Driver's Manual

 

I get it.  People are interested in weaving.  So they buy a loom and then...ask for a 'manual' for the type of loom they bought - usually second (or more) hand loom.  Sometimes they know so little they don't even know if the loom is complete.

Or they wonder which brand it is - because the 'manual' didn't come with it.

It's like buying a car then expecting the Owner's Manual to teach you how to drive.

There is a vast distance between owning a piece of kit and knowing how to use it.

What I wish is that every person interested in weaving would buy a 'how to weave' book *first* and then get a loom.  

I mean there are lots of books that will teach a person how to weave.  I know several people who learned how to weave with a copy of Mary Black or Margaret Atwater or Deborah Chandler in one hand while sitting at the loom/warping board, etc.

It can be done.  But don't expect the loom's owners manual to teach you how to weave, is all I'm saying.

(That said, if you go to the Leclerc website you *can* download the small book that Robert Leclerc wrote that will teach you how to weave, illustrated with Leclerc products.)

There are so many 'how to weave' books available that everyone should be able to find one that suits their learning style.  

Of course, in person is 'best'.  To demonstrate a process/technique is much quicker than to try to read through a lot of weaver language that you probably don't understand - yet.

So if you are really truly wanting to learn, I advise you to buy a book and read through it.  Absorb the language.  It's 'sleying' not 'slaying' (I know auto correct will tell you it's wrong, but it isn't), and while I'm on it, it's dyeing, not dying.  No one wants you to die for the craft, but will encourage you to dye for it.

I wrote my book as a way to help people weave 'better'*.  I cover things like ergonomics, fibre characteristics, how to read a draft, how different weave structures work.  I talk about the relationship of the various factors in designing a cloth interact.  It's not a 'how to weave' book as such, but how *I* weave.  And if you want to weave like me, I tell you how I do it.  But ultimately, you have to decide what works for you, given your equipment, physical attributes, what quality of cloth you want to make, using the yarns you want to make them with.

Because change one thing, and everything can change.

Keep in mind that as a new weaver you are first and foremost making a weaver.  Once you have gained enough experience to understand the dynamics of the craft, then you can work on 'perfect' textiles.  And no, there will likely never come a time when you stop making mistakes.  But if you have been paying attention you will  have also learned how to fix them.  And learned also to accept 'good' if you didn't quite manage 'perfect'.  Not that I don't *want* my textiles to be perfect!  Far from it.  But I also know when a mistake will affect the textile adversely in performing its function, and when I can be human and perfectly imperfect, at times.

If you can't manage an in person class, I have classes on line at School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media (Handwoven)

*Please note - I am Canadian and I write in Canadian English.  All those spelling 'mistakes' you see are not typos.  That is true for all of my books, my articles in WEFT - because they use the form of English that the author of the article uses, and do not convert them to US English default.  

Carrots. Sticks.

 

if life were easy...

Anyone following this blog for any time will be aware that I've managed to stumble through a bunch of health issues.  

If it was 'easy', everyone would be doing it?

Anyway, it has NOT been 'easy', and I'm a long way away from being fully functional.  However, as the neurosurgeon said to me "Don't wait until you are healed to live your life."

On the other hand, I seem to be gaining ground and managing to consider what the future would hold for me.

The last time I talked to my therapist, she asked me to consider what I want to be (she didn't add 'when you grow up', but...)

I have thought about that question for almost two weeks and I still am not exactly sure how to answer that question.

Every time I think about it, all I can come up with is....more.

Mostly?  More teaching.  More sharing.  More encouraging.  As well as more kind, more caring, more helpful.

Given my current physical issues, how do I do that?

Well, we now have the internet.  I have been writing this blog since 2008.  During the worst of the covid pandemic, I produced 11 presentations geared to being 'broadcast' via the internet.  And then began offering them as guild programs/seminars - until August 28, 2024 when I had the brain bleed.

But they are already written.  So I have a script to keep me on track.  I presented one of them in January this year and have another booked for the 28th of Feb.  

So, do I gear up and offer the seminars again?  Myself?  Not wait for a guild to contact me, then deal with 6 am wakeups to present first thing in *their* morning (dark o'clock for me)?

Or do I go ahead and set up the seminars and offer them - for a price/fee?

I see so many new weavers floundering with questions, really good in-depth questions, questions that I find myself not able to answer within the confines of a chat group reply box.  

So, I write articles for WEFT.  But I have other things I want to say/write, outside of their editorial focus.  I already wrote not 1, not 2, but 3 books.  But since I wrote those I have learned more.  And sometimes what I want to say goes beyond even a blog post parameters.

Do I write 'articles', edit and then self-publish and sell them as a pdf download?  Not sure I have the spoons or technology to do that.

Or do I recycle the 2 hour seminars and offer them?

Do I book 'Ask me anything' sessions?  Or one on one tutoring?

So I respectfully ask - what do YOU think I should do?

Email me laura at laurafry dot com

Let's talk.

Better Questions

 

pretty painted warps for eye candy

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...

Reply Guys

 

I'm no stranger to 'reply guys' trying to 'teach' me things.  Mostly I ignore them.  Mostly.

Recently one replied to a short answer I wrote in an online group to 'teach' me because my answer 'wasn't entirely correct'.  Of course it wasn't. It was a very brief response to a specific question  - a question that would require a chapter in a book  (perhaps - ahem - above) to fully address, with all the 'it depends' factors.  He implied that I was ignorant - or purposefully obfuscating.

It was obvious he had little to no idea of my background in educating new weavers, or the leeway I allow for personalized solutions based on the weaver running the experiments, weaving the samples, figuring out what the hard and fast facts are, and which rules can be mangled to create something specific.  So, no, I didn't cover all that in a short paragraph.  No, my answer wasn't 'complete'.  But my goal was not to be complete, because I tried to come close(r) to complete in The Intentional Weaver.  If he had read it, he may have been able to see more of my very targeted message to a new weaver, struggling with a very specific issue.

