More Gifts

 

made by two different people (three if you count the prep done in Peru, which I do) the lanyard is woven Andean style from wool, the narrow band is, I think, cotton

front of hat

back of hat, band woven as part of Franquemont University class using a warp made from hand spun wool, warp wound and first couple of inches established in Peru, then sent to student here to learn from and complete

Yesterday I showed a blouse recently given to me, and today here are some narrow goods woven by different people.

Abby Franquemont of Franquemont University (FU) has a series of online classes in both spinning and weaving, the Andean way.  My knowledge of textiles of this type is narrow (pun alert!) but I have done enough to understand how these textiles come into material form (heh - very punny today, aren't I?) and therefore I can appreciate them at an somewhat informed level.

The wrist lanyard comes in handy (I have another attached to my purse, made by the FU student a number of years ago which keeps the guild room keys findable) and since Doug is doing cat sitting duty at two different households, the wrist lanyard will keep one of the cat keys easily accessible.

The hat was a recent purchase after Doug had too many skin cancers removed from his face and arm.  Being prudent, he wanted a hat with a wide brim and found this one.  Unfortunately it had a rather pathetic piece of two ply cord as the hat band which neither of us liked and was removed immediately.  Unfortunately it didn't fit him well, so I adopted it, in part because it's knitted, therefore interesting in a textile way, in part because it has a nice wide brim, and while I'm not out in the sun much, probably a good idea if I wear more than sunglasses when I do go out.  But the hat was rather...plain...begging for some kind of prettification.

The wrist lanyard arrived, a welcome addition, and then I thought of the FU student who likely had some bands already woven and might be willing to decorate my hat.  While I messaged her I thought about the pathetic piece of 4/8 cotton currently acting as a 'cradle' for the brake handle on the Megado and asked if she also had something as narrow as 1/4"?  Could I get about 12 or so inches?

She did, and I could.

These are the threads that 'bind' us.  We take fibre, twist it making thread, then we use that thread to make cloth.  Each of us knows and understands different parts of the spectrum of what is possible.  The joy comes from sharing our knowledge and skill with others who also have a fundamental understanding of how this all happened.

Abby and I have had connections between us over the years.  This time we have once again been 'connected' because of our students, of the next generation of weavers who are learning what we know and keeping the craft alive.

Heart.  Cockles.  Warmed.

Gifts

 

Traditional blouse from Romania

Recently I have been gifted with some lovely textiles.  There is no better person to give textiles to than a textile maker!  

The blouse was purchased in Romania and is typical of the type of embroidery design found on traditional clothing there.  The blouse is also typical insofar as it is mostly made of rectangles, using gathering to give shaping to the garment.  This also makes them versatile in terms of sizing.  If you gained or lost weight you simply adjusted the gatherings.

The fabric is a very light gauzy 100% cotton.  The label says Algodon, which is the Arabic word for cotton, and which is still used in Spanish.  Given the generations of Arabic presence in the Iberian peninsula, it's not much wonder that Spanish uses an Arabic word for cotton.  Now it has come to mean a particular quality of very light cloth made from very fine fibres.  The fabric feels silky and cool.  While I won't 'save' the blouse, I will keep it for when I want to be a bit 'dressed up'.  Expect to see it on Zoom presentations.  :D

The cloth is very light weight and is a 'crinkle' cloth.  It says it can be ironed, but I expect that I won't - just hand wash and hang to dry.  (I'm a bit nervous of the very dark red and black and how fast the dyes will be, plus the fabric is 'delicate' - hand washing such a garment won't take but a minute.)

I did a bit of digging into traditional clothing from Ukraine as well as Scandinavia, and there are commonalities, such as the rectangles with gathering for shaping.

Dorothy Burnham has done a small booklet called Cut My Cote.  The garments in the booklet tend to use rectangles, squares or triangles and are very economical in terms of minimum 'waste'.  The simple geometric shapes also lend themselves to being adjusted.  If someone gained weight they could pick out the side seams and add a gusset to make the garment larger.  When it was handed 'down' the garment could be adjusted again, as necessary, to fit the new owner.  Garments could be made longer, as with the long linen 'shifts' by adding to the hem.  And so on.

