Monday, February 17, 2025

Doing the Same Thing...


Two yarns, spun to 3360 yards per pound.  Are they the same?  Will they behave exactly the same in the cloth?


One of the definitions of 'insanity' is doing the same thing, over and over and over again, and expecting different results.

Also, that people who do not know history are bound to repeat it (while those of us who *do* know history watch them do it.)

We have been inching towards today's 'reality', while historians have been warning us, and climate scientists have been warning us, and somehow, too few of us were paying attention.

Another post I saw yesterday was someone making the observation that ignoring what we don't like doesn't prevent what we don't like from happening.

All of these things are applicable to present day politics, but also?  Weaving.

I don't think there is another, better, metaphor for life than weaving.  Maybe it is why I find it endlessly fascinating.

As I have explored the craft for 50 years (next month), I have tried various things, read loads of books, taking classes with various instructors.

I learned that all of the 'best' advice was based on very specific circumstances, not necessarily 'true' in every way that can be found when dealing with fibre, string and cloth.

Over the years I became less rigid, more open to other possibilities. allowing for unique specific aims and objectives of the weaver.

And this is what I have found endlessly fascinating about weaving - the width, yes, but also?  The depth.  The information can be interpreted in so many different ways, depending on the aim, or intention, of the weaver.

It was the challenge of writing books.  Pick a set of circumstances, then give as much information and possibilities as I could think of.  As I look at the literature surrounding the craft, I see other authors have made similar conclusions, and moved to address them in the way that made sense to them.

But that's the thing - we all process information in different ways.  We all respond to circumstances according to who we are, our core values, and our level of knowledge and/or understanding of what it is we 'know'.

Because we don't know *what* we don't know until we finally know that we didn't know it.

A new weaver expressed frustration about learning to get consistent results - "Well, it seems like you just faff around and find out!".   Yes, my dear, that's exactly what *I* do.  But I do it based on the layers of knowledge that I have already figured out.  And then, every time I learn something new, that information gets installed into my foundation of knowledge.  So I'm not beginning from square one, now, but much further down the rabbit warren, with 50 years of knowledge, practice and experience, to extrapolate from.  And the 'failures'.  Because finding out what *doesn't* work teaches you where to look next for answers.

There are very few 'clear' answers in weaving (and I suspect in other crafts that rely on natural materials) and my goal now is to try to present as much as I can for anyone who wants to be exposed to my experience.

There is a meme that says a good teacher will tell you where to look, not what to see.  I try to be 'that' teacher.  (so, what is it you 'see' in the above photo????)

Books available at blurb

Classes available at Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media

My Ko-fi shop - for towels and such

Soon to come - articles in WEFT

Sunday, February 16, 2025

A Little 'Simple'

 


The current warp was designed to do the samples I needed for the current article, but I never do just short warps if I can make longer ones and have them do double duty.  So it was with this one.

The 'easiest' way to do the samples I was designing was to do a straight draw, most especially to accommodate doing towels on whatever warp was left once I'd finished weaving the samples.

Of course, once I declared I was 'done' I thought of another approach to trying to figure out what was going on, but the article only has a 1200 word count and I'm going to have a hard time keeping to that - I anticipate heavy editing.  :D

So, instead, I will toss out some ideas for people who may want to take what I've done and go further with it.

In the meantime, did I rethread to weave the left over warp with one of my more usual 'fancy' twills?  Nope.  Sometimes it's just good to go with 'simple'.

The warp is natural white 2/16 cotton threaded in a straight draw at a density appropriate to do a twill so I decided to do a very simple block progression that will create a 'wave' or undulation as the motif.

Yesterday I wove the first towel, found and fixed a sleying error, edited the treadling so that it comes closer to the dimension I want, and started thinking about the next warp.

I have about 700 grams or so of the singles linen, which will do one but not two warps.  In an effort to use up that stash I rummaged through Ars Textrina and decided to return to a 'fancy' twill I've used before but messed around with the tie up.  I'll let it 'sit' for a bit and see if I'm ok with it or if I mess around with it more.

Once I've done the current warp I'll beam the next one and increase the density to 36 instead of the current 32, and weave as much of the linen up.  The warp after that?  Don't know.  Yet.  I will have to set up something to weave off the linen, then get back to using up the fine 20/2 cotton I got from a friend's stash when she died.  I have a few options that I can turn to if the density is off, or I can manipulate the tie up, increasing or decreasing the interlacements.

Plus, they will 'just' be tea towels.  They don't have to be 'perfect', just functional.

In the meantime I've floated another idea to WEFT.  But I already have samples woven for that one so it will be 'just' writing.  Beyond that, I'm not sure.  The list of subjects has been sent in, but I feel like I need a bit of a break.  The saga of the search for pain meds that actually help instead of hurting continues.  I started a new pill on Thursday and right now I'm not sure if I'm having pain because of the med, or because I'm not taking enough of it yet, since I'm only on the introductory dose.

Sigh.

Anyway, if you want a wee peek at what is stewing here 'tis...


To Be Determined if it makes it to the loom in this format or?

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Flag Day (politics)

 


One of the big differences I see between Canadians and USians, is that Canadians aren't generally big flag wavers.  

As such, we wound up mounting a smallish Canadian flag over our front door during one Flag Day, when they were being given away to anyone who wanted one.  We mounted it that year, and then left it because it was such a great 'landmark' if anyone was looking to visit - 'white house, flag mounted over the front door'.  At the time we were the only house flying a flag in our neighbourhood. and since then it has faded and been replaced.

We nearly took it down when the 'convoy' folk grabbed the flag for their 'parades' as they coal-rolled down the streets, but we figured we were flying the flag long before they were, so we kept it up.  Now the entire nation appears to be metaphorically flying the flag, and the 'convoy' folk are being out-numbered.  

In point of fact there are still very few private homes that fly the flag, so our direction to strangers is the same 'flag mounted over the front door'...

If the US administration continues the way they are going, I will speculate that once the current cold spell is over, there may be more private homes with flags flying.

And that's the thing that happens all the time - people who are not Canadian tend to underestimate us.

Unless they have benefited from Canadians serving them.  As we have benefited from service from others - most recently the exchange of fire fighters between countries.  We have seen crews from African countries, also battling wildfires during their hot season, usually able to come here during ours.  We have had Australian and Mexican crews, too.  And just last month Canada sent crews to California.  We know that being a good neighbour is to help each other.  Something lost on the current administration, who isn't doing their own citizens any favours.

We are in a time of upheaval, and where it will all end, no one knows.  Let a bully win, they will keep pushing.  Keep punching down.  We are in the fight for our country's survival right now facing huge odds.  Maybe Canada should thank the current president for the unification?  For being a 'bad' example?  

Let's just have a moment to think about Canadian author Margaret Atwood's observation that The Handmaid's Tale was a warning of what could happen, not meant to be a playbook...


Friday, February 14, 2025

Stick Shuttles

 


Yes, I still have - and use - stick shuttles.  Yes, they are slower than boat shuttles.  Sometimes it is faster to your goal to work more slowly.  And when the tool is the 'right' tool, then I use it.

