social media and feel a connection, even though what I write is 'technical' rather than fiction.  I still deal with the same doubts and fears as many other writers.  Plus I'm not comfortable promoting my stuff.  But, since I have self-published all of my books, I'm not just the writer but the advertising department.  Not unlike other weaver/writers in the past, from Atwater to Tidball, and so many others.

Will I write more books?  Well, I said I never would after doing Magic, and yet...here I am with 4 titles under my belt.

OTOH, I hope to keep learning!  And as I learn, I tend to write about that process of acquiring more information, here.

One of the 'books' in the eBay auction is a collection of the writing of S. A. Zielinski, edited by Robert Leclerc.  Zielinski published a newsletter and had *opinions*.  But he also knew a lot.  In a way I guess I'm doing sort of the same thing that people like Zielinski (and others) did, by keeping this journal/blog going, airing my opinions, sharing what I know.  And I suppose at some point someone might want to sift through my blog posts and edit them?

Dunno.  I mean, I've already sort of done that by writing this blog, then publishing books?  What more can be said?  Who would want to sift through the thousands of blog posts, anyway?  (Closing in on 4000 posts now...)

But mostly I look at all the books and wonder at the amount of knowledge represented in them - and how many more books there are, how broad and deep the craft of weaving is, and how much has been documented, but also...lost...over the years.

Allison's books are too valuable in terms of knowledge to let them disappear.  So, I'm hoping that people will at least take a look.  Maybe they will find something of interest.  Maybe something that their guild could use, if they can't.  I've kept the prices on the low end in hopes of re-homing them.  And the money will go to my local guild to help keep the doors of the guild room open.  A place for local weavers/spinners/knitters, etc., to gather and continue to share and learn.

(And don't forget the two books listed in my ko-fi shop:  Weave a V by Kerstin Fröberg and my 'memoir'.  These are NOT on sale.)

Nearly Done!

 

Selling sets, only, of these two titles

There are two more copies of Allen Fannin's book Handloom Weaving Technology.  I'm just waiting for a few days to see if the one copy sells or if I look elsewhere to sell those.

There are a few more gems in the last batch of books I've just uploaded, so I hope they can find new homes.

eBay automatically re-lists any titles that do not sell, so I will likely leave those up for one more round.  Whatever doesn't sell, I'll have to try somewhere else.  

I either have most of the books Allison had, or already sold mine as books that I wasn't really using and ought to be in someone else's hands.  Some are art books and valuable for inspiration, and/or history.

It has been nostalgic going through Allison's books, remembering when some of them first came out.  Some of the authors were people I took workshops or classes from (including Mary Andrews and Allen Fannin).  I learned lessons from each person and worked on fitting those lessons into my life.  So finding new homes for some of these books has been a very personal journey.

When those people pass on, they can continue to teach through the medium of their books.  We do, truly, stand on the shoulders of giants.

If you - or anyone you know - are interested, you can follow me on eBay and see all of the guild books listed as soon as eBay finishes getting them uploaded in about 4 or 5 hours (it seems to take about that long before they appear.)

The Light in the Tunnel

 

There are some 'treasures' in amongst Allison's books.  Like this little handbook.  While I am not really a spinner, even *I* know about Mabel Ross and the contributions she made to the world of hand spinning.  This little coil back book is in good condition and if I were so inclined to take spinning seriously, I'd likely buy this one for myself.

Likewise, if I were still dyeing, I'd probably buy this one for myself, as well.  I seem to recall that dyers consider this book very useful.  This copy is really in 'like new' condition, although I've been 'conservative' in grading Allison's books for condition.  I'd rather people be pleasantly pleased, not disappointed.

Allison took good care of her books and most are in good to very good condition.  Some she's obviously used more than others and they show typical wear and tear of books from the 1980s and 90s.

The list of books is close enough to 'done' that I think I will power through all of the rest tomorrow and get them all onto eBay.

That will give me a couple of days before the auctions begin to close and I have to deal with what happens next.

There are two listings I have saved to the 'last' - Mary Andrews' 3 binder book on Weaving Fundamentals, and a complete set of Robert Leclerc's edited version of Zielinski's Master Weaver booklets.  Those will be listed as 'lots'.  

It seems to be taking eBay 4-5 hours to process the listings, so as usual, you can follow me or check later this afternoon to see the latest listings...