Lace Weaves

Huck lace 'boxes' with plain weave

Swedish Lace

Many people find lace weaves confusing, not least because there are so many different ways to write the threading/treadling draft.  When the sequence looks so very different, people can get confused about what is the 'right' way.

Well, the 'right' way is which ever sequence - threading, tie up, treadling - that will give you Huck (or Swedish, which is a derivative of Huck) interlacements.

Lace weaves consist of floats on a plain weave foundation.  You can have warp floats, weft floats or warp/weft floats.  

Bronson Lace differs from Huck/Swedish in that the foundation threads are only on one shaft with a tie down on a second shaft.  In Huck there are two shafts for the foundation threads and no tie down.  Swedish Lace has two shafts for foundation and a tie down where a unit is repeated.

Confused yet?

Can I recommend my webinar to help bring some light to the subject?  I tried searching for the webinar on their website but nothing came up so hopefully this link will work for anyone interested.

A Little Introspection

Striped towel from a couple of years ago - which I'm thinking of revisiting in different colourways, different yarns...

One of the things that has been providing some distraction for me is re-reading some of my older blog posts.

I started the blog just about exactly 7 years ago (August 2008), partly as an expression of hope for a future that had so nearly been snatched from me, partly as a diary of what it is that I do - a reminder of where I have been and what I actually accomplish, rather than the Inner Critic constantly harping on at me about not doing 'enough'.

Since the blog started I have been through multiple health issues (and I very much appreciate people who have supported me through those) and come through the other side.  There is a 'poster' on Facebook that kind of sums up life, really:

If I knew who the artist was I'd give credit, but the source doesn't appear to be indicated.  Whoever made the image, thank you, it perfectly sums up Life - in my experience.

So, the webinar is over.  I have heard directly from two people who took it and found it helpful.  Thanks for letting me know.  :)   I do 'better' when conveying technical information to have a live audience so that I can gauge how well I'm getting the information across.  It was a bit...intimidating...to contemplate doing a fairly conceptual topic without that feedback.  But now that I've survived, I'm thinking about other topics I might be able to do.

Which brings me back to the towels at the top of this post.  I use the Fibonacci series as a design tool.  It might be fun to do a webinar on how I use the series in terms of designing stripes.  To do a Power Point presentation would mean a whole lot of prep work, but I think could...I think I could...

Proof of Progress

Colours aren't quite accurate here - they should be more green-ish.

But here it is - about 28 tea towels all in a roll.  I cut the warp off this afternoon and began cutting them apart and serging them.  Doug will go pressing on Sunday and then I will have lots of hemming to be done.

Tomorrow I will begin beaming the rose warp and thread the mat warp I beamed onto the small loom last night.  Also wound another mat warp, ready and waiting in the wings.

All the yarn for the Olds classes is on order and en route.  As soon as it arrives it will be coned (thanks, Doug!) and then I will wind the warps for the students.  Just three weeks until we leave and I have a lot of teaching aids to pack up as well as yarn for sale (some of it also en route, needing to be broken down from large cones to re-sale size cones - again, thanks, Doug!), everything loaded into the van and another trip through the mountains.

After Olds is done, it is time to do the Power Point presentation for the webinar in July and get the house tidy for a guest coming in July.  Then...it's August and getting very near to the fall sales.  My goodness, this year is just whizzing by!

Job List

Got home to a mail box filled with parcels, including this 'bunny eared bag o' goodness' as Janet Dawson calls them.  Apparently someone forgot to put the invoice in, though.  If it doesn't come under separate cover today I will have to email them because I know it isn't free!  OTOH, there may be a second bag.  Yes, I ordered in a lot of yarn in spite of having SABLE...seems like I never have what I need on hand!

The trip to HWSDA went well.  It wasn't very busy so there was time to visit with friends, new and old.  It is what I will miss most, 'retiring' from vending yarn - the fellowship of like-minded people.  But neither of us is getting any younger and yarn is heavy, in spite of what some people think.  Or at least, the yarn I most like to work with and have been selling.  Cotton, linen, Tencel/rayon - all are fairly dense yarns so a lot of weight in small packages.

Also came home to the realization that various deadlines are (pun alert) looming.  Another show contract arrived so that needs to be returned today.  Still one more show to hear from.  I guess I need to nag them and find out if that show is going ahead - or not.

There is prep work to be done for Olds.  I'm teaching Level 1 this year in tandem with another teacher because they manged to fill two this year.  New topic means another learning curve for me.

