With Hope and Optimism

Continuing Education <coned@oldscollege.ca>	8:43 AM (15 minutes ago)
to

Olds College is excited to announce that we are now accepting proposals for workshops to be delivered at Fibre Week 2021.  If you know of someone else who may be interested in submitting a proposal, please feel free to share this email with them.  We invite all fibre experts who are interested in sharing their knowledge to fill out a proposal (or proposals) at the following link:

Fibre Week 2021 Workshop Proposal

Thank you

Continuing Education


This morning I received the above email - planning for 2021 has begun.

I am hopeful that all the measures that our country have put into place will contain the pandemic.  

I am hopeful that an effective vaccine will be developed and that the pandemic will be further contained by the development of 'herd immunity' by having vulnerable folk able to have the vaccination.

I am hopeful that everyone will make it through this troubling time and that we will be able to attend conferences and fibre gatherings, take workshops - or teach them.

Right now it appears that the predicted second wave is building.  Any thought of school opening the first week of September has been put on hold while this province grapples with increasing numbers of cases - again.

The way to wrestle this virus to the ground is for everyone to stay home if they can, wear a mask if they can't, maintain physical distance of at least six feet, wash their hands.

Lesson Planning

And so it begins.

This will be my first time teaching level four so I printed out the file the college sent and am now going through it to see what all is necessary, both in terms of my bringing appropriate teaching aids and a group warp.  For level one and two, the instructor sets up a group warp for the class to use in turn, and I need to find out what the level four group warp entails.

However this morning I woke up with an eye-watering muscle spasm between spine and shoulder blade.  Pain killers are barely making a dent in the pain and I doubt I'm going to be able to weave so paging through the manual seems like a mighty fine idea.

The more I teach this program, the more I appreciate what the course designers have built into it.  I remember filling out a very lengthy questionnaire when they were first working on it and of course I stuck my oar in about wet finishing.  It was years later when I applied for and was accepted to teach the program and was very pleased when I read through the manuals to see what all had been included.

Level one begins with wool as the yarn, plain weave, basket, and twill as the main focus.  (Other variations are included but they all build on those initial weave structures.)

Level two works with cotton, twill, overshot and double weave.

Level three addresses unit weaves and expands to linen and silk.

Level four has a focus mainly on colour and design.

In addition to all that, exercises push students to explore other aspects of weaving, especially in terms of communication - so written work, documentation, photography, and in level four building a portfolio.

There is much, much more - these are just a taste of what is included.

Students sometimes don't understand that all the exercises, yes, even the paper weaving, have been included for very specific instructional reasons.  They all, even the photography, are there to further the students in learning about the broader aspect of being a weaver - in the broadest context - in the 21st century.

It is also a program that is pushing people to learn the basics, yes, but also the principles of the craft.  The sorts of things that rarely get addressed in a seminar or a two day workshop, because there simply isn't time.

Level one also addresses ergonomics.  Me being me, I love this part of the class because I get to tell people in depth about how to protect their body from repetitive stress injuries as best they can.  I love digging into things like how density affects the finished cloth, and the wet finishing.

This year I am teaching level four and two in Cape Breton and level one at Olds College Fibre Week.  Even if someone isn't interested in taking the entire program, I would like to encourage people to at least take level one.  It is the foundation upon which the rest sits.

If someone can't take the class, then I recommend Jane Stafford's on line guild.

If you sign up now, you get all the previous lessons as well as joining the current content.  Jane and I do some things differently, we have had different experiences and different teachers.  But she will give good information and I suggest that if you want a good solid foundation of weaving knowledge you won't go wrong taking her on line classes.  Some of the things she does may resonate better than what I do.   Choose your expert.  Learn enough to become your own expert.

Someone asked me if I was going to teach on line now that I'm retired.  The answer is no.  Jane is doing a fabulous job and there is no need for me to join in with one.  If someone wants to learn from me there are resources - my books, the DVDs I did for Interweave which are now available from Long Threads Media as on line 'workshops' and my humble attempt at short video clips on You Tube.

