Tracking

 

I did an article for WEFT (vol 1?) that talked about tracking, and included a photo of a cloth woven in twill and showed the tracking effect on that twill cloth.  It was very subtle, and hard to see, but if I looked closely enough, it was clearly there.  The thing is, tracking is impossible to ignore in plain weave and people assume nothing occurs when twill is woven, but...it does.

The cloth I'm weaving now has a weft that is highly twisted.  I've been observing the effect of weave structure in the cloth, which I felt was being accentuated by the 'normal' amount of twist that tends to show up in plain weave, and, since the towels I was making had areas of plain weave, the weave was developing some interesting textures.

Since I still have a few cones of this highly twisted singles, I decided to play with the effect and see what would develop in the wet finishing.

Well, I finally got a 'batch' of towels ready - with only 7 towels, that made for a small load, but ok - and ran them through the washer and dryer earlier this week.

They did not disappoint

So here they are.  They are woven in a 1:2-2:1 twill and look at all that lovely texture!  And yes, they have been hard pressed, so they aren't just wrinkled fresh out of the washer/dryer.

Change one thing...

Check Your Sources

 

Let me be clear - I loath LLM/AI.  Like, with a passion.  There are a number of reasons for that, but mostly?  I hate how LLM/AI is designed to be a 'lying machine'.  A person asks a question - in good faith - and expects a semblance of the truth to be delivered.  Instead they get a mish-mash of word salad. 

I try very hard to get facts.  Sometimes I don't have the complete picture, in which case I will go digging.  Unfortunately I can no longer rely on a search engine on the internet to provide me with facts.  I do everything I can to avoid clicking on any AI generated nonsense, but more and more?  I go back to my trusted *printed* resources.

My own books are a distillation of what I have found in my 50 years of weaving.  Some of my weaving library books are quite old, and some are out of date.  Over the years I've accumulated quite a few 'technical' books on weaving (and spinning, and wet finishing).  Sometimes having more than one source is good, because not all books can contain All The Information and I might need to consult some - or all - of my weaving library before I can come to a conclusion.  Sometimes, once I've collected as much information as I can, I need to 'prove' the concept by weaving the samples and, yes, wet finishing them.

So my promise to you is this:  I will never knowingly use LLM/AI.  If I share information with you, it will either come from my own personal experience (weaving, changing parameters, weaving some more, wet finishing the sample to confirm the results) or from trusted published resources.

I have, at this moment, 11+ technical textile science books.  They range from the early 1900s to more current.  I am, at this moment, waiting for another one to be published.  To be fair, I was asked if I would 'review' read the ms and give my opinion.  Which I completed mid October.  They are taking pre-publication orders now.  Michelle Boyd also has a book that I feel weavers should be aware of.  It's called Twist.  I got about halfway through this book and hit a personal brick wall with my brain not wanting to process detailed, subtle, information.  But I will get back to it soon.  The next 3 weeks are fraught with appointments and I am, quite frankly, struggling.  

But this is something I have known for years - there is nothing quite like a curated library when you are involved in a specific craft - develop your own personalized library so you have the information at your fingertips.  Quite literally.

For 50 years I have been asking questions, then answering them (to the best of my ability).  Now that job is even harder as people go to the internet to try and answer their own questions and getting fed lies and/or word salad.  It infuriates me that the last upgrade to my computer and ipad inserted more and more AI.  I annoyed Meta hugely by asking it one and only one question:  How do I turn you off.  If a 'computer' could sniff, it sniffed.  Now I steadily ignore every AI prompt, scroll below the AI 'summary' that it offers me on every internet search.  If I had more spoons I would try harder to switch off more of the Google and Windows AI 'insertions'.  In the meantime, I try really hard to ignore them.

It is with a degree of sadness that I see people on groups quoting AI searches/summaries.  I mean, they joined a group to learn more about A Thing - why are you quoting AI nonsense?  And I get that people are hungry for definitive answers, but when it comes to weaving?  That there are none.  The only correct short answer when it comes to weaving (and likely other crafts that have been around for 1000s of years), is...it depends.

