Gary and Grace Enjoy Summer

What with all the travel and house guests, it would seem like nothing gets done in the summer. However, now that I have committed to weaving everyday (when I am home), I am finding it easier than I had thought it would be. Here is what (or should I say "who") is on Gary, a good example of the Bambu 7 "kit". I am weaving this shawl using yarn from Cotton Clouds and using Irene's horoscope (the owner of Cotton Clouds). Very soon I will post detailed instructions for ordering a kit and what is included in said kit.

Grace features another 8/2 unmercerized cotton towel sample. I like to weave something in ikat prior to giving an ikat presentation (September 6th at the Whidbey Island Weavers Guild).

My current fascination with handwoven towels is somewhat of a mystery to me.

Saori Weaving Hob Nobs with Blanket Panels

I didn't have anyplace to hang and photograph my "Weave Everyday" piece, so my Big Commission Blanket in progress was kind enough to offer a contrasting backdrop. I didn't know what to expect when I cut this weaving off the loom. I had no plan! I just wove whatever I felt like when I sat down to weave! I never expected to experience a rush when I unrolled the cloth beam. I don't think weaving will ever be the same for me although now I have to weave a horoscope weaving and another ikat towel sample for an upcoming lecture.

I am a little nervous about laundering this piece as I have blended merino wool (warp) with merino, musk ox, and cashmere for the weft. I will probably wash by hand and dry flat. I have had things I have woven in merino wool shrink as much as 45% in the washer, and my experience with cashmere is it hardly shrinks at all. I was surprised to discover the cashmere sweaters I get from the second hand stores can be washed on gentle and dried on low with fabulous results.

Weave Every Day, 3+ Blog Freeze

Torn between feeling I should report on my recent trip and my desire to share my current process (and having out of town guests), I suffered Blog Freeze! In order to recover from this debilitating syndrome, I will just have to move forward. As I absorb aspects of my trip East, I will let bits and pieces come through and weave themselves into my experience.

However, I continue to weave a little bit everyday.
I have to admit it is lots of fun to focus on the weft for a change, to not think about the outcome.

It is grand fun to inlay some ikat yarn.


And here finally I believe I experience the Saori Spirit. I will cut this off the loom this evening and promise to show it to you no matter what.

Weave Every Day, 2

Even through HP, I continue to weave some on a daily basis. It seems that everyday I sit down at the loom I am a different person. What emerges as I weave is totally unplanned and a complete surprise. I try not to think about what this piece is going to look like (or even what it is actually going to become). Whatever it is and however it looks, I plan to put it in a Northwest Designer Craftsmen Group Show next month. I had to tell them what I was going to submit, so I said I was weaving a scarf. It may become a very very long scarf or a long thin wall hanging.

I discovered some merino wool ikat dyed yarn I had used in a wool ikat blanket and thought it would be fun to play using the ikat in the weft. I couldn't resist introducing the lavender cashmere stripe as I just received this new color. I don't know what I was thinking putting on a red warp, but I must have been in a red mood that day. It is interesting just how little the red actually shows although it does influence the general "look".

I realize I have dropped the thread of retelling the story of my trip, but I will get to it.

Potter Interlude

Need I say More...

Weave Every Day

The essence of the Saori Conference for me was the idea to weave every day even if it is only for 5 minutes. When I got home, immediately set up the loom and started to weave. As I weave, I think about my Saori experience. I only spend a few minutes at a time at the loom. I am not thinking about what the finished piece is going to look like. Each time I sit down at the loom, some color or thought grabs my attention and away I go.

Mimi and Ginny at NEWS

Here are a couple of wonderful women I ran into in Northampton. Notice their beautiful Color Horoscope Weaving Shawls. How could you not! Mimi and Ginny took my Color Horoscope Weaving Workshop at the Florida Tropical Weavers Conference back in 2001. One of the downsides of the workshop is that the weaving happens at home after the workshop. I never get to see the finished weaving, so it is really a great thrill to actually get to see some of the results.