A lot of people don't realize that if you wind your shuttle as above (a figure 8 on just one side of the shuttle) you can use your shuttle as a beater.   Very handy on a rigid heddle loom.  Also, by winding the yarn this way, the majority of the yarn sits on the 'top' of the shuttle making the shuttle easier to slide through the shed.   The yarn package builds up in a 'wedge' shape that fits the shed more closely, and reduces the abrasion of the weft yarn on the warp threads.  If you are working with 'tender' warp yarns, this can be a significant benefit.   

When I was weaving 40 yards of 'sashes' for the local Ukrainian dance troupe, the stick shuttle eventually turned out to be the 'best' tool to use, and by going slower by pick, I arrived with the (nearly) perfect sashes with a lot less hair pulling than trying to use a boat shuttle on such a narrow warp faced warp.

The samples that I have been weaving for the next WEFT article also benefited from the use of a stick shuttle.  However, I don't know that anything more will be said about why I used a stick shuttle than a passing note that I did, so I thought I would go into more depth here.

The samples were being woven with bundled weft threads.  The number of threads in the bundle was changed to show how bundled yarns at different numbers in the bundle changed the nature of the cloth.  

In some of the samples I used up to 7 fine threads in the bundle; some had as few as 3.

Part of the approach to do these samples was to use *bundled* threads, not *plyed* ones, so the object was to create a bundle and then reduce the number of twists that were applied to the bundles.  Winding a stick shuttle meant I had the ease of quickly changing the number of threads in the bundle, and applying very little twist.  I used my spool rack to mount the tubes on, which meant that by carefully - and consistently - pulling the yarns off the tubes and placing them on the shuttle as shown above, the yarns did not tend to pull off inconsistently causing loops and went on with few twists along the length.

I just pulled the last sample off the loom, and now I need to re-sley the warp so I can weave the rest off to make tea towels.

The samples need to be cut/serged, tagged so that they can be identified easily (especially after wet finishing) and frankly, the yarn 'tags' I'm using take me longer than the cutting and serging.  But these samples are not just for my benefit (curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back) but I need to write up what I did and describe the results.  And I will be making further suggestions for anyone who wants to take what I did further.  Because I could weave another whole set of samples, but I have a word count, and besides, might as well leave something for others to do?  :D  

I can't be having ALL the fun!  

I forget which issue these are intended to be in - if what I've done pass muster.  

The other day I mentioned to a local weaver I had all these samples and I'm mulling over the possibility of having a show and tell for anyone interested to attend and show the magazine and the actual samples for people to get the Full Meal Deal.  I don't feel like I'm doing enough to encourage local weavers and - if they all agree to wear a mask to protect me against the various viruses floating around these days - I would feel safe enough to attend an in person 'study group'.

Plus, maybe by April I'll not be stuttering/stammering etc., so much.  Most people say they can't tell how hard I'm working to speak, but it's exhausting to try and find the words I want to use.

Which means I am probably done with doing 'remote' presentations.  But small groups at my local guild?  I think I can manage that by spring.  We'll see.

Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Quiet Days

 


Megado computer assisted dobby loom

The last few days have been 'quiet' days.  First I had to beam the warp, something I can do in a day, if I pace myself, and then thread it.  Also something I have to pace myself to accomplish.

Over the weekend, I listened to music, as I always do, and found myself wanting - needing - music that was gentle.  Quiet.  

Fortunately I have a rather (ahem) large selection of CDs I can play, but yesterday I settled for a compilation of Cat Stevens songs.  Most of them are from the 70s, a time when there was a movement towards 'peace and love' and people were hopeful that things would (could) get better.

It was a balm for my soul and a welcome change from the music I usually listen to when I'm weaving, which is a bit more, energetic?

I have woven mostly on a dobby loom, which I changed to a computer assisted dobby in the late 1990s.  I had already been using hearing protection, due to the rather loud clatter from the AVL fly shuttle mechanism, so nothing much changed when I got the computer assisted dobby and realized how loud the solenoids were.

When I exchanged the AVL for the Megado, I was a bit surprised that it was just as loud as the AVL.  Solenoids will 'bang' no what brand of loom you use, apparently.

In March of 2020 I finally got hearing aids.  When the audiologist tested my hearing, there was no doubt - a big chunk of my hearing had been damaged - all consistent with working in a noisy environment.  Even though I'd worn hearing protection while weaving, there were other mechanical devices that I'd run without the hearing protection, and after decades of that, here I am.

The world is restless right now.  It threatens to get very 'loud', and a lot of people everywhere are getting very concerned about what is going on, not just here, but pretty much everywhere.

If you find yourself overwhelmed at the chaos and uncertainty, pace yourself.  Take breaks where you can wallow in some quiet, and peace.  Something that brings calm to you.  Lets you breathe deeply.  Maybe put on some 'peaceful' music, whatever that means to you.  Rest.  What is happening is not going to be over any time soon.  We need to pace ourselves.  Spend some time in creative pursuits, if that is something you do.  Help someone else, even one person.  Write a letter (or email) and let your elected officials know your thoughts.  Be polite!  Remember that such things get read by workers first.  But be clear.

Today I will sley and maybe weave the first sample on this warp for the article.  I spent some time yesterday doing some math (shudder) and have a 'plan'.  Time to get to the loom and begin.  There will be more Cat Stevens (2nd disc!) while I sley and tie on, then figure out how many 2/16 threads to bundle for the weft.  Little by little, the bits of knowledge get observed, then crammed into my foundation of knowledge.

These 'interesting' times threaten to continue for the next while.  Stay strong.  Which means resting when you get tired.




Tuesday, February 11, 2025

Of Money, Sales, and Exchange Rates

 


For anyone angry at the price increase of the above book, all I can say is that 'politics' affects the individual person as well as major corporations.  Individuals, however, have fewer resources to deal with things like, oh, say, another country who is, right at this time, deciding to 'crush' my country and our economy as a party plank.  The fact is, the Canadian dollar has been trading at a far lower rate than the US dollar for years so it is more expensive for a Canadian to purchase something in the US than here at home.  

When I wrote this book (well, all of them, frankly) my goal was to just cover my costs and maybe get a little bit more.  But that is getting harder and harder to do with the stated intent of the the current administration's goal of crushing our economy in order to waltz in and annex us.

This morning I increased the price of The Intentional Weaver, but left Stories from the Matrix the same as it was.  

I don't know how much people enjoy - or even find it helpful - but there is a lifetime of learning in the book and I had to make the decision to adjust the price of the book.

Sweet George Yarns carries copies of The Intentional Weaver.  I make the effort to sign the books and have a weaver's blessing I wrote that I print out on sticky labels to be inserted into the book.  The book can be purchased by USians, but if you order from Blurb online, orders being shipped in the US will not be charged a tariff.  Canadians, you can order from Sweet Georgia Yarns and it will be shipped to you within Canada.  Whatever border charges were when they were shipped have been dealt with.  But I can't guarantee that it will be economical for them to continue carrying it after the latest shenanigans with tariffs/not tariffs/yes, tariffs,  

And considering the president has vowed to 'crush' Canada, then walk in and annex us, whether we want that, or not, I may have to stop offering it in Canada.

We make decisions as best we can when it is time to make them, and then we need to ride the snowboard of doubt when things change.

Hold on, everyone.  It's going to be a wild ride for the foreseeable future...