So learn as much as you can.  Explore books and try to ignore AI Summaries.  If you want to ask someone who is knowledgeable?  There are still a bunch of us around.  I have this blog - started in 2008 - started for free, still remains for free.  I have my books, available in both pdf download and print.  Those are not free.  There are classes at School of Sweet Georgia - four of them by me, other shaft loom weaving by Felicia Lo.  And at Long Thread Media.  And I am now writing for WEFT - just agreed to do an article on Bronson Lace.  

So if you have a question?  Ask it.  Include photos if you can.  Explain what you have done to try to find the answer.  No point in spending the coin of my time giving advice only to have the answer be "I did that - it didn't work".  The more information you can provide, the more *others* will learn, along with you.  Weaving isn't always straight forward.  The problem you are having might have stemmed from something you did - or did not - do in a different part of the process than when it showed up.

Weaving is not always straightforward.  It can be sneaky, or hide until it comes forward in terms of poor results.  And not all 'rules' need to be followed - if you understand what happens when you do - or do not - follow them.  And then, if you change your yarn - or the weave structure, or loom.  The possibilities for doing things 'wrong' are almost limitless.  And please - try to be methodical.  Yes, yes, I *know* you want to jump straight into that double wide warp the full width of your loom, but maybe take a couple baby steps first.  

My father always cautioned my brother and me to be wary of anyone who makes doing something look  simple.  There is a good chance there is a great deal of skill involved so don't assume you can jump into the deep end and not stumble over some of those subtleties involved in weaving.

Weaving is a physical skill.  A golfer doesn't assume they can win the Grand Prize on their first attempt.  A race car driver doesn't assume they will drive to the finish line before others who are more experienced.  Etc.  And don't let 'perfect' kill 'good'.  Let the learning journey be just that - a journey.  

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

Soap/Detergent

 

Clear water before adding soap (left) and detergent (right)

After stirring in the soap and detergent

I don't know how long the link will be active but the video can be seen on my Facebook page here.

I live in an area that has 'hard' water - i.e. naturally occurring minerals dissolved in the ground water.

(I don't even live in the 'worst' area - I have experienced places with much higher levels of 'hardness' than here!)

I learned early that soap tends to not work well in such water, but neither was I interested in adding large quantities of salt or other chemicals to our drinking water to 'soften' it.  My preference is to use detergent to do the household laundry and wet finish my handwovens.

When I tell people to use detergents with such water, some 'get' it; others do not.  Usually those who do not simply do not have 'hard' water, in which case I tell them that using soap is fine - in 'soft' water.

For anyone interested in learning about how soap works, Penny Le Couture (spelling?) has a book called Napoleon's Buttons, one section of which is devoted to soap.  She doesn't describe detergents, but I found out today that they can be made from petrochemicals.  Do with that as you will.  I don't know what Synthropol or Orvus Paste are made from, specifically, but they are routinely recommended by dyers and other fibre folk.  

The challenge I have faced, routinely, was getting through to others that what is 'normal' for them may be quite different from others.  That there is no one 'correct' answer.  There may be several answers that could be shared, based on those differing realities that different people experience and that *their* perfect answer may not serve others.  Others who may come from different countries, in different geographical areas, facing different climates, with different shops/businesses to purchase supplies from, different income brackets, ***different physical sizes/shapes***.

Please note:  I am not suggesting that everyone must use detergents because *I* do.  I'm just sharing information.  What any one person chooses to do is up to them.  All I'm saying is that if you have hard water, you will get better results from using a detergent instead of soap.

Am I saying that soap is 'bad'?  It can be - if it is heavily perfumed, or high in fats.  But so can detergent - if it is laden with additives such as whiteners, brighteners and also perfumes.

