Presenting Information

 

One of the things I tell my students is to always read the beginning bits in any weaving book they are using.

Weaving is a complex technology.  Different authors will present their information in different ways, especially if they are dealing with weave structure theory.

In NA, the 'standard' form is to have the threading at the top, with the tie up to the right (a recent standardization, given the rise of weaving software), and the treadling down the side.

In Scandinavia, the threading is at the bottom of the page.  Which makes a lot more sense since we weave from the bottom up, so to speak.

Some authors will include every tie up variation in the tie up area, which confuses a lot of people because they may only have 6 treadles.  Then ensues much gnashing of teeth, as they protest that they 'can't' weave that design because it 'requires' 12 treadles.  

But the options don't require 12 treadles.  The author has simply given 12 options for tie up, and the weaver chooses which option to actually weave.

Or sometimes, what they need to do is use a liftplan, or direct tie up - ie, one treadle tied up to one shaft, and then use two feet to depress two or three treadles.

For this waffle weave, more than 6 combinations are required, so the weaver can achieve this by using the liftplan and two footed approach - or weave it on a lever loom and follow the liftplan to select the levers required.

Usually the problem is that the person complaining just doesn't know enough.  They may not have learned the vocabulary, so may not understand the directions.  Or they may not understand how a weave structure works, or how to use the tool (the loom) in order to get the desired results.  Or they simply misunderstand what they are seeing.

The common one I hear is that a tie up with 12 options shown 'cannot be woven on a four shaft loom' when the threading draft is clearly four shafts - it's just that the tie up shows All The Options available.  If they just read down the treadling, they might notice that those options are used in groups of 4 or 6 treadles.  It may mean re-tieing the treadles - OR, use the direct tie method and use both feet to open the appropriate combination.

Adult human beings seem quick to assume that they know 'everything' and then when they don't understand, it's the fault of the author or teacher, when really, it's just that they need to take a step back and add to their knowledge.

When I wrote The Intentional Weaver, my target audience was not the raw beginner, but someone who already knew the vocabulary, had an understanding of how to read a draft, but wanted to refine their techniques, increase their knowledge.  Stories from the Matrix was based on the same audience because I wanted to dig deeper into some facets of weaving that I hadn't felt able to include in TIW.

There are many many teachers who can get people started on the basics.  But in the end, the students must do the work of learning in order to develop understanding.

As always, my books are available in both print and pdf formats here...  still time to get at least the pdf in time for Xmas?