Assumptions

 

after wetting the threads out the threads have increased in diameter as they bloomed

In our search for definitive answers, we tend to grab hold of one end of the string (quite literally, at times) and think that we have understood all of the aspects there are to know about something.

As I try to puzzle out what is happening with the thread I am using, I was given some explanations about tubes and how to understand how they work.  

And I understand that - sort of.  I mean it all makes sense in a theoretical way.  

But what I've experienced with working with threads is that they are not tubes.  They are not 'static' when it comes to their diameter.  

Michelle Boyd helped shed some more light on the issue the other day (thanks, Michelle!) and added another brick in my foundation of knowledge, as I realized that of course threads are not static - they change depending on what you do with them - and *to* them.

I was well aware how that worked in terms of cloth density, but trying to manipulate the threads in the way I'm doing adds another layer of complexity to the results.

And this is why I have repeatedly tried to inform weavers as to the nature of their materials.  Because if you don't understand their nature, it's difficult to make sure that you are approaching them in the way you want them to behave once they are woven *and wet finished*.

Now, not everyone needs to know these things, but I personally feel that if weavers are going to wind up with successful results (did you get what you wanted?) a deeper understanding of the threads and the fibres that make up those threads will help bring them closer to success.

I'm not saying 'perfect' - but we can settle for 'good' - or even 'good enough'.  But there are things that need to be understood in order to make that journey easier, fewer potholes in the road, so to speak.

So, Michelle Boyd's book, A User's Guide to Yarn.

A deep dive into threads and how they are affected by the manner of fibre prep and spinning, and what can happen when you use them, etc.

Yesterday I was asked if I would consider 'reviewing' Michelle's book with my weaver's 'eye'.  Because how a thread behaves in crochet, knitting and weaving, will depend.  

I felt good old 'imposter' syndrome, but I said 'yes' anyway.  In part because doing a review of her work for this book folds right into the deeper dive(s) I've been taking for 50 years - and hope to continue for several more.  I would not normally mention my participation in a project at this preparatory level, except they have announced who their 'expert reviewers' are.  And given how much light Michelle has shed on several conundrums I have had, I anticipate that there is a great deal more for me to learn from her.

And if you want to know what the heck I've been up to myself?  Watch for an upcoming issue of WEFT.  You may be interested.  It's certainly caught *my* attention.  :D

Profile

 

In yesterday's post I mentioned the yarn 'profile' as being sawtoothed, and I began to wonder if people would know what I was referring to.  So I worried about it for a while and decided the best thing to do was manipulate the image a bit.  And, while I was at it, see if I could gain an understanding of the thickness of the yarn.

The 2/20 is on the left, the 2/10 on the right.  What that means is that the yarn is made up of two strands twisted together (or plied).  The 20 refers to the number of yards/pound which is 20 x 840 = 16,800 divided by 2 (for the number of threads in the 2 ply yarn) for a total of  8,400 yards per pound.  Approximately.

The 2/10 is thicker with 10 x 840 = 8,400 yards per pound divided by 2 or 4,200 yards per pound.  Approximately,.

Nominally, then, you would expect the 2/10 to be twice as thick as the 2/20, right?

Well, no matter how many times I try to measure the two, the 2/10 is not twice the thickness of the 2/20.  Which kind of affirms what a very experienced spinner suggested would be the case when I consulted with her when I did the original samples for the article I'm (still) working on.

I have not done any further 'testing' of the yarn to try and determine numbers of twist in the singles and the plied yarn but I suspect that if I were to take the yarn apart I would discover the singles for the 2/20 are more tightly twisted than the 2/10.  The finer the yarn, the 'weaker' it can be, so additional twist can be added to add a little 'backbone' to the yarn so that it can perform as warp more easily.  The thicker the yarn, the more strength it will have - united we stand, divided we fall, and all that.

I just beamed the sample warp for these yarns yesterday.  (it's the 2/20 for warp) I wound the beam quite tightly - more tightly than I've been using for the 2/16, in part because I could, in part because I wanted to make sure the yarn was 'sound'.  I did not have one single broken end during beaming.  I have a nicely beamed warp that will need to be re-sleyed a couple times, and re-threaded once (according to my most recent set of scratch notes).  It also needs to withstand a pretty significant change in weaving width, which will stress the outside ends, so I wanted to make sure it wasn't going to fall apart on the stress of the deflection as the weaving width changed.  I don't remember that I had any issues when I wove the original set of samples, but this is a new lot of yarn so I wanted to improve my chances by increasing the tension on the warp as I wound it.

These samples have to be to the magazine by the end of August.  So my goal today is to begin threading and try to weave all the samples this week.  August 12 I have my next back injection and need to do 3 days of 'light duties'.  Seems like a good time to polish off this batch of samples and polish the two article on cotton are due 'next' so I can mail everything in one box...

Learning Journey

 

Once again I'm playing with my little microscope, trying to see beyond the 'obvious'.  The yarn on the left is 2/20 merc. cotton, the one on the right is 2/10 merc. cotton.

I use that designation because it is pretty clear (to me) that they have been ring spun - the yarns are smooth (not just because of the mercerization) but the fibres are aligned, the twist is 'high' although not enough to make the yarn stiff.  There is little in the way of loose fibre poking out.

I didn't actually learn much more than what I already knew about this yarn, and because I have no way of measuring the thickness I can't tell if the 2/20 is one-half the thickness of the 2/10.  The best I can do is say that the 2/10 does not look twice as thick as the 2/20 - which is borne out by the ruler wrap *and* the recommended epi for each yarn.  If the 2/10 was twice the thickness as the 2/20, the epi would be half that of the 2/20?

Add into the equation that the smoothness of each yarn is...not consistent.  The profile of each yarn is a 'saw tooth' shape with a 'dip' as the two plies twist around each other.  The two yarns are made by two different manufacturers, and the twists per inch in the ply appear to be slightly different, but again, I don't have a measuring tool that I trust to give me accurate information at that scale (tiny!).  Plus the difference in twists per inch is also minimal - perhaps it's the very thinness of the yarn that makes it look more different than it is?

In the end, does any of this matter?  I suspect it does, but not in any 'grand' way?  But the number of ends per inch for each *does* matter, and why the recommended range for epi is a just that - a range.

New weavers get confused about the 'it depends' caveats that more experienced weavers tend to preface their answers with.  But that's the thing with weaving with threads.  It *does* depend.  Sometimes what worked for one weaver perfectly well, turns out to not work as well for someone else.  Because change one thing, and everything can change.  

One weaver may have used a completely different loom than another.  They may have used higher - or lower - tension on the warp.  They may have used a very heavy - or light - shuttle.  And of course two weavers using the same weave structure may have also wind up with different results, never mind using completely different weave structures.

As a new weaver, I absorbed everything that came my way.  I joined sample exchanges.  Study groups.  Took every workshop I could afford, read every book I could get my hands on.  It was like those 'compare and find differences' puzzles that would appear in the Sunday newspaper - can you find 5 differences?  

