Simple, Not Easy

knot in warp - repair end threaded through same heddle, woven together with original end for 1 to 1.25", then cut original end and continue weaving until...

original end is long enough to re-thread through the heddle.  Weave 1 to 1.25", then cut repair end.  Clip all tails once cloth is off the loom before wet finishing.  No sewing required.

This warp is reminding me that just because something is 'simple' doesn't mean it's 'easy'.

There is a reason so many testing/learning programs concentrate on the execution of a good plain weave.  While the thread interlacement is 'simple', making it good is much, much harder.  Every little inconsistency will show up.

How do you get better?  By first of all training your eye to detect those pesky inconsistencies.  By listening to your loom, yarn and most of all, your body.  Weaving is a biofeedback activity.  It has to be because you are using equipment and tools and you need to be able operate the equipment and handle the tools with skill.  And by that I mean obtain the results you desire through the use of those tools and equipment.

People who don't weave don't have a good grasp of just how skilled you have to be to make good cloth.  Especially good plain weave.

The first step in achieving a good plain weave is to learn how to wind and beam the warp under consistent tension.  There are many different processes that people employ to do this - it doesn't matter which you use so long as you have a warp that is consistent on the beam.  In my studio this means beaming the warp with fairly high tension, using firm warp packing (unless I'm sectional beaming on the AVL in which case the warp is beamed with high tension and no warp packing).

The warp must then be tensioned for weaving - again, consistently.  Unfortunately this is easier said than done because when the fell is advanced and tension reapplied it is nearly impossible to achieve precisely the same tension as was previously used.  Looms with finer adjustments (two 'dogs' rather than one, for instance, smaller teeth in the pawl for another) are easier to reset.  So the weaver has to replicate as closely as possible the tension on the warp each time the warp is advanced.  And then s/he has to adjust their beat to compensate for the different tension on the warp.  This becomes more difficult on a long warp as the cloth is being woven, building up on the cloth beam.  Instead of a nice hard surface, the cloth beam becomes padded with layers of woven cloth.  In addition the ratio of the diameter of the warp beam to the diameter of the cloth beam continuously changes.

The weaver has to train their eye to spot inconsistencies so that s/he can see what is happening, analyse why it is happening, and know what and how to adjust what they are doing to get the results they desire.

They must pay attention.

They must be able to handle the shuttle in such a way as to leave the appropriate amount of slack in the weft so that there is appropriate draw in.  If they choose to use a temple, they need to know how to most effectively apply that.  They must know how to wind 'good' bobbins and control the feedoff of yarn from the bobbin.

Again I say, pay attention.

Pay attention to their equipment, their tools, their results.  Spot errors immediately and fix them to avoid unweaving or worse, have to fix them off the loom.

Once a weaver has mastered plain weave they will have achieved a level of skill or competency that will bring them a long way towards understanding the subtlety of the craft and a level of mastery that will make weaving less stressful and more enjoyable.  They will even be able to function with just surface attention so that they can have other thought tracks running alongside of their weaving.  But their eye and their body will know what to do and as soon as an inconsistency crops up, the weaver will be able to deal with it efficiently.  Mistakes will happen, but they won't be the end of the project. 

 Most things in weaving can be fixed, one way or another, depending on how much time one is willing to devote to the fix.  Some things aren't 'perfect' but don't really do much harm.  I know my beat isn't perfect in this cloth but I'm also working with a slub yarn which makes achieving a 'perfect' beat pretty nigh impossible.  And ultimately it's a tea towel.  I'm not submitting it for jurying.  I just want to make something 'nice' for people to dry their dishes.  These will do just fine - even though they aren't 'perfect'.  

Sometimes the best lesson to learn is when to let go of perfection.

Subdued

towels

close up - showing hem woven in 2/16 cotton and towel body in the cotton slub/linen

White dilutes
Grey muddies
Black intensifies

This little mantra will help in choosing appropriate colours for your textiles.

I think you can see quite clearly that the deeper colours of the warp are being subdued by the pale weft I'm using.

So it appears that the four cones I had decided to use up this time are much bigger in real life than expected.  I'd assumed that the cones were about 2 pounds.  Except that two of them are 3.5 pounds each, and the other 2 are 2.5 pounds.  With 3100 yards per pound, that is about 37,000 yards, give or take the cone weight.  I number crunched and discovered that 12 pounds of this cotton/linen yarn is enough weft for (wait for it) +90 towels.  !

