Sampling

 

There are actually two samples in the photo - one was woven with 20/2 unmercerized white, the other was woven with 2/20 mercerized 'natural'.

But what I want to point out today is the selvedge.

There are so many people who insist that a selvedge *must* be plain weave.  

But here's the thing - if you are weaving something *other* than plain weave in the rest of the cloth, that plain weave selvedge will take up at a different rate than the other structure and the selvedge ends will get tighter and tighter.

Not a big deal if the weaver cuts off and re-ties, but...more work, overall, than just weaving a more appropriate structure - like the same take up as the rest of the cloth.

Now, I also deal with 'fine' threads by doubling the outside 4 ends at the selvedge *BUT* keeping the density of the cloth the same.  

And no, I so rarely use a floating selvedge that I would say 'never' but there may come a time when a floating selvedge is 'best practice'.

The samples in the photo have been wet finished, including a good hard press.  The weave structure creates 'floats' along the selvedge.  Given the 'fancy' twill weave structure, there are (if I remember correctly) 5 pick floats in the selvedge.

But!  After wet finishing, including that hard press, the 'loops' tuck into the edge of the cloth and they are fine.  

The selvedge is not 'ruler' straight.   The nature of the weave structure that contrasts 1:3 and 3:1 areas to create the motif, means that the selvedge gently curves.  

Another variable is if the weft yarn is smooth or textured.  The singles linen I've been using is *very* fine (for most people) and it has gentle 'slubs' in it.  So, again, the selvedge is affected when one of those 'slubs' is at the edge of the cloth.

In my studio I do the best I can to be a) consistent and b) as efficient as I can be.  Perfect?  Well, when *that* happens, it's lovely, but truly a Gift from the Loom Goddess.

There are many reasons for sampling.  Since I'm trying to weave down my yarn stash, sometimes it's a good idea to see how exactly the yarn is going to behave - right through to the wet finishing.

This year marks 50 years of being a weaver.  Yes, I still make 'mistakes'.  Yes, I still sample.

Today one of my 'jobs' is to explore designing a twill progression and figure out how to best illustrate how I do that for anyone who is interested.  The sample above is a variation on the Swedish Snowflake motif.  I may - or may not - submit the table runner(s) I've been weaving for the past couple of weeks.  Or I have enough of the 2/20 merc. cotton for warp and the unmerc. 20/2 to weave off one more warp.  But then there will be some 2/20 merc. cotton to use as weft on an unmerc. cotton warp.  

The current warp will be coming off the loom in the next few days.  So I'm going to have to spent some time at the desktop exploring some twill progression motifs.

Always something new to explore, more to learn.  

Of Tariffs

 One brave person ordered a towel as a gift, which I got into the mail last Friday.  It was too late for the truck to Vancouver, so it didn't get there until Monday, and when the post office attempted to transfer it to the custody of  US Customs/USPS, welp, I don't know what happened, but it still shows this message as of 5 pm April 30:

Delivery may be delayed due to public authority

I have never seen such a message in the years I've made stuff and shipped it across the border.  What does it mean, actually?  Dunno.  All I can hope is that Canada Post will return the parcel to me so that I'm not out the towel as well as the postage, packaging, etc.  If it comes back to me, of course I will refund the person's money.

Given the current situation, one wonders what is happening with Canada/US customs processing, and the USPS.

Over the past few weeks of political shenanigans, I have hesitated about keeping my ko-fi shop.  I'll be honest - the US was my 'biggest' online market and it's been a hit to tell my customers to *not* buy anything right now.  The continued uncertainty about international trade with our southern neighbour has left not just me, but hundreds of others in the lurch.

While the election turned out 'ok' (I was hoping for a Liberal landslide but the alt right has gotten a deep hold on a much larger chunk of our population than I expected - or hoped) and while the Liberals took the government, it is a 'minority' government.  Which is not necessarily a 'bad' thing - it means the Liberals will have to make any governance palatable to a smaller party and convince them to come on board.  In times past, we have seen some excellent concessions made that have made Canada a 'better' place than if they had a full majority.

But we are staring down a great divide and I don't know how to reconcile with the 'other' side, which shows zero interest in working together.  :(

I'm unsure what the future holds, if it is even a good idea to keep the ko-fi presence.  I do have a few monthly subscribers, but I don't feel like I'm giving those supporters much value - beyond writing this blog.  

Anyway, push comes to shove, I won't be losing my house if I do shut it down, but it is forcing me to keep picking away at the writing.  Not because it brings in a lot of income, but because I can 'teach' and get paid 'something' for my time, effort and knowledge.