There is also prep work for the webinar with Interweave Press in July.  This one will be on lace weaves and I will let people know when registration will be open for that.  I just happen to love lace weaves but I need to do a Power Point presentation, get some crisp photos of samples, generate drafts, etc., etc.  I figure at least 10 hours to get it ready.

I'm nearly done the shawl warp and after selling so many tea towels in Alberta decided my next warp will be a run of those.  I need to use up more of Lynn's fine linen yarns, plus that will give me some hemming to do in the evenings while watching tv.

Lastly, more health issues, not mine this time but my mom.  I have to accompany her to her doctor appointment.  It doesn't sound like good news.  :(

Currently reading Martin Walker The Children Return

In Praise of Limitations and Deadlines

Calvin and Hobbs

Talking to someone from F&W Media yesterday I mentioned that I loved deadlines.  She laughed and said she would send a schedule of deadlines related to the contract* we were discussing so that I would know when they needed my support materials.

Thing is, deadlines and creative limitations can be extremely useful tools in the creative person's toolbox.

Deadlines let me know how focused my attention and energy needs to be in order to get the job done when it needs doing.

Creative limitations do the same sort of job but in a different way.

When the sky is the limit in terms of possibilities, it can be overwhelming.  Where to start?  I remember that feeling of being overcome with the sheer number of possibilities when it comes to the creation of cloth.  I rather suspect it is the same with all crafts.

So, creative limitations.  Some people don't like the concept of limitations because they feel it stifles their creativity.  I am not that person.  Rather than feeling stifled, I feel that the use of boundaries actually helps sharpen my focus in order to get me where I want to go.  Sort of like Alice in Wonderland - if you don't know where you are going, any road will do.

What do I mean by creative limitations?

When deciding on what to make, the first question is...what am I going to make?  As a 'form follows function' weaver, I need to know where I want to end up.  By deciding on what function my desired textile is to fulfill, I now have a destination.  Every decision I make from now on will - hopefully - get me there.

Once I have decided what it is I want to make, I can now decide on dimensions.  A functional textile will have an optimal size, within a spectrum - plus or minus x inches/centimeters long and wide.

Then I have to decide on which fibre to use...cotton?  linen?  etc.  After the fibre has been chosen, what grist (thickness) of yarn?  Then how dense (epi/ppi)?

Gradually, through a process of working within a set of boundaries, I begin to zero in on exactly what I am going to do.

Once I have the technical issues sorted out I can begin working on the appearance of the cloth.  What weave structure?  Asymmetrical or symmetrical design?  Charted out to the last thread or freeform?

Colours?  I may suddenly discover I don't have the colours I want to work with in my stash and need to order more yarn (tragedy! need to buy more yarn!) or I may set myself the challenge of working only with the yarns I have on hand.  Usually a learning experience.

So I welcome deadlines and I welcome creative limitations.

*another webinar is in the works - stay tuned for details.  In the meantime, there is the webinar I did two years ago A Good Yarn still available as a download...and of course the dvds...one thing I noticed is that all the reviews for the dvds disappeared from their website...Anita is trying to find out what happened to them but in the meantime, if you feel like posting a review, I'd appreciate it.  The dvds look very lonely without their gold stars.  :(

Currently reading Tracker by C. J. Cherryh

Customer Satisfaction/Service

Glamour shot of the orange/beige towels

One of the things I did a few years ago (quite a few years ago - pre-internet days) was take a class on marketing.

One of the sessions was on Customer Service and Satisfaction.  One of the bits of trivia that stuck in my head was that a happy customer will generally tell 11 people how happy they are.  An unhappy customer will tell around 27.  Now that's just an average - some people tell a whole lot more, some less.  But that was in the days before the internet.  Nowadays, if one of those 'people' you tell about your experience is Facebook, or one of the chat groups, the number goes up exponentially.

Recently someone posted to Facebook that she had had another poor experience with a product and she vowed to never ever purchase a similar product again.  She effectively painted that entire product line with the same brush (bad).  Anyone reading of her bad experience will no doubt avoid that product.  After all, why waste your money?  But what if her experience was quite specific to that particular product?  What if the fault lie in the format, which didn't appeal to her but might to others?  What if it was the presenter?  Someone else might have felt they got good value for their money with that product.  Or with a different topic.  Or a different presenter.