One person has let me know that they refuse to use detergents because of the petrochemicals.  We all must draw our own lines in the sand.  Make choices appropriate to our values.  So I do use detergents.  I never use 'lots' because it's a waste of both the detergent *and* the water to rinse it out.  

Never accept what someone says unless they can explain their reasons.  Think about those reasons.  Are they appropriate to *you*?  Or do you need to adjust what you've just been told?  Do you need to dig into the information a bit further?  (Until this morning I was not aware that detergents were made with petrochemicals.  I thought about how I use them, why I *need* to use them, decided I would continue, while I pursue other ways to reduce my carbon footprint - buying a hybrid vehicle, having a heat pump installed, buying fewer clothing with Lycra in them, etc.)

I remember posting on Facebook a while ago that we need to stop using so much oil and gas and having someone rip a strip off me saying that petroleum is *necessary* because plastics are needed for health care purposes.  I suggested that if plastics were that important and necessary, maybe we should stop burning it in our cars and furnaces, then?

We are facing the effects of human caused climate change.  I will likely die before it goes pear shaped entirely, but I have younger folk I love and care about and I really don't want them to face the looming 'natural' disasters that will affect the entire world. 

Because our world is a ball.  There will not be a square inch (or centimeter) where we will be able to escape the future - unless we start applying the brakes.

And ultimately petrochemicals are 'just' chemicals.  Pretty sure we can make them from some other source when the oil/gas run out.  But that is a choice we each need to make for ourselves.  Because I *know* not everyone can afford to buy an EV/hybrid, nor a heat pump.  We chose to spend our money on those things.  Others will make other choices.  

I just wish more people would be aware of the coming tsunami of disasters if we don't stop what we are doing.  But that's just me.  I am the only one I can make decisions for.  

Because it depends.

Time Passes

 

This was the scene out my window a while ago.  The autumn rains and wind have done a pretty good job of stripping the leaves from the trees, but we still have not had a 'hard' frost.  The grey dreary days have been wearing on me as I continue to try and sort out what my body needs.  And chart out tentative plans for the immediate future.  I no longer think in terms of years anymore - it's about all I can do to manage months.  But I need to have plans.  If I don't, I get almost nothing done.  

So, I've made as many 'plans' as I can, lined up my ducks, written dates in the calendar.  My ultimate goal is to try and find a better level of 'comfort' than I'm currently experiencing.  Every day it seems I can't find enough spoons to get everything done that I want to do.

Last week I had a longish talk to my pain doctor.  We have appointments set up to try and reduce the level of pain I've been having.  He clarified that I have two different types of pain (pain is pain?  Not really.)  Each type responds 'better' to different methods of treatment.  So I have back injections on Nov. 4 and infusion on Nov. 18.  

In the meantime, I have ordered a 'new' (to me, at least) cream that suggests it will help improve the peripheral neuropathy.  The PN is a nasty one because I cannot figure out why I have flares of pain.  It doesn't seem to be weaving related, although I've pinpointed other triggers.  The first infusion helped, but I still had flares, and it seems to have worn off rather quickly (to my mind).  However, I've been warned that it may take several infusions before I experience therapeutic effects.   So, I haven't lost hope yet.

The cream is on order and should be given over to the courier with expected delivery between Nov. 4-12.  I will give it a fair try, and I will let people know if it is helpful to me.  Or not.  I have been having big pain flares at night and once again my sleep is crap and I'm just exhausted All The Time.

I need to get back to doing the 'review' reading - I have another thesis with a student waiting for feedback.  I've agreed to do another article for WEFT.  They have put out a call for the issue after that one, but I'm not too much of an overshot expert and can't think of a single thing I can say about it that others much more knowledgeable could do a much better job.  Maybe time to skip an issue.

I'm working on my silk and cashmere stash.  Doug has kindly agreed to help with yarn prep.  Most of that part of the stash is in skeins and needs to be wound onto spools so I can beam a warp.  Or three.  The problem - challenge - is coming up with colour combinations that will please me.  Don't judge me - I inherited most of the silk and they are not necessarily 'my' colours.  So, I challenge myself to try to make something pleasing with them.