Trying something new?  Weave a sample.  Don't want to do 'just' a sample?  Add a yard onto your warp and sample before you commit to making 'something'.  And never judge your cloth until after it has been wet finished.  

Inching Forward

 

Spent some time over the past couple of days trying to think how best to organize myself, given the extreme limits on my energy (if I had more energy, my available time would be plenty).

I think I've sorted out a few things.  One of them is the necessity to re-thread the sample warp in order to get the results they want to see and then be able to compare, to what I sent them already.

But the current warp is nearly finished.  Maybe Monday?  I doubt any sooner, given the above mentioned lack of energy...

For some of the issues of concern, I've figured out what I want to do, but there's that lack of energy to do them.  However, I'm slowly building up steam in order to get them done.  I hope.

A few weeks ago I made a promise to myself to *try* to reach out to people more.  Since I seem to be feeling a tiny bit 'better', I have contacted a few people.  It helped to get a couple of phone calls on my birthday, and the bd greetings on FB was a bit of a spur to me, too.  Plus the interview last week for HGA - it was so much fun.  I have missed talking weaving like I used to do.  However, the next issue of WEFT is being distributed, and I'm going to book a weaver's meeting to talk about it - and anything else anyone wants to chat about, in the guild room.  

We have not yet been particularly successful in pain management and I will be discussing modifying that when I see the pain doc on  Aug. 12.  It may take a while to get the 'adjustment' put into motion.  But it is one more thing to try, and I feel like I have to keep trying, as long as there is something else to tweak.

But it seems every day my world shrinks a little bit more and if I can prevent that, then I need to try to do that, too.

Today I am going to wrap my brain about beginning the 2nd article on cotton for WEFT, plus chart out the additional samples to add to the article (deadline Aug 30, so I need to crack on!).  Because I need to get that warp into the loom as soon as the current warp gets cut off the loom.  I think there are 4 or 5 more towels to weave, which means Monday at the earliest, given the plans for Sunday, which I'm looking forward to.  Of course my involvement may be minimal - I've invited someone to come weave on that warp on the Leclerc.  I can't weave on that loom right now, and it would be nice to clear it off in case I start feeling better enough to weave on it.  I don't hope for a cure, just more effective pain management that will be let me do things that I want to do.

One of the things I've been doing is scrolling through my photos, and frankly I'm not even saving most of the photos I take these days, in part because of the barriers Google and Windows are placing on my software which makes doing what *I* want to do more difficult.  (Piss off AI - seriously, right now!)  

However, I have a couple 1000 photos saved and I really ought to send a bunch to the 'garbage'.  Maybe one job I can do after I get the next back jab on the 12th of August.  

Anyway, when selecting the above photo, I was reminded that the curtains in my office are, in fact, handwoven.  I have several windows in this house with handwoven curtains/shades.

Kitchen:  Roman Shade - stitched double weave

Master bedroom - side panels and valance - huck lace stripes

Office - curtains - twill

Studio, all four windows have handwoven curtains (couple different weave structures)

During the interview for Textiles and Tea, someone asked about how much I wove when I was weaving for the fashion designer and myself - I shared that I averaged 240 yards a month - 200 for the fashion designer (60", 100 yards each warp) and 40 (49" width) yards for myself.  Someone expressed amazement - that meant I was weaving 10 yards a DAY.  Well, yes, that was my daily goal.  Frequently I would do more than that.  Because there were days that were needed to set up the loom and take care of business.

I never set out to set any kind of 'record' by weaving.  I just did what was necessary to get enough income to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table.  I knew how to work 'hard', and was willing to do the job.  I am not the only one, by any means.  But most of 'us' didn't say a whole lot - we were too busy working.

Anyway, if anyone is interested, the interview is supposed to be uploaded to You Tube on the HGA channel.  If I notice it appearing, I'll post the link here.

New Book

 

I just posted to FB with info on this new publication, but FB has 'lost' my post.  So here I am, here, where *I* 'control' what gets published - or not.

I heard that Michelle was writing another book - what I didn't know was that she was working on the reference book that I have been searching for, for decades.

If you are not a spinner and want to understand your materials, this is the book for you.  There may be more information in it than you thought you needed, but believe me, you'll thank me.

If you *are* a spinner, you want all this information in one place.  You may have it here and there, in bits and pieces, but Michelle has sorted and organized it for you.  You'll thank me.

Anyway, I've backed it and will look forward to getting it into my hands.  Whether or not my brain can process half of it, remains to be seen.  But I love me a good reference book.

Keep On, Keeping On

 

A local friend phoned this morning.  We haven't spoken for a while (last year?) so it was pleasant to catch up a bit.  She advised me that her raspberry bushes were producing well, and I offered a couple tea towels for the fresh fish she and her husband caught and a bowl of fresh raspberries from her garden.  

Her family has been dealing with health issues and we commiserated about dealing with bodies breaking down and agreed that since we are still here, we need to keep on, keeping on.  In spite of everything (waves hands).

The photo above was taken for one of my 'small' publications called A Good Yarn, this one was for the cotton issue cover.

So many people don't really know much about the materials they work with, and my attitude is that if you don't know your materials, it's a lot harder to make 'good' - or appropriate - decisions.

Someone gave me the cotton boll on one of my trips to the US south, and I love it.

Yesterday I worked on a couple of the articles for WEFT, sent one off to be read by my alpha reader, the other was a review to remind myself of the samples I'd woven for another - and which I need to add to fairly quickly.  I've got to the end of August to get them to the editor to be rolled into the issue they are for.  Plus there is another cotton article to be written.

And then got another contract for one more.  So, yes, I'm going to keep on, keeping on.

One the things I need to do is to get all the contract copies and lay them out and then enter them on my planning calendar.  When I fell and had the brain bleed last August, I cancelled all my teaching and let the writing 'slide', only working on them when I felt able to do so, and tried as much as possible to ignore the ticking of the clock, the flipping of the calendar pages.

Now that I seem to be feeling a bit better, I'm getting a bit stressed at how much I've let things slide.  So this week I'm going to work on the other cotton article and try to get that to alpha reader asap.  I have a few samples for one of the articles, and I'd like to send them and the extra ones I'm about to start weaving in the same parcel, which should help lower the cost by paying shipping for 2 (or three) articles, not one.

I managed to get to the loom 'early' today (in spite of still not sleeping well) because I'm occupied with appointments this afternoon.  After lunch I'm going to begin pulling my thoughts together.  You'd think it would be easy, considering how many years (decades?) I've been pounding my 'drum' about some things.  I think I did the A Good Yarn series around the mid 2000s - 2004?  5?  And written lots of posts for this blog, given guild programs, zoom classes, hammered the message home at the Olds College level 1.

But every time I need to sit and think about who I am going to be talking to.  Order my thoughts.  Choose the words that seem 'right'.  Fold into my presentation anything knew I've learned since the last time I presented the material.