The very light weight fabrics were also amenable to the gathering in a way thicker, heavier fabrics are not.

If a weaver truly wants to begin to understand clothing, a look at traditional dress from most ethnic groups will provide a master class in how to create appropriate fabric for the dress of the people they are studying.  And by extension, ourselves.  Everything old is new again.  And most traditional clothing has been around for centuries and can be just as appropriate in the 21st century as it was in the 11th - or whenever they became 'standard' dress for that population.

 

Milestones

 

Sometime overnight the view count on this blog rolled over the 2.5 million mark.

Now I don't actually believe that this count is accurate.  I suspect some data mining going on, given how the numbers of views have spiked recently.  I mean, yes, I have a solid following, but thousands per day?  Probably not.

However, the numbers are there, proof of...something...I guess.

Proof that I have written a LOT of posts?  Proof that some of them have resonated?  Proof that even my very old posts are still getting read?  Proof that I can't shut up?  Well, I doubt there is any argument there!

About a year or so ago, I got an email from someone who had seen my page view numbers and offered to pay me to promote their client's products on my blog.  They called me an 'influencer'.

I literally laughed right out loud.

If I *were* an influencer, all y'all would be sampling before jumping into a big project, *including the wet finishing*.  You'd all be working ergonomically.  You'd all be digging deep into the craft, just because it's so interesting to discover all the ways 'it depends'.

But people get to choose what they do and how they do it.  MY way may not be the BEST way for someone else.

So I try to educate.  I try to do it with clarity, and perhaps, even, a soupçon of humour.  I try to give as accurate a version of what is happening in the loom that I can manage.  I try to encourage and support people who want to know more.  Who come to me with an open mind.  Or at least having thought the process through, ask for clarification for a specific variable.  Because it depends!  And the life so short, the craft so long to learn.

Anyway, happy 2.5M day to me, I guess.

Want to know more?  Get my books at blurb.

PS - if you see me promoting someone else's product?  I have NOT been paid for doing so.  

Broken Record

 

Yesterday I commented that two different cotton yarns listed as being the 'same' size (ie same number of yarns per pound) were NOT the same quality of yarn.  That ONLY paying attention to the 'count' does not address the qualities of the yarns, which are very different.

Someone pointed out that Tencel spun to the same count is not the same thickness, and I agree.  In fact I have the 'proof'.  Which is why you can't always 'count' on the count but need to work with the yarn itself to fully understand it.

The above photo is another digital microscope photo with 2/8 Tencel on the left, 2/8 cotton on the right.

Tencel is a denser fibre than cotton.  By rights, I submit the 'count' used should have been the linen count.  Or, better yet, one of the metric sizing counts.

To know the 'count' of a yarn is NOT to 'know' every quality of said yarn.

When Tencel first appeared on the scene the standard advice was to use the same epi as the cotton count yarn.  

However.

Tencel is regenerated cellulose, an extruded fibre, very smooth and slippery.  Since it is denser than cotton, the resulting 2/8 (or 8/2 if you prefer) yarn wound up *thinner* than cotton spun to the same count.

Given it is thinner, and slippery-er, than cotton, a lot of people were making cloth that wasn't particularly stable, wondering why they weren't getting good results.

And that, my darlings, is why we sample.  The count of the yarn is merely the introduction.  A hint.  A place to start, to begin to understand the nature of the yarn.

We have to use our eyes, our fingers, our brains, to analyze and begin to understand the yarns we work with.

And that is why there is not a hard and fast rule about what epi to use for *any* yarn - it's a spectrum.  You can take the exact same yarn, set it densely, openly, or somewhere in between, adjust the number of interlacements by changing the weave structure and/or the treadling.  In some cases, I have added a plain weave pick between the weave structure picks to increase stability and make a lighter weight cloth.

Generally the difference will be slight, more felt in the hand than seen by the eye.