I'm hoping the latest issue of WEFT will arrive before our weaver's show and share on the 16th of November.  But I've got the samples to show, and I'm hoping some of the newer weavers will come and share what they have been learning.

And here it is - noon again.  And I'm still in my pjs.  Because I had another crap night.  But I cut off the first 7 towels and got them wet finished yesterday, I will press them today, and then retie and maybe weave some more.  Or work on the silk.  The colours look a bit different in the daylight so I want to re-think the group of skeins I have selected for warp #1.  I thought I had some spools with natural white on them, but I haven't found that bin yet.  And who knows, I might have already used them up.  

Onwards.  Onwards.  

Magic in the Water

 

Having been in the field of weaving (doing it, teaching it, writing about it) I've gotten to know quite a few weavers.  Some have been friends.  One of them died a few months ago, after years of health problems, and the other day her daughter began listing some of her weaving books for sale.  One of them was Magic in the Water - the original publication with all the actual samples.

I struggled with the idea of producing such an expensive 'book'.  Frankly I didn't have a whole lot of money, and I also knew that not a single book publisher would want the burden of the costs involved.  I knew the cost of the book would limit the number of copies that could be sold and I thought that it would be mostly guilds with libraries who would provide the largest 'market' for it.  (Someone who had been in the textile industry commented that such a book produced by the industry for industry of similar quality would be sold upwards of $3000, not what I was asking.  So if you see one of the originals for sale for the original selling price?  Grab it!)

 Anyway.  Turned out I was wrong.  

I was bowled over by the number of people who were willing to purchase the book.  They knew the information was needed, and the handwoven and wet finished (before and after) samples of cloth would allow weavers to experience the transformation of the cloth and give them guidelines how to achieve those results for themselves.

So when the book was listed last week for the 2002 purchase price, I was reassured, once again, that I had done good.  

When I first heard someone refer to the book as a 'classic', I was astonished.  To me a 'classic' weaving book is, oh, Mary Black or Margaret Atwater.  To see that the book is still valued 20+ years after original publication makes me look back at the struggle it was produce and feel like I made the right choice.  In spite of some weavers poo-pooing that it needed to be done at - all you needed to do is wash it, for goodness sake!  For all the nay sayers who (still?) object to my using the pretentious term 'wet finishing' instead of 'washing'.  

In 2000 there were no such things as Go Fund Mes.  I pushed ahead, determined to do The Thing.  I borrowed money.  Spent what I had.  Worked 80 hour weeks to make it happen.  Recruited family and friends to help.  And by sheer stubborn determination, I made it.

To see that people will still purchase the text and photos version?  Just confirms what I knew all along - this was important.  This was needed.  

When my brother died I gave a short statement at the reception at the railway museum.  My brother had been a huge supporter of this project, and I wanted to remind people of the kind of person he was.  And, I realized much later, I was, too.

"I can think of no greater example to follow than Don's.

Be bold enough to have a dream.

Be brave enough to try to make it come true.

Live life with joy and love.

And every day, work to be a better person."

Doh-See-Doh

 

The other night I had enough spoons I could start dragging out the bin of cashmere, and dug out some of the dyed silk I inherited from a weaver.  At the time, I wasn't sure what I could do with the skeins of silk, all in 30/2 size, each skein a different hue/value.  Some were pastel, some saturated, and they came from every area of the colour wheel.

When I dug out the cashmere, I had thought I had more coloured than I have, so there is a large quantity of natural and a few that are...not.  However, the plan is to use the dyed silk for the warp(s) and the cashmere for the weft.  Of course the yarn is *all* in skeins, so before I can do anything I need to weigh all the silk skeins, then do a ruler wrap, compare the grist of the two yarns and try to work the numbers and make what I hope will be a nice quality of cloth for neck scarves.

