It Takes a Village

 

Twist by Michelle Boyd

I am privileged to know many people in the weaving community, but also?   The spinning community.  Because we are all one community - a blend of people who study the nature of fibres and making yarn, and people who use those yarns in various ways.

So when I hit a problem with my samples, I started asking folk for their take on the issues.  

Yesterday I was able to connect with Michelle Boyd and throw my conundrum at her and see if my thoughts were anywhere close to what I was seeing in my cloth, and if the explanation I had worked out (so far) was anywhere close to reality and what was actually happening in the cloth.  Because I was seeing some things I was having a hard time explaining.

We talked for a long time, not just about my actual problem but connected over other things.  And while it was tiring (for both of us, because reasons), I for one felt like I had learned more about yarn and the dynamic of working with it in a loom.

I was able to target another option I had planned, but hadn't actually woven yet, so once the sample I was working on was done I re-jigged the tie up and started what will be, I hope, the last sample in this series.

Do I have concrete conclusions?  No.  I have observations.  I will wet finish half of each 'sample' to retain a loom state sample, then toss the rest into the washing machine (along with a small batch of tea towels). and then press them and spend a couple of hours one day looking closely (VERY closely) at the comparison between the loom state/wet finished, then the various samples I wound up weaving.

In the meantime I have scheduled a palate cleanser by putting on lots of warp (in case I needed more samples that I had estimated) - enough to do a small run of tea towels.  And then I'll do the second set of samples for the article and - building on what I've learned doing this first set of samples - hopefully expand my knowledge further with a different yarn.

So far every article I have taken on for WEFT has expanded my knowledge.  I'm hoping to keep learning as I keep weaving.  

The time so short, the craft so long to learn...

Step Back to Proceed

 

I haven't begun reading Michelle's book in earnest yet because I have two others that seemed to me to need to be read now.  Both are 'history', as in recent history, and it seemed a good idea I refresh my memory about some of the things that happened in the 1980's and forward.  People who don't know history, and all that.

However, I am looking forward to digging deep into Michelle's book - soon!

Especially as I continue to dig into the nature of my materials - yarn.  I have had the pleasure to have the opportunity to talk to Michelle on a couple of occasions, and the wealth of knowledge is in depth. I'm really glad she was able to write it down in order to share it with others.

In a society that seems smitten by fantasy, it is such a breath of fresh air to know that someone has this knowledge, and has been willing to share it with others.

With that example before me, I went back to the loom yesterday and resleyed the sample warp and re-wove my samples.  As expected, the web turned out much 'better' than what I had done the day before and in spite of the extra time and energy to re-do what I'd done, I feel better about taking the time to do it again.

I started weaving in 1975.  There weren't a whole lot of weaving books available that dug deep into the knowledge.  Since then there have been more added.  My textbooks were Mary Black's New Key to Weaving, Davison's green book, and Shirley Held's book Weaving.  Those books worked well for me as a beginning weaver, but I welcomed new books as they arrived - Allen Fannin's Handloom Weaving Technology, for one.  Other books looked at certain techniques and explained how they worked.

Over time I built up a rather extensive library.  I have winnowed that down over the years, and right now much of my 'library' consists of publications that I have produced.  Not all of them are still available, but of course some of them are.

When Stories From the Matrix was put together, my editor chose to comb through magazines and include a list of many of the articles I wrote over the years.  

I hadn't really kept track of what I had written, just, you know, felt I could contribute something, so wrote it, and had a magazine choose to publish it (or not).  

Ultimately what I hoped, by writing articles and books, was to share some of the knowledge I have.  Plus, of course, this blog.  My major books are still available either on blurb or my ko-fi store.  There are two books in ko-fi - my 'memoir' and the book Weave a V I published on weaving a V shaped shawl using double weave written by Kerstin Fröberg.