Because there is always something more, something new to learn.  (heart cockles, warmed...)

Reality Bubble

 

I suppose that I became aware of the concept of a 'reality bubble' rather early, in part because I read a lot.  I also compared myself to other kids I knew and became aware that some had rather 'more' than I did, and some?  Had less.  For example, my brother and I never had an 'allowance'.  If we wanted money we had to find a 'job', commit to doing an errand, above and beyond our household 'chores'.  Or hire ourselves out to a neighbour to weed their garden, mow their grass, babysit their kids.

My parents set the bar high for what was expected, not just of us, but of themselves.  To work hard was a given.  Rewards?  Maybe fleeting.

As I grew up I was able to see the disparities more clearly, but I rarely questioned them - they were just...normal.  It was the way the world was - unfair.  Some had more; some had less.  If *I* wanted 'more' the solution was to work harder.

However, I was blessed with some really exceptional teachers in school.  I think my grade 6 teacher was the one who really pulled the wool away from my eyes.  I didn't need to know that there were inequities - I needed to think about my role in them.  Pretty heavy stuff for a 12 year old, I suppose.  OTOH, I was getting the same message every Sunday at Sunday school.  It was just framed a bit differently.

As an adult I became more fully aware of the reality of what was happening to people.  There was little I felt I could do about it, but I took note, and wrestled with my role in the history of this country I call home.

Over time I became more aware of what was happening, not just in my country, but others.  As I read more, observed more, thought more, my left leaning politics started asking me what I could do.  Over and over again, the answer was - not much.  I was 'just' one person.  I had little control over what was happening.

So I voted my 'liberal' candidate, but I live in an historically conservative riding and I rarely sent a representative to Ottawa.  Or Victoria.  

But I'm old now, and instead of getting 'better', the pendulum has been yanked backwards and things for individuals, especially those of a non-white complexion, are still being treated as less than.

I sit in my comfortable home, and realize that we need to do something before some of our politicians yank us all the way back to previous centuries, not just decades.

If you are 'white' and don't think you have benefited from your baked in 'privilege', think about your life if you had a permanent 'tan'.  

The First Nations of the continent are slowly rebuilding their society and culture, reclaiming their language and traditional knowledge.  They have been warning the rest of us about the dangers of colonialism and how mining, resource extraction, etc., is poisoning our planet.  

When the Conservatives and Stephen Harper were in government controlling the reins of power, huge damage was done in the name of 'progress'.  

But *whose* progress?  Instead of things improving for all, just a few certain someones were reaping the benefits.

When the internet arrived on this planet, it was touted as ushering in the Age of Information.  Instead what we have is a word salad of dis- and mis-information.  Constant 'lies', from the alt right.  And they base all of this nonsense as their 'right' - right to speak lies.  Right to be priviledged.  Right to physically injure those people who object.  Right to complain that others *also* have the right to free speech, not just them.  (They are the 'true' victims, here - yeah, right.)

If you are white, currently living in Canada, there are lots of ways to inform yourself about what is going on.  I would suggest the library, not online.  Lately I've been seeing more and more posts on my social media that are thinly disguised alt right, throwing shade on people who are trying to make things better - for *all*.  The language of dehumanization stings - and it isn't directed at me, with my colonial ancestors.  

Because that's the thing about recognizing your own reality bubble - you begin to see the reality for others, too.  

Yesterday, during the presentation I did for Handweavers  Guild of America, a number of people thanked me for all that I share, how much I help others.  Since I felt powerless in the world at large, I chose (after receiving enormous 'help' from countless others) that I would help as many people as I could.  While it was nice (really nice) to have people recognize that I had done a lot for the weaving community, it was also a time for me to recognize that I was not sitting around, powerless.  I had spent decades (and will continue, if I can) to help others.  To encourage them.  To wave the pom-poms of encouragement.

Because life (and weaving) can be hard.  If I can shine a light to help someone else on their path, I will do that.  

If you are grappling with seeing beyond the confines of your own reality bubble, I suggest reading.  Reading with an open mind.  Accept the author's 'story' as *their* reality.  There are many Indigenous authors being published, but it isn't just the First Nations - the stories of recent immigrants are also good to know.  Sometimes these stories are difficult to read.  Try.  Try to break down your reality bubble and see into the reality bubbles of someone outside of your culture.  Your reality.

Sometimes I become overwhelmed and need to set the book down and take a break.   But I go back.

If you don't know where to begin, Richard Wagamese writes beautifully.  I began with Indian Horse.  An Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King.  Currently reading The Way You Walk by Wab Kinew, the 'new' premier of Manitoba.  I'm finding this one 'difficult' but he is also a good writer and he is explaining a part of his culture (because there isn't just one First Nations culture on Turtle Island).  The goal is to be more aware.  More...woke...dammit.  Because I don't want to sleepwalk through this one and only precious life that has been granted to me.

Here is a list of Indigenous books provided by the CBC.  It is a good place to begin.

Ideas

 

Tranquility

Where do ideas come from, anyway?

Dunno.  

All I know is that I have an almost unending parade of new things I want to try, new designs I'd like to weave, new colour combinations that I'd like to see interact in warp/weft.  

What I don't expect - or even *try* for - is 'perfection'.  Because I know how rarely 'perfect' turns up - at least in my studio.  But I also know that I can make 'good'.  And most days, that's 'good enough'.

Some people assume that I have little talent if all I do is 'settle' for good instead of giving it my all trying to achieve 'perfection'.

I can probably safely say that I have forgotten more ideas than I've woven.  But that's the thing about weaving - it is labour intensive and it takes *time*.  While weaving one warp off, I may think about 3 more and reject 2 of them - or maybe even all of them - because something else triggers my curiosity and I'm off again, following another trail of crumbs.

Now that I'm in my 'golden' years (ha), things take even longer, for a number of reasons.  But running out?  Not likely.  Because as I learn more, experience more, see more interesting work by others in the pages of magazines and books, the more inspired I am.

I confess that I'm purposefully limiting what I am doing right now, mostly an in effort to weave down my stash.  I was doing quite well at that until I started writing for WEFT and then ran out of some 'standard' yarns.  Because it is hard to guide people along the rocky path of learning if you don't provide a good road map and select yarns that are 'commonly' available for them to try it for themselves.  OTOH, they give me pretty free rein about which yarns to choose, so I know I will use the yarns up eventually.  And every article I write for WEFT leaves me with 'extra' yarn to add to my stash.  So - win-win?

My latest is needing to buy more yarn to weave additional samples for an article.  The deadline is getting crunchy but I should be able to finish the current warp early next week.  Then I'll set up the loom to replicate what I did - and then continue the experiment in order to provide a better overview of what I did and what resulted.  And the rest will go into the stash and used at some point.