As someone who has things to sell, the greatest gift anyone who has purchased one of my products is to tell their friends if they are happy.  But not just say you are happy, but what benefit you derived from it.

I just checked the Weaving Today website and looked at the webinar I did for them last year.  Now I know people have watched it - some of you have emailed to let me know.  But I also noticed that no one has posted a review!  Therefore anyone looking at it today, seeing that it was first 'published' last summer and that it has no stars, no reviews, will surely wonder if it is worthwhile to take - after all no one has said they found it interesting or valuable.  Do they dare sign up and potentially waste their money on a 'bad' product?

With the next Big Project set to launch in mid-July I ask that if you purchase it, find it interesting, valuable, worthwhile, please let your friends know.  I ask this not just for me but for all of our hard working instructors.  It's how we make our money, how we fund our passion, some of us, even put food on the table.

Remote Learning

Just checked the Weaving Today website and the webinar is now available for recorded 'viewing' here.

I will be giving this topic as a mini-workshop (3 hours) with some hand's on examination of various yarns at the Rochester, NY guild in October.  If you want to attend, I have contact info - I heard they were still accepting registrations.  I am also doing this topic as the guild program for my local guild next week.

Currently reading Dark Moon Defender by Sharon Shinn

Numbers Game

Keeping track of numbers is how we access our progress.  I guess I'm a little OCD because I count stuff.  I count picks, steps (especially now I have Fitbit!), scarves woven, fringed, wet finished.

Today I wove scarf #161 since May.  The dyer has three more warps to return in addition to the three I have on hand plus the one on the loom and I'm wondering and worrying whether or not I will have sufficient inventory for the rapidly approaching shows I'm booked to do in Oct/Nov/Dec.  The other side of the coin is worrying whether I will sell enough to pay for the expenses of doing the shows....

Keeping track of numbers is also how our society measures success, generally by counting how many dollars someone has to spend.

Since a 'starving artist' usually doesn't have a whole lot of those, I count other things.

There were 50 AGY: Linen and Hemp.  There is now one.
There were 140 AGY: Cotton.  There are now 10.
There are considerably more AGY:  Rayon, but I'm hopeful that they will sell.  Eventually.  Just like Magic sold.  Eventually.

I don't know what the people hosting the webinar were expecting for registrations but the moderator seemed pleased with how it went.  And of course people can still sign up and view the recorded version which should be available in a couple of days.

I am reminded almost daily how many students I've had.  It's a warm and fuzzy feeling, especially when they say how much I've helped them understand more about the craft.  It's what keeps me climbing back onto planes, shifting time zones, sleeping in many strange beds.

Recently, I counted how many of the US states I have been in.  Not for plane layovers, but actually took step out of the airport and stayed a while.

It was 30.  In October I'll add one more to the count.

I have been to 8 of the 10 provinces and none of the territories.  I hope one day to fix that.  :)

Last month I reached another birthday.  And counting.  There is a poster on Facebook that says something like - do not regret growing old.  It is a privilege denied to many.  Like my brother.  My father.  And now, in the senior years of my life...some of my friends.

The webinar is done.  I survived.  As a friend says, much nicer to say "I have done" rather than "I will do".  Now it's back to focusing on the up coming deadlines so that soon I can say I have done them, too.

My Friend, Fear

In our society we are taught to be afraid of feeling fear.  Fear is not something to be afraid of.  It is just an emotion.

Fear is actually good for us - to a certain extent.

Fear is what keeps us from doing foolish things - like crossing the street without looking right and left.  Or starting our car without fastening our seat belts.  Or checking what lies beyond the precipice before we leap.

Fear only becomes a problem when we don't take the next step.  The one that takes us a step back, analyses the situation and does a basic risk management.

So when I'm asked to speak to a large crowd, my ego says "whoa - that's risky!  What if they don't like what you have to say?  What if you botch the speech?  What if....they laugh at you!?"  At which point my analytical self says "so what if they do laugh at me?  I'll probably laugh at me, too!"

Fear only becomes an issue when that emotion blocks you from doing something you would actually like to do.  Something for which there is a slight risk of being seen as being a little bit silly, a little bit foolish.  When fear becomes paralysing, that is when we feel frozen and unable to act.

But when fear is just a way to asses a situation, think through what can go 'wrong' so that you can take steps to make sure you've covered the bases?  Then fear becomes a friend.  Fear also releases stress hormones that make you more alert.  We usually call this fear 'stage fright'.  And most people who do public speaking or performance of any kind take that fear, channel it into energy and use it to springboard into a lively presentation.