Today I will continue weaving the article samples.  I don't have to leave the house this week, so I'm not going to.  Unless something crops up.  But I'm quite fascinated what is happening in these samples.  And, quite frankly, I may choose to re-do the one I'm working on today, if it doesn't meet my expectations.  

Digging Deeper

 

An assortment of yarns

Yesterday I managed to weave the first in the series of samples for the next WEFT article.

During weaving I thought the results were...acceptable.

When I was pulling the web off the beam, I realized they were not.  But they showed the results of what I was doing, and so I thought I would just ignore the 'flaws', because the 'value' was in the analysis of the samples.  Right?

I went to bed thinking about how would I would approach the next sample.  And woke up this morning deciding that the first thing I needed to do was re-jig the first sample and do another one.  I have more yarn - with nothing better to do with the small cone - and it seems to me that not only should I show my results, I should show what I think needs to happen to get better results.

I have no idea if everything I am doing will wind up in the article, but otoh, this is also a journey of my learning.  Right now I have disappointing results, and an idea of what to do to get better results, but that idea is just that - an idea.  It will take me some time to re-sley the warp and then weave the samples over again.  But mostly I will have had the experience of trying something and finding out what happens when I try again.

We have another grey day and I have no appointments this week, so it looks like the weaving and analysis for this first set of samples will take all week.  And then whatever is left of the warp will be woven for towels.  A little palette cleanser, so to speak.  

And then I'll do the second set of samples and write up my observations/conclusions.  I'm so glad I have managed to get back enough of my words/writing to even consider writing articles.  Hopefully things will continue to get better over the next 18 months or so.  And my alpha reader won't tire of sifting out my errors.  :)

Assumptions

 

A selection of cotton yarns

Assumptions.  We all have them.  They are based on what we have been told is 'fact', or on our (possibly limited) experience.

One of the things I am 'testing' for the next article is an assumption.  Given I've done quite a lot of weaving, I knew there were things to be tested that were going to knock an assumption out of the water, but what I am discovering is that *even though I knew the assumption was incorrect, I didn't quite realize how badly wrong it was*.

Even though I had made adjustments to factor in the assumption, it turns out I didn't make enough allowance, and I am going to have to drag my microscope out and look more closely at the threads I will be using.  

This is all very exciting and I am delighted to be faced with this challenge.  Even better, to be able to share it with others.  

While some weavers are also spinners, not all of them know very much about the creation of their 'raw' materials.

I've shared many times over that I got sucked into the weaving room through the orifice of a spinning wheel, so I know the 'basics'.  But I have not done all the deep dives that I should do if I want to truly understand my materials.

I took a spinning workshop with a rather well known spinning teacher.  As we walked into the workshop room she did a double take when she saw me and said that when she found out I was registered for the class she was very intimidated.   I laughed and said I haven't spun in years.  I'm here to become a better weaver.  And advised her that I would sit at the back of the room and for her to ignore me.

I learned quite a few things during that class.  Like knowing how to spin long draw when the majority of the others in the class could not.  I gained a greater understanding of the affect of fibre preparation on the spun yarn, which helped me understand yarn behaviour.  

Now I have Michelle Boyd's book Twist.  I have not had the time or brain power to actually read it - yet.  I have a couple other books I need to deal with first.  But I think I am going to enjoy her deep dive into the dynamics of twist and other things, and why they matter to weavers.

We don't always know when we are working based on an assumption that isn't accurate - especially when the grist of the yarn changes, or the fibre preparation.  I suspect the next while is going to be very 'interesting' indeed.

Ready To Thread

 

Yesterday I beamed the next warp and today I will start threading.  My back isn't happy with beaming, or threading, so I'm not sure if I can finish threading today.  I should be able to make a good start on it though.  The warp is 2/20 mercerized cotton at 40 epi at 20" in the reed, so 800 threads.

I will use this warp to explore a particular quality of cloth, then write up my findings for WEFT.

Already I have made a 'discovery', which I probably knew at a subconscious level, but have had to think about consciously, and factor it into what I am going to explore.