Or Olds College.  This year in Cape Breton for level four and two, or level one at Olds Fibre Week.

And On We Go...

The conference registration is ticking along (we'd love to see more people sign up - it's gonna be a time!) and it is time to lift my head up out of that particular deep well and start looking beyond mid-June and to what comes next.

Now that I'm beginning to feel better - for however long that lasts - I am looking forward to possibly teaching at Olds Fibre Week (to be confirmed - or not - depends on registration - as do all events, including the conference).  Fibre Week has been moved to July which means that if I'm there I will be celebrating my birthday with fibre friends. 

In August I'm booked to teach level two and one (in that order) at the Yadkin Arts Centre which is in North Carolina, then back to the John C. Campbell Folk School in September.

In the meantime there is marking from last years students to be done.  There is a flock of boxes en route so I will be checking the mail box daily to make sure I grab them as they arrive.  I will mark in order of arrival.

Feedback from students is that level one is challenging but the lessons learned are significant.  If anyone is thinking of doing the program, consider the fact that it is a college level certificate course and that with the increase in satellite programming you can take it on either coast now.  This year level one was presented on the Sunshine Coast north of Vancouver, level two is scheduled at Tenino, WA (near Olympia), Cape Breton is offering levels 1-3, North Carolina is offering all four levels in August and of course, at Olds, AB during Fibre Week.  Even if you only ever take level one, you will learn a lot of stuff - things that don't normally get addressed in workshops because there just isn't time.  (If you can't take the program, I suggest my book which covers some of the curriculum - it's why I love teaching level one because I've been preaching this level of knowledge for years and finally got it down on paper...)

The other advantage of a core curriculum is that students can move from campus to campus - for example the level one class here launched a couple of people over to Olds for level two.  Level one at Olds launched someone over to Cape Breton and to Yadkin.  And so on. 

Here, spring is coming along with all the rites of spring - the woodpecker hammering away on the metal cover of the street lamp, the dust advisories, the flooded streets.  Spring Break Up - the season that lasts too long...

Weaving to Spec

One of the things I needed to learn when I became a weaver was to figure out how to weave to 'spec'. 

What does that mean?  It means I had to weave to a certain quality - given specifications.

At first those specifications were determined by me - I wanted a very particular quality of cloth.  The first step was to clearly articulate what those qualities were.  Then the challenge was to determine how to achieve those qualities.

And that's when the sampling happened.  I would try a particular yarn, experiment with density, weave structure, wet finishing techniques.  Yes, I wet finished the samples because until I did, the true nature of the cloth was still unknown.

Over the years I also wove for others.  In those instances I had to weave to their specifications.  Sometimes they gave me all the details but then I had to meet their criteria.

I wove upholstery fabric for vintage cars.  I wove yardage for another weaver/designer,.  I wove for a fashion designer, ultimately also doing some exploration for her - she would tell me the effect she wanted supplying the yarns she wanted used and I would weave 7-10 samples, recording everything.  Once she chose which she wanted I would then put those into production.  I have even woven tartans for a mill because it was cheaper for them to hire a handweaver to make 10 yards for samples than set up their industrial equipment.  (Seven shuttles - it was an experience!)

Along the way I also started the Guild of Canadian Weavers master weaver program.  That entire program was weaving to spec - the program's specifications.

The Olds master weaver program is also all about learning how to weave to spec.  The Olds program is different from the GCW program in that students get in person instruction and strategies for how to learn how to weave to spec.

Each program does approach weaving from the same intent, they just go about it differently.  GCW is a testing program, Olds is a teaching program.

My entire career I have spent trying to explain to weavers why they might want to approach weaving from this direction, but truthfully?  Not everyone has to or needs to.  However, what the craft needs to stay pertinent and vital is a core of people who do understand the craft at the level of being able to conceive, extrapolate, and articulate how to create textiles that will successfully serve their intended purpose.