Well, I won't be using up this yarn any time soon.  I don't have the time to make 90+ towels before the show season starts, nor do I need that many towels for inventory.  I've actually got quite a good inventory of towels because I've been weaving them on the AVL on 30 and 40 yard long warps.

So I will do a few warps with this combination, then it will be time to weave up some rayon chenille for scarves - because two simply isn;t enough - and then finish with a few more place mat warps.  I took a look at inventory the other day and there aren't nearly as many mats on the shelves as I expected to see!

Technology

has been kicking my butt this summer.

So far I have replaced my desktop, the computer that runs the loom, my iPad and now we are waiting to see if the boiler that runs Puff (industrial steam press) can be fixed.

I have to give thanks to Bob (Fiberworks) and Allan (computer guru friend) for helping me get the new computer talking to the Compu-Dobby I.  With the proper adapter, all appears to be well.

Thing is, the Compu-Dobby I is, in the electronic world at least, a proper 'antique'.  When I bought the new cpu, I suddenly realized the Compu-Dobby I is probably older than the sales clerk that sold me the computer.  But so far it still works, so I'm not about to invest thousands of more dollars to upgrade it, especially when I have no idea how much longer I'm going to be able to weave.

Bottom line is that by the time I'm done with weaving, this loom and the gear that makes it work the way I need it to will more than likely be worn out.

It's kind of sad in a way.  Looms used to be solidly built and passed down from one generation to another.  Now we have a society that doesn't expect anything to last more than a year or two and when it breaks or wears out, we throw it away.

I bought this loom in 1981.  I added the Compu-Dobby I a year after it was introduced (took me that long to save the money) so about 1992?  In 1998 or 9 I got Doug to install the air assist.  So all of the parts of this loom are old to very old.  And it has been used, pretty much daily.  There have been literally thousands of yards of cloth roll across the beams.

When it comes time to 'retire' I will be sad, but that time is not here, not yet.

Currently reading The Acadians by James Laxer

And Now...

...for something completely different...

first half of a towel warp wound

both halves wound ready for beaming with huge cone of cotton/linen for weft (and warp yarns because there are a few knots in the warp that will need fixing)

I am getting tired of place mats, even though it's apparent I haven't nearly enough made for the upcoming show season.  Rather than flog myself to keep going with the mats, however, I decided to start on another of the yarns I inherited from Lynn...a fairly fine 2 ply, one ply cotton, one ply linen - with a slub in the cotton.

Since it's not appropriate for warp, it will be used for weft.  It's all 'natural' (natural white cotton, natural beige linen) the design emphasis will be in the warp.  Warp stripes to be precise.

Since I'm thinking of doing a blog post for Craftsy on using the Fibonacci series to design stripes, I started with a very simple stripe design.  I will do this stripe in several different colourways, then design another stripe using a different set of numbers and probably a different number of colours in the warp.  I've used just three in this warp - a warm reddish beige, moss green and a brighter sandy beige.

The weave structure will be plain weave and the lighter weft will 'wash' the colours of the warp to a pale pastel value.

This summer has been rather expensive in terms of technology.  I replaced both my desktop and iPad, and this week I wound up having to replace the computer that runs the loom.  Today Doug informed me that Puff isn't working and he has to call in an electrician.  I'm waiting to hear if it's 'terminal' or if Puff can be fixed.  If he can't, I am going to downsize, give up the annex and shoehorn all the stuff currently stored at the annex into my studio.  Where, I have no idea.

It will be back to trails and a possible episode of Hoarders but if Puff can't be fixed, there is no point in carrying on renting off site storage.  Since I'm cutting back anyway, perhaps this is just a timely reminder that I have waaaaay too much stuff and need to work harder at using up my stash and getting rid of some equipment.

Puff may be the first to go...

Just finished Tapestry of Lies by Carol Ann Martin and started Queen of Silks by Vanora Bennett.  I'm not sure if I'm going to keep reading that one - I am waiting to see if there is more information on the silk industry or if it is just a 'romance'.

7 1/2 years

Don, in his happy place...The Little Prince

It's been 7 and a half years since my brother died and what a roller coaster it has been.  Little did I know then the ups and downs that would enter my life.