Because until the weaver has laid down a solid foundation of knowledge, it is hard to begin to understand the underpinning mechanics and physics of the craft, and then tweak what you do, and how you do it.  Until that understanding is solid, the new weaver stands on a shaky foundation.

But I took some time to reflect on my career.  I thought about my approach, how I talk to very new weavers, trying to work out what their current issue is, give them enough information to move forward, to grow their knowledge base, learn for themselves the dynamics at play.  This cannot (imho) be whiffed away because I am not 'completely correct' about the craft as a universe, I am merely trying to bring each individual forward by one more step on their quest to learn.

As for 'breaking' or 'bending' the rules, I am constantly pushing, tweaking, tugging here, there, finding out where those actual boundaries are.  Of *course* my answer was incomplete.  New weavers cannot be confused by all the variables or they (most of them) collapse in confusion.  It is too frustrating.  Too difficult.  You don't talk to a 5 year old (usually) about calculus!  Or if you do, you use appropriate language.

So, I stand by my brief answers on chat groups.  That doesn't make me 'wrong'.  It makes me a thoughtful, considerate teacher, trying to answer the explicit question.  

I told the reply guy that I prefer to teach 'best practices', but he took exception to that, too.  

It was just another reply guy in my 50 year journey of exploring the pathways and boundaries of this craft.  

I will never forget the day when I answered a question on a chat group, from someone who wanted to set up his AVL in a very specific way.  Since I used my AVL* in specifically that way, I decided to answer, because all the replies had - to that point - told him he would 'ruin' his loom abusing it that way.  I probably should have answered privately, but I was on a quick break from the loom and needed to get back to it because I had a deadline - and weaving was how I earned my income.

So I quickly explained what I did, and went back to the loom.

A while later I came back to see if the OP had any further questions, and was met with a dog pile of several 'reply guys' all calling me ignorant, that I was abusing my loom, I was going to destroy it, and I needed, post haste, to hie myself to Chico and take classes so I was using the loom 'properly'.

Since I had been using the loom in precisely that way for literally 20 years, and no sign of damaging it, I closed the desktop and went back - to abuse my AVL some more.

When I went back later, Allen Fannin had responded to the reply guys saying (I paraphrase) that we (Allen and me) had agreed to disagree on a number of things, but when I said something people need to pay attention because I knew what I was talking about.

I was stunned at the public support from someone as knowledgeable as Allen Fannin (who had very firm opinions) and I have never forgotten the vote of confidence from him.  (Yes, we agreed to disagree about a number of things - but I respected where he was coming from and the knowledge his opinions were based upon - but change one thing and everything can change...)

So, while I have never articulated this before, here is where I stand - I have learned a great deal about this craft.  I have learned (generally speaking) how most people learn.  I have learned that you don't do an info dump about all the levels of complexity onto a brand new weaver.  I try to build their foundation of knowledge by adding the complexity in stages and letting them fit that information into their foundation of knowledge when it begins to make sense.

And I am not afraid to bend and mangle the 'rules' when I need to do so to create something specific.  But I will continue to try to teach 'best practices' and *then* remind them that when one thing changes, everything can change, and try.  Weave the samples.  Examine them.  Learn from them.  Do what you need to do.  FAFO, as they say.  But don't just throw out the 'rule book' without considering *why* there is a 'rule book'.  

Learn as much as you can about your materials, and your equipment.  I have made many modifications to my equipment over the years.  When people recoil in horror, I reassure them that I understand the basic principles of the mechanics involved, the physics, and have an in-house woodworker who *also* understands mechanics and physics and has the workshop to do quite extensive modifications if we both agree that is the best thing to do.

So no, my 100 word (at best) answer to a question on a chat group was not meant to cover the entirety of the possibilities that were available, but to give a new weaver having problems an answer.  An answer that they could grow their foundation of knowledge further and more usefully with.  Set down some 'boundaries' - for the now moment.

My knowledge is far greater than I generally share with new weavers.  It is too overwhelming.  Too confusing.  But I'm delighted when I find someone who wants to go forth to discover those complexities and we can talk subtleties.

It depends on which 'hat' I am wearing in the moment.  

For anyone at all who wants to know more, you are welcome to this blog, or my social media.  You are welcome to email me with specific questions.  laura at laurafry dot com

My books are still available at blurb.

My classes are still available at:

School of Sweet Georgia

Long Thread Media (classes and articles in back issues of Handwoven)

And if you *want* more subtlety, more in-depth knowledge:  WEFT Magazine

Now that I'm 'retired' (and dealing with health issues making life...challenging) I am finding solace and, indeed, therapy, by continuing to weave.  Continuing to ask why.  Continuing my personal journey of learning and exploration.  WEFT seems interested in what I look at, and my journey of learning while I do.  And they don't insist I have definitive answers but accept that it is huge, this craft.  And it may take more than just one person poking at it to bring more information forward for all of us to benefit from.

(now descending from the current soapbox...there's a loom that wants setting up...)

*Jon Violette told me just before he left AVL for other pursuits that Doug and I had essentially beta-tested the AVL Production Loom - me by using it *as* a production loom, and Doug by making changes TO the loom to make it work better.

Complexity. Subtlety.

 

As a new weaver, it gets confusing to try and figure out things like weaving drafts.  What do those little black boxes mean?  How do you get plain weave on this weave structure?  Where are the odds vs even treadles that weave 'tabby'?

It can be frustrating to make sense out of what you *know* to be true - tabby or plain weave is always, always odd shafts vs even shafts.  Confusion reigns.

It can be really hard to break through that wall of absolute certainty - because 'My teacher told me tabby is *always* odds against the evens!'

Yeah, about that...

Sometimes teachers are just plain wrong, or they gave you a nugget of the information, not the whole picture.  Simplifying for immediate use, not to understand the larger complexity and/or subtlety of the craft.

Plain weave (or tabby) is when every thread alternates such that a plain weave interlacement can be achieved.

If you look at the draft above, which is an 8 shaft Bronson Lace, take a close look at the tie up.  See the two treadles at the far left?  One treadle is tied to just shaft one.  The other treadle is tied to shafts 2-8.  *Those* are the plain weave treadles.