So when they asked me to contribute two articles for a 2026 issue, it took a heartbeat for me to decide 'yes, I will'.

I still have not received my print copy of the first issue of WEFT, but I've booked the guild room for May 25.  If it still hasn't arrived, I do have the copy loaded onto my iPad, and I will bring the two sets of samples from the first issue that I wove and let people take a gander.  If it seems like people want to have that kind of 'hands on' experience for the following issues, I'm hoping that my new drug will reduce my pain levels and that I will be able to speak 'better' by then.  Now that I'm getting more than 2 or 3 hours of sleep a night, my brain injury seems to be improving.

I am trying really hard to look for the good things in this world, and change what is 'bad' if I can.  

I am really hoping to get back to my 'usual' content - weaving.  

To those of you still here, I thank you.  From the bottom of my heart.  

Canada

 

I remember how controversial the idea was, to create a 'new' Canadian flag.  How many poo-poo'd the idea, some complained about the expense, etc.  

Some people objected because 'you can't just *change* the flag'!

I never saw the controversy, myself.  I thought the idea of using the maple leaf as a symbol was, well, symbolic, even though it was rare to see a maple tree where I live.  

In the end, the country chose to change and the rest were dragged along, some of them kicking and screaming.

We had never been a country to fly the flag, much.  When I started going down to the US, it was a bit of a 'shock' to me how many places had US flags, proudly flying - not just over government buildings, but homes.  

We would roll out flags for Canada Day, sometimes during playoff season, especially for hockey.  But mostly?  Canadians weren't prone to waving the flag much.

One year the federal government gave free flags for anyone who wanted one.  We got one and Doug arranged to hang it above the front door.  Once it was up, we realized our house was the only house in the neighbourhood that was flying a flag, and it became a marker for anyone coming to our house.

There were a few years when a new neighbour started flying a flag, about 3 times the size of ours.  It was so huge they had to mount a pole to the house to fly it.  All through that time we continued to let our flag fly, even when the alt right appropriated the flag - frequently upside down or with comments about the PM.

We are 'liberals' in 'conservative' country.  I don't think I have ever sent a representative to Ottawa, and right now, the current Con MP certainly does not speak for me.  

I have little faith that a Liberal candidate will take our riding.  All the polls say it is a 99% certainty that the Con MP will go to Ottawa again.

So, I'd like to remind people that just because a Con gets elected doesn't mean that there are no 'liberals' who live here.

I will continue to advocate for others who need it.  I will continue to fly the Canadian flag - I do not 'reclaim' the flag because I never stopped believing that Canada - as a country - can be more inclusive, more supportive of those who need help, can continue to do the work of truth and reconciliation.  

We have issues that need addressing.  But I do not believe that anyone part of the alt-right will be much concerned about anyone but themselves.  So, call me 'woke' if you like.  I'd rather be awake than tuning in to some person's fever dreams.  I'd rather be supportive of people who may need some help - people burned out due to wildfires due to climate change, for example.  I prefer to have a functioning government that sees need and tries to address it, rather than destroying government services.

Being a 'good' country is a process.  I hope that my country will at least *try* to help its citizens, not create chaos and uncertainty.

But maybe it's just because I'm a dreamer...

Imagine....

Welcoming Change

 

I recently became aware of James Fell and thought I would pick up one of his books.  It wasn't what I expected from a 'sweary' historian.  Instead it was - how shall I put it - self-help?  Self-improvement?

But I started reading it in part because I'm always interested in people's 'story' and the book has lots of them as 'examples' of epiphany.

Partly I was interested in the topic because I had a epiphany of sorts.  Actually I had *exactly* one of the types of epiphany that Fell writes about.  I spent years, feeling 'lost', directionless, working one dead end office job after another.

Little did I know, but the 'universe'/guardian angel, whatever you want to call it, worked for years to shove me into the direction I finally wound up taking.  As more 'hints' dropped into my conscious thought, the more restless/directionless I felt.

Most of this 'hinting' kept hammering home the fact that I needed to do something different.  I finally asked myself the crucial question - if not this, then what?  And I did a list of things I wanted for my life and then left myself 'open' in a way I had not done before.  I even found a job that had many of the things I said I had been looking for, but the other thing that had been happening was the not-to-be-denied fact that my father was dying.

As Fell outlines in his book, one of the ways an epiphany will happen is that the person needs to change, *wants* to change, will even begin to make changes until one day the thought breaks through to the conscious mind and suddenly things begin to make sense to make the changes that you want/need to make.

