Hard Knocks

One phrase I don't hear all that often anymore is people learning from the School of Hard Knocks.  

It was a phrase often used in my childhood, especially by my father who never actually attended school.  He learned his ABC's and how to write (draw) his name, but otherwise learned via experience...or, the School of Hard Knocks.  

As I teach, especially the nitty gritty of weaving, I am reminded over and over again that I cannot give my experiences to anyone else.  I can explain principles, show students exercises which will give them similar experiences, but ultimately they will have to do the work of getting there themselves.  If I just tell them what to do, all I have done is taught them to follow someone else's directions, not to learn by exploring the concepts for themselves, not how to observe, analyze and draw their own conclusions.  

In other words, they need to try and 'fail' - or succeed - so that they can learn for themselves.  

The School of Hard Knocks isn't the easiest school to learn at, but it can be effective.  We learn to deal  with failure by failing and not allowing that failure to derail the learning process.  I have tried and failed at many things.   I will fail many more times.  How we learn is by not giving up, but getting up, dusting ourselves off and trying again.  And again.  And again.  

Slow Cloth

 

Hand weaving, no matter how efficient you are, is by its very nature 'slow'.  

And so my pile of new design scarves grows...slowly.  

I have a whole bunch of warps already wound so it is really just a matter of choosing a colour for the next warp and getting it into the loom.  

The empty bins will get more warps as I wind more.  The are at least six more colour ways pulled, waiting for warps to be wound.  

It is almost July.  Reno work on the house looks like it will be starting sometime soon and there will be noise and dust and general upheaval.  I'm trying to get as much weaving done as possible so that if there is too much chaos during construction I can tuck my laptop into my case and head for the guild room where there will be quiet and the guild library for research.  

Always good to have a Plan B!

Bumps and Hiccoughs

So, here I was, all set to have my usual 'birthday' sale (generally July 1-9 each year) when a news release announced that the union and Canada Post are about to start job action and if the union begins rotating job action, Canada Post will simply shut down service entirely.  Not much point doing a 'sale' when I can't then ship anything.

Since the sale would have started this Friday (Canada Day) and run through to my birthday (July 9), it would appear that I won't be having a sale this summer after all.  Unless everyone decides to play nice?  I could then have a 'belated' sale once the dust settles...

If anyone is interested in tea towels or Kerstin Fro:berg's book Weave a V - email me laura at laurafry dot com and I will see what I can work out later.

(Usual terms of the sale are - buy two or more items, get free shipping.)

Confronting Chaos

Between the unpacking from Olds Fibre Week, the pending move out of the annex, the Reno/repairs to the house AND writing The Book, this is the current state of the studio.  

I guess I ought not complain as there is still a goat trail through?

The AVL is empty with a 100 yard warp scheduled for next, there are scarf warps wound for the small loom, edits to finish, text to be written, projects designed and tested, fringe twisting elf to be trained - for whenever I get the new line woven.  

There are craft fairs to be prepared for, teaching trips to be organized, and my mothers 90th birthday 'party' to be dealt with.  Since I am, in fact, out of town on the date, it will have to be a moveable feast.  I hope the family doesn't mind.  :-/

There is also wet finishing and pressing to be done, at some point and we won't discuss the hemming I didn't do while I was away.  

It is at times like this that I have to remember that this IS the life I chose...

Under the Gazebo

Olds Master Weaving Level One class (2016).

If we are looking a little frayed (or a little Fry'd), there is a reason!

Thanks for the photo Jean.  

Summing Up

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

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

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

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

In Progress

Today we ran out of the value gamp warp because instead of wimping out and not doing both plain and twill gamps, this enthusiastic bunch, did!   Since I had plenty more yarn, another warp was wound and the loom dressed this afternoon.  Since I was dressing the loom again with the valet, I invited the other classes to observe.  Much picture taking ensued, so I suspect there will be some cutting and drilling happening once some people get home.  

Tomorrow some wet finishing will be happening and then much mulling, thinking, analyzing will follow. 

I cannot give someone else my experience, but I can assist others to obtain their own and help with the analyzing.  I can also cheerlead, commiserate when things go wrong, assist with problem solving.