If you want to weave plain weave across the warp, you alternate those two treadles for as many times as you want plain weave.

Other weave structures will present with different possibilities - based on the threading sequence and what you want to achieve by manipulating the threads to weave the design you want.  

Some new weavers are anxious to do the 'fun' stuff, leap into the very deep end of the pool and find they don't actually know how to swim.  Not because they can't - they simply haven't learned enough to stay afloat.

Going to bang my own drum, blow my own horn...

The Intentional Weaver, written for my Olds students (and any other newer weaver) to help put some of the subtleties of the craft under the microscope.  My other books are available as well - Stories from the Matrix is a series of essays looking at the craft in various ways, some teach actual weave structure theory, others look at various 'historical' stories, some 'attitudes' (mostly mine - sorry, not sorry), or things that intrigued me in the moment. And of course my very first book, Magic in the Water. 

A Thread Runs Through it is a 'memoir' of being a professional production weaver for the best part of 45 years.  That one is available (pdf only) at my ko-fi shop.

Online classes:  

School of Sweet Georgia - four classes - looks at some of the lessons I wrote about in The Intentional Weaver.

Long Thread Media - two classes - and lots of articles in Handwoven over the years

WEFT magazine - articles in every issue - so far - with more lined up.

I will do my best to answer questions on groups online, but for more detailed explanations, read my books, or if you can't afford books or classes, check out the labels here.  I've probably written something about most things here.  And if you have a mystery that you just can't figure out, you can email me laura at laurafry dot com.

Puzzling

 

Many of my childhood memories revolve around working on jigsaw puzzles.  In our home, there wasn't a lot of room to devote to the building of a puzzle, so we were pretty much confined to 500 or 1000 piece puzzles, which we built on the coffee table in the living room.  These days, I'm still 'confined' to that size, but it is familiar, and a comfortable challenge (usually).

I came to the world of weaving well prepared to deal with multiple issues within a challenge.  To examine the various pieces.  Learn to recognize shapes, colours and sizes.  Work out the logistics of joining them up to create the pretty picture (because I prefer to work on puzzles with pretty pictures). and by sheer stubborness, eventually get them built.  (Not always.  If they are too much of a challenge, I will give up and switch to something less challenging and more enjoyable.)

Weaving really isn't any different.  There are multiple layers to the way cloth gets built, multiple pieces to the puzzle.  The weaver can (and frequently needs to) choose different pathways to get to where they want to wind up.

New weavers assume that there are hard and fast 'rules'.  Sorry.  There are hard *facts* - but then you add this consideration, that one, tweak your processes...and you can wind up making a very specific cloth for your particular purpose.

As a new weaver, you will not have the knowledge to be aware of those variations.  You will not have the facts at your fingertips.  So you ask questions.  Good.  Questions are good.

However, it would be nice if more brand new weavers would take a little bit of time and read about the 'facts' of the craft before they start tweaking the information they are given.

And then complain because what they are doing isn't working.  The designer of the project must have made a mistake.  And they are mad that the thing they chose to do isn't good.  It's someone else's fault for giving them bad information.

Um - when you chose to sley your reed at a completely different density from what the instructions specified, why are you surprised the results are...wrong?  Oh, you didn't want to do the 'hard' thing, so you did the 'easy' thing and it's not working?

You haven't bothered to learn the language, and get mad because people are not helping you properly?  

Personally I get chastised for repeatedly (and rather boringly, I admit) tell people to *sample*.  When a new weaver complains that they don't have enough yarn to 'waste' on a sample, I wonder why they are willing to waste the entire project by having it not turn out?  First of all, stop buying expensive knitting yarn.  Buy some weaving yarn.  Weaving yarn frequently comes in half pound tubes, or 6 ounce cones, sometimes even pound cones.  You might pay $30 for that pound, but you will have plenty to weave a sample.  Maybe even 3 or 4, trying various approaches.

New weavers buy a kit, don't follow the guidelines for epi/ppi, and complain the kit designer 'shorted' them yarn to make the project.

Personally, I gave up making kits - kits designed to create *two* colour gamps, then had a couple people bitch that there wasn't enough yarn in the kit I made to make four napkins.  I was called a 'rip off' artist.  What part of a kit that specified *two* square colour gamps ever equated to four square napkins?

By that time most of the people who actually *wanted* colour gamp 'samples' had bought (if they were going to) and I just...stopped.

I wrote a book that I wished had been available when I was just starting out, with the same sorts of questions new weavers have.  When I did a demo for my class at Olds, one student asked where they could find a book with that information in it.  I had to admit that no one book contained that information.  So I set about to write one.

I won't claim it is the Compleate Book of Weaving - but hopefully I sowed enough seeds for new weavers to learn more and then follow their own trail of learning.

This new year has just begun - with a bang.  I expect plenty of 'whimpering' to follow.  One person and his coterie of enablers has just done the unthinkable - except that he has been telegraphing his intentions for years.  So, while I am not surprised, I am sickened.

Resisting such actions is necessary.  Being aware of the ramifications is imperative.  And continuing to help the craft stay alive is absolutely necessary.  Weaving was one of the pillars of human beings surviving in the beginning.  It may become necessary again.  

For as long as I am able, I will continue to explore, experiment, and - hopefully - document what I have been doing.  If what I do isn't destined for WEFT, I will continue to share here.  There are over 4000 posts - so far - with many of them labelled as to topic.  If you can't find what you need, you can contact me directly.  But first?  Get a book.  Get several books.  Not 'just' mine - there are many many very good books (none of them generated - I won't say 'written' - by LLM/AI) available.  Some are out of print.  Mine are not.  They are available as usual, here.  All three titles are in pdf download or print.  They are printed in the US, so not subject to tariffs.  

Weaving is not difficult.  It IS complex.  

The life so short, the craft so long to learn...

New Year, New Opportunities

 

It is really heartening to see the interest in weaving beginning to build - again.  Unfortunately new weavers have an obstacle I never had - LLM, AI, whatever it is called - in addition to the 'usual' myths out there about weaving, we now have the 'lying' machines feeding a massive amount of misinformation to the internet.

