Soap Box Time

 

upright posture (recommended)

not upright (not recommended)

Once again I see someone pictured online sitting in a way that isn't 'healthy' or kind to their body.

Generally they are sitting in an ordinary kitchen chair, too low, having to lift their shoulders in order to weave.  Oftentimes they are weaving on a table top loom, which means neck/shoulder strain, needing to reach well above their shoulders to change the sheds, adding more stress and strain, and crane their necks awkwardly.

They weave for a while and then they hurt.

Instead of changing their physical surroundings, they think that weaving is too hard on their bodies.  Well, when it's done in a way that ignores the ergonomics of body function, it's true.  Weaving hurts.

The same with floor looms, though.  Generally people sit too low, in a chair than isn't engineered to be used for weaving, and their hips and lower back hurts from treadling, their shoulders and neck hurt from the shuttle throwing and beating of the weft.

People complain about their shuttles, ask for advice, which people are delighted to give.  Without ever mentioning the considerations that need to be kept in mind - are their hands small or large?  What kind of weft are they using?  They get tired of needing to change the bobbins so they opt for one of those huge rug weft shuttles which weigh a lot more than an 'ordinary' shuttle and then find their arms hurt after throwing and catching it for a while.  Their shoulders and neck hurt too, if they stop and think about what they are doing - using muscles that haven't been used much, and certainly not in that kind of motion, over and over and over again, until fatigue makes them stop.  And sometimes they wind up with soft tissue injuries.

Weaving is *physical*.  We use our bodies as an integral part of the process.  Keeping going beyond the body capacity for that motion, done hundreds of times, is damaging.  And it is much easier to prevent soft tissue injury than it is to heal from soft tissue injury.  Plus, once injured, those muscles are prone to further injury.

As a new weaver my best advice is to learn from someone who is experienced, *and who follows ergonomic practices*.  I know lots of weavers who have been weaving for decades in a way that would lead someone else who may have a history of inflammation, to develop soft tissue injury.  Just because it doesn't hurt *them* doesn't mean that others might not fare nearly so well.  

If anyone wants to know how I do it, I have video clips on You Tube, or if you want a more detailed explanation, both my classes on School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media discuss what I do.  I cover the information in The Intentional Weaver.

If you want good information, find a good teacher, not AI.  Just sayin...

School of Sweet Georgia

Long Thread Media

The Intentional Weaver (use coupon GIVINGTUES25 until Dec. 11 for discount)

Winding Warps

 

Warp winding station

Close up of cross

More angst on line about warp winding, warp beaming, general dissatisfaction with the whole warp dressing process.

Warping is not difficult, but is *is* complex.  It is a process fraught with invisible considerations - a combination of physics and well, what appears to be 'magic' when someone who is good at it, does it.

But it isn't magical.  It is a precise series of steps that needs to be done in order, consistently, applying tension when necessary and controls that do not hinder the process, but enable the weaver to precisely get the job done.

It is not helped by getting frustrated, but examined and adjusted to better suit the situation at hand.

In other words...it depends.

I see all sorts of comments and they are all fine - as far as they go.  But hardly anyone tells why they do what they do.  

Here is my attempt to explain what I do, and why.

1.  Warping station

I place the board so that it is solidly against the wall.  It doesn't shift around or wobble. I can wind with some tension (not a lot, just to keep things happy) and press each pass of the yarn down towards the base of the peg.  I do not overlap the threads but place them beside the ones that have gone before which keeps each pass of the yarn pretty close to even - in tension and therefore length.  When I press them towards the base, some of the threads closer to the base might overlap, but they do that by increasing their tension in order to climb over/under the previous ends.  Once they are released from that path, they go back to the same tension and length as the other passes.

2.  Generally I use two ends at a time.  In the first photo you can see the two tubes each standing on a peg to keep the yarn stable and evenly winding off the spool because each end is threaded through a reed that takes the yarn up off the tube, centered.  Each yarn can balloon outwards without catching on each other or anything else.  This keeps the yarn from spiraling out evenly tensioned, not catching and jerking on its journey to the warping board.  I set each tube so that it empties in the same direction, in my case to come off the tube in a counter clockwise direction.  Whatever you do, be consistent.

