Magic in the Water

 

loom state

wet finished

When a certain someone took over Twitter I eventually left the site and joined a couple others.  One of the sites I joined was BlueSky and over the months I've been there I've gradually 'found' other textile folk.

Yesterday a new weaver posted a photo of the very first thing they had ever woven and commented that they still needed to 'wet finish' it.

I couldn't resist and commented that I couldn't express how delighted I was to hear that they would be wet finishing it.

They replied that the instructor of the weaving class they took emphasized that wet finishing was essential.

So, I guess my constant drum pounding is making some noise.  :)

I have been pounding out the same 'tune' for literally decades.  I really got going in 1994 with Usenet rec...textiles.  It was there that people began to request more information and the seed of Magic in the Water was sown.

Over the years I have persisted in spreading the message.  Frankly I have had moments when I swore I would give up and just let whatever happens, happen.  And then I see a post like the one on BlueSky and I take heart.

If my only 'legacy' to the weaving world is to raise awareness of this vital step in the creation of textiles, I will count my time here as valid, and the hours I've sat at this desktop and pounded out the same message over and over again fruitful.

I have several guilds lined up for Zoom presentations this year (and a couple for next, already).  I may not be able to travel to teach, but I *can* still write.  And while I really hate being on camera, Zoom allows me to visit far flung places virtually.

I'm going to be a bit busy for the next few weeks as I inventory the guild books we will be selling, so weaving will likely slow.  But I've got more than enough tea towels, and it looks like my coupon (20% off any items tagged 'tea towels') is working.  The coupon is good until April 1 (No Fooling!).

If you have been looking for a copy of the original Magic in the Water, there will be one for sale (unless a guild member buys it for the upset price) so stay tuned for the eBay auction announcement (here and elsewhere).  Lots of great books in those 6 boxes!

And if you want a copy of Magic (no samples) it is available here, both print and pdf versions.