Monday, February 10, 2025

Sad Loom

 


There is nothing quite so...sad...as an empty loom.  Which is why I try to have my next warp planned and ready to go just as soon as the warp on the loom gets cut off.

Today I will be beaming the next warp (old photo).  This will be the second warp for the current article for WEFT.  I have been working on it for the past couple of weeks, trying to decide what will work best to illustrate what I'm trying to show and have an initial plan based on the first warp I did.  I try to make each warp be a step forward, to build on my knowledge.

Once I have all the samples woven, I will take some time to examine all of them, and the yarn I used for the two warps, and hopefully tease out some information that might be helpful to others.  No, I will not have any firm conclusions, but hopefully a stepping stone for greater understanding.  And then the task of writing up my discoveries, get my alpha reader to check for grammar and/or typos and take photos, if I can get ones that show anything worthwhile.  I may even try to draw some diagrams, if I can, although my drawing skills are less than professional!

All of that will be requiring a microscope so that I can really *see* the yarns and their structure - because I have a sneaky suspicion that part of what happens is based on the structure of the thread itself.  To really understand what is happening, I might have to closely examine many more threads, but I think I can extrapolate based on the two different yarns I used.  Of course, change one thing, and everything can change!

We are going through a spell of 'real' winter with the overnight temps in the mid -20s C.  This time the cold weather has brought clear blue skies, for which I am grateful.  The dreary days we had been having in Dec/Jan were wearing.  And, of course, current events are chaotic and exhausting.  I am managing to get to the studio at least twice a day, and continuing my exploration of cloth and how it is made as a way to stay sane.  

I need to stay focused on my craft or I would tear my hair out in frustration.

If you are a creative person, keep creating.  Keep putting positive energy out into the world.  I think it was Churchill who, when questioned why he wanted to keep funding the arts, replied (I paraphrase) without the arts, what are we fighting for?  I don't know if this quote is accurate, but I keep it in mind because I believe that we need our creativity as much as other things.


Saturday, February 8, 2025

Endings, Beginnings

 


Given it looks like one more day (two at the most) will finish the current warp, it is time to get serious about the next warp.

As usual, I'm making this sample warp do double duty so I want to utilize the threading in the way I need it to weave the samples for the article, but then to use what ever warp is left to do towels.

Originally I thought I would need 24 treadles, but as I watched the design take shape on the screen, it was clear I only needed 20.  The hems will be woven with one of the collection of treadles that weave just one set of four shafts as 3:1, and the rest as 1:3, meaning I lift the lowest number of shafts for most of the weaving.

I have been paging through Michelle Boyd's book Twist in an effort to try and figure out the results I have been getting and still feel like I'm wading through the bog.  It's not a craft I know well - told her the other day that I know just enough about spinning to be dangerous! - and with my brain on medical leave, trying to wrap what I have left functioning around the topic is tough sledding, as they say.

But I have solid results to show with proof that you can't just assume something will logically happen - these are threads, after all!  And of course it all depends on how they have been spun, how much latent energy they still have, the ratio of the twists in single and ply and how they will 'marry' in a yarn.

I had dragged my wheel out a few weeks ago, and promptly had an adverse reaction to one of the new pain pills I was 'testing' and had to drop the exercise finally because the muscle pain settled in my hands, most particularly my thumbs.  I couldn't spin so I finally put it away.  I was SO close to getting one bin emptied, but I couldn't face the last bobbin, in case I blew out the tendon in my right thumb - which my massage therapist warned me would take months to recover from.  Time I can't afford.  Isn't it Bonnie Raitt who sings about time becoming more precious the less of it you have?

Best approach was to reluctantly put the spinning away until I find a pain med that doesn't cause muscle pain while trying to provide relief from the nerve pain.  Sigh.  Spechul Snowflake.  Pharmacist told me yesterday that "most people can take one of the nerve blockers with no adverse effects".  Heh.

We are also dealing with an extended period of 'cold' weather, which doesn't do damaged bodies any favours!  OTOH, we have accumulated a decent snow pack and it isn't going away any time soon.  Not, at least, while the cold continues.  Given there is little need for me to  leave the house, I have been staying home, mostly.  I needed something on Friday, so after massage we went shopping to try and find the item.  It took a while, and then some time digging through the website looking for what we needed, but Doug found the item and went out today to buy it locally.

We have carefully considered what we buy, and where it originates, stocked up on some things in case the tariffs go on again next month.  Last year was an 'expensive' year as we replaced our furnace and had a heat pump installed (with natural gas back up because heat pumps don't work when it goes below around -20C) and then a hybrid vehicle.  We figure these will be the last we will ever need to invest in given our relative ages, so we might as well go a little bit more expensive and reduce our carbon footprint.

So, I'm looking forward to getting this warp off the loom and seeing if I can puzzle out the next one and solve some 'mysteries'.  If I don't actually 'solve' the mystery, I will have had some time on working it out as best I can...

Friday, February 7, 2025

Passing the Torch

 



The other day I had a new weaver contact me about teaching weaving.  I thought about how I knew about 3 pages more in the book than the folk I was trying to teach when I started, and gave permission to them to use my class outline.

I mean, I choose not to teach in person now, so why not?  Hopefully others will pick up the reins.

The arrival of Covid generally meant the end of my teaching in person.  The brain injury put an exclamation mark on it.  When I can't 'control' what comes out of my mouth, I can't teach.

(Funny story - yesterday I was leaving a message for my family doctor and their receptionist asked which telephone number was best to use - cell or home - my mouth asked her to use 'hell'.  I'm sure she was taken aback and I hastened to correct that to 'home'...)

If I tell people I have trouble speaking, they assure me I sound 'fine'.  But I don't sound 'fine' - to me.  I know how hard my mental roll-a-deck is scrambling to find the word I want to use.  And the more tired I get the harder I have to work to find the words.  The more tired I get, and the harder I have to work, the more stressed I get.  And if I get tired/stressed enough, I cannot find *any* words.  Not a great look for a teacher.  

Much more comfortable for me to write, when I have plenty of time to re-read and edit.  Even writing is harder than it used to be, but I feel I can produce a better presentation.  

Who knows, this might reduce as the healing process continues, but there is no guarantee, and frankly I will be two years older and who knows what other health issues are going to rear their heads in the future. 

I'm still immune compromised, and yesterday I ran into an anti-everything person.  I don't know if their sour demeanor was standard, or triggered by the sight of me wearing a mask.  But sometimes I just don't have the spoons to deal with the eye-rolling and (occasional) snarky comment.  Told Doug yesterday that when people do that to me, I'm tempted to start coughing.  In their direction.  Because we don't have just Covid (and flu and etc.,) but we have Bird Flu poised to start running through the human population.  And some governments willing to let 'er rip.

If others are not willing to protect me and my ability to present knowledge, I am not willing to teach in person.

I do have other venues that can be accessed without the mask (and the bleed in of politics) - namely my books.  For USians, my books are printed in the US so there will be no tariff (if that goes ahead).  They are available here.

My classes online are available at School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media.

I also hang out on Handweaving Academy.

Plus the video clips on You Tube, and of course here.  Click on the topic to see the blog posts I've labelled with the topic in the list to the right.