Recently there was an article about the resurgence of weaving as a craft.  I started weaving just as the last resurgence began in the 1970s.  Weaving is real estate hungry and budget hungry and not everyone wants to can afford to weave on a floor loom.  But there are other options - rigid heddle looms, back strap looms, inkle looms.  There are also techniques such as card weaving, finger weaving, and braiding.  Even bobbin lace incorporates weaving - I call it weaving where you build your loom as you go and where warps can change into wefts and vice versa!

I expect that the craft of weaving will continue for a very long time.  My hope is that the students of the Olds program will continue on to teach, even if it is just one person, write, even if it is just blogs, design, even if it is just for their own enjoyment.  But mostly my wish is that the knowledge of the bones of the craft will continue, on into the future.

Currently reading Fall Down Dead by Stephen Booth

Planting Seeds

On social media feeds I have been seeing people with their spring seed catalogues and packets, making plans for the future.

A sense of optimism prevails and we make our plans, plant our seeds.

And this is how I feel about teaching.  Planting seeds.  I tend to spread my little nuggets of information as broadly as possible - here, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram - because I never know where one of those seeds will take root.

Sometimes people will contact me and let me know that they have taken root with them.  And I deeply appreciate their taking the time to let me know.  As I spread my thoughts, my knowledge, my opinions with wild abandon I sometimes look upon myself with a certain amount of chagrin at how bold, how brazen I can sometimes be.

But then I see the spark of understanding light up someone's eyes and the cockles of my heart warm.

A new year brings new dates.  Nothing is set in stone yet.  Many details still need to be hammered out.  But I can say that - should there be sufficient registration - I have accepted the level one class at Olds Fibre Week for this year.

There are also plans forming for Cape Breton, a possibility of level one and two.

And another seed is seeing if it will take root, but plans are too nebulous to talk about yet.

So - stay tuned!

Currently reading Princess Elizabeth's Spy by Susan Elia Maclean

Details, Details

I've been working on a research project the past while and today wound the next two 'full sized sample' warps to explore options.

While rough sleying this warp I started thinking but the upcoming Olds classes in Cape Breton and Olds, AB and about how weaving, as such, wasn't all that difficult.  It was just crossing one set of threads with another.  There are many, many ways to accomplish this, from needle weaving, to back strap weaving, to rigid heddle weaving, to floor loom weaving, to draw looms and Jacquard looms.  And a whole bunch of other options.

Recently I was talking with someone who just returned from a tour of India and we agreed that the complexity of the loom wasn't what made great textiles, it was the skill of the weaver using whatever tools they had.  

I have seen amazing textiles made on the most rudimentary of looms.

The difficulty, if you will, in learning how to weave is in the details.  Because when one thing changes, everything can change.

And this is what I am doing with this project.  Taking one type of yarn, trying various options, seeing what happens, then changing one thing, trying that, analyzing the results, changing one more thing, rinse, repeat.

Making cloth is truly in the details.

Whatever equipment you use, which ever techniques you use, really doesn't matter.  What matters is the cloth that comes off the loom.  Learning all the little details makes the task more interesting to me, but really, weaving?  Just crossing one set of threads with another.  With details.

Nothing Ventured

So here is the initial sample I wove yesterday and wet finished.  I gained valuable information from weaving and wet finishing it.  For example, initially I liked the top most bit the best, but after wet finishing it had not softened and felt very plain weave 'stiff' while the lower plain weave bit woven with the hand spun had a much more appealing feel.  So I will be going with that.

I also discovered an issue with the selvedge that required tweaking for the twill scarves.

This is why I sample.  Rather than have the whole project 'fail', I use up a bit of the 'precious' hand spun to make sure I am going in the direction I want to wind up.

The popular cliche is Nothing ventured, Nothing gained.  So I ventured forth, explored some possibilities and now have enough information that I am fairly confident I will wind up with a scarf that I will find appealing to wear next to the skin.