I'm up 'early' this morning but I've already set up for the HGA Textiles and Tea interview.  So I won't be weaving before the zoom.  I'm hoping I can do one session after.  Because I'm getting anxious to get this warp off the loom so I can deal with the additional samples.  But I also need to re-read what I wrote and make sure I'm doing what needs to be done, given what I already sent to them.  Or I could sit and veg with the jigsaw puzzle - or the library book I'm reading.

I find it interesting that of the several books I've read this spring/summer, 3 of them are 'memoirs', all of them musicians, two of them politicians.  I've got the book written by Mark Carney on hold, but I'm still down on the list.  I just wish that things right now were less 'interesting' so I could pay more attention to creative things, instead of current events.  

Ah well.  Onwards.

Too Much

 

When is something 'too much'?

Yesterday I talked about my brother, Don.  Today I answered a question on a group and referenced the jacket I wove for him.  It was a labour of love, quite literally.  I would not have done it for anyone else in the world.

He loved working with trains, eventually rising from the lowest rung on the ladder to driving the big locomotives.  He was so chuffed when he was chosen to drive the big electric trains north to Tumbler Ridge.

But eventually working for the railroad became 'too much' for him and when they finally offered him a golden parachute (early retirement - although it wasn't really 'early' since he had 27 years with the company by then) he took it with alacrity.  He had been volunteering at the railway museum, and he spent the following year volunteering 'full time' until it was time for him to look for other work.  In the end, the museum found funding to hire him as the park manager.  And he died there (health issue, not 'accident') in February 2008.

So why did I scroll through my photos this morning to find a photo of the jacket?  Because someone posted a photo of an overshot textile, asking if they could weave it on their rigid heddle loom.

I said they could do it using pick up, or if they had a floor loom, it would be more efficient to do it on that.  And then shared the jacket (a close up) of Don's jacket.  All in pick up, using the floor loom as a way to speed up the process.

I should probably go to the museum (I donated the jacket to the museum when he died) and get better photos.  The only ones I have are from his memorial, and they are not great photos.  This one shows the inspiration photo he used to design the motif, and the back of the jacket.

He had worked to try and get a track laid from the large park 'south' of the railway museum so that the small steam loci could take trips from the park to the railway museum.  He thought it would be good for both facilities.  But he died before he could forge an agreement between the two.  In the meantime, he achieved his steam ticket so that he could drive the Little Prince.  He loved seeing the kids faces light up as they rode round the small track at the park.  And of course there is nothing quite like a steam whistle.

Right now the world is just too much.  Too much anxiety.  Tension.  Worry.  Etc.  

My happy place is at the loom, even when things are going 'wrong' - because part of what makes me happy is working out what is going wrong and fixing it so that it works again.

I am hoping that all the things we are trying to make things 'easier' for my body begin to work, although I've been warned it is not a quick fix.  

In the meantime, I worked on the next article for WEFT on Friday, number crunched for the next warp, which will be additional samples for an article I've written but was asked if I could do more samples (sure), and I need to phone my doc today to book a telephone appointment to get more drugs.  He only gave me a month's worth because we had changed the dose on a couple of them.  Things are a tiny bit 'better', but spouse asked me if it was placebo or actual change - and I could not tell.  I will take the tiny improvement, for what it's worth, since the jury is still out.

The morning passes as it usually does - with 'self-care' taking up a big chunk of it.  I adjusted the loom slightly yesterday, but may not have identified the issues.  But I won't know until I get back to weaving!  So, I will get dressed, make my phone call, then head to the loom.

To all who are feeling like everything is just too damned much right now, find something you can do to give yourself a 'break' from the 'current events'.  Centre yourself.  Make something, if you can - it doesn't have to be anything big, or important.  Just get some positive energy flowing through your veins.  If there is something you can do to help someone else, see if you have the energy to do so.  Find yourself if you feel lost in the world.

Gold dust to all who need some.  Sprinkle that shit like glitter - as some say.

Things Change

 

Don Holzworth driving the Little Prince steam loci

At his memorial, one of his friends called my brother Don a catalyst.  I had to agree.  Then I spent a lot of time thinking about him - what he achieved in his (too short) life.  I was honoured that he felt he could turn to me when he was thinking about something and we could talk about the deeper meanings of things.  I miss that now.  I miss him.  Still.

As a result of his death and my subsequent health issues, I started this blog.  It was primarily a way to reach out to people in a more...targeted way, I suppose.  I enjoyed answering weaving questions, hearing that my input had helped someone figure out what was going 'wrong', see them take the next steps on their journey.

Gradually it has changed, too, as I became older.  One hopes, wiser.  Feedback was less, but also?  Less negative.

In the past 10 or so years I have begun, tentatively, to discuss more of my 'politics'.  I don't claim membership in any political party.  I don't 'owe' my loyalty to any one party - or party leader.  And I make sure I vote so that I have my card to complain when I'm not happy about things.  I wrote my first letter (email) to the PM last month.  It may well be only the first of many...silence means assent.

My biggest discontent began under the 'reign' of Stephen Harper, although there was always a politician somewhere - provincial or federal - who annoyed me.

It seems in the past 10 or so years, politics has become ever more right leaning until in many cases the growth of the alt-right seems overwhelming.

What would my brother think about all this?  No idea.  Not really.  We had never discussed politics very much.  I would like to talk to him now, because talking to him allowed me to figure out my attitude with more clarity.

I wish I could do more to be the change I want to see in the world.  But Covid is still here (yes, really) but now we *also* have measles screaming back, not to mention polio.  I suppose TB, small pox, whooping cough, et bloody cetera are next.  And my immune system doesn't work well, so things would not go well for me if any of those 'caught' me...

And what do I do?  I head back to the loom to weave more tea towels.  Nothing earth shaking.

But weaving helps keep me centered.  It helps turn off the world for a few minutes.  Allows me to 'rest' from the turmoil in the world.  The uncertainty.  The overwhelming emotions, knowing what is happening in other parts of the world.  Things that I have little ability to fix.  Sometimes I need to close my eyes, even when doing so makes me feel callous.  Heartless.

But I cannot fix the world.  So, I try to help those I can.  And when I'm out of 'resources' I have to walk away; take a time out; rest.  So I can come back later and try to amplify the voices of others, show them they are not alone.  I speak out so that those who think they are the only ones can hear me and know that they are not.  

I have no idea how I got so 'lucky' when I had the brain bleed last August.  But I'm still here.  Can, actually, still write.  So I speak out.  Because I can.  

For now, I need to get to the loom.  I may have a friend coming later, but first I need some time at the loom.  Self care for me is to get some time to be creative.  To make something.  To 'meditate' for a while.  I do what I can, as little as that feels some days.

A friend sends wishes for gold dust to people that need something positive - I have bags of gold dust to share.  Spread it around as though it is glitter...

The Life So Short...

 

Would you believe that both of the above yarns have the same fibre content (cotton) AND have the same number of yards per pound?

Well, they do.

But that's the thing about assumptions.  They will trip us up at times.

