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.