So it was with me.  After literally years of nudging me towards the fibre arts, significant hints of the world that waited for me, I finally put all those hints together and after thinking about it for a couple of weeks, weeks during which I thought about the logistics of tossing everything and learning how to weave - with the express purpose of earning some money *by* weaving...

Well, a number of preparations needed to be put into place, which took time.  Time during which my father got sicker and sicker, and the guardian angel/universe became quite insistent that I needed to do this thing.

We put our house up for sale - and because I was making a really good wage for a woman it actually allowed us to buy a larger house with room for a loom.  Which job I quit as soon as the mortgage was approved and started the weaving class a week late (I had to work out my two week notice.)

After years of being nudged in that direction, then months of fevered preparation, moving house, I finally found myself in the weaving room, sitting in front of a Cherryville counter balanced loom.

After getting directions about what to do, I sat on the bench, looking at the rags I had prepared, and really looked at the warp and loom.  As I sat there at the loom, I had a wash of awareness that I had 'come home'.

I was - finally - where I was meant to be.

Two weeks later my dad finally died and while I very much doubt he would have understood what I had just done while he was alive, I sensed that he now understood.  

I treated that class (all day Tuesdays) like a full time job.  I spent every day in the loom room, either reading, or weaving.  I was 'already' a weaver - I just needed to acquire the actual skills.  My physical body need to catch up to my 'heart'.  

So I would say that I had exactly the sort of epiphany that Fell was talking about, although he talks about other ways people reach that state.

But I will never, ever, forget the feeling as I sat, shuttle in hand, figuring out which treadles I was supposed to use, knowing that I was 'home'.  This was the 'right' path.  And I would do everything I needed to do in order to stay on it.

At times that meant taking part-time jobs to bring in enough money to buy yarn, etc.  I started getting requests to teach weaving, which I felt woefully inadequate to do, but I did know more than those wanting to learn, and I did my best to acquire teaching skills as well as weaving skills.

And then I had another epiphany - I needed to write a book.  Why?  Because so many people kept urging me to write it.

I'm now 'retired' - from production weaving/selling.  I still produce more than most people who weave as a hobby, so I still try to sell textiles (and maybe will again once the election is over and we see who 'blinks' about tariffs.)  I still teach through writing, currently focused on WEFT (who just asked me to submit a couple more articles - yay!)

But I'm now reaching the age where other family members tended to fall off their perch, with my mother being a bit of an outlier because she made it to 90.  Odds are that I could leave this mortal coil any day - nearly did on Aug. 28, 2024.

But I didn't die.  And my brain injury is coming along so that I can write, although with loads more editing because words fall into sinkholes, or I discover I have repeated words.  With the help of a friend willing to alpha read my text, I feel capable of continuing to write.  And hopefully, weave.

Tomorrow is election day in Canada.  I have been on tenterhooks about the result of the election - what it will mean to me, my country.  So I'm going to head to the loom and weave.  And hope for the 'peace' that we all look for as we walk our life path.

A friend says 'gold dust' to people as a way of wishing them 'luck'.  Besides, gold dust is better than tossing 'glitter' around, so I wish to all who need something - Gold Dust.

Making Plans

 

I ordered Michelle Boyd's book weeks ago - just about the time my health roller coaster took off on another loop around the course.  And then, the election, which manages to take up whatever brain power I had left.  And won't be over until next week when the final voting day happens and the votes get counted.

Once we are beyond the uncertainty of what is about to happen, I will make plans for how to move 'forward'.  

I've been telling friends I could easily turn my studio into a 'hermitage'.  I rarely go out, unless it is for some sort of health care.

OTOH, if the new drug actually helps (without also harming - Schrödinger's medication?) I may feel more energy and be more inclined to get out and about more.

I have been 'practicing' driving because after 7 months of *not* driving I'm rusty.  Considering that spring is arriving here, I feel as though I'm able to maybe(?) come out of hibernation.

Hoping that I will soon be feeling 'better' I've offered to host a gathering for anyone who wants to take a look at the first issue of WEFT, and the samples I wove for the two articles I have in the magazine.  

For today, I will head to the loom.  In spite of everything I've managed to get to the loom and weave, and the current warp is just past the 1/3 mark.  I'm mulling over another warp, potentially for the article I'm working on now.  

And maybe, just maybe, this new drug will work for me and I'll be more functional.

Spring Weather

 

The photo isn't a very good one but it is a silk jacket I wove the fabric for (and had a friend sew it).  I wove it for the ANWG conference here in 1995.  I took the conference logo and messed around with it.  The warp was hand dyed (by moi) in a spectrum from blue-purple to pink-purple.  (It also made in appearance in Weavers Magazine.  Much nicer photo in the magazine!!!)

