A New Year

 

Today is the day many people make resolutions for going into the new year.  I've never been a big fan of 'resolutions'.  It feels too much like 'failure' if I fall down on my 'commitment'.  So I make plans, always willing to pivot if I need to meet a Life Challenge or if my path seems to wander off.  My plans are fairly purposefully broad, without a lot of details because if there is one thing I've learned over the years. sometimes you need to change direction, for one reason or another.

Now that I'm going into a new year with renewed purpose (I didn't die, again - I think I'm on my 4th or 5th 'life') I am determined - again - to find a way to keep teaching.  And right now, that seems to be writing.

But do I want to write 'recipes'?  Not really.  I would *like* to design things, give the broad strokes and a list of challenges that the project will present and how each person can - perhaps - work out how to personalize the information for themselves.

Will this meet with the editor's approval?  Dunno.  I will have to submit the article and see what they say.

So far the editing has been well done.  I have no quibbles about how they are editing (based on the first two articles).  A magazine has to have a collective 'voice', after all.  Marshalling such a diverse crowd of authors is a whole lot like herding ducks.  But so far they seem willing to give me a gentle touch on the reins, so I'm hoping to continue writing for a while.

In spite of doing 3 books, I keep learning stuff so I do feel I have more to share.  And with the state of politics so...unbaked...it seems more important than ever to present as accurate information as possible.

I've seen what LLM (AI) has done to various crafts, and I have a feeling that the coming year(s) are going to be more important than ever to make sure 'good' information is published about weaving (and spinning).

So I will be buying Michelle Boyd's book Twist as soon as the print version is available because I want to keep learning about the materials I use in hopes of better understanding the cloth I create.

Whatever ritual you may do for the new year, I hope you find peace for part of every day.  Never stop creating.

So Many Ideas!

 

next warp

This is one of those designs that make your eyes cross.  The thing is, sometimes I have to weave some of my designs, just to see if they actually weave up into...something.  Or if they wind up as nothing special.

But that's the thing about designing stuff.  One idea sparks another, then another, and sometimes I just have to follow the bread crumbs.

So this is a direct offshoot of something I did for WEFT.  I wanted to address a technical issue that cropped up and see if I could do the same sort of idea, but reduce the technical issue.

The problem is that the weave starts to get 'muddy', especially at this scale.  So am I 'certain' it will look ok?  Not really.  Do I care?  Nope - because they will still dry dishes.

It looks like the current warp will be finished by the end of this week, and my yarn from Brassard will be shipped on January 6 - and then take about 2 weeks to make it here.  While I'm waiting for the yarn for the next WEFT article, then, there will be time to put this warp on the loom and see if it is actually going to look like something.  (Just noticed I didn't grab the threading in its entirety - the borders are equal.)

While I work on this warp, I'll be cogitating about the WEFT article - how best to illustrate what I want to show.  Plus I've been discussing an article in the following issue so I can be thinking ahead to that.

That is the truly wonderful thing - being encouraged to dig deep is keeping me fascinated with the craft and I keep finding new branches of the rabbit warren to go exploring.

Weaving can truly be a life long obsession - er, fascination.  

Transferring Information

 

One block tie up for the shifted twill blocks technique

Yesterday I had someone contact me, wanting the draft for a particular design they had seen in Stories from the Matrix.

I had assumed that anyone interested in this technique would have weaving software and be interested in designing their own motifs, but this person doesn't have software so delivering the information to them was a bit of a challenge.  I think I've figured out the easiest way to do that but it's going to take some time on my part.

Working out the details for this weave structure took a chunk of my time two winters ago, and I enjoyed playing with it.  However, life goes on and my curiousity is being challenged in new ways, now.  Since the days are ticking along, I have to get back to writing, so I worked on the current article yesterday and this morning.

We had a bit of sun yesterday, but today is back to overcast dreariness.  I think I am going to grab my drink (hydrate, hydrate, hydrate) and head to the loom.  I slept 'in' this morning so the day is evaporating.  However, I did figure out a few things, so I don't feel too guilty that I'm still in my jammies.  :D

We are in the lull between xmas and new years with nothing to do (other than a phone appointment on Tuesday) so I am going to focus on writing and weaving.  I'm playing around with some ideas for the next warp because I suspect I won't get the yarn any sooner than mid-January and I'd like to have this warp off the loom by then and maybe a chunk done of the next.  And then I'll be working on the next article, so this article needs to be finished before I start on that one.  With my brain still not completely functional, I can't multi-task like I used to do.  I have to really work to think things through, which is a bit disconcerting.  I'm used to flinging myself into this, that, and the other, juggling multiple balls in the air.  