On another note, I received official notification today that there were insufficient registrations for the two Olds classes to run in Prince George.  I hope that anyone interested will look at Fibre Week in Olds in June.  

But again, Nothing Ventured, Nothing gained.  By offering the classes here, more people have discovered the program and will hopefully make plans in the future to participate in the program,

For me, it's back to the studio.  I have other appointments today and, since I want to weave the scarf all in one sitting, I will wind the other two warps and call it a day.  

Currently reading Convergence by C. J. Cherryh

Planning Stages

Hard to believe, but I'm already working on my 2017 calendar...

So far all dates are tentative, subject to change, but here is what is in the planning:

(November 26/27, 2016 - Mug Rugs and More, Prince George Fibre Arts guild room)

2017

May 13-18 Olds Level One, Prince George
May 20-25 Olds Level Two, Prince George

The Olds classes* are usually five days, but I prefer to do them in six.  This gives an 'extra' day to the students to absorb the very dense information 'dump' during the class(es).  The classes in Prince George are also smaller - max of 10

June 5-9  Olds Level One, Gaelic College, St. Ann's, NS (on beautiful Cape Breton Island)

June 16-22 Olds Fibre Week.  I'm not sure if I will be teaching there yet, but hopefully Level One

June 28-July 1 ANWG conference Treadle Lightly at Victoria, BC  I'm booked to present two seminars

October 21-22  Lace Weave workshop with Olympia, WA guild.  Looking for another group to book the weekend prior in order to share travel costs

*Remember that if you pass a level, you can take the next level at a different location if it is more convenient for you.  You do have to pass the level in time to register for the next level.  Check the Olds College website in the new year for registration information.

Summing Up

How to sum up an extraordinary experience?   Do I talk about the campus, with its gardens?   The merchant mall?  (Yes, I exercised my plastic.). The fellow teachers?  Getting to know two of the spinning teachers?   Getting to know the other weaving teachers better?  Do I wax eloquent about the supportive and friendly staff?  The delightful presentation on the history of Cowichan sweaters?

No. Although there was all of that - and more. 

For it was/is the students, always the students, who truly make this week worth the 10-11 hour drive.  The van load full of much of my studio.  Connecting with the 'next' generation of weavers who are passionate about learning the nitty-gritty behind the craft.  Willing to risk 'failure' in pursuit of knowledge.  Diving into the complexity of what goes into making cloth, cloth suitable for its purpose, understanding that there are no definitive answers, that all depends, that there are many highways and byways to the destination.  That it is truly a journey.  A voyage of never ending discovery.  And that just when you think you know 'all' there is to know, you realize the goal posts just got moved.  Again!

And ultimately?  Those moving goal posts are not a frustration, but a challenge to be met.  

Embarrassment of Riches

This is just some of the yarn I am trying to use up.  

So far I have woven a few warps of two scarves each, and wound six more.  And I haven't even scratched the surface because there are many more boxes of yarn still in storage...this was just an effort to design a scarf line and begin weaving it.  

The van is loaded with much of my studio tools so I decided to not do any weaving today.  Instead I have been trying to think what else I might have forgotten.  And so far remembered a couple of critical things!   Like the class manual with my notes and sheets for marking class exercises!  Oops...that would have been bad.  

The rain has stopped...for now.  So glad my route is east, not north as that highway is closed due to washouts.  Fingers crossed the rain has truly stopped.  

Still a few more personal items to pack, but I am nearly ready.  

Begin, Again

Now that the warp on the AVL is woven, it is time to get back to Olds class prep.  I kept thinking I had three weeks.  Wrong!  I have (gulp) nine days!

So it is back to warp winding, sample pulling, teaching aid deciding, equipment packing, papers photocopying, and CD burning.  

I can't forget anything because there will be no running home at lunch to fetch things...