So it is with this webinar in the morning.  Yes, I am a little bit afraid I will stammer and verbally stumble.  I'm a little bit afraid that the technology will not work smoothly.

But! I have had not one but two rehearsals.  I think I can handle the technology on my end.  I'm pretty sure I can speak reasonably articulately about a topic I've done live several times in various formats.  My biggest fear right now?  That I won't cover the entire topic in the time allotted.  But I've got a clock right in front of my face, I know how many slides there are and I am pretty sure I can pace myself to cover everything I can in the 60 minutes.  The seminar won't be as extensive as a 3 hour format, but that's ok.  The webinar is just meant to be a 'taste', hopefully inspiring people to find out more.  Ultimately it is a way to guide people to greater knowledge.  Because when you don't know what you don't know....you don't know that you don't know it.

Just a reminder - if you can't take the webinar live tomorrow, you can still view it in the recorded version. You get 3 months to view it as often as you like from the time you register and I will take email questions at a later date.  Registration can be done at Weaving Today

And if you think it was a good seminar, worth taking?  I do hope you'll share that opinion with your friends.

Currently reading Possession by Kat Richardson - just realized it had been a while since I included the current book

Feel the Fear

and do it anyway.

That's the title of a book I've never read, but the title resonates throughout my being.

I have lived much of my life afraid.  Afraid of failure.  Afraid that people won't like me.  Afraid that I will make huge mistakes.  Or even just tiny ones.

The secret to living is to feel the fear and do it anyway.  So you fall flat on your face, so what?

There are very few mistakes in life - or in weaving - that are terminal.

Am I afraid that this new scarf line I've invested so much time and money into won't sell?

You betcha.

Am I afraid that, after spending all that money booking booths at various shows, I won't sell enough to cover the costs of doing the show?

Of course I am.

Do I worry about standing up in front of a crowd to speak?

Naturally.

But I do these things anyway.

I have published books that no 'real' publisher would have touched with a 20 foot barge pole.  Was I scared spitless?  Yes, indeed.

I have travelled far from home to give workshops, seminars and keynote addresses.  Written magazine articles and other publications.  Gone to conferences with a booth of yarns, textiles, books, hoping people would buy.

And always, there was a little niggling worm of doubt, a fearful spasm, a breath held until it went away.  Or at least retreated to the back of my mind instead of the forefront.

Wednesday I try something new and different.  That little niggling worm of doubt is alive and healthy.  But come 11 am Pacific Time I will go ahead and do it anyway.

 a field of flax in bloom - photo courtesy of Linda Heinrich - part of the A Good Yarn webinar http://weavingtoday.com

Official!

It's official.  The webinar is written, tweaked, proof read (thanks Cindy!) and the technology tested.  Thankfully, the technology is fairly intuitive and I didn't have any problems downloading the program or understanding how to use the control panel.  The headphones (thanks Allan!) worked beautifully and Laura Esposito from Interweave said the sound quality was good.

We will have a final 'full dress' rehearsal on Monday, but the date for going live is...ta-DAH! - next Wednesday.  For details of how to register click here.

A note of explanation.

This is not a live video feed.  The presentation is in the form of a Power Point presentation with live voice.  Questions will be accepted during the presentation.

The topic is A Good Yarn and will discuss fibre and yarn characteristics.  Illustrations similar to the above will be part of it.  For those of you who may have not have seen this photo before, it shows two qualities of cotton yarn.  The top skein is ring spun 2/8 cotton.  The bottom skein is open end spun 8/2 cotton.

Even though they are both about the same grist (diameter) and both are made from unmercerized cotton, they look and behave quite differently.  If you buy one expecting the other, you will be disappointed....

Part of the seminar will address why they are different and how they are different.  They will make fabric of similar but somewhat different qualities....

Some people have commented that they won't be able to view the presentation 'forever'.  On the other hand, if you attended a live presentation of this topic at a guild meeting or conference, you would only get to see/hear it once.  With the webinar, you will be able to access the presentation as often as you like for 3 months.

When the internet was first conceived, I don't think anyone dreamt of the way the technology has grown.  To be able to take a class remotely, at your own convenience (you don't even have to attend the live presentation, just sign up and listen/watch when you want to), seems like a small miracle to me.