I will be asking for a different pain med on Tuesday, and hopefully I will find one that will take away the pain without causing other pain elsewhere.  Rude!  (fingers crossed...)

Milestones

 

The holiday season is rolling on by.  And I continue to avoid crowds, wear a mask, focus on threads and how they behave.  Sometimes they behave in surprising ways, and sometimes they behave just exactly (sort of) how I want them to behave.  But it is a constant source of curiosity and satisfying it - or not.

The first two articles for WEFT are well in hand, and this morning the box of samples I sent for the first issue was returned.  It was a reminder of how much I enjoyed weaving them and then writing them up.

Since most of what I wove was - quite simply - 'just' samples, I'm not entirely sure what I will do with them.  I suppose if I had the energy to start a weaving study group I could share them with other local weavers.  But I still have a razor thin level of 'enough' energy to do the bare minimum, with little to spare.

And the experiment of trying to find me a pain med I can tolerate is not going...well.  I'm about to pull the plug on the latest drug as the muscle weakness returns.  I read through the description of the next two on the list, and frankly, I don't much like the looks of either of them.  But the pharmacist said to try them, in order, so I think next Tuesday I'll ask my doctor to prescribe the 2nd on the list.  And then I'll have to monitor my bp because one of the 'adverse effects' is that it *may* spike bp.  And I suspect that one of the 'causes' of the brain bleed was that I had been having 'high' bp for too long.  I do NOT need a repeat of *that*.

Thank you to everyone who ordered something over the holidays.  If you are American and have not yet heard the news, as of the beginning of the new president's term his first job (on a long list of jobs) is going to enact tariffs on goods coming into the US.  He is threatening 25% tariffs on everything coming from Canada - so if you want to take advantage of the current currency exchange 'discount' you are getting and avoid the tariff, order now so that the parcel arrives before the tariff is applied.

My books are printed in the US, so you won't get dinged tariffs on my books.  

I have committed to keep writing for WEFT magazine - so long as they want me to.  Writing *is* getting easier, but speaking can be a problem as the words I want to use fall into one of the 'sinkholes' in my brain and I fumble around trying to find something to convey what I'm trying to say.  But next Tuesday is 4 months since I fell, and while I don't have much energy, recovery is happening.  I am beginning to plan more articles.  Just waiting for the yarn to arrive for the next set of samples.  After today and mailing a basket full of parcels, I will need to get back to writing.  I'm about halfway done the 'next' article.  I'm not sleeping well and need afternoon 'naps', which takes a chunk out of my afternoon so I'm not getting as much stuff done as I would like.

On the other hand, I'm still here, so there is that.

I don't know when I have faced the 'new year' with such trepidation.  The only 'power' I have is to continue to be creative, and share my knowledge.  And vote.

Better Be Good

 

Who's a good girl?

I have only the vaguest of memories of this day.  I suspect I was 4 and I honestly don't recall if mom took me to the local theatre where we were given a few moments of 'Santa's' time and able to have our picture taken.  I suspect it would have been her because it was not something dad would be interested in doing.  

Since reaching adulthood, I haven't paid much attention to 'Christmas'.  For 40+ years the fourth quarter I was at my flat out busiest because I needed to do the craft fair circuit and deal with driving on winter roads, setting up, standing for too many hours on concrete floors, and deal with the public for way too many hours.  Hoping like hell enough people would buy to get me through the coming fallow months of income.   While the bills never stopped and we had to pay the next year's craft fair fees months ahead of when the income would come in.

After the publication of Magic I started doing more travelling to teach and frankly much of the time I was standing in my booth I was already looking at a busy time to come, organizing workshop materials, hustling to package up the yarns, send master copies of the handouts, making travel plans, frequently during times of the year where there could be travel delays.  

Mom was the one who insisted on 'family' dinners and when she no longer wanted to cook a big meal, we would tend to go out for 'dinner'.  This seemed to become even more important to her after my brother died.

Now she is gone and it is just us two, we don't do much and since covid, we don't eat in restaurants.  We had a couple steaks in the freezer, so we will have those tonight for dinner and call it done.

We no longer even buy 'gifts' for each other.  And I tend to give 'gifts' to friends randomly through the year, not tied to Christmas.

Frankly we have 'enough' of most things.  If we need something we go buy it.  Or when we make a major purchase we assign it to 'every Christmas, anniversary and birthday for the rest of our lives' - like the heat pump last year, and the hybrid vehicle this...

Friends give us small, thoughtful gifts, which are much appreciated.  But we try to live with gratitude every day of the year.

We are in our 'twilight' years, and the fall I had Aug. 31 was a shock.  Now, more than ever, we practice gratitude.