So, to new weavers, let me give some suggestions for how to learn.

If you don't have a guild or shop that offers lessons, check out actual books, written by actual weavers, who give knowledge from experience.  Right now there are a large number of books on the market that will give you the basics and some that are focused on a particular aspect of weaving.  The authors don't always do things in the 'same' way, but hopefully you will learn the language of weaving, and that's a good first step.  Asking questions on chat groups when you don't know what to call 'things' means you likely won't be getting the specific information you are looking for.

Ask older, more experienced, weavers for recommendations for books or websites, or online instructors.  Not every student needs 'a' teacher, so you may need to take a look around, talk to other weavers, find out who they feel gives good information.  Most people will give honest opinions.

Here is one that came to me over the holiday.  Since I didn't ask permission to use her comment I have not included her name:

Right back atcha! I recall a wonderful weaver commenting that she learned more in one of your workshops (Magic in the Water) than anywhere else she'd gone! I myself use many of the tips you gifted to fellow weavers in CB and I've passed them along to many others. Each one teach one -- wonder how many hundreds have been given a gift towards Efficient Weaving by you??!!!!

I have learned from many, many others.  Some things I incorporated into my practice.  Some provided a different attitude or approach that I found helpful to open myself to new techniques, new approaches.  Many taught lessons that I didn't expect but found very useful in my own practice.

Weaving as a practice, a skill, a pool of knowledge, is vast.  New weavers expect to be fed - in some cases - all the information they need to finish a 'perfect' project - without first acquiring the physical skills involved in dressing the loom and doing the actual physical weaving.  They don't have the foundation of knowledge.  Which is not a problem - they can acquire it!  But it takes time and practice and a whole lot of imperfect results before 'perfect' even shows up on the horizon.

And then there is all the myths that float around.  A new weaver hears something said by someone who appears to be more knowledgeable than they are, and they don't question it, they just accept it.  But as they acquire more information and enlarge their library of resources, they need to pay attention to the information in those resources.  And when they are told that (a statement that is not correct) they need to check further and find out what is the truth instead of saying 'well that's what my teacher told me!'  Your teacher was wrong if they taught you 'that'.

It is no shame to be incorrect in something.  But once you have been given other/more information, it's a good idea to own up to that and absorb the correct information.

I make no secret of the fact that I have (or had, I've given a couple books away) a dozen books on textile science.  Sometimes I spot inconsistencies, and sometimes the issue is *who* the book was written for - because the textile industry has different limitations from hand weavers.  So their tolerances are tighter than what a hand weaver can adjust and accommodate for.

So - get a book with a glossary.  Be aware that older British books will have some differences from US centric books.  This is normal, not a 'mistake'.  Regional vocabulary differs.  Take note so that when you come across these differences, it is a matter of variation in the language.  (colour, fibre, are not typos, but British spellings - don't complain that it is jarring to your US eye)

Learn the language of the loom, learn how to read drafts, learn the difference between a threading draft, a profile draft, learn how different weave structures work.  It's perfectly fine to replicate projects in books and magazines, but to really understand how weaving works, you need to study the actual knowledge required.  A weaver doesn't need to weave ergonomically, but for the sake of their body, they should at least be aware of repetitive motion injuries.  It's a lot easier to prevent such injury than it is to heal from developing one.

Be prepared to 'fail' as you begin.  This is not a failing but steps to becoming a weaver.  It is like any other physical skill - you don't start out at the 'elite' level; you need to work your way up to that.

So yes, I have online classes, and books.  But I also have free stuff like this blog, videos on You Tube.

I am happy to try to help, but it helps *me* to understand what your problem actually is - and for that I need to understand your question, not try to parse what you are saying by calling things 'thingees' or 'gizmo'.  Include a photo if you can and show me behind the heddles as well as in front.  Give me as much information as you can because weaving is complex and sometimes the answer is not in front of you but at the back of the loom.  Or you simply don't have enough information and what you need to do is to read the beginning bits in the book(s) to find out what the author is saying when they show you a draft.  If you can't read the draft accurately, you can't replicate the information.  You need the code, the 'key'.  And trying to explain that in a comment in a chat group is a level of difficulty that frustrates both parties - the student and the instructor.

Just one example that came up recently was someone saying that they were direct warping but the draft had multiple colour changes and how did they do that.  I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean by 'direct' warping.  If you are using a rigid heddle loom, that's a different process than what I do to dress my standard floor looms.  Assuming they needed a rigid heddle loom weaver, I scrolled on by.

There is a quote that sums it up for me:

The life so short, the craft so long to learn.

Beginners need to expect to spend some time at the bottom of the learning curve.   It's uncomfortable, it will bend your brain, but that is the only way to learn.  Get comfortable making 'mistakes' and then fixing them, best you can.  

My resources are:

School of Sweet Georgia online classes 

Long Thread Media (Handwoven) classes

Magazines - have written for The Weaver's Journal, Weaver's, Handwoven, Heddle, now for WEFT

Books:  The Intentional Weaver, Stories from the Matrix, Magic in the Water at Blurb

And of course this blog - check out the list of topics for the posts I've labelled with that topic

Stocking Stuffers

 

The solstice cometh, and the turning of the sun from travelling south, to returning north.  A time of change, of returning of the light.

This month has pivoted to a renewed effort on my part to try and deal with the copious amounts of clutter in my life.  I was also reminded again that NA society generally takes this time of year to give (and receive) gifts.  With everything so uncertain now, it is possibly time to remind people of certain things that could be used a stocking stuffer as a 'last minute' gift.

If you want my books (available in print in the US, no tariffs, or pdf everywhere) they can be found at blurb.com

If you want online classes I have 4 at School of Sweet Georgia.

Classes are also available through Long Thread Media (Handwoven).

If you are interested in magazine articles, I continue to write for WEFT magazine.