If nothing else people can email me with questions.  laura at laurafry dot com

In the age of making lack of knowledge popular, I stand fast to spread as much knowledge as I can for those willing to receive it.  Neither will I use AI(LLM).  One advantage of my books not selling very many copies is that no LLM has 'discovered' them, and therefore have not scraped them for content, to be mangled and regurgitated in inaccurate ways.  (shrug emoji)

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Winter of our Discontent

 


my father, a reminder of when moving snow was done in machines with open cabs and not much in the way of heaters

We have been having a run of 'true' winter weather.  It is currently -21 C and the heat pump needs the assistance of the natural gas backup.  So far it is working well and we haven't needed the electric space heaters.

I have been enjoying the fact that I have minimum physical maintenance appointments and I've  managed to group two of them the same week which has been giving me the week in between with no need to leave the house.  I have been enjoying that.

But I'm still trying to find pain medication that works for the nerve pain and doesn't cause muscle/joint pain.  The massage therapist mentioned that the pain in the base of my thumb is particularly a problem and to do nothing that aggravates it.  So I've been cutting back on my handwork.

Last night I put the spinning away.  The pinch/release of spinning really aggravates my thumb, and he warned me that if the tendon 'blows' it will takes months to recover.  Something I do NOT want to have happen.

I've been waiting for the pharmacist to call me back with some 'new' alternatives to try, but I've heard nothing and I'm running out of pills.  So I need to phone and order another batch of pills - or find out how she's doing on the search for the 'magic' pills.

My goal is to keep weaving for so long as I can.  If nothing else, samples for articles.  But it would be nice if I could weave other things, too.  Yesterday I cut off the first 6 towels and today I will tie on and continue weaving the current warp.  I'm quite enjoying doing these towels, and I think they will make great towels.

Yesterday, I listed a recent run of table runners  to my ko-fi shop - with fingers firmly crossed that the borders won't slam shut.  

In the meantime, I am enjoying the blue skies (not so much the cold temps) but right now it is actually 'normal' so I'm not complaining too much.  I've been making it to the loom twice a day except for the two days every two weeks I have appointments.  And I'm mulling over the results of the first experimental warp, thinking how to approach the second warp for the article.  I have a few more days so I can keep mulling for a while, but I'm going to have to make up my mind soon.  

It's been very interesting to see what happens from thread to cloth.  Hopefully I can make some kind of sense of it.  


Wednesday, February 5, 2025

Talking Politics

 



I try very hard to modulate my 'voice' when I'm talking about things that might be....controversial...like politics.

But there comes a time when individuals need to stand up and speak out.  

This year Canada faces a federal election.  On the one side is the 'left' wing, currently holding parliament, and on the other side...a party I have no desire to see take the reins of power.

Given what is happening in so many countries around the world, I am going to be using my voice to speak up for people who are marginalized (not just because I am one of them now).  I will from time to time allow my thoughts to appear here - a space that I have pretty steadfastly used to only talk about weaving - or my health which has a direct effect on my weaving.

Because truth be told, if the right wing takes power, my life will be radically changed, and not for the better.

I have been warned that some social media sites will censer or even censure me.  So far Blogspot doesn't seem to be doing that, but it is a function of Google, so it may.

In an effort to maintain transparency, I fall on the 'liberal' quadrant of the political spectrum - have done since I was 16 and first took the 'test'.  Checking on my attitudes several times over the years, I continue to fall on the same patch of 'left'ness.

So I'm not a 'radical' left leaning person, I'm more 'centre' leaning.

With the shenanigans that the US president is getting up to, directly threatening my country with 'annexation' I have joined a group of Canadians who are doing whatever they can to protect our country from such threats.

Over the weekend we took some hours to go through our pantry, examine our buying habits, then identifying US products we can replace with (hopefully) Canadian products - or any other country but the US.   (Almost.) 

This response to the tariffs which the president is applying, which *Canadians* do not pay, USians do, Canada is applying some targeted tariffs in return.  But these tariffs have united our country in a way no other politician could have - there has been a personal response from the 'average' Canadian to do the same thing - adjust where they spend their money.  Plus Canadians are cancelling trips to the US for holidays.

The popular support for the alt right wing politician who has spent the past 4 years telling the country that everything wrong with the world is the Liberal's fault, most especially PMJT's fault, has seen their support fall drastically in the past week.  Will it stay there?  Time will tell.

I will try to remember to label political posts with a Content Warning.  I know that not everyone agrees with me, they are only here for the weaving content.  That said, my classes on line (School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media), my You Tube video clips, my books, all come with no political commentary whatsoever.  But my core values are what make me the person I am.  And during this scary and troubling times, my thoughts about politics *may* spill over here, in my blog.

Just saying...

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Keep Going!

 


A friend sent me a card recently and thanked me for reminding them to 'keep going'.  Since then the current US president has threatened my country with all kinds of economic hardship while suggesting that  our entire country (with a land mass larger than the US) be 'annexed' and become the 51st state.

This kind of aggression has not sparked the response the president was expecting - like some USians he assumes everyone secretly wants to be USian - which I understand.  I love my country, too.  I don't assume everyone wants to *be* Canadian though.  We are not 'perfect' and we have a number of issues that we need to address - and becoming the 51st state of the US is not going to solve those problems.

There is a great deal of angst running rampant, in *both* countries.  It is exhausting, never having stability, never knowing what bone-headed thing the governors (sic) of a country are going to float, like a lead balloon.  Never knowing if you will have personal safety, or if your life will be turned over by an over grown toddler having yet another melt down.  And meanwhile a private citizen and his minions are rifling through citizens private information and doing what with it?

There are people who are trying to bring accurate information to the US citizenry.  And there are things individuals can do - phone your representatives and state your objections to the destruction of necessary government pages, for example.  If you don't feel safe/secure enough to be public, you can fund groups who are doing the work.  You can join protests - again, if you feel safe.  Some people are less secure than others.  

I'm no expert in protesting government actions, especially in a different country, just trying to remind people that they *do* have some power (for now) and it's time to use it.

As for Canadians, Ontario has an election this month.  Please do NOT vote for Ford, who has already done a 180 and instead of standing up against a potential national security threat, he has dug the contact with Starlink out of the garbage (if he ever threw it away or just waited for a bigger back handed sweetener) and the over blown contract with Musk is back on.  This is *your* time - get rid of Ford.

In the meantime, do what you need to do to keep sane in this unstable time.  Do what makes you happy, be that taking long walks in the woods (before the wildfires begin again), have long soaking baths, spin/knit/crochet/weave or whatever.  Whatever creative energy you can put out into the world, the better.

Take time to shut off the 'news' and work creatively, even if all you do is give what you make away.

Buy supplies from small suppliers.   They are really *really* hurting.  Avoid Hobby Lobby, etc.

Encourage each other.  Give them hugs, real or virtual.  If you have a little money, maybe help someone who has just lost their government job (because they were female, or black, or disabled - and considered a DEI hire.)

Canadians, please look at what the leader of the Conservative party is saying - the lack of actual substance, and the over abundance of threats and lies and the blame game, played over and over again.  Is that kind of person who you really *want* to run the government of Canada?  Show me your solutions, not point at more people to blame!

