Looking Forward.

 

After the 'failures' of the current warp, I was becoming 'tired' of this design approach so of course I had to make some more designs.  (Mostly I was getting frustrated because I was doing all this 'work' and not getting results I was liking.)

Yesterday I did one, then this morning did this one.

This one reminds me of photographs I've seen of sound waves expressed through the medium of sand on a resonating plate.  Where people will spread loose sand on a thin metal plate that is supported in a way that when a bow is drawn down the side of the metal plate - or in some other way sound is applied to the plate - the plate vibrates and the sand takes shapes according to the vibrations the sound makes and how the metal plate visualizes that for our eyes.

So no, I'm not replicating anything, here, just taking those patterns as inspiration.

Waves occur in many ways in our physical world.  One design reminds me of waves lapping against a shore.  That one is next in the queue.

The design I did yesterday is reminiscent of mosaics from the middle east, or other motifs that regularly appear in their designs.  Again, I'm not replicating anything, just playing with the way lines can form shapes.

I am particularly taken with making curving lines within the grid of warp and weft interlacements.  A play on how we perceive things.  

Weaving has many ways to express this - colour and weave is a particular favourite with many weavers.  You might see a design or pattern because of the colour, but take the colour away and what you have is...plain weave.  Or a 2:2 twill.  Or some other twill ratio.

Tapestry is, of course, the most recognizable way we weave design into cloth.  Weavers can get extremely fine details in tapestry.  Nowadays smaller computer controlled Jacquard looms are more commonly available and some handweavers are doing quite incredible work with them.  I think Lia Cook was one of the first I knew about.  Patricia Williams and Sandra Rude, now sadly gone.  There are others who are doing very interesting work in that direction.

My brick wall has a Jacquard image woven by Sandra Rude when she found out I had cancer and was dealing with the potential loss of my hair (didn't quite go bald, in the end).  It was a gift that had me in tears because we didn't know each other well, and I knew how much her woven images were selling for.  It is a gift that still brings me much needed encouragement in no small part because her note said that 'even without her crown of leaves the mighty oak is beautiful'.

Today, especially, I am thinking of that because I head to the cancer clinic in a few minutes to find out if I am still in remission.  An extremely rare remission, that was totally unexpected and has lasted far longer than I had any reason to expect.  There are oral drugs now, but of course they all come with adverse effects, and my body seems to love to adopt at least one or two of every drug I take.

Yesterday the doctor that has been giving me the epidural injections to try to help control my back pain observed that they won't last forever and they didn't seem to be helping much, and that because I'm fairly young and very healthy had I considered surgery?

I laughed and said that I'm not all that healthy given I'm living with cancer and have had triple by-pass surgery.

There was a quiet moment, then a very subdued 'oh'.

And then he said "But you present very healthy!"

I told him I bluff well.  

Then this morning I read a response to a post I made on a chat group.  I had been posting my progress as I wove this current series, and said I was eager to get to the next warp.  The comment said that they loved how excited I was to do the *next* warp.

And that's pretty much it, isn't it.  In spite of everything, to keep looking forward.  To keep trying.  To keep learning.  Growing.