One of the things I am grateful for is you, dear reader.  When I started this blog I thought a handful of people might be interested in my pithy writing/thoughts.  So, happy holidays to you and yours.  I hope the new year brings satisfaction to you in some way.  Because I suspect 2025 is going to be Very Interesting Times, indeed.

Next!

 

Begin as you mean to go on...

Yesterday I finished sleying, tied on and decided I was too anxious to wait another day to see how it was going to look (loom state).

Am I pleased?  Yes, even though the colours aren't really 'mine', I'm happy enough with them.  Of course I won't see how the towels are *really* going to look until I get them wet finished, but I'm pleased enough.

I still have 5 cones of that fine singles to weave off, and this warp will take up most of one cone.

Now that I am beginning to feel 'better' as recovery creeps along, I have made some decisions.

If WEFT magazine wants me to keep writing, I am going to focus most of my energies on that.  They seem just as interested in all the same sorts of questions that I am, when it comes to weaving.  I've seen the 'galley proofs' for the first two articles.  They are on schedule for the first issue to come out in April.

The Ply team has also published a book on spinning, Twist by Michelle Boyd.  I'm not fond of reading on my ipad, so I'm going to wait until the print version is ready and get a copy.  I've been exploring various aspects of twist in yarn for a while, but never covered it thoroughly, and since I know Michelle, I know that the look at the topic is going to be comprehensive.

It is something I feel I need to know about, even if I never become a very good spinner.  Because if I don't understand the dynamics of how fibres are turned into yarn, I don't truly understand my materials.

With the current political situation, I will keep my ko-fi shop, but anticipate that orders from the US will dry up.  And since I have few outlets to sell my textiles, I need to stop producing *more* and perhaps concentrate on following up on some of my rabbit warren 'dives' and maybe make more 'special' textiles instead of just producing for the sake of producing.  So if WEFT likes what I'm doing, I will have an outlet for my curious mind and hands that need to be kept busy.

I have also decided I finally need to deal with my spinning stash.  I will be putting the puzzle board away when I'm done the current puzzle and dragging out my spinning wheel.  I have several bins of prepared blending board 'wyrms' and I'm going to try to empty all of them.  I could use the bins for other things and I made them in 2019 so it's long past time to get them spun up.

And that is as far as I've gotten with my 'job list' for 2025.  I don't make resolutions.  I make solstice plans, and then see what Life throws at me, and if needed, I will change my plans to accommodate them.  So far I've ordered the yarn for the next samples/experiments for WEFT, and I have articles for the first few issues.  I will finish writing the most recent over the holidays and hope to send everything to them by the end of January.  

With the fall and brain bleed in August, my new approach to doing stuff is to NOT wait until the last minute to do the things I've committed to, but get them done well before the deadline.  Which is a huge shift for me.  Nothing like a brush with mortality to fine tune one's approach to living...

Textiles for Celebrations

 

rose border on table runner

A friend went to Romania, and she found this lovely table runner.  It is a 'heritage' piece, and I would not be surprised if the linen had been domestically grown and spun.  The pattern threads look like mercerized cotton, therefore most likely not hand spun but purchased.  The teal has transferred some dye to the ground, which would not be surprising.

The cloth is quite long at about 90" in length and about 17" in width (2 meters 28 cm by 43 cm).

The foundation cloth still holds the reed marks, and there are minor 'errors' here and there.  But the beat is very even and the selvedges straight with slight reduction in width in the areas of the patterning.  And the borders at either end are not entirely 'perfect'.  The patterning is largely 'perfect' and it is obvious that someone spent a lot of time weaving this cloth.  The ends have been rolled and hand stitched down, then a crochet loop/filet on each end is used to tie a tassel fringe to it in both white (looks like merc. cotton) and red (merc. cotton).

I have no idea if they used a pick up stick or if they had a loom with loom controlled patterning, but it doesn't matter.  It was a lovely and thoughtful gift, and I am delighted to have received it.

The size and the way the cloth has been woven puts me in mind of a cloth I remember from a Ukrainian dance.  As I recall they do this dance in celebration - a successful harvest, weddings and such.  It is generally used to hold a 'loaf' of bread (memory may not be accurate) and a small container of salt.  

On the cloth that was given me, the pattern is a border of roses, so if it was intended for a special occasion, perhaps it was meant for a wedding?  

Speculation on my part, as I don't know if Romanians had the same kind of ceremony although the motif is very similar to those I am familiar with in Ukrainian textiles (no, I'm not Ukrainian heritage, but there is a large Ukrainian population in my town.)

We can learn a great deal from what our ancestors have done.  And while this cloth isn't particularly old (using merc. cotton I suspect late 19th, early 20th century) but the care and attention to details tells me that it was made with care and attention, but neither is it 'perfect' - which doesn't make it any less appreciated then - and by me - now.