And today I begin bagging up my rayon chenille stash for delivery to the guild room after the holiday, freeing up a whole shelving unit to store woven goods that have outgrown the two other shelving units.

It is snowing today and parts of the province are still labouring under snow advisories and warnings about being prepared for winter driving conditions.

As the solstice represents the 'new year' to me, I will send all my very best wishes for the coming of the light and the new year.

Soap Box Time

 

upright posture (recommended)

not upright (not recommended)

Once again I see someone pictured online sitting in a way that isn't 'healthy' or kind to their body.

Generally they are sitting in an ordinary kitchen chair, too low, having to lift their shoulders in order to weave.  Oftentimes they are weaving on a table top loom, which means neck/shoulder strain, needing to reach well above their shoulders to change the sheds, adding more stress and strain, and crane their necks awkwardly.

They weave for a while and then they hurt.

Instead of changing their physical surroundings, they think that weaving is too hard on their bodies.  Well, when it's done in a way that ignores the ergonomics of body function, it's true.  Weaving hurts.

The same with floor looms, though.  Generally people sit too low, in a chair than isn't engineered to be used for weaving, and their hips and lower back hurts from treadling, their shoulders and neck hurt from the shuttle throwing and beating of the weft.

People complain about their shuttles, ask for advice, which people are delighted to give.  Without ever mentioning the considerations that need to be kept in mind - are their hands small or large?  What kind of weft are they using?  They get tired of needing to change the bobbins so they opt for one of those huge rug weft shuttles which weigh a lot more than an 'ordinary' shuttle and then find their arms hurt after throwing and catching it for a while.  Their shoulders and neck hurt too, if they stop and think about what they are doing - using muscles that haven't been used much, and certainly not in that kind of motion, over and over and over again, until fatigue makes them stop.  And sometimes they wind up with soft tissue injuries.

Weaving is *physical*.  We use our bodies as an integral part of the process.  Keeping going beyond the body capacity for that motion, done hundreds of times, is damaging.  And it is much easier to prevent soft tissue injury than it is to heal from soft tissue injury.  Plus, once injured, those muscles are prone to further injury.

As a new weaver my best advice is to learn from someone who is experienced, *and who follows ergonomic practices*.  I know lots of weavers who have been weaving for decades in a way that would lead someone else who may have a history of inflammation, to develop soft tissue injury.  Just because it doesn't hurt *them* doesn't mean that others might not fare nearly so well.  

If anyone wants to know how I do it, I have video clips on You Tube, or if you want a more detailed explanation, both my classes on School of Sweet Georgia and Long Thread Media discuss what I do.  I cover the information in The Intentional Weaver.

If you want good information, find a good teacher, not AI.  Just sayin...

School of Sweet Georgia

Long Thread Media

The Intentional Weaver (use coupon GIVINGTUES25 until Dec. 11 for discount)

Generosity

 

This is a scarf woven by a friend and gifted to me.  There is no one who appreciates a hand woven gift as much as another weaver, especially if it is something different than they might usually weave.

As usual with such gifts, it went into my teaching box as an example I wanted to share with other weavers.  But now that I'm trying to deal with my studio, I'm having to think carefully what I do with my teaching 'samples'.

And that's the thing.  After the best part of 50 years of weaving, most of them were also devoted to teaching in some way.  So I have a *lot* of samples!  

Lately I've been hearing of younger weavers who are also teaching, accumulating dozens (more!) of samples.  So when new weavers are aghast at the thought of sampling, I think about all the samples I have woven over the years, and how many samples I know that have been woven by other weavers over the years, and yes.  I can say without qualification that I do still sample.

I just pitched an idea to WEFT and qualified what I wanted to do with the caveat that in order to do the project I will have to sample.  I'm sure that comes at no surprise to anyone who knows me.

Today I am hoping to clear out some 'antique' computer stuff.  Since I've owned a computer since 1987 or thereabouts, I have carefully kept boxes, manuals, disks etc.  But I realized most of that clutter is redundant and needs to be dealt with.  The impetus for the clear out is that I needed to replace the printer and since a trip to the electronic recycle place was in order, it seems like a good time to get rid of decades (literally) of computer stuff.  Manuals will go into the paper recycling and the equipment to the electronic recycling depot.

Because it is becoming ever more apparent that the clutter and mess that I've lived with all my life needs to be dealt with and now feels like the time.  We have lived in this house since 1975 and turned a smallish house into our home *and* studio - a studio in which I've done quite a lot of *big* projects.  And if you are to be efficient, you need the space to move and shift things as they, well, progress.  Since I didn't have a lot of space, I had to get creative.  And frankly I never was interested in the Good House keeping Award.  Good thing because no one would ever say that my house is an example of *that*.

At any rate, I am hearing more reports of Big Projects being done by younger weavers, which I find very exciting.  Stay tuned and I'll share info when it is time.

Meanwhile, my books remain available at blurb either print or pdf, and Ko-fi in pdf only and check out WEFT magazine for the latest article

Classes are still there at School of Sweet Georgia with 4 classes and Long Thread Media  with a couple different classes in a couple different formats.

Passing the Torch

 

Now I'm beyond the 1 year 'anniversary' (birthday?) and trying to move forward, I have managed to think about some things and make some tentative decisions.

Right now, I still do not feel as though I am functional enough to give my prepared lectures.  Each topic was carefully created for doing it online, using Zoom and the slides are just (mostly) bullet points to recap my verbal presentation.  As such I have serious doubts (and therefore stress) about my ability to follow my lesson plan and present the information in which it was intended.

However!  The presentation with HGA in July was an 'interview' and as such more 'informal'.  A guild had contacted me in the spring and I asked them to contact me again in August, and rather than do one of my lectures (listed on my website) I asked if they would consider something less 'formal', such as a Ask Me Anything (wet finishing), where the guild members could submit questions ahead of time and I would focus mostly on what they wanted to know.

They have agreed to that, and set a date for next spring.  By that time, I am hoping that my recovery will continue and I will now consider such 'informal' guild presentations for 1 hour.  laura at laurafry dot com to contact me.

