I have been thinking about how learning works. I mean what does a person need to do when confronted with a very large pool of knowledge - more an ocean than a pool. Where do they start? How do they manage the info dump that can be presented? How do they file that info dump away? How do they access it later?
Perhaps these questions are more important to me since the brain injury, which happened in my speech centre. And because I was hoping to keep teaching for my twilight years. And now struggle with words.
And over and over I come back to the same answer. If you want better answers, you need to ask better questions.
Which is facile, I know, and what the hell is a 'better' question when you don't know anything?
So I've been thinking. A lot. About learning. And teaching.
I gave the first Zoom presentation in two years on Saturday. It was, thankfully, a small group, but a diverse one. At least two of the people were very experienced and the rest seemed to range from beyond beginner on up.
The topic was The Weaver's Toolbox, and I talked about how looms functioned, trying to convey the mechanics of how most of the common looms worked. Plus some other tools.
At the end, there were questions. Thoughtful ones. Questions that let me know that the questioner had been processing the information, thought about it, started to follow the thread I had presented, and wanted to define the information so that they could fit it into their foundation of knowledge.
As we get AI stuffed down our throats from every direction, this is a process that we need to keep active - the absorption of information, processing it to make sure it is making sense within context, and analyze it to make sure it is fully understood. This is the very opposite of what LLM/AI does - which is essentially make stuff up.
I see it on chat groups when someone asks a question and someone responds by posting an AI response - inevitably not helpful or even accurate in many cases. AI does not understand the craft. How can it? It is just making up an answer that appears plausible.
OTOH, dozens of us are out here trying our hardest to help new weavers make sense of the craft. Sometimes even showing a light on something they may have not quite understood before.
After sitting and thinking about the presentation on Saturday, I am encouraged. I managed to get through the 60+ minute presentation without losing my words. It helps that I already have my 'script' created, which reminds me of the path I want to follow. The thing that helped me the most was realizing that even in the 30 minutes after the presentation I was still able to answer questions, not all of them directly related to the topic. So I'm feeling a glimmer of optimism that I can take up the reins again, and who knows, keep teaching.
I am also encouraged to see others saying the same things I've been saying for decades. Even new weavers seem to be aware of wet finishing, and are taking that 'final' step into consideration.
I suppose if nothing else, helping to bring awareness of that step means that I've done my 'job'.
Over the past couple of years I've seen notices of the original Magic in the Water for sale - weavers downsizing, or in estate sales. If one comes up it has 20 (or more) samples with actual fabric samples, before and after wet finishing. I hoped it would become a valued resource for weavers, and so it appears it has. The text (with photos) version is still available both in print or pdf download.
My other books were an attempt to explain some of the subtle effects that need to be considered in weaving. (Also available using the above link.)
If you are a new weaver, get some books. Read as many as you can. Realize that not all experienced weavers will make the same recommendations - we may differ on details, but most agree on the principles of the craft.
Find the end of a thread and carefully tease it out until you can see it fully - if you can.
Weave 'samples'. A sample can be a scarf. Or a tea towel. A pot holder. A mug rug. Study samples woven by others if you can. If you can't, study photos in magazines. And read how the weaver created the effect that intrigues you.
Above all - think. Don't assume. Ask yourself why something is happening. Ask questions. As you learn, your questions will become more informed and you'll get better answers.
Learning is a lifetime activity, if you should desire to make it a part of your creative processes.
The life so short the craft so long to learn...
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