In the meantime, Canadians have the opportunity to join Charlie Angus' initiative - the Canadian pledge.  I'm not generally someone who signs petitions and pledges, but these are not 'usual' times.  If people are going to pay attention to polls, let us make this the biggest poll response ever!  

Link is:  https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/pledge-for-canada-petition

For now I am heading back to the loom.  The current towels are not 'perfect' but I'm pleased enough with them.  I should have them ready before the 30 day pause in tariffs ends, and who knows, some other things may catch the president's eye and he'll forget about the tariffs.

But in the meantime, we will be ready. 


Sunday, February 2, 2025

The Quest Continues

 


It was difficult to get a photo of the current web on the loom, in part because the warp is 'natural' cotton and the weft is 'white' linen.  The only way I could get a decent photo was to hold the 'camera' (iPad) at a very low angle and get the shadows of the mostly warp threads as they stand proud in the cloth.

It is a very subtle cloth, but that's okay.  Not everything needs be 'loud'.  And the combination should make really nice tea towels, ones that will work well (I hope) and be a joy to use.

The photo also very clearly shows the dimensionality of this cloth.  It isn't a flat plain, but hills and valleys, created by the threads as they dip and dive in and out, over and under the other set of threads.

I think this very dimensionality has always intrigued and fascinated me.

I am making these towels a bit smaller than my 'standard'.  The warp is 20" in the reed, and they will be a bit shorter, in keeping with the narrower width.  Even though they are more work than my 100% cotton towels (40 epi and close to that for ppi), I will likely price them in keeping with the cotton towels.  Although that it to be determined.

Yesterday I got an order for towels from the US.  I will mail them on Tuesday with fingers crossed that they make it to their destination.

For my USians readers, I found out this morning that what the current president has done by putting a unilateral tariff on all products coming from Canada is 'illegal'.  The targeted tariffs that Canada is placing on selected US products is not.  The current president made it clear this morning that the tariffs he is placing on Canadian products is not due to some baseless excuse as fentanyl, but is an outright act of aggression as he tries to crush Canada's economy in order to swoop in and buy up Canada as some sort of bargain basement purchase.

Therefore, I understand if you don't want to pay a US 'tax' in order to purchase my towels.  My other concern is that the US will shut down the mail between our two countries.  If that happens while one of my orders is in transit, I will refund your purchase.

To people who would rather I keep politics out of my weaving, I'm sorry, but politics keeps intruding on me.

Saturday, February 1, 2025

A New Day

 I'm not going to comment much on current events, other than to say, keep creating, keep pushing creative energy out into the universe.  I won't tell you what to do about what is going on, each of us has to make that decision for ourselves - what we can risk, what we are ok with losing.  But I may give some suggestions...




This week has been...challenging.  The only thing keeping me sane right now is getting to the studio and doing stuff that *I* can control - or not, such as the case may be.

So, how are those samples coming, you may ask?

Well, I have quite a lot of data.  Do I have conclusions?  Largely that textiles will continue to be fluid, and to fascinate.

Doubting that my experience is the be all and end all, I did consult with 3 other people, largely to check to see if what I was seeing was unique to me, or worked across the warp.  (sorry - not sorry!) Have I nailed down the dynamic at play?  Nope.  Not at all.  

So, I am taking a wee break, in part to let my wounded brain have time to percolate the results of the first warp, but also, to do something which I am fairly confident will turn out the way I hope.  Will I be happy with the results?  To Be Determined.

I used up more of the warp than expected weaving (and in some cases, re-weaving) the samples, but that's ok.  That's why I beamed a much longer than anticipated warp.

With the news that the US 25% tariff will take effect on Monday, and in the face of just last week renewing my subscription to my ko-fi shop, I have decided to keep my shop for the coming year.  OTOH, I'm not happy with the new changes to the Terms and Conditions of Paypal, so this year might be the last year I have a Paypal account, too.  But things can change in an instant.

The worst thing I can do right now is panic.  I am 'safe' (for the time being, but we have a federal election coming up) so I don't need to rush to make decisions when the current slow(?) moving coup south of the border continues, AND about to happen here, too, either succeed or collapse out of...well, choose your description.

I suppose the best advice I can offer is to watch what is happening.  Do your best to not comply in advance.  Help protect the vulnerable amongst us.  Recognize what is happening.  History is written by the 'winners'.  Paying attention to what folk do, is also legitimate.

Some people have suggested that people keep journals to record what is happening.  An individual doesn't have much power by themselves, but if we get out and vote, that makes people in power pay attention.

Recently I have been reading 'history' written by two musicians, both of them paying attention to the politics of the day.  I am learning about things that were never really reported much and their records from the time period are reminding me of what I knew but had either not fully understood, or had forgotten.

If you are 'old' like me, I'd like to remind you of two musicians - Bruce Cockburn and Billy Joel.   Sometimes it is good to be reminded that even when I wasn't paying all that much attention, some people were, and were willing to sing out about it.  

As for the books I've been reading, Rumours of Glory by Bruce Cockburn covers from the 1960s to the early 2000's, and  Dangerous Memory by Charlie Angus covers from the 1980s onwards.

Charlie Angus is currently a federal politician, and had made the decision to not run in the next election.  As such he doesn't need to 'protect' his 'seat' and has chosen to speak out, loudly, about the alt right poised to try and take over Canada.  It is refreshing to have a voice from the left to speak out and call it what it is.

If you are Canadian, pay attention to what Charlie Angus is doing to try and preserve the 'norms'.  Because as we are seeing south of the borders, once the alt right takes over, the 'norms' are no longer considered 'normal'...just saying...

Friday, January 31, 2025

It Takes a Village

 



I am privileged to know many people in the weaving community, but also?   The spinning community.  Because we are all one community - a blend of people who study the nature of fibres and making yarn, and people who use those yarns in various ways.

So when I hit a problem with my samples, I started asking folk for their take on the issues.  

Yesterday I was able to connect with Michelle Boyd and throw my conundrum at her and see if my thoughts were anywhere close to what I was seeing in my cloth, and if the explanation I had worked out (so far) was anywhere close to reality and what was actually happening in the cloth.  Because I was seeing some things I was having a hard time explaining.

We talked for a long time, not just about my actual problem but connected over other things.  And while it was tiring (for both of us, because reasons), I for one felt like I had learned more about yarn and the dynamic of working with it in a loom.

I was able to target another option I had planned, but hadn't actually woven yet, so once the sample I was working on was done I re-jigged the tie up and started what will be, I hope, the last sample in this series.

Do I have concrete conclusions?  No.  I have observations.  I will wet finish half of each 'sample' to retain a loom state sample, then toss the rest into the washing machine (along with a small batch of tea towels). and then press them and spend a couple of hours one day looking closely (VERY closely) at the comparison between the loom state/wet finished, then the various samples I wound up weaving.

In the meantime I have scheduled a palate cleanser by putting on lots of warp (in case I needed more samples that I had estimated) - enough to do a small run of tea towels.  And then I'll do the second set of samples for the article and - building on what I've learned doing this first set of samples - hopefully expand my knowledge further with a different yarn.

So far every article I have taken on for WEFT has expanded my knowledge.  I'm hoping to keep learning as I keep weaving.  