This week I will finish polishing the next article for WEFT and send that to the editor.  I worked on it over the weekend, and will read through once more (this will make 8? 9? times?) - after my alpha reader suggested some grammar/spelling nits that she spotted.  

As part of my recovery I accepted an invitation to join a large weaving group and have been choosing to answer some questions there, and recently I was on Ravalry  and contributed some information to a group there.  Someone in that group asked permission to use my answer in their guild newsletter and I gave permission.

When it is something involving ergonomics, especially, I will automatically give permission.  Over the years I have had numerous weavers contact me about inflammation issues leading to injury.  In addition to my own digging and consulting with local experts, I have had my general 'advice' about preventing injury confirmed by others.  One weaver came to the last craft fair we did in Calgary in 2019 to tell me how she had been unable to weave for two years, and after consulting with a long list of specialists finally found one who diagnosed her problem, and gave her a course of exercises to help relieve the pain.  She took my list of suggestions to the specialist who said that he could agree with all of them.  It took months, but by December of 2019, she was once again weaving, but only for short periods of time and lots of stretches.  She thanked me for giving people good advice and how much it helped her in her recovery.

Now, obviously I am not a medical professional.  So if someone is having problems, the first thing I suggest is to consult a physiotherapist, or someone versed in body mechanics.  But the advice I provide to help *avoid* injury?  They can help.

Of course every body is different, but the main thing to remember is that if you are having pain, stop what you are doing.  Rest those muscles.  If the pain persists, consult  a medical professional.  It is much better to prevent soft tissue damage than to recover from it.

As part of being part of a very large group online, I constantly see new weavers who ask questions.  I suggest to new weavers that - if they don't have a local guild - they look for good classes online.

Jane Stafford's School of Weaving will take a new beginner and walk them through the basics.  You will learn the glossary, and through the setting up of the loom and beginning to weave.

School of Sweet Georgia has a number of classes.  For floor loom classes Felicia Lo has some and I have 4.

Long Thread Media (Handwoven) has two classes by me and a number of other weavers.

Handweaving Academy has workshops in various aspects of weaving.

There are loads of books, of which 4 are written by me.  Three titles at blurb.com and one in my ko-fi shop.  The 3 at blurb can be ordered as a pdf download or in print.  These are printed in the US so not subject to a tariff.  The one in my ko-fi shop is pdf download only, again no tariff.

Right now I am putting my primary energy into writing for WEFT magazine.

So I am hoping to continue to 'teach'.  I am just changing how I go about that, given current circumstances.

I am not having a huge significant change with the new pain meds.  I need to phone the pain clinic and set up an appointment to talk to the doctor and let him know how it's going.  (not nearly well enough, but *some* improvement).  It is time to turn my gaze towards the future and figure out what happens 'next'.  I am through the 'rough' part of the journey.  I am blessed with supportive friends and spouse willing to chauffeur me around to my various and sundry appointments.  And I can still weave, although since the procedure on Tuesday I've been mostly taking it 'easy'.  

Good thing I have lots of jigsaw puzzles to make and which helps me from going squirrely.  We are in September now, and autumn is on the way, to be followed by winter.  Time marches on.  I may be 'staggering' but I *can* still make progress.  Time will tell how far I can manage to go.

Hand Baskets

 

Scrolling through some of my old photos, I came across this one that was taken by a professional photographer as part of an effort to produce marketing tools when we were primarily weaving place mats, table runners, etc., and selling them to craft/gift shops.

We would attend the Southex Gift Show, held twice a year in Edmonton, stand on the concrete floor for about 8 hours a day for days, looking pleasant and approachable, while the shop buyers for the stores across western Canada would try to cram every moment of their day into finding great new products for their shops.

There were no sales to be made, only orders written.  This was very much a *professional* presentation, in our case. maker to shop, no retail sales.   So we didn't have any actual money when we went home - just the promise of money, if we managed to meet our delivery estimate.

We worked hard during those days.  Like *really* hard.  We had to look professional, act professional.  We had to know our product and our production schedule.  And we had to trust that the shop(s) would pay for the order.  

Mostly they did, but there were a few that...did not.  We were not shy about reminding the shops that they had agreed to a payment schedule.  One shop insisted their company policy was to pay 90 days after they had received the goods.  They were reminded that the contract they signed specified 30 days after receipt, and that *that* condition had been verbally explained at the time they signed the contract.

The owner sputtered and protested, but they were reminded we held a signed contract that agreed to payment in 30 days of delivery, and that interest *would* be charged.  The owner threatened to never buy from us again.  We told them we expected payment immediately or interest would be added to their amount owning.

There are all kinds of people out there in the world.  Mostly we found people were 'honest', but we did not hesitate to use our legal rights to collect overdue amounts we were owed.  We were too tiny to be able to 'finance' our buyers.  There were times when we had to be clear about their legal responsibilities and that we knew how to go to Small Claims Court.  

We had to learn how to be 'professional' within industry standards - and recognize when we were being 'played'.  And to point out that we saw what was happening and we expected to be treated fairly, within our rights.

It's called creating boundaries.  It's called being decent human beings - neither cheating our customers, nor being 'used' by them.

The Paradox of Intolerance is that the more you tolerate intolerance, the more others will try to take advantage of you.  You are allowed to declare that a boundary exists and that you will not allow someone else to try to take advantage of you.  We were always polite - but insistent.

The world appears to be on the road to hell with too many people wishing actual harm on others.  I do not know how to get the world off of this rather rocky, bumpy road.  But I will do everything in my power to not give people who wish others harm to collect more power to do harm.

I will continue to speak out against the alt right and their plans to shove the majority down while raising the few up.  

And I am ever so grateful that I no longer try to work every hour of the day - and sometimes night - but can take it 'easy'.  I wound up needing to take some time 'off' this week after a procedure that will - I hope - bring me more 'comfort'.  I had hoped to have the current warp off the loom by today, but instead I have not touched the loom since Monday.  And massage therapist strictly instructed me to take several more days 'off'.

