Am I Blue?

Yes I am.  Loving this blue warp.  It doesn't look like much at a distance though, so I'll get a better photo once it comes round to the back of the loom.

As usual I'm weaving it 'upside down' in order to lift the fewest shafts.  This puts the majority of the linen on one face of the cloth, the cotton on the other.

Part of this warp will be used for samples for the Seattle Weaver's Guild.  I'm no longer a member - let that lapse this year - but since I'm using Lynn's yarn as weft and I know the person in charge of samples, decided to contribute another one.  I'm sure that Lynn isn't the only weaver who had this particular yarn in her stash.  :)

Greying Weavers, Young Weavers

Yesterday Mizz B came and helped Doug unload the van, then she helped me sort through the spinning fibres so I could take an inventory. Today sometime I will be updating my website with the actual numbers of what is available. After dinner Doug and I took the stack of bins and boxes to the annex to get them off the new floor in the living room. :) (Yes that's a handwoven throw protecting the floor - it's now a packing blanket because it's got threadbare spots in it from being used.)

I also had a visit from someone 'local' who has mohair goats. She is trying to sell her fibres so I bought some to re-sell. Unfortunately I may have to get my web master to create a new page on my website to list those for sale. :}

Today has been a quiet day after the flurry of activity the past week. As I mentioned in an earlier post I haven't been feeling well and await an appointment tomorrow in hopes of having a date for a medical test and procedure if it is deemed necessary.

I have been thinking a lot about the 'greying of the guilds' given my own personal journey the past couple of years and that of friends who are also entering a time in their lives when bodies seem to start breaking down - much sooner than anyone ever anticipated. :(

When I decided to become a weaver at the tender age of 24 I resented the stereotype of all weavers being 'little old ladies in running shoes.' Now I are one. Truly. I turn 60 this year - remember when 60 seemed absolutely ancient????

During the conference I spent some time visiting with weavers I've gotten to know over the years and talked about aches and pains and lack of energy. One of the other vendors had just had surgery to correct a problem - literally. Her husband had picked her up from the hospital and brought her to the hall for set up. Another vender has had back problems for years and lots of surgeries. We all limped and struggled through the weekend, me feeling very tired and old. :(

A number of weavers expressed concern about their age and the size of their stashes - what would happen to all their textile toys when they could no longer weave?

But then - oh then - on Saturday came a trickle of young people. Young women and a few young men - in their 20's - excited by the display of yarns and fibres. Some of them were knitters, some felters, some spinners, and some weavers. One young couple in particular were a delight - he interested in weaving, she in spinning and knitting.

By the end of the weekend I was feeling much more hopeful about the future of the craft.

Perhaps it is because there is an active provincial guild in Alberta, perhaps because there is a textile program run through Olds College where they have a Fibre Week every year.

Whatever the cause there seem to be a growing number of young people coming along with a bright shine in their eyes, and a thirst for knowledge about textiles.

On my own home front there is Mizz B. Even though she moves back 'home' at the end of the month we are hoping to keep her learning. I suggested she download the test levels from the Guild of Canadian Weavers (http://thegcw.org) and we use those as a long distance learning guide. Then when she can make it here to visit family she can come for evaluation of what she has done as 'homework'.

I'm looking forward to seeing what she accomplishes.

Currently reading Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Measuring

One of the ways I earned my income as a production weaver was to weave yardage for a fashion designer. Since I billed per yard woven, I needed a fast and accurate way to measure the fabric, both on and off the loom.

I found a meter - a very expensive one, I might add - built for the textile industry which is accurate in the way that the cheap small ones aren't. Since I was going to rely on the meter for my invoicing, accuracy was of the highest priority.

The meter could be purchased with various measuring wheels so I bought two - one with a textured circumference (as shown above) for measuring fabric, the second with a channel for measuring yarn (for when I'm filling spools for beaming sectionally, etc.)

This meter has been well used and was well worth the price - for me. It's probably overkill for most.

Doug made a wooden gizmo to use for attaching it to the bottom of the loom between the cloth storage roller and the front directional roller. It sits just inside (about an inch) of the selvedge, and counts in feet, rather than yards or inches.

Once done weaving, I would transfer the cloth to my inspection table (also built by Doug - what can I say - he's a keeper!) where I would measure for billing purposes, then inspect and repair the cloth before shipping.

I still use the table for inspection and repair although I no longer weave for the fashion designer. It's just so much easier to stand at the table which was built for me and Doug to do this job than anywhere else. (Doug used to be my studio assistant.)

This method of measuring was much more efficient than any other. Since I was weaving anywhere from 3 to 50 yards (or more) of any particular fabric, using a measuring tape or string or any other method was not going to work particularly well. All I have to do is figure out how much length I need in feet, and then check the meter from time to time to see how close I'm getting to the finish line.

Speaking of finishing lines, I figure I need about 20 feet of this 20" wide fabric to do the samples for Seattle Weavers Guild. They send out between 350 and 360 newsletters, so it's a pretty big job for everyone involved. OTOH, they are still sending out actual samples most of the time, and that's something that not every guild is doing anymore.