July 2021

 

From the bin to the spool rack, the next warp is in the works.

After much thought, I decided to not use that bleached white for weft.  I should do a burn test on it to confirm it is, in fact, cotton, but if so it is mercerized cotton and fairly 'stiff'.

5/2 mercerized cotton (or Perle if it is DMC brand cotton) was engineered for embroidery.  Therefore it is dense due to the fibres being aligned parallel, then firmly twisted.  As such, it has less bend or drape to it, and - most importantly for a towel - less absorbency.

In a rummage in my yarn stash I was reminded that I have four cones (about 1 pound each) of 16/2 cotton of the right shade of turquoise.  

This yarn is thinner than the warp, but 2 strands of 16/2 cotton plied together will be about the same thickness as the 2/8 cotton, and I have a spinning wheel, so...

Right now we are in the  middle of an extreme heat event.  This is more serious than a 'wave' and high  temp records are being shattered up and down the west coast of North America, all the way up into the Arctic.  Not just on North America, either, but in the north on the other side of the globe.

Fortunately my studio is in the basement and I'm able to go down and get some relief from the heat.  Yesterday I reached the end of the last warp and got set up to beam the next.  I'm playing a bit of yarn chicken with this warp.  I'm pretty sure I have enough of the main colour to wind the warp, but I won't know until I actually do it.  So I'm thinking of reducing the length a bit, which will mean one less towel.  However, since I'm not entirely sure I will have enough of the 8/2 and 16/2 yarn to do 16 towels, one less might just be good planning.  Or a lucky happenstance.  

Beaming the next warp today is a lucky happenstance because today is supposed to be even hotter here than yesterday, but the forecast says the heat dome we are living under will begin deteriorating and the temperature begin to go down tomorrow.

So today I will begin beaming and maybe even threading.  I may not start weaving until Thursday though when the temps are supposed to be merely hot instead of extreme.

Currently reading The Fabric of Civilization by Virginia Potrel  (need to check the spelling of her name) while I wait for my next library book.  I'm finding the book dense with information and I tend to read it in short bits so I can think about what she is saying.  Just now reading about mathematics and weaving, and seeing familiar names - Carrie Brezine, Tien Chiu - and getting a little frisson of delight at nuggets of information.  Yes, I will do a 'proper' review but I'm only at about page 55 or 60 with a lot more to come.  Lovely!

Easy Button

 

One of the road blocks to my doing more on line content is the technology.  (There are others, but...)

I've done some video work and have a basic (very basic) understanding of some of the things that need to go into creating visual/on line content.  Such content is usually done by a team of experts (or at the very least, trained, people).

During this time of covid, I dabbled a bit and eventually started the study groups but they are done on a figurative shoe string, and only because companies like Zoom were developing prior to the pandemic and were able to step up quickly to offer on line services.

But that meant I had to learn how to use their site (and pay for their services) and figure out a way to make what is essentially a static lecture work to teach a hand's on activity.

I chose to focus on people who already knew the basics and were interested in fine tuning what they were doing.  So that a simple description, perhaps with a photo, would be sufficient for them to pick up the nuances.

Other teachers had been working on presenting on line classes using video.  Rather than compete with them, I preferred to recommend them and do my own thing.

I have done some 'video' work (converted to 'classes' by Long Thread Media) and when the crew arrived here I had done my homework.  We were able to film two different topics in the course of three days of very intense work.  We filmed out of sequence in order to make the job go more quickly and the editor dealt with sequencing when they got back to their studio.

In the end I was satisfied, even as I saw sections that I wish had been done 'better'.  But knowing how to storyboard, set up a filming schedule to pitch to the crew, have my samples organized, have the processing worked out with multiple 'samples' at various stages already organized made things go smoothly enough that we were able to finish and the crew returned home on schedule.

In the end, the result needs to look as though it was 'easy' to get to that point.  The lightning needs to be good.  Camera angles show what is necessary to be seen.  Audio should be, well, audible.

I could, if I had more energy, learn how to do the film editing.  I could, if I had more money, buy a better video camera, better lights, tripods, etc.

But I can't clone myself.  I can't be on camera and behind it at the same time.

So I will continue with the study groups for the scheduled topics.  And in the meantime, I'm tentatively exploring other options for the future.  If anything will come of that exploration - or not - remains to be seen.

Not Set in Stone

 

Posted the Birthday Bash details yesterday.  Today there are just two of the pale green towels shown in the above photo left.  Most of the colours have lots, but some are low numbers, in part because I was using up yarn stash and just made as many as I had yarn.

This morning as I sat and had my 'jitter juice' (as a cartoonist labelled it recently) I thought about the next warp.

Initially I thought I would have plenty of the dark variegated yarn, but as I near the end of the current warp, so am I nearing the end of that yarn.  There won't likely be enough to weave on the next warp, so I have been looking at alternatives.