So, I'm working on tagging/pricing the new inventory which I hope to deliver to the guild at the end of October for the fall sales.  I will try to do a final read through of the next WEFT article and email that.  And then next month I should get the book manuscript to 'review'.

It seems I'm not 'done' trying to teach - yet.

Books available in pdf or print formats at the Blurb website

Or if you are interested in what life was like as a production weaver, book in pdf format available here

Receipts

 

I have a few other textile science books, but I didn't feel like digging any further so this pile of books represents the kind of resource/reference book I own and which I consult frequently (the two standing up) or less frequently (the stacks in front) depending on what I want to check.

If you click on the image, it should 'biggify' it so that you might be able to read the titles.  If not, the two brown-ish books laying down date from the late 1800s and early 1900s, based on their size and format.  Neither has a copyright date in them

The other stack varies from the 1970s onwards, most of them in the late 1900s.  The Guide to Textiles by Jackman and Dixon is from um, 1984?  Maybe?  Somewhere around there.  I could not find The Final Steps, which came out around the same time as the Jackman and Dixon, and which gave me the first 'serious' look at wool and wet finishing it.

(Not pictured are the binders - yes, with an 's' - of samples I wove for my GCW master weaver level, nor Magic in the Water; wet finishing handwovens,)

I have heard people say that the term 'wet finishing' seems to be a bit...pretentious...as if it was a term invented by me to make myself seem more of an expert than I am.  Others simply ignore the term and talk about 'washing' the web.  

Frankly, I don't very much care what someone calls it (although the proper term is actually 'wet finishing') so long as they recognize that it needs to be subjected to water before it becomes 'whole' cloth.

The 'finishing' of cloth by industry can consist of a number of wet and/or dry finishes.  I don't generally talk about what industry does, other than explain the principle and how a handweaver might achieve something similar using modern laundry equipment.

But if you think it's all a figment of my imagination, I share with you my imaginary friends.  I encourage you to find at least the Jackman and Dixon book, if nothing else.  You don't need the latest version, as the first edition has pretty much most of the information a handweaver should have at their fingertips.

When I answer a question on a online weaving group - the above books are what I consult, not my own book, thinking that I am the beginning and end of the discussion. 

Because it depends!  

Which is why I am so enthusiastic about Michelle Boyd's new book and am looking forward to seeing what she can teach me about the construction of yarn, and then using it appropriately.  I will happily add her book to those already in my library.

I will be completely honest - I know Michelle.  We have had the chance to discuss yarn, spinning and weaving on several occasions, and I've emailed her with specific questions when I cannot find the answer in the above books.

Her book will be a boon to weavers, spinners, knitters and crocheters.  It is being written, edited and published in Canada.

One of the things I've noticed about WEFT magazine - is how *many* of the article authors are Canadian.  Given we have 1/10th of the population of the US, it is striking that we have So Many really excellent weavers/spinners.  I know we are embroiled in a trade war (not of our making, but which we are trying to manage) and personally I am buying as little as I can of products made in the US.  But if you take a look at the author page, you will find many Canadians represented, plus the editor and technical consultant are both Canadian.  

I think the worst thing about what is going on - politically - right now, is the divisiveness that is tearing the fabric of society apart.  We (as in weavers/spinners, etc.) need to fight to keep our larger community alive and encouraging people to keep learning.  Keep exploring.  Keep creating.

Where to Begin?

 

Leclerc decal from around 1950

Frequently I see questions on the internet, usually with a bunch of random loom parts/pieces with the question 'is this a good place to start'?

It depends.

Do you know anything about looms?  Can you tell if all the parts are there?  Is it assembled or just a bunch of random parts?  Do you know the brand?  Because if parts are missing or damaged, getting replacement parts might be a challenge.

This is my small loom.  It dates to around 1950 or so.  I know that because Leclerc Looms are still being made and in many cases, parts are still available.  As it happened we upgraded this loom replacing the ratchet system for the brake to one that is easier to set and release - the wire band and brake release treadle that allows me to advance and re-tension from the front of the loom.  We made a few other minor mods, including installing 'bumpers' that keep the beater further away from the shafts which makes beating easier.  My fingers don't tangle with the shafts/heddles with a bit more space.  

Doug also firmly attached the breast beam down so that I can use my 'warping valet' system for beaming.  I have long arms and never took the breast beam off to thread, so having it screwed down was no big deal.

We also updated all the cords because some of them had experienced a lot of wear and tear, and the treadle cords were all higgledy-piggledy.

I know that society these days is used to learning 'everything' from the internet.   But now, especially, we have LLM/AI and what the majority of people who try to learn that way don't understand is that AI doesn't actually *know* anything.  It has been designed to 'act the part' of a knowledge partner - while knowing exactly...nothing.

OTOH, we now have several reputable sources for online classes.  Jane Stafford is a favourite of many, and I can attest that Jane knows what she is talking about and makes every effort to convey that knowledge enthusiastically.  I have worked with two other venues - Long Thread (formally Interweave) and School of Sweet Georgia.  I hang out on the Handweaving Academy.  And of course now am writing for WEFT.  My editor for Stories from the Matrix collected as many articles as she could find that I've written/published over the years and listed them in the back of the book for anyone wanting to track the articles down.

I am working on the 'final' format for the next issue of WEFT and we are still exploring the topic to try and get something solid put together for the readers.

The next article has been done and is currently at my alpha reader who will take a closer look and get back to me.  And I'm trying to clear my desk in order to focus my attention on an upcoming book.  More on that next year when it is due to be 'finished', finished and ready to ship.

In the meantime our world continues to wobble and roll around.  I've gone through so many emotions over the past year.  I have come to the conclusion that I can go ahead and feel 'despair' - in small doses.  But I cannot let that emotion kick all the rest to the curb.

So, yes, I continue to write articles which will not be published for about 6 months after I hit 'send', then re-read them as they go through the process of becoming part of a larger magazine.  I am...flattered...to be asked to be the 'weaver's eye' to look the book over, as they attempt to fill as many blanks as they can do, in an extremely uncertain time and no one knows what the hell is going to happen this evening, never mind tomorrow or next month.