I think the last time I wore it was to a NEWS (?) conference.  I can't remember.

I miss going to conferences - the seminars, exhibits, sitting down to visit with other like minded folk.  Between Covid and my current health issues, I doubt I'll leave my town - unless I have another medical issue that requires me to go to Vancouver.

Today I went out without a jacket - for the first time in a long time.  It truly feels like spring and I'm enjoying the longer daylight hours.  The winter seemed very long - very dark.  We didn't have a lot of 'cold' weather, which generally means the skies are clear and the days brilliant, with sunshine bouncing off the snow.  There wasn't a lot of snow, and very few 'cold' days.  It was very dreary. 

Now the warmer weather is coming, I hear, but we are still in drought conditions and I hope that we get some more rain to help wet down the bush.

We voted on Friday, and now I'm on tenterhooks waiting to see what will happen once the votes are all counted.  April 29 we should know...

I also heard today that my new drug - the last one left to try, unless something else comes along - will be ready next week.  I have been holding on to the last thread in the rope I'm hanging on, for so long I wasn't sure if I could last until it was.  But now I know it is coming, really, truly, I can try to tie a knot into the end of my fraying rope and make it for a few more days.  (I think I can, I think I can...)

I've been warned that not everyone gets good results with it, but the only way to know if it will work for me is to try it and see.  My pain doc will check in with me in about a month or so and to see how I'm doing on it.  The main goal is to take it and not have it cause adverse effects, so I'm being a 'special snowflake'.  And my pharmacist has worked hard to find out as much as possible about it, and then worked with my family doctor, too.  If the new drug doesn't work, I will have to go back to the one I'm currently on, but try to address the adverse effects.  :(  Take another drug to make the drug work without harming?  Sigh.

However, I'm pleased enough with the current warp.  It's weaving nicely (now that the threading mistake is corrected), and I'm using up another cone in the seemingly endless stash.  I am hoping that the new drug will let me feel more energetic (less fatigue and brain fog, with luck) and that I can begin marshalling my thoughts for the next article.  I'm pleased enough with what I'm seeing on the loom that I will be using that one as one example for the article.  I may do the next warp to use for the article, as well.  Depends on how things turn out.

In the meantime, I continue to weave as much as I can.  Massage therapist asked today if I was managing at the loom okay and I said yes.  I'm about 1/3 done the warp, so I will press on and get it off and ready to be wet finished.  In the meantime I've made good progress on the current heap of hemming, and using up more of my seemingly never ending stash.  However, with the tariffs/trade 'war' I'm wondering if I should stock up on yarn because cotton could become quite expensive, depending on what happens over the next few months.  

In the meantime, it's been great to see my stash diminishing (although not my inventory of textiles!)

It's Thursday.  I'm hoping to get the new drug by Tuesday, although that might be optimistic.  Time will tell!  (About a lot of things...)

Oopsie!

 

This warp is fairly complex and I wasn't feeling 'well' while I set up the loom and in spite of my being so very careful, I realized that I had made a threading error.  

Sigh.

The mistake wasn't all that obvious until I changed wefts and the contrast became enough that I was able to spot the issue, so when I finished the towel I was working on, I wove a much longer 'waste' area at the end of the one towel.  I had 'marked' the threading error with a coloured thread at the beginning so that it would be easier to find the errant threads to cut them, pull them out of the web, then re-thread them properly.

The sequence was supposed to be shaft 2-7, when I had done 7-2.  It didn't look horribly wrong, but once seen cannot be unseen, so I fixed it the most 'efficient' and least irritating way I could think of.

Once the 6 ends were corrected, I sleyed the reed, then pinned them to the web, adjusted the dobby chain to begin at the beginning again, and carried on with the next towel.

Yes, I 'wasted' a bit of warp, but by doing so, I 'saved' a lot more of my time - time which is precious to me.

Once they come off the loom I will use the large green weft area as a 'cut' line (normally all I do is 2 picks), and then when I serge them, I will remove the green weft part and toss it away.

We can choose what we 'waste'.  By 'wasting' a bit of 'free' (from a friend's weaving stash) I saved myself at least 15 or 20 minutes, and did not have to cut/re-tie the entire warp.  

It doesn't always turn out this way, but today it did, and I'm grateful.

Edited to add a close up photo of the web because someone wondered where the 'missing' threads went.  

The original warp threads are still there.  I cut them out in the green weft area, then, once they there threaded *properly* and sleyed, they were pinned to the web.  The 'hole' is only in the 'waste' area of green weft.