It's why I have binders of samples using the *same* yarn, at different densities, fulled (when it is wool) to different degrees.

And yet, I STILL sample.

Because what we want and how we get there is a moving target.

I've been saying this online since 1994.  I feel like a broken record.  (Since vinyl is making a comeback, I feel like I can start using this phrase again.)

When ordering yarns online, don't just look at the count.  Compare the yards per pound.  Then be prepared to adjust once you have the yarns in hand and can weave samples!

The field of textiles is not just a world but a galaxy.    

Each weaver needs to study their own processes, equipment and materials to find out how to work with them to make the quality of cloth they are aiming for.

Qualities such as: absorbency, abrasion resistance, drape, insulation, etc., can all be affected by the yarn chosen, the weave structure, density.  The list goes on.

If a weaver chooses to follow another weaver's advice, be prepared to adjust things to meet their own objectives.  What works for one may not work for another!  Change the width and the epi might need to be changed.  Or change the number of interlacements - more and the cloth will be more structural sound, but it might also be stiffer.  Fewer and the cloth will have more drape but may not withstand abrasion as well.  Does that matter?  Depends!  Depends on the 'job' the cloth is to do.

Ultimately not every single weaver needs to understand the craft to the depth of the bones, but some need to in order to develop the 'recipes' others will depend upon.  If a weaver wants to provide 'recipes' then the instructions need to be written with clarity.  

So I keep preaching to the choir.  Learn.  Dig deep.  Find out *why* something is happening.  Know how to fix problems when they arrive.  Understand that sometimes 'good' is actually 'good enough'.

Do not be put off by the enormity of the task, but embrace the learning journey.  Be willing to make mistakes.  Do the best you can until you know better; when you know better, try to do better.

I included some of the variables in The Intentional Weaver, if anyone wants to take a deeper dive into yarn characteristics.  I was hoping every guild with a library would purchase the book for their members to use.  If you have a copy and find it useful, you can go to the Sweet Georgia Yarns website and leave a review on their page.  They still have 7 signed copies in stock.

Closed

 

are these the same yarns?

If you keep a closed mind, you can't take in new information.

There are many aspects of weaving (and no doubt other crafts) where the subtleties of the craft are such that it becomes a lifetime of learning.  Because change one thing and everything can change.

Let's say a weaver uses the same brand/range of yarns and rarely uses anything else.

They have a 'set' length and width they tend to stay within and as long as they do, the processes, tools and experience they have mean they generally have 'success'.

All is well, and they don't understand issues someone else may be having.  According to their reality bubble, everyone else just needs to do what they do and success will be assured.

That doesn't mean they necessarily understand the principles of the craft.  It means they have a skill set that serves them well, and they are happy.  As they should be.

The problem arises when they see someone having problems and try to help.  

Unfortunately the other person's circumstances may vary widely from their own and their advice is...not necessarily helpful.

Over the years I have seen this dynamic over and over again.  Especially when I try to explain *why* the correct answer will depend.

Sometimes I'm told I'm flat out wrong when I advise someone to try something or explain on a deeper than surface level, what *might* be happening.

The photo above is a prime example.

For years I have tried to explain to weavers that the US standard 8/2 (or 16/2) cotton is NOT the same *quality* as the Canadian standard 2/8 (2/16) cotton yarn.

The above photo is one of each.  Do they *look* the same?  No, they do not.

The thing is, the ONLY thing the numbers tell you is how many yards per pound each yarn will have, regardless of the order those numbers are written.

The numbers will not tell you anything at all about how the fibres have been prepared for, then spun.  The numbers will not tell you anything about the strength of the yarns.  Or, indeed, the thickness, as can be clearly seen in the photo I took, using a strand of 2/16 (on the left) and 16/2 (on the right).

What this means is that if someone is used to using a 2/8 cotton and then gets some 8/2, the experience of weaving with 8/2 as warp will be different than using 2/8 as warp.

(I use the two different number orders, not to specify anything other than that they are two different *qualities* - they both have the same number of yards per pound.)