I made an assumption about an issue another weaver was having and I assumed wrong.  When they told me that I was 'wrong', I apologized, because based on my incorrect assumption, I was giving them inappropriate advice in answer to the question and what they needed to know.

Because that's the thing about weaving - change one thing and everything can change.

I tend to stay out of most conversations online, especially if I see that a question has been answered a multitude of times.  

Sometimes it's a person with a 'floor' loom asking why something is happening and a rigid heddle weaver will answer, not realizing that when you scale up (or down), things can get very different in terms of techniques and even tools, that work 'better' than others.

Someone will ask a question about a rug they are making, and people with zero experience making a rug will answer, not realizing that at times, making a rug can look quite different from making a silk scarf.

Sometimes a weaver will assume that they know everything there is to know about a particular size of yarn and assume all yarns of that count are identical in nature.  Like the two yarns above.

To learn all the 'it depends' factors in the creation of cloth takes years and exposure to many different options - both yarn and loom.  

Like the assumption by so many that every loom *requires* a shuttle race.  (nope.)   Like the assumption by many that a counter balanced loom 'can't' weave an unbalanced weave structure.  While roller type counter balanced looms don't much like doing it, they can.  A counter balanced loom using pulleys or levers can do anything you want them to do, sometimes way better than a jack or rising shed loom.

So when I see inappropriate levels of advice being given, I tend to quietly slip out of the group and curb my tendency to teach people the multitudes of way weaving is complex and how much it depends is part of that complexity.  For one thing, it requires more than a very short answer ('it depends' is short but not very helpful!) and Facebook isn't usually compatible with long form responses.

And rather than single out someone, I prefer to approach the concept more generally and post the information here.

A lot of these online groups don't allow 'marketing' so I don't even feel able to share information about this blog, or my books and classes, lest I be accused of marketing on the group.  

This week I was contacted again by WEFT to contribute an article for issue 7.  So far I am contracted for every issue of the magazine (I'm not the only one, lots of good weaving/teachers are represented!)  I honestly don't know how long they will want me to write for them, but really?  It is keeping me getting up and to the loom pretty much every day (or to the studio, at least).

For all the abuse I put my body through being a production weaver, the craft is sustaining me now.  

And no, I don't know 'everything'.  Not even close.  I know just enough to be 'dangerous' about other types of cloth than my 'usual'.  I know enough to admire a 'good' rug, or tapestry, or narrow goods.  Not that I particularly want to weave those, but I know what a good textile looks like in those categories.

I can admire the wonderful work that is being done by weavers exploring the potential of Jacquard and drawloom designing.  I'm no longer envious of those weavers.  But again, I know enough to admire those who are doing it.

And bottom line?  Yes, things go pear shaped for me, too.  I had an issue with the loom, which I *thought* I had fixed, but when I cut, serged and inspected the 7 towels, I discovered that 5 of the 7 had treadling 'errors' due to a random shaft lifting when it shouldn't.  I could not see the problem on the side that was facing me, but when I turned the web over, the long floats stood out like a freeway across a flood plain.

Not everyone needs to dig into the craft as deeply as I have.  But realize that some people are so wedded to their own 'reality' that they will not understand the issues that someone else might be having.

And if you see me post a response and you feel I'm not understanding the situation, please let me know.  Or if you want to hear more, you can contact me.  Or recommend my books/classes - because in too many groups, I'm not allowed to tell people myself.

...the craft so long to learn...

Books (sort of)

 

baby rattle carved by my father 75 years ago for me, his eldest child

I have begun reading more regularly again.  My brain feels less...porous...more able to contain a thought for more than a minute or two.

My reading tastes have always been eclectic.  I not only loved stories, especially ones that helped explain humans, but also non-fiction, where things or processes were explained.

Part of this drive for 'knowing' came from my parents.  My father was illiterate, with about a grade 2 reading level.  That didn't make him unintelligent, just uneducated.  He knew lots of things, but also?  He expressed appreciation for those people who were knowledgeable, talented.  To say that he was complex might be an understatement.

Because when it came to family, he rarely expressed pleasure or...pride...in his kids.  I can't talk to the relationship between my parents but I remember when he was sick with his final illness, mom would bake 'treats' for him to take to the hospital to try and entice him to eat.  The nurses would express appreciation, because mom would make sure they got some treats, too, probably because she didn't want the food to go to waste and while dad would try to eat, he couldn't eat very much.  Whenever someone would express amazement at the goodies, my dad would tell them 'my wife built it'.

And that was typical dad.  He appreciated people who 'built' things.  Made things.

He made many things, some of them less typical than most things guys would make.  Yes, he would maintain his vehicles, in the days where it was all mechanics, no computers.  Check the oil?  Well, duh.  Adjust the air pressure in the tires?  Of course.  Change the oil?  Absolutely.  But also adjust the headlight height so that he didn't blind oncoming traffic with his headlights set poorly.

He did much of the work of building the house I grew up in.  For a while we lived in an unfinished house while mom and dad saved up the money to lay the lino, finish the kitchen cabinets, etc.  Mom would paint (her father was a master painter/plasterer, so she knew how to paint properly).

But dad also did other things, like participate in rug hooking.  All through my childhood we had scatter mats that mom and dad and when Auntie Betty would come to visit, all 3 would sit round the kitchen table and work on one or other of the current rugs being made.

Then there was the baby rattle he made, using one block of wood and carefully carving out the ball enclosed in the 'cage'.  It wasn't 'perfect' but the lines of the toy are lovingly made.  I don't remember it from when I was a baby, of course.  I'm not even sure where it got put 'away' until mom handed it over to me at some point.

He also made small pieces of jewelry.  During his time in the military (WWII), he would take dimes, carve out the centre, then hang the circle on shepherd's hook fittings for gifts for his barrack mates to give to whichever 'girl' they were wooing.  And rings.  Usually 50 cent pieces, with the centre carved out, to fit someone's ring finger, then hammered out to create a flange.  Our wedding rings were made by my dad.

Anyway - books.

I've just finished Written on the Dark by Guy Gavriel Kay.  I discovered him 'late' but once I did, I was hooked.  He writes 'light' fantasy, or alternate history, frequently draws upon actual history for his plots but not rendered as actual history.  He examines human behaviour in a way that I find intriguing.  This latest has a poet as the main character and while I would not normally share a significant 'spoiler', I don't think that my sharing this will spoil the read for anyone else.  Partly because it is a theme that I have been coming across in these turbulent times, and which I practice myself - that of making things.  Making something.  Putting creative energy out into the world.  And frankly from the vantage point of the last chapter(s) of my own life, what I try to practice.

To build 'that' - whatever 'that' may be.  For me it's weaving, making textiles.  But for others it might be jewelry, a child or baby toy, a cake?  

In the face of so much upheaval and negativity, build...something.  Create...something.   It may not be perfect - like the rattle (or my tea towels) but it comes into being through the 'magic' of *your* creativity.  Something that had not been previously other than raw materials and potential can come to exist - if *you* build it.