The time so short, the craft so long to learn...



Tuesday, January 28, 2025

Step Back to Proceed

 


I haven't begun reading Michelle's book in earnest yet because I have two others that seemed to me to need to be read now.  Both are 'history', as in recent history, and it seemed a good idea I refresh my memory about some of the things that happened in the 1980's and forward.  People who don't know history, and all that.

However, I am looking forward to digging deep into Michelle's book - soon!

Especially as I continue to dig into the nature of my materials - yarn.  I have had the pleasure to have the opportunity to talk to Michelle on a couple of occasions, and the wealth of knowledge is in depth. I'm really glad she was able to write it down in order to share it with others.

In a society that seems smitten by fantasy, it is such a breath of fresh air to know that someone has this knowledge, and has been willing to share it with others.

With that example before me, I went back to the loom yesterday and resleyed the sample warp and re-wove my samples.  As expected, the web turned out much 'better' than what I had done the day before and in spite of the extra time and energy to re-do what I'd done, I feel better about taking the time to do it again.

I started weaving in 1975.  There weren't a whole lot of weaving books available that dug deep into the knowledge.  Since then there have been more added.  My textbooks were Mary Black's New Key to Weaving, Davison's green book, and Shirley Held's book Weaving.  Those books worked well for me as a beginning weaver, but I welcomed new books as they arrived - Allen Fannin's Handloom Weaving Technology, for one.  Other books looked at certain techniques and explained how they worked.

Over time I built up a rather extensive library.  I have winnowed that down over the years, and right now much of my 'library' consists of publications that I have produced.  Not all of them are still available, but of course some of them are.

When Stories From the Matrix was put together, my editor chose to comb through magazines and include a list of many of the articles I wrote over the years.  

I hadn't really kept track of what I had written, just, you know, felt I could contribute something, so wrote it, and had a magazine choose to publish it (or not).  

Ultimately what I hoped, by writing articles and books, was to share some of the knowledge I have.  Plus, of course, this blog.  My major books are still available either on blurb or my ko-fi store.  There are two books in ko-fi - my 'memoir' and the book Weave a V I published on weaving a V shaped shawl using double weave written by Kerstin Fröberg.

Today I will continue weaving the article samples.  I don't have to leave the house this week, so I'm not going to.  Unless something crops up.  But I'm quite fascinated what is happening in these samples.  And, quite frankly, I may choose to re-do the one I'm working on today, if it doesn't meet my expectations.  


Monday, January 27, 2025

Digging Deeper

 


An assortment of yarns

Yesterday I managed to weave the first in the series of samples for the next WEFT article.

During weaving I thought the results were...acceptable.

When I was pulling the web off the beam, I realized they were not.  But they showed the results of what I was doing, and so I thought I would just ignore the 'flaws', because the 'value' was in the analysis of the samples.  Right?

I went to bed thinking about how would I would approach the next sample.  And woke up this morning deciding that the first thing I needed to do was re-jig the first sample and do another one.  I have more yarn - with nothing better to do with the small cone - and it seems to me that not only should I show my results, I should show what I think needs to happen to get better results.

I have no idea if everything I am doing will wind up in the article, but otoh, this is also a journey of my learning.  Right now I have disappointing results, and an idea of what to do to get better results, but that idea is just that - an idea.  It will take me some time to re-sley the warp and then weave the samples over again.  But mostly I will have had the experience of trying something and finding out what happens when I try again.

We have another grey day and I have no appointments this week, so it looks like the weaving and analysis for this first set of samples will take all week.  And then whatever is left of the warp will be woven for towels.  A little palette cleanser, so to speak.  

And then I'll do the second set of samples and write up my observations/conclusions.  I'm so glad I have managed to get back enough of my words/writing to even consider writing articles.  Hopefully things will continue to get better over the next 18 months or so.  And my alpha reader won't tire of sifting out my errors.  :)

Sunday, January 26, 2025

Assumptions

 


A selection of cotton yarns

Assumptions.  We all have them.  They are based on what we have been told is 'fact', or on our (possibly limited) experience.

One of the things I am 'testing' for the next article is an assumption.  Given I've done quite a lot of weaving, I knew there were things to be tested that were going to knock an assumption out of the water, but what I am discovering is that *even though I knew the assumption was incorrect, I didn't quite realize how badly wrong it was*.

Even though I had made adjustments to factor in the assumption, it turns out I didn't make enough allowance, and I am going to have to drag my microscope out and look more closely at the threads I will be using.  

This is all very exciting and I am delighted to be faced with this challenge.  Even better, to be able to share it with others.  

While some weavers are also spinners, not all of them know very much about the creation of their 'raw' materials.

I've shared many times over that I got sucked into the weaving room through the orifice of a spinning wheel, so I know the 'basics'.  But I have not done all the deep dives that I should do if I want to truly understand my materials.

I took a spinning workshop with a rather well known spinning teacher.  As we walked into the workshop room she did a double take when she saw me and said that when she found out I was registered for the class she was very intimidated.   I laughed and said I haven't spun in years.  I'm here to become a better weaver.  And advised her that I would sit at the back of the room and for her to ignore me.

I learned quite a few things during that class.  Like knowing how to spin long draw when the majority of the others in the class could not.  I gained a greater understanding of the affect of fibre preparation on the spun yarn, which helped me understand yarn behaviour.  

Now I have Michelle Boyd's book Twist.  I have not had the time or brain power to actually read it - yet.  I have a couple other books I need to deal with first.  But I think I am going to enjoy her deep dive into the dynamics of twist and other things, and why they matter to weavers.

We don't always know when we are working based on an assumption that isn't accurate - especially when the grist of the yarn changes, or the fibre preparation.  I suspect the next while is going to be very 'interesting' indeed.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

Ready To Thread

 


Yesterday I beamed the next warp and today I will start threading.  My back isn't happy with beaming, or threading, so I'm not sure if I can finish threading today.  I should be able to make a good start on it though.  The warp is 2/20 mercerized cotton at 40 epi at 20" in the reed, so 800 threads.

I will use this warp to explore a particular quality of cloth, then write up my findings for WEFT.

Already I have made a 'discovery', which I probably knew at a subconscious level, but have had to think about consciously, and factor it into what I am going to explore.

The warp will be simple to thread as it is only a straight progression over 16 shafts.  It is the easiest warp I have threaded in a good long while, and, since I'm in the 'getting to used to it' stage of another new drug, I'm glad to have something I can't mess up (easily!) to work on.

The Post-It Notes are on the castle to help me keep track of two things - the one on the left is for how many 'units' I've woven (I usually cut off at 7 for towels, then re-tie), and the one on the right is the number of the pick I finish weaving when I stop for a break.  I am very steadfastly sticking to a 45 minute weaving, then stop, schedule.  

The previous drug, which I stopped taking Monday night, caused all sorts of muscle and joint pains, including in the joints of my right thumb, which is causing issues with my doing handwork like hemming.  My massage therapist wanted me to stop doing everything, but allowed I could continue if I didn't 'over' do things.  

Getting 'old' isn't for sissies.

Anyway, enough whining, more weaving...

I have put on 'extra' so that once I'm done the samples I can still weave some towels, and then after having a wee break, I will beam the 2nd warp and do the same - beam for samples, but do extra for more towels.