Does the difference matter?  It can.

The 8/2 is generally spun from shorter fibres than the 2/8.  It has been open end spun, therefore more trapped air in the yarn, therefore thicker, more absorbent, weaker, with a different number of twists per single and ply, than the 2/8 Canadian standard yarn.

They are two very different yarns, having nothing in common, really, than the fact they come with the same number of yards per pound.  

There are many other cases in weaving where when the weaver does something different from their 'usual' they will run into problems.

Scaling up - or down - can mean their 'usual' skill set isn't appropriate.  They wind up with tangles and messes and huge disappointments.

So when I carefully explain *why* something is potentially going wrong, and a chorus of voices claim that *they* never have such problems, I walk away.

Because a closed mind will not absorb new information.  My hope is that, in the future, should they venture out of their comfort zone and start to discover problems, they might remember that if they change one thing, everything CAN change.   I'm not saying it will, just to be open to the possibility.  Be willing to change to meet the new challenge.  Try something different if the 'usual' suddenly isn't working.  Because it may not be 'bad' yarn, but the weaver making a 'poor' choice, given the change.  Or a poor choice of process.

When I say that weaving is a biofeedback activity/skill and people tell me their loom does everything for them, well, I'm glad for them.  Mine doesn't.  I am constantly monitoring what I am doing, adjusting, paying attention.  But that's me.  If someone is getting good results, I'm happy for them.

What I *try* to do is help those people who are NOT getting the results they desire by explaining why that might be happening and offering suggestions for how to adjust what they are doing.

It's up to the reader to decide.

If anyone is really interested in what I know/think - my books are available for sale.  I have You Tube video clips showing what I do.  I have this blog (subjects listed down the side if you are interested in a particular topic).  And I have my online classes.  I am always happy to help people who want to understand.  Who want to learn.

Happy weaving all y'all.

Overwhelmed

 

I am not the only person feeling overwhelmed.  I think everyone I know is struggling with a too full basket of woes, worries, concerns.  I don't know if the pandemic is the only reason for this feeling; I suspect it is just a symptom of the larger events that have been building over the years and now coming to a head.  Uncertainty is everywhere and when there is uncertainty, people feel unsettled.

When I look back at my life and the constant 'tunnel' (or series of tunnels) I have navigated, I have to be honest and admit that most of the stress and feeling of being overwhelmed is my 'fault'.

If I had chosen to work at a job where I held little responsibility other than to punch the keys transcribing files, or where I could walk in, punch the time clock, do the task I was being paid to do, then go home, there would have been fewer challenges, less stress (maybe) and when I went home at the end of the day I could have sat and vegged in front of the tv and knitted instead of trying to cram one more thing into my day.  My work hours would have been 8-4 or 9-5 or whatever instead of 14 or 15 hours, only ending at midnight, some days.  Too many days.

When you are self-employed, especially in a 'job' that focuses on creativity, where you set your own deadlines, craft your own goals, the responsibility is all on *your* shoulders, and you don't get 'vacation' days, you get business travel trips.  

When it is the product *you* make to sell, be it a workshop, a book, a textile, until it is finally sold and shipped, your job is not actually 'done'.  When it is the sales of your product that contributes to your family income, you can't just sit back and not worry about getting the item made, you have to get it sold.  Because the bills don't stop.  

Even when you are tired, exhausted, wrung out from the stress of doing it *all*, you can't stop.  

Or, at least you don't think you can.

Now that I have less energy than before, I still remember how I used to be.  How I could call up from my reserve of adrenaline to push through one more deadline, weave one more yard, placemat.  When something wasn't selling I would have to come up with a new design, get it made in quantity and get ready for another season of craft fairs.

I felt...responsible...because there were bills to be paid and people counting on me to show up and teach and be coherent.

As a friend put it, when you are also dealing with a crumbling body, the energy runs out far sooner than you are used to, and then you feel unable to get things done.  Things you actually want to do, never mind the things you *need* to do.  