The warp will be simple to thread as it is only a straight progression over 16 shafts.  It is the easiest warp I have threaded in a good long while, and, since I'm in the 'getting to used to it' stage of another new drug, I'm glad to have something I can't mess up (easily!) to work on.

The Post-It Notes are on the castle to help me keep track of two things - the one on the left is for how many 'units' I've woven (I usually cut off at 7 for towels, then re-tie), and the one on the right is the number of the pick I finish weaving when I stop for a break.  I am very steadfastly sticking to a 45 minute weaving, then stop, schedule.  

The previous drug, which I stopped taking Monday night, caused all sorts of muscle and joint pains, including in the joints of my right thumb, which is causing issues with my doing handwork like hemming.  My massage therapist wanted me to stop doing everything, but allowed I could continue if I didn't 'over' do things.  

Getting 'old' isn't for sissies.

Anyway, enough whining, more weaving...

I have put on 'extra' so that once I'm done the samples I can still weave some towels, and then after having a wee break, I will beam the 2nd warp and do the same - beam for samples, but do extra for more towels.

I had to order a lot of yarn in to do the samples for this article, so I have plenty of yarn for samples - and towels.  I have suggested another topic for the issue after this one (Winter 2025) so I will be doing more towels for the magazine and me.  

With my physical health so uncertain, I'm trying to stay active but do it intelligently and stay within the boundaries of my physical abilities.

We are living in 'interesting' times.  I had thought I had lived through 'interesting' times before, but the current events seem to have ramped the 'interesting' up more than ever.

If you make things, keep making them.  Keep adding positive energy to the world.  Be kind, if you can.  There are far too many people who are gleefully being NOT kind in this world.

Tips

 

Temples - 3 sizes

There are many assumptions that people make and there is one I see repeatedly.

"You use a temple to prevent draw in." 

Yes, the temple prevents the warp from drawing in.  But only during weaving and only if it is being used appropriately.

The cloth will still lose dimensions (shrink) during wet finishing.  It will even draw in once it is removed from the loom, particularly if left to 'relax' for a few days.

If a weaver assumes that there will be no dimensional loss after wet finishing, they will be in for a surprise.

If a weaver doesn't use the temple appropriately, it might even cause problems.  Like the teeth of the temple scratching the breast beam.  If that happens, I can pretty much guarantee the temple isn't being utilized 'properly'.  

For best results the temple should not be further away from the fell by more than about an inch (2.5 cm).

When using a temple I count how many picks I weave and when I've done an inch worth, I put the shuttle down and move the temple back up to about 1/4" away from the fell (depending on the thickness of the weft).

There are times when using a temple is essential and when it is, I use one.  Yes, even on narrower warps, although usually I mostly use one on wider warps, made of finer thread.  If it is necessary, I use it, even if it means I have to weave more slowly.

Sometimes, to get the quality of cloth I want, I *must* go more slowly.

Another tip that might come in handy is when using lots of colours in a warp, perhaps a plaid/tartan when one (or more) colour(s) has just two picks here and there.

I leave the main colour shuttle aside, then enter the two pick colour leaving a 'tail' at the selvedge.  Weave the first pick, then weave the second pick and then insert the tail back into the second shed in order to overlap the end of the second pick and trim the tail flush with the selvedge.

Happy weaving!

Uncertainty

 

It is a new era and an uncertain one.

Stay true to yourself.  Do not obey in advance.  Help others who need it.  Light someone else's candle.

All pithy comments that don't solve what is currently wrong with our world, but the best thing we can do right now is to remain steadfast.

Don't let the buggers grind you down.

If you think your hobbies or creative endeavors are 'useless' let me assure you that they are not.  Bringing creative energy into this world is necessary.  

So, yes, I will continue to make tea towels and samples and whatever.  It does feel very selfish, but it is also necessary for my mental and physical health.

Stay strong and steadfast and speak out when you can.