Possibilities

 

The view from the back of the loom, poised to begin weaving the new warp, is quite satisfying.

I once did a seminar on weaving drafts, explaining how a threading draft can be manipulated, how I have made co-ordinating fabrics all on the same warp by changing the weave structure, changing the tie up, and the treadling sequence, AND the weft yarns and someone mused "so you're saying a threading is just a set of possibilities?"

YES!  Yes, that is exactly what I was saying.  But sometimes just *saying* that doesn't make any sense until people understand what a threading sequence is, and that you can change how you use the combinations within a particular sequence to create an effect.

People do not always realize that how we write drafts today is different from how people used to write them.  They also do not always grasp that for hundreds (thousands?) of years, weaving knowledge wasn't written down, but passed on through the transference of skills.  There are still cultures today that largely do the same thing because paper is scarce or difficult to store without it deteriorating.  So the knowledge is learned, then passed on to the next generation by showing how it is done, and a language that encodes the knowledge in a way that makes it easier to learn.

I get testy when I read books or watch a tv program that blithely dismisses the work of our ancestors as 'primitive' - or worse, ascribes what our ancestors have done to 'aliens'.  If someone takes the time to look back at history, accept that complex chemistry was being performed with little help in terms of *technology*, but great skill in the application of systemic knowledge, we would have nothing but the highest respect for our ancestors. 

Over the years I have tried to learn as much as possible about the history of textiles.  But that is a vast pool of knowledge, because every human around the globe was dependent, one way or another, on fibres for all of human history.  The current level of knowledge is pushing the start date of working with fibres back further and further, but if you, too, are interested, you could begin with Elizabeth Wayland Barber's book Women's Work; the first 20,000 years.  Her book was published in the 1990s, and new finds are pushing that date back to 30,000+ years.  

There are dozens of books about different cultures, many of whom are still making textiles in the traditional ways, but may be incorporating something of the present in their textiles.  I'm thinking of the tanks in the rugs made in Afghanistan, for instance.  There are other examples, but that one hit me hard, at the time.

But ultimately, when I go looking for books on cultures and history, I pay attention to the attitude of the author, in part because I was taught to watch the language being used, and to look for editorial bias.  When I read a book that talks about ancient dyers being 'only' craftspeople, not scientists?  I think about how many years indigo has been used as a dye stuff, and how for centuries dyers were able to develop colours, reliably adjusting the pH of the vat to achieve specific colours.  I think about the ancient dyers who extracted the 'royal purple' from mollusks through a complex process.  They may not have had the words for things like pH balance, but they knew what it took to make the colour and apply it to not just one type of fibre but both protein (silk) and cellulose (linen).  They may not have had 20th century science language, but they had the skills.  And to disrespect them by calling them *just* 'craftspeople' and raise up the 'scientists' - who were doing basically the same thing - trying things until they found something that actually worked, is to disrespect our ancestors.  

So I continue to look for books that celebrate our past and our ancestors and their knowledge.  I have not read all of the books there are, but I will focus my time and attention on those authors who also have a deep and abiding respect for the shoulders of giants we all stand on.

And if you want to know my approach to weaving, the latest lecture on weaving drafts has been posted to School of Sweet Georgia.  My two classes are also available, and I now have a release date for the next class, which will be in July.

And of course my books are still available on blurb.com or signed copies can be purchased from Sweet Georgia Yarns