At this age, there are no more reserves of adrenaline, and afternoon naps have become a necessity.

Which essentially confirms the 'old' part of my age, I guess.

There is a meme going around that says something to the effect that if you ignore your body and don't let it rest/heal at a time that is convenient for you, your body will choose a time to rest/heal - and that the time it chooses will most likely be quite INconvenient for you.

Intellectually I know this, but still I offer to do things (because I know how and I can), and I keep coming up with more new Big Projects, and I keep weaving (because I need to for my physical and mental health) but my body isn't co-operating much.

And so I feel overwhelmed because I can't do what I want to do, and I look at the things I've offered to do because I can do them, and...I donwanna.  And then I feel guilty because I keep ignoring those things and the deadlines to have them done creep ever closer as the days roll by.

So, this week, I have been trying to clear some of the 'need to' things off my desk.  I have made some progress, and I hope to finish the guild loom aprons in the next few days so that Doug can install them next week.  That job has become a huge boulder in my way and the best thing I can do is...get it done.  I did serge the cloth and as soon as I get a couple of studio jobs done, today hopefully, then it will be time to get the aprons done.  Again, a big job because I'm not doing just one apron, but aprons for several looms, replacing all the aprons on each.  Because they are all 'old' and the cloth is disintegrating and can't be patched anymore.  Replacement is required.

And then?  Re-tooling the drafts for the October workshop and getting them ready in case we actually get registrations.  Until I have the drafts ready I don't feel I can promote the workshop.  And round and round and round we go again.

Work on book #4 is now in the hands of others and until they do their job I'm ignoring the files.  I still have Stories to market, so I'm trying to focus on doing that, in my 'spare' time.  While other things I should be doing are being ignored because I run out of spoons.  I try to weave every day because it's therapeutic and I feel 'better' if I get to the loom and weave, so that seems like it needs to be a priority.  And I need to weave while I still can because I still have way too much yarn.

This is not to whine, although it is a 'vent'.  It is a reminder to myself that when I feel exhausted and overwhelmed I need to remember:  I chose this.  This IS the life I chose in 1975.  These decisions have all been mine.  So if there is anyone to 'blame' about all the stress I have had in my life, it is me.  I'm to 'blame'.

OTOH, doing the 8-4 or 9-5 job was stifling me.  Killing me softly, as the song goes.  So while I don't like the feeling of being overwhelmed, I cannot ever for one minute forget all the things I have done simply BECAUSE I chose to be a professional weaver.  And all of the things that I find stressful have resulted in my going places I had no right to expect to go, done things I had no right to expect I could achieve, met people I hold dear who would have remained strangers to me.

Once again, I remind myself to hold myself in an attitude of gratitude.  While I give myself permission to nap in the afternoon.  To rest when I'm tired.  To take the time when it is convenient to me, not wait until my body chooses a time that will inevitably be extremely *inconvenient* because it has reached its limit.

So today I choose to do what I can.  Top of the list?  Sley the warp I threaded and tie it onto the apron.  Finish pressing the towels I wet finished the other day.  Clear off the sewing table (if I have any spoons left after doing the previous things.)

Focus on what I need to clear out of my life, do it, then move onto the next.  And (note to self) maybe hold off coming up with any more Big Projects for a few weeks????  

Deadline Avalanche

 

Piles and piles and piles...

This is an old photo but it seems I have let my life get out of control.  Again.

I've been having trouble sleeping, getting frustrated with always feeling tired and in pain, not wanting to do much of anything.

Unfortunately swimming in denial doesn't deal with the approaching deadlines and they are reaching critical stage and I'm wondering if my body/brain have simply reached the stage where it cannot cope and therefore, isn't allowing me to sleep.

Last week it wasn't pain keeping me awake, it was thought squirrels, rampaging in my brain.  And of course brain fog due to pain/pain killers doesn't make things any easier.

However, a few things *have* been done, and others are now underway, I just have so few spoons progress seems agonizingly slow.  As I have to shift things from pillar to post to do some of the things on my to-be-done list, I frequently throw my hands up and go have a nap.