Just a quick eyeball indicates that I should have more than enough silk to make several warps, and have even more cashmere to weave those off.  I *think* I have some natural white silk on spools left over from the last silk scarf warp I did, so who knows, I might do a white warp and use some of the dyed cashmere on that.  TBD.  More stash diving will happen as and when I feel able to do it.

But before I can do anything, the silk needs to be transferred to spools.  Last night, feeling particularly exhausted, trying to figure out what I could do, I asked Doug if he would weigh the silk skeins.  I think that they are 100 grams, but I need to know before I can begin planning what I will be doing, and then designing the first warp.

I'm hoping that if I can just wind one skein to spool that I can actually do that myself.  But, first things first.

OTOH, I have two procedures booked at the pain clinic in November, plus I've 'discovered' a different otc product that I hope will reduce pain flares when I overdo things.  Maybe this Christmas I will be feeling 'better'.

I'm still trying to understand my body better, but the pain persists.  I feel like I have to explore every avenue, try anything that seems like it might help.  

Today is a blustery grey day.  Most of the leaves have been ripped off the branches, and the leaden skies promise that yes, winter is on the way.  It feels good to be looking forward to some colour on the loom for the next while.  I have a feeling I'll need the 'lift' from pretty colours.  

Stash Diving

 

gaping 'holes' on the shelves because most of it is packed up for the craft fair/guild room sales

Given my conundrum - running 'low' on 2/16 cotton, can't decide what colour(s) to buy to keep going with the towel weaving, I spent some quality time with my yarn stash.  It took a while, but I 'found' the fine cashmere yarn I bought while in Scotland - along with the rest of my cashmere stash.  I'm running 'low' on silk scarves and since I only have limited amounts of some of the cashmere, putting a silk warp on the loom and weaving the cashmere as weft seems like a good approach.

My inventory is currently (mostly) packed up, ready to be delivered to the guild room for the big craft fair Oct. 30, Nov 1+2, then the guild room sale in November.  And I'm drowning in tea towels.  I did get some shawls made, but I've lots of rayon scarves and a few silk+ scarves, but it's time I dug through my silk stash.  The cashmere is largely quite fine, but most of my silk is...a mixed bag.  Some of it is way too fine to use as warp, and I'm not entirely sure what I can do with it.  And of course, the warp and weft colours have to be 'compatible'.  

The next warp is underway, so it is time to put my thinking cap on and figure out what I can do with the silk and cashmere yarns.

I've suggested to the new weaving teacher that she can come and root through my 'samples' to see if any of them are of use to her.  I have bins of 'samples' I've used to illustrate my classes.  Some are just that - samples.  Others are finished items.  And those are the samples I would like to see carry on.  The 'scraps' will likely go into the rag recycle bin.

But oh, the memories when I dig through those bins.  Things I had completely forgotten I'd made suddenly come to life again.  The successes...and the 'failures'...

Because no 'failure' is truly not useful, even if all it does is remind me of what I did, and how it turned out.  

Kind of like life, right?

I had really  hoped to use up those 3 large cones of singles 6 yarn but the only 2/16 I have in quantity is natural.  And white on white doesn't always look very attractive.  And I already have lots of tea towels.  So, maybe it's time to put that aside once the current warp is done and dabble in the silk/cashmere?  I won't get them done in time for this year, but they will take time to design, weave, fringe twist and wet finish.  So, really, I'm working on next year.  My days of scrambling to meet every deadline are over.  I might be 'getting' this 'retired' thing...

If Canada Post gets itself sorted out (currently on rotating strikes) I might post some things to my ko-fi, available to Canadian addresses only.  But I get the feeling that a lot of Canadians are watching every loonie and toonie like a hawk.  Not to mention it will depend how much energy spoons I have.  And I'm learning how to 'manage' what I have, instead of railing about what I have not.  Difficult life lesson to learn, but...needs must...