3.  I keep a finger between the pair of ends as I find the yarn comes off the tubes smoothly.  Some people don't and say they don't have any issues.  Personal choice.  The cross is a 2x2 cross.  By doing two ends at a time I halve the time I need to spend winding the warp.  I find that using 2 ends in a pass generally makes things go more smoothly, especially if the yarn is a bit hairy or textured.

4.  I count out as many threads as I need in an inch or so.  In this case the epi will be 20 so 10 passes or 20 threads in a 'bundle'.  I use a counting string of a thicker yarn, contrasting in colour.  The thicker yarn is made even thicker by trebling or doubling and doubling (for 4 strands in the bundling yarn) and then as I complete each bundle of one inch (or whatever is appropriate for the warp) I twist the two ends of the bundling string to create a X between the previous bundle and the next.  Continue to done.  (If more than 15" in width in the reed, I will wind two chains.)

5.  When the warp is wound, I tie a single 'knot' to secure the counting string.  The yarn is hairy enough that is all that is required, so it is easy to pull gently on one of the 'strings' to loosen the knot and quickly and easily removed the string when it is time.  

6.  Tying the cross is done by tying the entire (half) warp above or below the cross with a single string, bundled in the same way as the counting string.  I do not tie the actual waist of the cross because I find that compresses that area and makes it more difficult to separate the threads later.

7.  Then the choke tie is tied, about 18" or so from the cross.  See second photo for a close up shot.

For this tie, the whole point is to secure the warp chain and discourage it from sliding around and becoming messy.  So I do the same thing with the choke tie and introduce a twist into the chain about 1/3 of the way through, then another 2/3s of the way into the chain, and then I pull very firmly on the tie to make sure the yarn is trapped as much as possible in the tie.

8.  Take one more close look at the warp chain.  Does it look correct?  All the ties have been tied?  Then cut the warp yarns off (they can be loose, the counting string will control the threads).  Pull the bottom peg out and then carefully drop the warp into a box/bin for the next step.

No, I don't chain the warp.  Notice I did not tie any other part of the warp.  This warp is only 5 meters, and really doesn't need any gathering ties.  Notice I did not say 'choke' ties.  When I *do* tie along the length of a longer warp.  I don't tie them very tightly, just enough to prevent yarns from straying from their path, too much.

Also note, I do not have studio pets that will be tempted to stick their nose or claws into my yarns.  Your mileage may vary.

Truth be told, it is taking me longer to type this out than actually winding the warp.  

If anyone wants more info on warp beaming and warping valets, I have plenty of posts - just use the tag in the long list of tags and click on warping valet.  I've written multiple times about the process I use, and people constantly question why I do what I do.  Isn't it annoying?  Fiddly?  Confusing?  No.  No.  No.  What it does is give me consistent results that provide for happy weaving.

What will that look like for you?  Don't know.  Everyone gets to choose what they want to do.  So if something I do doesn't resonate with someone else?  I am not the weaving police.  If you are happy, bless you.  If you are not?  Maybe think about what you are doing and start to examine your processes, maybe change a few things.

One last thing - I don't aim to control every single individual thread in a warp.  A warp is a collective.  There may be tiny differences, but for most handweavers in the 21st century, they are not end of the earth failures.  Most times a little faith will go a long ways towards successfully completing a project.  And take some time to be thoughtful about what you are doing.  Only then will you really learn what you need to do.  And of course, change one thing?  And everything can change.  

Understanding that one simple principle will go a long way towards understanding what you are doing, and when you might need to change something to better serve your objectives.

The End of the Year

 

I must be a pagan from another age because the solstice as 'end of year' makes a lot more sense to me than Dec. 31.

For decades I would arrive at the solstice completely exhausted.  The bulk of my income for the year would be generated, one way or another, by the time of the solstice and I would tend to go into a kind of stasis and begin to re-charge my batteries for the coming new year.