I have a giant tube of what I think is a 5/2 mercerized cotton in bleached white and had thought I could use that on the next warp.  But the more I think about it, the less inclined I am to use it.  5/2 Perle cotton is quite stiff and thicker than 8/2, so the towels wouldn't be great.  Probably that yarn should be used for table runners or something that doesn't need absorbency or drape.

There is a partial cone of a solid turquoise 8/2 cotton in the right shade, but that will only weave a few towels.  What should I do for the rest of the warp?

I have a bunch of cones of 16/2 cotton in the correct colour, but it's finer than I want to use on these towels.

But ah-ha, I have a spinning wheel.  Instead of using a doubling stand, which would work but be a bit of a pain, I can ply two strands of the 16/2 together.

We talked about how much fibre dust that would create in the house and instead - since it's summer and no rain to speak of in the forecast after highs of 40+C on Mon-Tues, the temps are supposed to go down to the mid-30s.  Which, while hotter than I like, is at least do-able to be outside.

Most of the pollen should be over by then as well, so Doug will set up a table in the carport to protect me from the sun and I'll spend some time outside plying yarn.  I have 6 bobbins for the Device and plan to just go straight from the spinning wheel bobbin to the weaving bobbin so it should go fairly quickly once I get going.  And, doing the plying outside, the fibre dust would be kept as low as possible.  While weaving I have a fan with a filter on it next to the loom to help remove dust from the air.

I've woven enough of my cotton yarn stash that I'm having to carefully consider my options.  I think that's a 'win' in the stash reduction olympics.

Blue Blazer

 

The next week is going to see record breaking temperatures here.  On Wednesday, I have an appointment with my massage therapist and it is supposed to be 40C.  I'm reluctant to go except I'm not doing well in the back department.

Yesterday we made a temporary adjustment to the Megado that I am hoping will help with the pain in my hip/glutes/lower back.  Last night I felt pretty good but woke up this morning with pain in my hip again.

Then someone posted on Facebook asking what age you are, as opposed to what age you *think* you are.

Well, I am completely aware of my chronological age.  My body is constantly telling me it's been rode hard, put away wet far too many times.  But I also think about the fact that if I hadn't worked ergonomically for my life, I'd be in far worse shape than I am.

Part of the massage treatment has been coming to grips with just how much pain I am in.  Not just from my back and the nerve pain associated from two partially collapsed discs, pinching the spinal nerve, but from all the wear and tear of working at a very physical job for 40 plus years.

I am old enough now that I am no longer expected to work for an income so I work at my own pace as much as I can.  And try to not beat myself up when I can only manage a fraction of what I could when I was, say, 36.  Which is the age I have always felt myself to be, to be honest.

When I was a kid, a day that had a blue sky and really blisteringly high temperature was a 'blue blazer'.  I am grateful beyond words that we have a/c.  During this time of continuing pandemic, when I am still pretty much isolating from others, being able to stay home and stay relatively comfortable is a great privilege.  One I do not take lightly.  

The problem is, we are getting this temperatures in JUNE, not August.  It is very concerning that we are dealing with these temperatures this early in the year and I hope that this is the peak, not just the start of 6 weeks of intolerable heat.

In the meantime, I have yarn.  I have a loom.  And I have power.  Yesterday I put a couple of bottles of water into the freezer, just in case we do lose power.  It won't help much, but it might help keep the freezer cool enough to not lose the meat we have in there.

But climate change is real.  It's happening.  It's been happening for a while.  And it is time to deal with it.  Between the heat extremes and the more severe storms, the next decade is going to become even more difficult.  A 'blue blazer' might become the standard here, not the record breaking exception.

A Work In Progress

 

Yesterday I reached the estimated halfway point of the current warp, cut off what had been woven, separated the towels and got them into the washing machine.

With such a dark hue, I tossed a couple of Colour Catchers into the machine and after the first wash (with 'extra' rinse) noticed they had turned every bit as dark as the towels.

Back into the washing machine for another wash cycle (with extra rinse) and more Colour Catchers.  This time they were about half the value of the previous two, so I left those in the machine, added two more and ran just the rinse cycle.

After that, the two new ones were just 'blush' so I deemed the web 'done'.

About 20 or so minutes in the dryer left the towels a little bit more damp than I usually aim for, but the afternoon was shot and I didn't feel like weaving so I went ahead and pressed them.  In the end they weren't all that damp and pressed up fine.

The transformation was interesting.  The cloth is mostly plain weave with fine 'lines' of 2:2 twill running through to make a medallion design.  After wet finishing the cloth developed a nice texture and I'm pretty sure these will work well as towels.

Tonight there will be hemming to do.  One of the reasons I wanted to get these done now is that we are still having light well into the evening and they will be easier to see to hem.  

Here is the draft for the current warp.

I have more of the 8/2 cotton so my next warp will be set up with the same draft.  Hopefully next week.

Back in the 1980s I installed house a/c because at the time I was earning my income from weaving and couldn't weave once it reached 90F or so.  Once the studio warmed up, there was no way I could keep going.  Now we are facing 100+F temperatures early next week with 90+F temps either side of those record breaking days.