I try to keep planting seeds in hopes someone will be around to harvest the crop.  I try to be a supportive friend.  I try to keep getting up in the morning, dressed, and head to the studio.  

Keep being creative.  Keep celebrating people trying to help, not harm, others.

That is where I will begin with this one precious life I have been given.  

Links:

School of Sweet Georgia

Long Thread Media

Books

WEFT

Jane Stafford

Handweaving Academy

Peace and Quiet

 

I am in count down mode with my next back injection booked for next Tuesday.  I feel like I'm about 3 weeks 'late' getting it, but there isn't much that can be done.  When I made the appointment, it seemed do-able and I'd be 'fine'.  Today?  Not so much.

On the other hand, some of the other treatments appear to be gaining a toe-hold and after a perfectly miserable weekend, yesterday I didn't feel too bad.  But my 'job' today is to begin threading and that isn't a posture that my lower back much likes, so I suspect I will take some time today to finish the samples needed for the current article (deadline is approaching rather quickly!) and do the final polish for the next two, booked for the following issue.

Or maybe it was the appointment with the chiropractor who gave me a pep talk which helped.  Or maybe it is just that I made enough progress that I was able to lift myself up an inch or two by my bootstraps (which is such a fantasy - it was the helping hand from several people that allowed me to get up and move forward).

And that's the thing.   It is rarely ever a solitary 'job', to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get going again.  There are constant 'helping hands' that help to drag yourself forward, even when you think you cannot.  Sometimes it is a well timed comment that knocks you off your precarious perch, trying to not fall off and you realize you don't have to fall, you can just lay down and roll down the hill and not wait for the loss of balance and out of control of tumble downwards.

All of my medical team know how important weaving is to keeping me rooted in reality.  But in the end, it will be what my body will tolerate that will be the determining factor in what I can - or cannot - do.

One of the most difficult things to overcome is my own stubbornness.  My own determination.  My own expectations of what I could - or should - do.  

After the interview with Textiles and Tea, I had some time to think about my life and what I want to do with the rest of it - however much 'rest' there is.

For all the help I have received in my life, for all the support and encouragement I have been given - I would like to help others, as best I can.  A thank you.  A gesture of gratitude.  I could sit back and never do another thing other than read books or build puzzles.  But that begins to feel very...unfulfilling...after a while.   Pointless.  Selfish, even.  

Talking with a colleague a couple of years ago, we talked about impostor syndrome.  We both deal with it.  It's hard to accept that we have a level of 'expertise'.  I say that not to lift myself up, but to say to that inner child who was constantly told that they were never enough, that they were insufficient, to think that I would never, could never, be enough, and to assume that I was, was a fantasy.  That I was an impostor.  As we talked my mouth blurted out "I wrote a book because I know shit!"  We were both shocked into silence until we laughed and laughed.  We gave each other a big grin.  And I think we both began to shrink that inner child who had been told for years that they would never be worth while.  That we could develop a level of expertise in something - anything.  

Am I saying I will write another book?  Hell, no.  

But I *can* write articles.  

So, today I will tackle those things I'm doing for WEFT.  I cannot say I have the one, the only, the 'true' story.  But I can say I am doing my level best to try and understand all the things that go into the challenge of taking yarn and weaving it into a textile.  I will try to shed a little light.  Perhaps point out pitfalls in our 'usual' thinking.  And encourage others to find out more.  Because the life so short and the craft so long to learn...

Choosing

 

Realizing that the current sample warp could be off the loom as soon as (gasp!) tomorrow, figured I had better get cracking on choosing the next towel warp.

I still have some (quite a lot, really) of the 2/15 natural white cotton to use up, and a small amount (for me) of the dyed 2/16 so I rooted through a few boxes and decided I would go with a medium blue and a pale-ish buttery yellow/cream for the warp.

I'm still trying to *not* challenge myself (too much) and wound up with this draft.  Nothing grand or particularly 'fancy' but I like the little 'fancy' circles in the middle of the diamonds so I'm going with it.

The other day someone asked about 'dummy' warps and explained their issues when trying to use one.  Several times.  With consistently 'not great' results.

I know some weavers love them.  I've become disenchanted with them.  

But each to their own.

There are some issues with using one that just don't sit well with me.  One of the big ones is that people say they only need to get their threading correct *once* and then they don't need to worry about it any more.  Which is fine, if you like using the name number of ends in the same design over and over again.  Not necessarily a detraction if you don't mind weaving the same thing multiple times - which I do not.

I did, in fact, use dummy warps for a while as a new weaver until I got fed up and decided I was better served by figuring out how to become more efficient in dressing the loom, and then set about making that happen.

But that's the thing - hardly any of us in the 21st century need to earn an income by weaving.  (Note I rarely use the term 'living', just 'income'.)

So it doesn't matter what you choose to conserve - or waste.  For me it has always been my time I wanted to stretch thinner and thinner.  I was very young when I learned one of life's hard lessons - we can always buy more 'stuff' but we cannot negotiate our way into more time.  Once I have spent the coin of my available time, it's gone.

Sampling?  Never a waste of time to learn more before committing to a rather major task - like designing, winding, threading, sleying and weaving, then wet finishing.  So, yes, I weave samples.  The more I know about my materials, the more likely I am to wind up with acceptable results.

Tossing away (recycling) left over yarn?  When I add up the loom waste against the labour of setting up the loom, that few ounces of yarn pales in comparison.

If someone wants to use a dummy warp, they should do that.  But if they get fed up with it, then they need to figure out what to do instead.  Everyone has to figure out what is acceptable to them, and what is not.

What I do is not 'magic'.  If someone likes my results, I have been consistently generous on a number of platforms sharing what I do.  

Online classes at Long Thread Media

Online classes at School of Sweet Georgia

Books at Blurb.

Books at Ko-fi

WEFT - magazine

This blog - check out the labels at the side

I hang out on School of Sweet Georgia and Handweaving Academy sites and of course if you have questions you can email me laura at laurafry dot com

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...

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.  

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