Planning for the Future

With the first Olds satellite class about to begin here in Prince George thoughts are turning to the future - because once level one is successfully completed, provisions need to be made for level two, right?  And because not everyone who is interested was able to take level one this year, but might be ready next year...well, calendars have been consulted, plans drawn up, dates set aside.

The next questions is - will there be enough interested people for level two to go ahead next year and will there be enough interest in level one next year?  Who knows.  Life Happens, sometimes in a big way and plans made can fall apart.

But, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

And so I propose that 2017 offer the following...in Prince George, level two May 20-25 and level one May 27-June 1.

If I can remember how to post a survey to my blog I will add that to the banner to see if people are actually interested.  If so, I will talk to the powers that be in Olds when I am there in June.

What is really exciting is that a couple of people have inquired about having satellite programs in their neighbourhoods - stay tuned!

Learning

One of the lessons in Level one of the Olds program is to look at colour value.  As such, it is sometimes hard for people to distinguish the difference in value between shades of the same colour.  One nifty way to help see value differences is to render them in black and white.  I took the top photo with my iPad, then saved it in the Instagram app in black and white.   Another way to do this is to make butterflies of the yarn or wrap the yarn and then photocopy it to get the grey value scale.  

I think I may add natural to the value gamp but I'm still thinking about black.  Yes?  No?   Maybe so?

Colour interactions between shades that are of a high value contrast can sometimes be a bit jarring visually.  Weaving a value gamp can be a very useful learning tool.  Colour gamps are also helpful in order to see how colours interact in woven structure.  Different weave structures can cause the colours to blend differently.  I have colour gamps in many different combinations and will have all of them available in class for the students to study.  (Along with a whole bunch more of my samples!)

So, my teaching schedule for the next few months looks like this:

May 21-26.  Level one Olds program, Prince George

June 3-5.  Mug rugs and more, Edmonton guild

June 19-23 Level one Olds program in Olds

August 26-28 Cape Breton (still looking for another workshop in the Maritimes between August 30 and Sept 8 - either that or a weaver friendly b&b)

That's all I have booked for the rest of the year.  I tend to not book teaching from October onwards because then we are well into the craft fair season and even though I have cut back one show this year, I'm not overly fond of traveling to teach during the winter.

Next year, other than Olds (if the classes get sufficient registration to 'go'), all I have is the ANWG conference in Victoria, BC June 30 to July 2

However, I am very much hoping that level two will run in PG in May next year.  I have had a few people say they would also like level one in PG, but I will need at least 6, preferably 7, so if anyone thinks they might like to take level one here in PG in 2017, let me know.  If I get enough names, I can approach the college about setting up a level one, perhaps in April.

Reprieve

So the six month emotional roller coaster successfully crested another hill and I am coasting for another six months.  Now that I know I'm good to go for a while longer I can start making some plans for the coming year. 

I am also delighted to be off the beta blocker which was causing way more problems than benefits and I feel like I have myself back again.  

Over the past year I have had zero energy and therefore turned into a slug, dragging myself through the days, consuming far too much sugar, exercising far too little and gaining weight.  Not recommended for someone with coronary artery disease!

Getting the go ahead to live without chemical interference, enjoying a beautiful early spring day, I started walking again.  If I am no longer healthy, I can at least be as fit as possible...

One of the reasons I needed off the beta blockers was the fatigue that was preventing me from being able to think...something I had to do on the weekend in order to be able to teach.  There were seven students, all of whom did very well.  I hope that they feel inspired to continue.  

The good news just kept on coming today.  There are seven registered for the Olds class here in PG* and 12(!) for Olds Fibre Week in June. 

I have two more students work from level one last year to mark, three more who have asked for extensions and hopefully will submit this summer.  

But best of all?   I am beginning to be able to think again, which means I should be able to get back to writing as soon as the homework is marked.  

There are plans for teaching in the works and holidays/travel to plan.  I try to live in the moment, but cultivate dreams for the future. 

*there are still a couple of spots left...just sayin'