Staying home in the cool of the a/c, working in the studio, sounds like a plan to me.

45 Degrees

 

The other day I saw a question from a fairly new weaver asking about getting a 45 degree angle on their weft and the answer was to do the best they could.

Ahem.

It's impossible.

The photo is a tea towel I wove, about 24" in the reed, finished width of 20.5".

When I folded it so that a 45 degree angle could be shown, the photo shows what that 45 degree angle would look like in the shed.  The side height of that angle is 20" tall.  Therefore, for that 24" in the reed warp?  The shed would have to be in excess of 20 inches long in order to lay the weft into the shed at a 45 degree angle.

I *think* people conflate the 45 degree angle suggested as the ideal for a twill line in the cloth with the angle the weft should take in the shed.  When that is clearly impossible.

(The cyan triangle is my little 45 degree gauge I use to check my twill angle.)

So what should a new weaver do?

First of all, understand that the angle that is used should be appropriate for the cloth being constructed.

My general angle of weft in the shed can be as low as 5 degrees, to around 15 degrees.  

It is much more important to NOT trap the active/live end of the yarn in the selvedge.

So.  Once the shed is opened, throw the shuttle, giving a tiny 'tug' on the weft yarn to seat it around the selvedge.  

Then let off any pressure on the bobbin and as you bring the beater forward, lift the hand with the shuttle just enough for the beater to pass beneath your hand.

As the beater comes forward to press the weft into place, the weft will find a natural balance point through the cloth and the actual *angle* it has been laid in doesn't much matter.  

There are even times when I will keep tension on the weft in order to increase draw in - for a particular purpose.  

But mostly, I just try to be as consistent as possible and allow the weft to find it's natural place in the cloth and not bother too much about the actual angle.  But if a guideline is needed, around 10 degrees.  

If you don't have a protractor, you can make a rough one by folding the little 45 degree angle in half, which will give about 22 degrees, then fold the 22 degrees in half for about 11 degrees.

Rather than fuss too much about angle of weft, though, I would encourage new weavers to learn how to wind a 'good' bobbin (yes, under tension, smoothly wound), practice their shuttle handling skills, hold the shuttle in the cradle of their fingers using their thumb to break the cast off of yarn, lifting their hands so the beater travels beneath the hand, and be as consistent as possible every step.

Developing a good rhythm will help as each movement flows smoothly into the next.

Fallow Means Resting

 

chrysalis

There are times when I don't have much brain power, for whatever reason.  During those times I find that when I have a series I'm working through, I can do the physical aspect while not needing to draw upon brain power.  Of which I may have little to none.

Over my lifetime I have dealt with one health issue after another, not knowing at times what was causing my physical distress.  As one health professional put it, when one's primary symptom is fatigue, that doesn't narrow the field much.

But I also do a lot of back of the burner kind of thinking.  Where an idea will pop up - usually a Big Project of one kind or another - and I park that thought in the back of my mind where I will let it simmer.  From time to time I poke at it.  Add a little more information.  Stir it around.  Let it simmer some more.

And so it is right now.

I have just finished a series of warps, all the same quality (dimensions, weave structure, yarn quality) during which time I wasn't required to think very much.  Most of my time was therefore directed at poking at the Zoom lecture series I've been working on, wondering where to go, what to do, when they are finished.  

I have three groups right now, one of them two lectures ahead of the other two.  So I get to test drive the lecture with the one group, then if I need to make corrections or additions, I can do that for the following ones.

All of the information I'm including is stuff I consider essential if someone is to truly master the craft.  But get 10 weavers in a room and ask a question and you'll likely get 20 answers.

So I encourage people to read lots of books, watch videos by other people, think through their own particular situation.  Because it depends.  It really, truly does.

Thinking about the pandemic and my own personal health issues, I am becoming more and more convinced that my travelling (in person) days are over.  But!  I would like to pass my knowledge on, as best I can, to others.

So while the Zoom lectures have been simmering, I was also letting a somewhat smaller pot simmer back there as well.

Lo and behold, an opportunity to explore that idea further and yes, it is just as complicated/complex as I thought it would be.  Frankly, when I read through the recommendations?  I hesitated.  Do I have enough energy to do this?  Perhaps.  Do I feel comfortable enough in front of a video camera to do this?  Um, not really.

The years have not been particularly kind to this body and a camera always adds visual pounds on top of what is actually there.  Not to mention I have worked with my hands all of my life and they show it.  I am reluctant to tape myself doing stuff close up and personal because my hands are not 'pretty'.  This body has been rode hard and put away wet.  And it shows it.

OTOH, when I was having chemo wondering why I wasn't losing any weight the clinic nurses told me to celebrate that I had 'resources'.  Because chemo is not kind to the body and people dealing with cancer and chemo need all the resources they can get.

So I work on my attitude towards my body.  And remind myself that people will participate for the knowledge I have, not for my physical appearance.

The caterpillar undergoes a massive sea change in it's form when it is in chrysalis form.  Fallow means 'resting', not unproductive...