And in the end, I find I have found a way to say what I wanted to say without revealing a spoiler.  :)

Now that I'm done Kay's book, I have opened Wab Kinew's book The Way You Walk.  I have been keeping an eye on him since he was elected as Premier of Manitoba, and honestly?   The more I see of him, the more I like him.

I'm glad he has written a book and that I now feel able to read it.

Merci GGK.  Miigwich WK.

Thank you to all of you - because I get the sense the vast majority of my regular readers make something.  

Handweavers Guild of America - Textiles and Tea

 

Registration Link

A few months ago I was contacted by HGA to see if I would be part of their  Textiles and Tea series.

I thought long and hard about it, not sure if I could successfully participate.  I was still frequently blanking on words I wanted to use, and trying to hold a conversation was...challenging.  But I thought about how much progress I had made since I fell, and how much easier it had gotten (although I still search for words) and factored in a few more weeks of recovery.  Then, with a great deal of trepidation, I agreed.

Today we had a run through, and while I still had to 'work' to speak, it was...easier.  I have no idea how many people are interested, but it will be an hour and they have some quite intriguing questions they are going to be asking.  

Knowing me, we may not make it through the list of questions!  :D  I did warn them they may need to use a shepherd's hook to get me off within the time limit.  Frankly the questions seem worthy of a lot more time, but...there is always 'next' time?  

Anyway, if you are interested, the link to register is above.  

I still have not yet decided if I will begin to answer requests to do remote presentations.  There is a huge difference between answering general questions and trying to teach.  So I will let that question simmer for a while longer.

But yes, I do want to teach.  I just feel a lot more comfortable for now by writing articles.  I have a 'back up' team and 'soft' deadlines.  

For today, we have a 'summer' day - it may get 'hot' but the heat pump seems to be working fine on a/c mode.  I'm liking the current warp, and while I know I need to drag out my scrap paper and crunch numbers for the next warp (the additional samples for WEFT), I am grateful that I can still weave.

I would also like to thank those who participated in my sale earlier this month.  I know things are uncertain for far too many people.  

Flax vs Cotton

 

Fabric Science 7th edition page 23

cotton (left) and flax (right)

Textile Science 2nd edition page 51

flax

A while ago I was reading an article about a new discovery that placed humans working with fibres back even further than we thought previously.  

Textiles tend to degrade and discoveries were rare, or were dismissed as being too insignificant to be of interest, until lately.

However, one of the photos that had been used in the magazine article (which I cannot now find, of course) showed an example of what they said was linen (or flax) fibres.  But what that photo showed - to me at least - wasn't flax but cotton.  I went searching on line and found the original paper and no such illustration was included with the paper so I wondered - had the magazine randomly done a search online and found a picture labelled flax, but which was actually a photo of some cotton fibres?  And I did actually find the magazine photo posted online, labelled 'flax'.

The topic came up on a group I belong to and I began to question what I had seen, and if I was correct in my interpretation.  Late last night I rooted around on the web and looked for better photos of fibres magnified such that their shape/structure could be seen so I could better compare them.  What I found pretty much confirmed my conclusions, but there is such a thing as confirmation bias, so today I sifted through several of my textile science books.  Not all the illustrations were helpful in trying to show the actual structure of the fibres.  Some just had really good word descriptions, others had simple sketches.  But I did find interesting images in several of the books and chose these two to share in the post today.

The first one has a decent comparison of cotton and flax, including a cross section.  The second has a bit more detail about flax.

Cotton fibre comes from the boll (or seed head) of the cotton plant.  While growing it forms a hollow tube, closed at the tip.  When it is harvested, the tube 'deflates' and the fibre becomes a ribbon, with twists back and forth along the length.

Flax is a 'bast' fibre and comes from the stalk.  It is segmented along the length, and while it has a very small 'hollow' at the centre, there isn't much room for the 'tube' to flatten in the way the cotton fibre will.  

And this is why I don't ever just accept whatever the first site I find says.  I will go digging, deeper and deeper, if I can find more websites, to see if the various resources agree, and if they have different conclusions, do they say why?  

While I search I ignore the now overbearing AI 'recommendations' because there is no 'intelligence' involved.  There is no intellect that can rationalize and/or interpret the subject.  AI is *not* your friend in such a search (or most searches, imho).  In the end, I went back to my trusted library (I have at least six textile science books in my library!) to try and tease out the best information I could find.

My 'usual' first book that I grab didn't have quite as much detail as I was looking for, so I pulled the rest off the shelf and checked all of them before I chose which ones I would use.

So, am I right?  Dunno.  But what I saw in the photo labelled 'linen' were cotton characteristics.  My concern is that someone who doesn't have the resources I have will accept that photo in the magazine as being accurate.  And as far as i can tell - it isn't.

I'm not saying the archeologist didn't know what they were doing - *they* didn't use the photo in their paper - it was the publication that included the photo.  It was, more than likely, just a mistake.  But it's a mistake that will be carried on with people who don't know repeating it.  Or looking at cotton fibres in the future and assuming that they are looking at linen instead of cotton.  

How important is this?  Perhaps not at all.  But it is a good example of not believing what you see online without double checking.  Because mistakes happen...

Selvedges

Selvedges  (click on word for all 21 posts written under that label)   

Someone asked about my selvedges in the previous post - it appeared that the selvedge thread was not 'attached' to the cloth well (I paraphrase).

It's true.

I don't always have a selvedge that has a 'firmly attached' selvedge thread.  In the above photo, I do - it's a 2:2 twill, and no, it doesn't have a plain weave selvedge, but a two thread 'float' - because it's a twill and the weave structure has 2 thread floats in it.

I could have left a comment without much of an explanation, but...I'm me, and not much given to short answers.

I have had a lot to say about selvedges over the years.  If I've done it properly, the title of this post is a link to the 21 posts I've written for this blog all by itself (up until this one).  Usually I tend to just address one aspect of a complex topic per blog post, then label them with the subject as in 'selvedges'

I've also discussed selvedges in The Intentional Weaver, and again in Stories from the Matrix, both available from blurb.com

Selvedges are also discussed in my online classes.  And I've certainly said lots on online groups over the years, and had plenty of people tell me I should not talk about what I do because I am doing it 'wrong'.

Plain weave selvedges.  No.  I don't do that.  If a plain weave selvedge is used on a weave structure with fewer interlacements, the selvedges will take up at a different rate.  This can (and in many cases will) cause tension issues at the selvedge.  The selvedge has to be compatible with the weave structure being used.  Or accommodations need to be arranged.

Floating selvedge to create a plain weave thread at the outer edge.  For a number of reasons, no, I don't use them.  *IF* I were to encounter a situation that seemed like it required one, I do know how to do them, and would.  But I've been weaving for 50 years and so far...no.