I had to order a lot of yarn in to do the samples for this article, so I have plenty of yarn for samples - and towels.  I have suggested another topic for the issue after this one (Winter 2025) so I will be doing more towels for the magazine and me.  

With my physical health so uncertain, I'm trying to stay active but do it intelligently and stay within the boundaries of my physical abilities.

We are living in 'interesting' times.  I had thought I had lived through 'interesting' times before, but the current events seem to have ramped the 'interesting' up more than ever.

If you make things, keep making them.  Keep adding positive energy to the world.  Be kind, if you can.  There are far too many people who are gleefully being NOT kind in this world.

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

Tips

 


Temples - 3 sizes


There are many assumptions that people make and there is one I see repeatedly.

"You use a temple to prevent draw in." 

Yes, the temple prevents the warp from drawing in.  But only during weaving and only if it is being used appropriately.

The cloth will still lose dimensions (shrink) during wet finishing.  It will even draw in once it is removed from the loom, particularly if left to 'relax' for a few days.

If a weaver assumes that there will be no dimensional loss after wet finishing, they will be in for a surprise.

If a weaver doesn't use the temple appropriately, it might even cause problems.  Like the teeth of the temple scratching the breast beam.  If that happens, I can pretty much guarantee the temple isn't being utilized 'properly'.  

For best results the temple should not be further away from the fell by more than about an inch (2.5 cm).

When using a temple I count how many picks I weave and when I've done an inch worth, I put the shuttle down and move the temple back up to about 1/4" away from the fell (depending on the thickness of the weft).

There are times when using a temple is essential and when it is, I use one.  Yes, even on narrower warps, although usually I mostly use one on wider warps, made of finer thread.  If it is necessary, I use it, even if it means I have to weave more slowly.

Sometimes, to get the quality of cloth I want, I *must* go more slowly.

Another tip that might come in handy is when using lots of colours in a warp, perhaps a plaid/tartan when one (or more) colour(s) has just two picks here and there.

I leave the main colour shuttle aside, then enter the two pick colour leaving a 'tail' at the selvedge.  Weave the first pick, then weave the second pick and then insert the tail back into the second shed in order to overlap the end of the second pick and trim the tail flush with the selvedge.

Happy weaving!




Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Uncertainty

 


It is a new era and an uncertain one.

Stay true to yourself.  Do not obey in advance.  Help others who need it.  Light someone else's candle.

All pithy comments that don't solve what is currently wrong with our world, but the best thing we can do right now is to remain steadfast.

Don't let the buggers grind you down.

If you think your hobbies or creative endeavors are 'useless' let me assure you that they are not.  Bringing creative energy into this world is necessary.  

So, yes, I will continue to make tea towels and samples and whatever.  It does feel very selfish, but it is also necessary for my mental and physical health.

Stay strong and steadfast and speak out when you can.


Monday, January 20, 2025

Press Pause


 

Today I am heading back to the loom.  I took 3 days 'off' from weaving and did some 'light duty' tasks in the studio.  I'm hoping that helps the jabs I got on Friday work 'better'.  Tomorrow I will be talking to my doctor and requesting the next pain med on the list.  I had been avoiding trying all these different drugs because of the adverse effects, but everything was causing them, so then began the search for something that would help without causing further 'harm'.  It isn't fun, but I cannot keep on doing nothing and having my life being continually constrained due to pain - if not from my injuries, but by the very medications meant to deal with the pain and causing more.

But it seems that weaving isn't causing problems, and when I weave I manage to generate endorphins which help to reduce pain, so I will be getting back to the loom today.  

I'm quite pleased with the current warp.  I wasn't sure that 40 epi for the fine singles would work, but that and a 1:3:3:1 twill is working well.  The cloth feels 'substantial' but still has good drape, and they will become more flexible with use.

And this week I will get back to crunching the numbers for the article samples because the current warp will come off the loom this week.

I am holding off adding more inventory to ko-fi until we see what happens with tariffs.  So far the new president is still threatening to charge US citizens 25% tariffs on items being purchased from Canadian suppliers.  (No, Canadians will not be paying the tariff, that is coming directly out of USian pockets.)

(Politics)

We are living through 'interesting' times.

I suggest that people continue to do their creative work as it is one way to add positive energy to the world.  But we will be needing to pay attention.  And, if necessary, speak out.

I have found some solid left leaning voices, and rather than watch the MSM which seem to be bowing to the right, I will be paying attention to independent voices.

Since I am old and immune compromised, I won't be out on the streets marching, but I *will* be paying attention.  

I have seldom been what anyone would call an 'activist' but I think it is old people like me with little to lose that who will need to speak up.

As one parable says, I will speak up, not because I expect to change anyone's mind, but to remember who *I* am and not let 'them' change me.

As the alt right grows in power, everyone will have to decide how best to continue.  My plan (such as it is) will be to keep weaving, keep writing (for as long as anyone is interested), and speak out when I feel my voice has something to contribute.

Please do not read things into what I say.  My words are carefully chosen.  Just because I'm not a fan of the current US administration (sic) doesn't mean I hate people who live in the US.  

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Perfect?

 


2/16 cotton warp, singles linen weft

I might call these tea towels 'perfect' except I know the rocky road I travelled to get them to the wet finished state.  And not all the 'imperfections' were fixed.  If you leave them on purpose they aren't mistakes?

I've been weaving with this linen as weft for several months, now.  I've used it at various densities, in various weave structures.  And this latest iteration feels...right...to my hands.

Most of the 'mistakes' are fairly minor, as in hardly anyone will know they are there.  But *I* do.  But I have reconciled myself to being 'not perfect', and learning how to accept the, well, acceptable.  

The next warps will be the experiments, and once again, I will FAFO, taking notes, observing what happens, and if I'm happy with the results.  Or not.  

I have never made any secret of the fact that I'm not 'perfect' and that frequently things go awry.  But every time they do, the experience gets filed away so that I can remember what I did and if I ever want to do it again.  Or not.

The end of 2024 and beginning of 2025 have been as challenging as ever, but one thing I am doing more of, is reading.

And what I am reading has been a mixed bag - some pure entertainment, yes, but some of it educational.  Some of the educational stuff has been...difficult...reading as I try to get a grip on what we are currently going through.  Even though I have lived through huge changes in our society, it's always a good idea to remind oneself how we got here.  And to listen to different voices.

The voices I choose are more liberal, shall we say?  I've read enough of the lies the alt right have been flooding social media with.  Now I need to listen to voices that are more akin to my own values and standards. 

I bought a memoir by Bruce Cockburn a number of years ago, but then covid hit and I found it difficult to read much of anything and it languished on my hearth with the 3 dozen or so other books I had collected, thinking once I retired I would have plenty of time to read.  Instead we got plunged into the scramble to try and stop the pandemic, and mourning people who didn't make it through.  And worrying about how I was going to manage  once the pandemic was declared it was over (even it was far from over), given my compromised immune system.

But now we have far greater things to worry about, and I needed to start looking for, not answers, but perhaps other points of view, some guidance.

When I found myself without a library book (no due date), I rummaged through my own books, and my hand was drawn to Bruce Cockburn's.  