I have learned so many lessons since then.  How to stay in the now.  How to worry about the future less and enjoy the present more.  How resilient the human body is.  To judge others less.  To be more compassionate.  More forgiving.  Less angry.  More peaceful.  To look for the lesson in events.  To fill up the glass when it appears to be half empty.

I'm still working on other things.

To have fewer regrets.  To complain less.  To mine the clouds for those silver linings...because you know they are there...somewhere.

To watch for the rainbows.  Capture the joy, whenever possible.

But oh, how I miss having my brother on the journey.

Showing Up

People often comment on how much I get done.  What they don't realize is that a) weaving is my job and b) I really don't do anything else.

Thing is, when you are self-employed, every day is a potential workday.  (It's also a potential day off, but if you have too many of those, nothing, and I mean nothing, gets done.)

Weaving is so much more than a job to me, though.  It's my happy place.  It's therapy - physical and emotional.

One of the reasons I chose weaving as a career is that I wanted - needed - work that had an element of creativity in it, plus I wanted to make the decisions.  So I decided weaving might just be the answer, even though I didn't actually weave at the time I made that decision.

The biggest challenge is that you have to show up.  You are answerable to no one but yourself.  While it is you that makes the decisions, you also have to accept the consequences of those decisions.  And sometimes that means working even when you don't really feel like it.  Showing up when your energy levels are in the toilet and doing something in spite of feeling like you are dragging a grand piano behind you.  You show up with a headache, muscle pain, etc.

Creativity is not something that comes to you in a blaze of glory, completely formed and perfect.  Being a creative person means that sometimes you have to deal with the administrivia, the prep work, the 'boring' bits.  Being self-employed means that you get to do All The Things, regardless of whether or not you enjoy them.  If they are necessary somebody has got to do them and in a one person studio?  That person is you.

You have to show up for all the jobs.  And you do.  You either get to the point where you don't mind them, or you hire it out.  That's why I have an accountant.  I'd much rather beam and weave a 40 yard long warp than deal with year end and taxes!

The first thing you need to do on the road to 'success' (whatever success means to you) is that you have to show up.  And you have to do the work.

Poor Man's Damask

Twill blocks are sometimes called 'poor man's damask'.  So here is the pine trees and snowballs pattern woven with the same yarn both warp and weft.  Yes, they are, indeed, the same colour.  So why do we see a very distinct difference between the warp and weft?  It's physics, m'dear.  It is the way the light reflects off the surface of the yarns.  It is this principle that makes damask work with it's very elegant white on white (or any colour on itself) to show up the pattern woven.  It's all a trick of the light.

As you can see, I've used up the last of the very fine singles linen.  I'm very happy to finish this warp using up as much of the red cotton as it will take to complete the 40 yard warp.  I think there's about 10 yards left, give or take.  The red on red cotton will be turned into towels, the linen and cotton will become table runners.  I'm hoping to cut the linen off the loom tomorrow after weaving enough length so that I can cut at the back of the loom and not have to re-tie.  Mainly because I'm lazy and I'd rather just keep on weaving than stop and cut off at the reed and re-tie.  It's one of the nice features of the AVL - this ability to cut off what you've woven without having to actually cut off at the reed.

Doug made me several storage rollers so when I get about 2 yards woven I cut the cloth off the apron and insert a storage roller.  I can, at any time, cut off at the back of the loom and remove what I've woven for the next step.  When I was weaving for the fashion designer I'd weave about 40 yards or so and process the web (inspection and repair) and ship to her.  No time was lost because I could just keep on going.

I have no problems with the tieing of a warp.  So many people say they struggle to get even tension, there are numerous processes that 'guarantee' 'perfect' tension.  I just use the good old surgeon's knot and have rarely had any problems getting good tension.  But whatever works, right?

If I'm working with something slippery that won't hold a knot, I lash on.  I think I demo'd both of these methods on The Efficient Weaver.  The trick, as far as I can see, is to tie groups that are neither too large nor too small.  Too small and it seems as though it's nearly impossible to get everything close enough to the same tension to get good results.  Too much and the outside ends are under more tension than the middle ones, and again - almost impossible to get good results.  So my bouts are about 1 inch.  (.75" - 1.25")

If you are having tension issues due to the method used to tie on, do some research and see the other ways there are to accomplish the task.  Perhaps one of those other methods will suit you, your loom and your materials better than what you are doing.