This morning the smoke is less, thankfully, and I managed to get back to sleep after only an hour of wakefulness so perhaps that is allowing me to think more clearly.  Yesterday I had an x-ray on my painful hip and today I get a bone density test.  The bone density wasn't really on my radar until I bought my last dose of Prolia and saw the new price - and took a big gulp.  Decided I needed to find out if I should keep taking it (injection, every six months) or if I can stop for a while.  Still 'cheaper' than a broken hip, but honestly!  It's nearly doubled in price in the 11 or so years I've been taking it.  :(  Since I'm 'self-insured', when prices go up, I pay for it myself.

I got started making the aprons for the guild looms and this morning laid out a plan to get them finished.  Doug will set up the long tables in the carport so I can mark out the pockets to make the tabs.  But first I have to sew the rod pockets.  Before I can do that, I need to press the towels I ran through the washer/dryer and wasn't able to press yesterday because I had a zoom presentation.  Since my studio does double/treble/quadruple duty as weaving studio, wet finishing studio and online studio...well, I had to prioritize.   The pressing got delayed.  But I don't like leaving damp cloth for too long, so today I really have to begin pressing those and get them to the next step.  There are 20 towels, so will likely need to do it over two days.  And before I can do any of that?  The sewing machine needs to be unburied from the pile of crap that has accumulated since it was used last.

We are well into August now and things seem to be speeding up after months of delay, delay, delay.  My first fall presentations begin in September.  One is at 7 am my time.  I'm going to need ALL my spoons to do that one!  OTOH, it will be fun to see one or two familiar faces as I actually know a couple of people in that guild.

And that's another thing.  Zoom recently announced changes to it's terms and conditions.  I find myself unhappy with what they propose.  They are back tracking, but so far not actually changing the published conditions, just trying to convince people the conditions don't mean what they say they mean.  I took a long hard look at how frequently I've used Zoom over the past year, the price of a professional membership and decided that I will be notifying them I will not be renewing.

And maybe then I will stop dreaming up yet more things I *could* be doing since I am paying for a 'professional' account with Zoom anway, might as well make it worth using?  And ya know, actually 'retire'?  

On the other, other hand, things are moving on the #4 book project.  The editor has the files in their possession, I have heard back from a couple of alpha readers and it looks like one of them will write a Foreword.  I still need to choose photos to include and wait for the edits to come back from the editor.

The anticipated publication date for this one is Dec. 2.  

Magic was launched during my birthday 'week' in 2002.  The Intentional Weaver on Dec. 2 (my brother's birthdate), Stories from the Matrix on my birthday.  Seems right that #4 should be on my brother's birthday again.  Plus that makes a nice spacing, not wanting to cram them too close together!  Plus a more reasonable deadline, given all the work that still needs to happen.

I have been getting messages saying that Stories are being received.  But of course people still need to read it, so the wait continues.  I have had a couple folk let me know they will write a review for their guild newsletter, so hopefully word will get out and orders will trickle in, much like they do for the other two books.

But I also have that workshop for the local guild to get ready, another 'I donwanna' thing that needs doing.  I feel like the new weavers will flounder if they don't get one more workshop under their belts.  And then I *may* suggest a weaver's study group.  I'll see how things go with the upcoming medical appointments and what, if any, changes in treatment are proposed.  

I'm the kind of person that likes to have A Plan.  Who *needs* to have A Plan.  And right now?  Everything is up in the air, and on every side of me I see things that need to be addressed.  Nothing can happen until things get done - either we do some research and get some critical answers about the feasibility of heat pumps, or we think seriously about replacing our not-all-that-old furnace.  I find out if I have to keep 'treating' my pain, or if a 'repair' is even a possibility.  And of course, the never ending stash that I keep weaving...

The days keep rolling, one into the other.  I need to stop, take a breath, and deal with some of the deadline avalanche because it's about to come down and bury me.

Now if I could only stop coming up with 'new' ideas and things to do...