I've followed his career - superficially - over the years.  I enjoyed his music/lyrics and have several of his CDs in my collection, and play one or other of them from time to time.  But his book includes the lyrics of his songs, and I've been reading them, in part because I want to understand his viewpoint better.

The past few days I've dug some of his CDs out and have been listening, now that I am learning the back story to some of them.

If you are interested, take a look on You Tube.  Like most musicians there are quite a few of his songs on there.  I shared one on Facebook the other day "If I had a Rocket Launcher".  When it first came out I related to it.  Even though I'm a proponent of peace, try NOT to wish ill on anyone, there are times.  And I sense that same frustration in him.  I think after that came out in the 1980s I paid more attention to him.

I was reminded of another song this morning and will share the link to that one here.  It's called "The Trouble with Normal (is that it only gets worse).  And it pretty much sums up what I feel we are going through right now.  Our 'normal' standards are being shredded.  And in the end, will get worse if we don't pay attention to what our politicians are *really* saying.  

In the past few weeks I have become aware of a Canadian politician who is speaking out, loudly, about what is happening in politics.  He is also a musician.  And now I feel like I need to find some of his music, too.  What I have done is get a library book written by him called Dangerous Memory.  I will read that next as he *also* talks about how we got where we are now, but Charlie Angus has also served in parliament and I am interested in his perspective too.

As citizens, we all need to be paying attention.  And voting.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

Battered

 


Two days ago I began crunching the numbers for the next article as the yarn was all in hand.  I had a rough idea of what I wanted to do, but I needed to do some serious thinking about how I would get there in the most efficient way.  I want to use all one warp for each of the two warp yarns, but it was going to require at least 4 resleyings, so I wanted to make sure I knew what I was going to do, when, before I set it all up.

Unfortunately my brain is still not fully functional.  I had been expecting to take an hour or so and have it all in hand, but after spending an hour with calculator, samples, ruler (to do ruler wraps), and lots of scrap paper to write down my conclusions, I realized that I was far from done.  

And I was, frankly, exhausted.  When I came upstairs I could barely talk and I was cross-eyed with fatigue.

All the thinking I had already done about the project no longer made sense and I realized I'd extrapolated the wrong way round.  

Yesterday I went back to my work table and shuffled through the paperwork, spotted some errors, re-crunched the numbers again, thought about what I expected would be going to happen with these experiments, and re-checked the numbers, changing one sample.  Again.  For the 4 or 5th time.

Which made me feel like recovery was still a long way away - which it is, given the 24 month recovery everyone has been telling me.  

However, by the time I finished re-checking my numbers when I shut the studio down for the night, I *think* I have a workable plan.  Since this experiment is something I've never done before, I am leaving myself open to changing things again once I get started.

But that's the thing with working things out.  You try and see what happens.  And you add to your foundation of knowledge.  Gradually, layer by layer, you learn.  And then in the future when you run into something you have not done before, you rummage around in that foundation and see what makes sense, what 'fits', and you extrapolate.  And then you put your conclusions to the test and see if you've correctly figured things out.

So I'm expecting to weave and wet finish the first set of samples, and then I'll know if they show something worth writing up or if I have to re-calculate and weave more.  

Expecting to need more warp for just the samples I've currently got planned, I will plan to weave more.  And, if I don't, I will use the balance of the warp to weave some more towels.  

I will look the numbers over again today, and if they seem to make sense I will begin working out the length of warp I will beam (the width/# of ends is already determined), and when the current warp comes off the loom next week, the experimental warp will go on.  

And I'll do the number crunch for the 2nd warp for the article.  

Will I stop assuming that my brain is back to fully functioning?  Probably not...

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

Expertise

 




This morning I read a comment that weaving was just a matter of trial and error.

Well, yes.  But there are literally dozens of highly skilled *and knowledgeable* people who can narrow down the choices that new weavers make.  Some of us have written books, answered questions on weaving groups, taught classes/workshops, done You Tube videos.

While there are many different things that can be done, any good teacher will point a new student to a way that works for specific circumstances.  Plus there are constants in the craft - a thread under tension is a thread under control; if you can't be perfect be consistent; never use a knot where a bow will do, etc.

Weaving is a complex craft, in no small part due to the huge variety of job specific looms - all based on (largely) what kind of loom is needed to weave the textile in question.

Looms can be quite specific in their potential - everything from a frame loom to a shaft loom, to a velvet loom.

But to declare that the craft is just 'trial and error' kind of erases our ancestors who did the majority of the 'trial and error' for much of our craft.

Yes, I do trial and error myself - the yarn for the next article is all here now, and I will spend several days mulling over what I will do.  But all that 'trial and error'?  Is based on the deep and broad foundation of knowledge that I have collected over the decades.  

I am considered a 'master' of my craft and I got that way by reading multiple weaving books, taking workshops from as many instructors I could, then weaving literally hundreds of samples.

In the 'age of information' we are drowning with information.  Unfortunately we are also drowning in *mis*information.

So, yes, trial and error - but collect as much of the constants as you can.  Build a solid foundation of knowledge to build upon.  And respect our ancestors who have brought us to the here and now.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Rolling Over

Stats:   All time3004468

This morning the count for page views rolled over 3 million.

Did I aspire to have this kind of readership on that fateful day I opened Blogspot and began in 2008?  

No.  I didn't.  At the time there was quite a large blogging community, and I saw plenty of others who had 'membership' counts much higher than what I did.  However, I was writing out of a desire to continue teaching, and at the time writing was the easiest thing I could do.  And, quite frankly, Blogspot was a free site so it wasn't costing me anything.

I felt...vulnerable...

My younger brother had died in February and we were dealing with my grieving mother, while grieving ourselves, and I was his executrix, which meant I leaned heavily on Doug as we each dealt with some health issues of our own.  The year 2008 was...difficult.

But I could remove myself from reality for an hour and think, and write, about weaving.

That so many of you have come along for the ride has been a pleasant surprise.  And I have felt less lonely knowing that there are some people who enjoy what I write and some let me know that my thoughts, which come randomly at times, purposeful at others, are enjoyable.  And maybe even helpful.

This morning the rest of the yarn for the next article arrived.  I spent some time yesterday examining the yarn already here, some of which isn't that familiar to me.  So I will be learning as I experiment.  Because that is what I will be doing - experimenting, in order to learn more about the craft I love.

Since 2008 I have experienced more health issues than I ever expected to do.  There have been highs and lows, and some of the lows have been very low indeed.  But I'm still here.

Since I am still here, I will carry on.  When my brother died, I experienced 'survivor guilt'.  Why him, not me?  I was older.  He was beloved in this community (standing room only at his funeral) and most of my life has been directed outside of this community.  In the end I realized that I hadn't died, so I'd better get living.  

The brain bleed Aug. 31 nearly put me down for the count.  I wasn't sure I could weave again, never mind teach - or write.  The surgeon was quite matter of fact that my speech may never recover fully, but I find - 4.5 months later, able to write.  It still isn't great, I still have sink holes in my brain, I still find myself typing duplicate words, or missing some altogether.  And my spelling?  Um, not great.

But I can form sentences, and I can edit to my heart's content, unlike speech.  

Still here, still standing - although with a cane when I leave the house.  Guess I will carry on.