The point where I change the length of the selvedge thread varies, usually on the fineness of the thread.  The maximum 'float' length I will use is generally in the 5-7 range, have rarely but sometimes have done 9.  It depends on what I'm making, too.  For a tea towel, my 'standards' are less stringent than for, say, a table runner.

Do I have ruler straight selvedges?  Sometimes.

Decided to 'prove' it one day by laying a ruler alongside the selvedge.  The shine off the metal ruler makes it look a bit like the selvedge isn't straight but it is a trick of the light.  

When I'm weaving the large fancy twills, the selvedge may shift, depending on which direction the twill line is running.  

Where the twill line points back into the cloth /\ the cloth can retreat; when the twill points away from the centre of the cloth \/, it can to tend to expand outwards.  It's subtle.

Another thing that happens is that when weaving a 'fancy twill' where the twill structure is not 2:2 but other variations, the cloth with more weft showing than warp will tend to have a selvedge that curls up and in; when more warp than weft is showing, it will tend to curl down and in.

Hard to see this effect in the photo, but it happens.

If you want more detail, check out the other 21 articles I've posted here.  You don't have to agree with me.  You must do what you feel is 'best'.  Having as many different tools/techniques in your toolbox as you can will allow you to pick and choose what is the best way to approach an issue if you aren't happy.  

Random Thoughts on a Sunday

 

The yarn in this warp is 50/50 pale blue and a pale but fairly 'bright' green.  You might want to biggify it (click on the image) so that you can see the two colours better.

Frankly, I wasn't sure the combination would 'work' but as I beamed the warp, the overall appearance was one of 'verdigris' - or the colour of aged copper.  I think it will be fine once wet finished.

When I finished the last warp I had this one already prepped so instead of doing the warp with 2/20 merc cotton to weave more article samples, I put this one on.  I felt I needed a little more time to crunch the numbers for the samples.  I had begun doing that, but began to doubt my calculations and wanted to re-do the math and make sure I was going to wind up with what was needed.

Plus this time I don't know if I'm going to beam my 'usual' warp of about 20-ish yards or just do enough to weave the samples.  

Then, there's all the body 'maintenance' I'm doing which needs to be paid attention to, and I'm still not feeling 'great'.  I am hoping that what we are doing will ultimately make me feel a bit better.  My next back injection is booked for August 12, which is later than I would like, but also gives the treatment I'm doing now time to be finished and see if the results are what we are hoping for before I get the next jab.

We tend to watch a lot of 'non-fiction' tv, so we've actually seen quite a few programs about biology and evolution.  Quite frankly, inhabiting a biologic system has given me a new appreciation of how my body works - or in the current case, doesn't.  I am beginning to understand that 'life' as we know it is not set in stone, but that individuals can vary wildly between each other.  What works for one, may not work for all.  Or even, just me.

Someone asked on Bluesky about textile art/craft.  I think there is a difference, but as always, it depends.  Can you make great art without good craftsmanship?  It depends.  Can you make mundane textiles (as in their purpose) with great beauty?  Sure.  That is, after all, my goal: To make everyday useful textiles with a sense of beauty as well as functional to their purpose.

I don't think that there is a hard/fast 'rule' about what makes cloth 'just' cloth or 'art'.  

Right now I'm reading the latest book by Guy Gavriel Kay.  I think I've read nearly everything he's written (not his books of poetry, but the poetry that he uses in his works of fiction).  He's always been a fascinating read with his blend of history, based on actual events/people in some cases.  It's kind of fun when I recognize a 'storyline' and/or certain characters and realize who he has fictionalized.  And he usually includes references to works of art appropriate to the 'time' and 'place'.  It was when I realized that he really was talking about 'real' places that I became even more interested in his writing.

I read other writers who do similar things, some more obvious in the time/place/history.  I much prefer learning about 'history' by watching it play out among the fictional characters.  I don't know that I can remember all of the authors, but Lindsey Davis - 1st century Rome/Europe, Ken Follett, Jacqueline Winspear (WWI and II), and one author I have re-read - and intend to re-read again - Dorothy Dunnett, who has a stand alone novel called King Hereafter, 900 AD Vikings, and two series set in Europe (and beyond) in the 1400s and 1500s.

The current events we are living through are beginning to feel perilous, not just in pockets here and there around the globe, but actually seriously dangerous.  Not to mention climate change.

I take some solace from music, some of it more obvious about 'resistance', some more personal.  My studio has always been powered by music, and right now it seems more important that ever to be aware.  To bear witness.  To object.  Even when you can't do much to change things.  I still feel like I need to make clear that what certain politicians are doing is not done with my approval.  

But that is something each individual will need to judge for themselves.

One thing I am certain about - humans will likely survive, but will - once again - likely learn nothing from this current time line.  If being 'woke' means that I have learned the lesson of helping each other, supporting each other, speaking out about the things that are being done in the name of greed and creating misery for others, then I will wear that label.  I would rather build a longer table than a wall.  I would rather help someone, than harm them.  Even when there are way too many 'others' who take great delight in harming others, simply based on their skin colour or assumed religion.

I suppose I should delete this, but since it is Sunday, I think I will let it be published.  

Reflections

 

This is a photo that appeared in an old issue of National Geographic a while ago.  I thought it was an excellent example of a variety of 'natural' fibres, showing how each of them look as a single fibre.  I used it (with credit, of course) in some presentations I used to do because most weavers (at least) don't really have an understanding how individual fibres look - and that how they are constructed into yarn will affect how they function once spun and woven (or other construction technique).

I then arranged to get scanning electron photos of some of the fibres I use in my weaving so that I didn't infringe copyright, and I stopped using this photo, even though I routinely see it used online, with zero accreditation whatsoever.

In the current article I'm working on for WEFT, I'm looking at fibre characteristics - one of my soapboxes that I frequently clamber onto.  I've woven two towels, with the only difference the weft used, and will send them as an example of 'change one thing and everything can change'.  I'm aware that the change is not so much visual as tactile, but the point is, not all yarn is created 'equal'.  Or perhaps I should more accurately say 'the same'.

If the weaver does not learn about the nature of their materials, it will make decisions more difficult.

For anyone who has known me for any length of time (I've been teaching for 50 years as of this September) will recognize that the articles I write, including for this blog, will return to recurring themes over and over.  Sometimes I learn more.  Sometimes I finally figure out something that had been puzzling me.  Sometimes I learn something new-to-me.  Sometimes a student asks a question and I re-think what I 'knew' and arrive at a greater understanding of the craft.

The past few years have been...difficult...in so many ways.  One of those ways is that my mentors keep dying.  As a new weaver, most of my teachers/mentors were at least 10 years - or more - older than me.  So it's not particularly a surprise that some of them will (have) die(d) before me.  But the last two years it seemed that I kept hearing of more and more of them heading off to the great loom room in the sky (or down below - not sure where I'm destined to go.)

If there is an afterlife, I just hope to make it to the weaving room.