Things have changed little since 'retirement' (for certain values of) and frankly I have almost no energy or desire to grab the new year and let it drag me along with it.

Yesterday was challenging.  It was not unexpected, but draining, nonetheless.  And it will lead to more 'work' for Doug when he's already taking care of me full time.

I had hoped by now to be feeling better after the last procedure, but I'm not.  Every day is more of a challenge than I prefer to deal with.  Beginning to feel like Sisyphus, dragging myself out of bed, grab that gigantic rock of my life and start rolling it up the hill.  (Typo made that 'hell' and I nearly left it.)

The grey dreary days don't help.  The current political climate (not to mention the actual climate) make the days lengthen before me.  I hold onto the thought that beginning in about two weeks the sun will begin it's return journey northwards and spring surely awaits with its promise of life and renewal. 

I am preparing to begin work on the next article for WEFT, but we got sidetracked by doing some de-cluttering, then yesterday happened and we have to re-calibrate to accommodate the events that wound up taking up most of Doug's day.  

But I am reminded there are good people out there, willing to lend a hand, lighten the load.  If we listen to a certain segment of the people, you would never know that the kindness of strangers, as well as neighbours, still exist.  But it does and we need to remember that, too.

Today I'm going to see if I feel up to winding the sample warp for the article.  Plus I'm hoping to get to the loom.  But we'll see.

Sending light and love to all.  

GIVINGTUES25

 

From time to time Blurb will offer a discount on book purchases.  Just now got an email saying that if someone uses the coupon code GIVINGTUES25 between now and Dec. 11 they will receive a 25% discount.

Considering that they do NOT take the discount away from the authors, this is a very good deal - for me and anyone who wants a copy of my books.

And of course, Magic in the Water.

Just yesterday I saw a question from a new weaver asking how to wet finish their handwovens, so if you know a new weaver, maybe let them know about this discount?  

(Any questions or issues with Blurb, do contact *them* not me.  This is a Blurb initiative, not mine...)

PS - figured I should put the link here....

Best Gift

 

north wall

south wall

Doug and I don't need much and if we need something we go buy it.  So gifts generally amount to us saying 'what do you want?  OK, happy birthday.  Or Christmas.  Or whatever.'

My office is the smallest bedroom in the house and since there are a shit tonne of office type 'jobs' I have done over the years, the workspace got crammed with decades (literally) of computer stuff.  Software, hardware, supplies.  

Over the years I have tried to clear some of the clutter but never very successfully.  I could work, but it was cramped.

Lately, since I've been working at clearing out the studio, it has begun to really wear on me at the state of my office.  Then the printer threatened to die and needed to be replaced before I was in the middle of a big job.  I found the exact same printer for sale (one only!  On sale!) and figured at least the ink cartridges I had purchased as back up (all those dark o'clock last minute print jobs that needed doing - which is when a cartridge will run out!) would not go to waste.  So I bought it.

But that meant getting rid of the old printer and I thought, why waste a trip to the electronic recycle place - time to go through all that computer crap overflowing the shelves in the office?  But I couldn't do it by myself so I asked Doug for help.

We've just spent the better part of two days (and by we, I mean mostly him) taking crap down off the shelves, sorting through the various boxes and stuff, and then tossing the item into the appropriate bin for dealing with next week.

Is the office tidy?  No.  Far from it!  I am me, after all.

But I no longer feel like I'm working in a avalanche zone.  There are things that still need to be dealt with, but I'll keep working on those.  The recycle stuff will be gone and one load of clutter will be removed from the house.  

Trying to get my shit together is a long, drawn out affair.  We have lived in this house for 50 years.  I've run a business out of my basement and the office - a complex one, because weaving and teaching weaving *is* complex.  I've had to learn new technology - at least as well as I could in order to use it.  

Now I'm in my twilight years, and I need to keep moving forward.  I need to keep trying.  Keep clearing out clutter.  Because I don't want to saddle him or my friends after I go.  Or at least any more than I can help it.

Making these decisions isn't always easy.  There are still things I can't let go of - yet.  But I consider this work that we did the Best Christmas Present.  Ever.