So while the format may not be ideal for everyone, I notice that there is a growing movement on the internet for more classes similar to these.  With more young people who are internet savvy coming into the craft via rigid heddle weaving, this approach seems like a reasonable way to embrace these new, younger people into the craft.  For us oldies, the experience of signing into the webinar was relatively painless.   If *I* can do it, so can anyone else!

This morning Laura E and I discussed the possibility of other topics that might work in this format.  If you have any suggestions, remember that it is a Power Point presentation - i.e. slides, no video - I am open to hearing what they might be.

PS - I've been told that the presentation, once taped, can be purchased into the future, not just next week.  And you still get 3 months to view it from the date of purchase.  You won't be able to ask questions live unless you sit in on the live presentation, but I will answer questions by email.

(Any errors in this blog are mine - check the link or the blog post on Weaving Today for details about system requirements, etc.)

Out On A Limb

Antheraea polyphemus, a.k.a., a "giant silk moth."

I am going to go out on a limb here and give a little more information about the webinar I am scheduled to do for Weaving Today later in August.

The topic is A Good Yarn and it will present information on fibre and yarn characteristics.

It is my belief that, in order to make good choices, weavers need to understand more about the inherent characteristics of their materials.

If a weaver does not choose wisely or well, they may be disappointed in their results.

So I have spent the last few days upgrading the Power Point presentation that I have been giving to guilds and at conferences to make it more eye appealing for its debut on the internet.

The above photo is one I took this morning to illustrate the silk page.  It is one of the silk moths native to North America.  No, it is not a Bombyx Mori, from which we get 'cultivated' silk.  But that is not the only species which spins a silk cocoon.

My contact at Weaving Today is out of the office this week, but is sourcing some other photos for me and I will be putting the finishing touches on the presentation before I leave again in August.  I want this wrapped up before I go so that I don't have to worry about anything but how I do the presentation when the time comes.  :)

As soon as I get the go ahead, I will post the registration information here.  If you have already taken this topic from me, you might find this a good refresher with the added benefit that you will have unlimited access to review it once it is posted on the website - for 3 months.  Always wanted a re-wind on life?  This may be your chance!

Currently reading Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb

'Cheap' Yarn - Another Soapbox

There is a poster on Facebook that says "Life is too short to (knit, weave, crochet) with cheap yarn."

I agree.  But define 'cheap'?

One of the main complaints of new weavers is that weaving is so expensive - the yarn costs so much.

OTOH, when I look at yarns for knitting, my thought is "that's so expensive!"  When you look at what you are getting for your money, there can be quite a large difference in cost per ounce, knitting vs weaving yarns.

The thing is, weaving just uses up way more yarn so the initial outlay may seem as though it is more expensive.  Instead of one skein of 100 grams of knitting yarn for, say, $25 a new weaver may buy 3 or 4 tubes (8 ounce tubes) for more than that.  But compare the weight and yardage.  Generally speaking, cost per ounce for weaving yarns is a lot less than for knitting or crocheting.

So what is a 'cheap' yarn?  Are we talking inexpensive?  Or poor quality?  The word 'cheap' can be defined as either.

My approach to weaving has been to work with the best quality yarns I can afford.  So no, I don't buy the acrylics commonly available in Michael's or Wally World.  I go to weaving yarn suppliers.  I examine the way the yarn has been spun.  Test it for strength.  For integrity in the loom as warp.

If you look closely at the photo above (click to biggify) you will see two skeins of 2/8 or 8/2 cotton yarn.

Can you see the difference between them?  That one looks whiter and smoother than the other?

The skein on the top is Canadian standard 2/8 cotton.  The other is American standard 8/2 cotton.  (Although you can get 2/8 cotton now in the US - try WEBS and their Eight/Two cotton or Yarn Barn of Kansas - read the fine print where it describes the yarn as more tightly twisted for warp.)

Ring spun cotton is more like a worsted preparation while open end spinning is more like woolen preparation.  The ring spun yarn is smoother and stronger (by about 20% according to industry) than open end spun yarn of the same fibre.

My approach to weaving (I've said before and I'll say it again, no doubt!) is that the most expensive component of a hand woven textile is the time the weaver invests in creating their textile.  Why would I work with materials that can't stand up to the stresses of weaving?

My preference for warp is a stronger yarn.  The weaker yarn belongs in the weft.  IMHO.

Learn more about the inherent qualities of the yarn you are working with and make appropriate choices.  Watch this space for more information on my up-coming webinar with Weaving Today on just this topic.