In the meantime, since I'm still here, I will keep on with my soapboxes.

If you want to know more about your materials, there are loads of books on textile science which will give the details on fibre characteristics.  My favourite is A Guide to Textiles for Interior Designers by Jackman and Dixon.  The first edition is fine and generally a lot cheaper than the newer editions.

But there are lots of others - ignore the AI web searches and look for textile science books.  They will all give pretty much the same information.  I like A Guide for the simple comparative charts and illustrations.  

Above all?  Never assume you know it 'all'.  There will always be something more, something new, to learn.  And that is why I keep getting up in the morning and getting to the studio.  And why this blog is called Weaving a Life.

In These Uncertain Times

 

In going through some binders of 'stuff' a while back, I 'found' this newspaper clipping.  It was from 1997, and I was having a small exhibit of my weaving in a local gallery/shop.  One of the things on display was the 3 piece outfit I wove, which won a 'technical excellence' award at the ANWG conference in Victoria, BC that year.

I used this outfit in Magic in the Water - yes, planning for that little 'excursion' was already well underway - and then almost wore the jacket out.  I no longer fit into the top and slacks, but oh well.

Having hit a 'significant' birthday this week, I have been doing a lot of thinking about...things.

I have no crystal ball that shows me what the future holds.  All I know is that we are living in 'interesting' times.  Charles Dickens kind of summed it up.  It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

History is the record of where we have come from - or it was until the current timeline, where you can't count on the 'news' accurately *reporting* what is happening but instead spews lies, misinformation (at best), disinformation (at the worst) and platforming people who wish others actual harm.

In one way, I'm relieved that I have no kids to leave this bit behind to muddle through.  In another I feel guilty because I'm not doing enough to prevent the harm I see looming on the horizon.  As if the present isn't 'bad' enough, it is poised to get worse...

And what am *I* doing?

Weaving tea towels.

Seriously?  

Um, yes.

There is very little I, personally, can do to fix what has gone horribly wrong in society today.  I can protest.  I can post sarcastic observations to social media.  I can vote (although I live in an historically 'conservative' riding, so my liberal vote doesn't do much).

On a personal level, I try to encourage other people.  I try to inform them, as best I can.  I try to be an example of someone who does not accept the dark reality we find ourselves in, right here, right now.

So, when I stumble across a reminder that I have 'accomplished' a few things, I remember that I tried to help others, I bear down and vow to keep on, keeping on.  

To show that being creative is a human thing to do, and is of value *because* it was done by a human.  I try to put positive, creative, energy out into the world.

There was a meme on FB the other day that said (I paraphrase) even if your only 'job' is to take hold of one thread in that tangled mess and tug, you might be holding the key to unlocking the tangle - so go ahead - TUG!  (my emphasis)

We cannot despair because then 'they' win.  Find some little thing you *can* do.  Some small act of resistance.  Keep on, keeping on.

In the meantime, I continue to write for so long as they will have me   My classes continue on School of Sweet Georgia and Longthread Media  and my books are still at Blurb.com

And for sarcasm, I'm on Bluesky as weaverlaura

Before and After

 

The photo shows the cloth, one piece is prior to wet finishing, (background) and the other after wet finishing (foreground).

It shows more in real life than in the photo but it does show a few things that if you squint you may see.

The blue colour has intensified.  During wet finishing, the threads slip/slide to areas of least resistance and the threads tend to tighten up.  The hard press then compresses the threads so that they indent into each other, increasing stability.  The overall look is that of the design having more definition and the colour to 'deepen'.  This cloth has slightly more white on the 'wrong' side and more blue on the 'right' side, and generally I choose the warp emphasis side to be the be 'right' side, even though I've woven it with the least number of shafts rising - in this case 7 instead of 8.

What you cannot see is the change in the tactile - the additional drape, the reduction of a sense of 'coarseness' in the finished fabric.

The finished fabric is no longer a collection of individual threads but a 'whole' cloth.

At times the change that happens in wet finishing is dramatic; at times subtle.  What happens, though, is that it changes.  In my opinion, that last final step is required to create useful, practical cloth, built to fulfill a purpose.

Not everyone wants to do that, and like one 'famous' weaver insisted, they were a weaver, not a laundry, and they never wet finished anything.  Others want to create effects that can *only* be achieved through the magic in the water.  

And some just want to make cloth that will wear well, and last well.  Wet finishing is part of helping those threads function as they should be able to do, if made well.

I don't remember who wanted to see the before and after photos, but I thought it was good to discuss this important (imho) step and try to show the effects.

Great Big Number

    

 

Well, I made it.  Wasn't sure I would, for a while.  But Life is Like That.

We awoke to a nice sunny day.  And no, we have no plans to 'celebrate'.  We don't generally do that.  Doug usually forgets his own birthday, never mind mine.  And neither of us *needs* gifts.  If we *need* something we buy it.

Lately, the only thing I *need* is more meds.

Yesterday I gave myself the 'gift' of cutting the warp off the loom.   There wasn't enough warp left to weave one more towel, and besides, I want to move on.  The next warp keeps calling.

I have to keep going, because if I don't, I give up.  And something, somewhere, seems to want me to stay here.  For a while, anyway.  Maybe the Loom Goddess sees that there is still room for improvement?  I know I sure do!

Or maybe I need to keep helping others, best I can?

Mostly, I just want to know more, understand more, about this craft.

Anyway, thank you to those who ordered items from my ko-fi shop.  My elderly desktop may not function well on Win 11 and my IT friend cautioned me to be prepared to replace it.  The sale continues until midnight tonight.  I'll decide if I run another sale in November.  Or not.  Too many loose cannons to tell if that will be a possibility, or not.

I've outlived my father and brother (and a whole lotta aunts and uncles), but not my mom.  Not that I'm sure I want to live to 90.  I'm tired.  Exhausted.  But I came out of the brain bleed in much better shape than I had any right to expect.  So, I guess I keep going.

The yarn for the additional samples arrived, but I feel like I need to do more thinking about how I'm going to execute them, in the most efficient way possible.  :)  So today I'm going to begin beaming the next tea towel warp, which I finished designing over the weekend.  And mentally I had already committed to doing that 'next'.  I have to have the samples to the magazine by the end of August(ish) but that won't take long once I get it figured out.  I just want to crunch the numbers to make sure I'm on track to do what they want.

At this point I am on 'bonus plus' time.  Whatever I can do will be just that - a bonus.  It's rather freeing, actually, not feeling like I have to 'prove' myself.  So when people tell me I don't know what I'm talking about (yes, some still do that), I don't care.  Maybe I just don't know what *they* want to know.  Or they don't want to know what *I* know.  It's nothing that diminishes me.  (Still processing this, but making headway.)   

In the meantime, I'm going to go get dressed and to the loom.  Start beaming that warp.  Looking forward to seeing how it looks once it's woven - and more importantly - wet finished.  Because you know it isn't finished until it's wet finished, right?  :D