Memories

 

In doing a clear out of the office, I found this notice of my father's death in 1975.

This time of year has become a bit of a memory hole.  My father's birthday was Nov. 21.  My brother's birthday was Dec. 2.  And while I rarely remember death dates, I always remember birth dates.

The office clear out is happening due to needing a new printer.  As I looked at the shelves of...things...lining the walls of the room (a very tiny room, truth be told) I realized most of what was stored there was redundant.

Old computer program manuals, antique computer stuff.  I mean who knew that CDs would blow through and become irrelevant so quickly?  (Yes, I still have a large tube of blank CDs, don't judge me.)

My father didn't read.  Not that he didn't want to, he never really learned.  But he respected education and encouraged both of us kids to get an education.  I was targeted by the school system as being 'smart' - enough to potentially go to university.  If I had I would have been the first in the family - both sides. But that never happened, in part because dad got sick and there was no money to send me to Vancouver.  Instead I got a very good paying job out of high school at the telephone company and suggested that I would like to take a 'gap' year and travel to Sweden to meet my pen friend.  I didn't think either parent would be in favour, but surprisingly they were amazingly supportive, saying that if I didn't squander my paycheque I could continue to live at home rent free and save my money for the trip.

Then followed all the planning - how to get over there, etc.  (Train across Canada, freighter from Montreal to Oslo, then figuring out the train to Örebrö. etc.  Then how to get home again - train to Stockholm, taxi to Arlanda, fly to Vancouver.)

When this little clipping from the local newspaper dropped out of one of the books I was taking off the shelf, memories whelmed up.  The year dad died.  The year I chose to become a weaver.  And all the twists and turns my life went through to get me here, to this place and time.  

All the support I received from my brother to bring my dreams into being (Magic in the Water).  And how people say that it is a 'classic' of the craft.  I'm still taken aback when I see that - except that I worked damned hard to produce it.  So I am incredibly grateful that so many people still find it helpful and useful 22 years later.

Since then, 3 more books.  Years of writing articles.  Years of schlepping around the continent teaching for guilds.  Etc.

And mostly the town I live in knows nothing of this.  When my brother died it was nearly standing room only in the church.  When my mom died, the hall was nearly full.  When I die?  Well, I have a few friends, but honestly?  It's not a big deal if it's a small gathering.  Most of my 'friends' are 'away'.

There is nothing like doing a serious de-clutter to start you thinking about things.  Maybe things I should have been thinking about before now.  But taking care of things seems like a timely activity right now.  And no one really knows how long they have on this mortal coil, so dealing with one's mess is not a bad thing.  It just stirs up so many memories!

But I did decide to keep one binder that was on the shelf.  The mock up of the original Magic in the Water.  I just can't seem to make myself throw it in the recycle bin.  Not yet, anyway.

Mockup with the blank page to hold the samples (before and after wet finishing), photo of the finished item - 3 piece suit, and the draft info.  The printer wanted to make sure he understood what I wanted and did a test run in black and white to make sure.  That was the day I knew I had A Book...

Holiday Season

 

I suppose if I want to sell more books/classes I need to keep reminding people of how and where to find them?

As usual, 3 of my books are available in either pdf or print versions at Blurb.  I'm actually quite proud of this one, but it doesn't seem to have gained much traction.  I sent promo copies out and so far as I know none of them were 'reviewed'.  They can be purchased at Blurb.  It is a collection of 'essays' ranging from thoughts about weaving to some actual technical information.  I documented the development of the line of tea towels I wove two years ago in this book.

My 'memoir' is available at ko-fi as pdf download only.  A Thread Runs Through It talks about some of the things I did as a professional production weaver.  And some of the things I learned - about myself and others, not to mention a tonne of stuff about weaving and being in the business of weaving.

My classes are still available at School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread media.  Might make a nice gift for a new weaver.

As North America (in particular) enters this holiday season, I send light and love to everyone.  

Above all, be kind.  And if you can't be kind, cut annoying people out of your life.  You don't need that kind of negativity.  Not now, not ever.