Getting Ready for Ikat in Ohio

In addition to teaching about Turned Weft Ikat, I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to experience "Almost Ikat". The workshop is a lot about designing warps spontaneously on the warping board within rather tight parameters.

Here is the assignment---each student arrives in class with a scarf warp 9" wide in Bambu 7, sett 20 epi. There will be 3" solid borders and 3" in the center of almost ikat in one of 4 colorways. I asked everyone to select colors without telling any of their fellow students what they had selected. I am hoping to see a lot a variation and surprise.

So today I decided that I really should do the assignment myself. That way I can spend the next few days really focused on the upcoming workshop. Hopefully everyone in the class has already wound their warp (grin)


I cheated a little though. I couldn't decide which of 3 solids to use, so I used all 3. And then I couldn't decide which of the 4 space-dyed yarns to use, so I used them all.


I have no idea how this is going to look. (well, I really do have sort of an idea, but not really) That is one of the exciting things about this type of designing. So much is left to chance.


I'll start weaving tomorrow. I am thinking I will weave it with the cashmere. I am quite in love with cashmere/bamboo--quite the combo.


Today I put together 5 Color Horoscope Weaving Instruction Packets and then spent 2 hours trying to find my mailing envelopes. No luck! I am sure they sell envelopes here in Montana, but I was certain I had quite a stash. The list of missing objects continues to grow. It's funny that life goes one perfectly well without any of my lost stuff.


If you are one of the folks waiting for your packet, hopefully these will be yours. I did manage to lose track of a couple orders. If I haven't contacted you, please get in touch with me.

So many loose threads.......

Blessing Baby Blanket Complete and Shipped

For some reason, the computer would not let me make a post last night, but here is the blanket moments before I raced off to FedEx for a Monday delivery on the East Coast.

The finished measurements are 40" x 64" plus fringe. My plan had been to hem the fringed edges and cut the length down to finish at 48" as requested by mother. I wove the extra length because there was extra warp. I was planning to present a small woven strip to each of the grandmothers. However, everyone who saw the blanket insisted I send it as is---at least for now with the idea that I could always cut and hem it later and the parents should see the whole piece.

The picture was taken by my new across the street neighbor--

Now to unpack and set up my "office", work on back orders, and get ready for a Turned Weft Ikat Workshop in 2 weeks in Ohio.

And of course---weave

First Weaving in my New Home

I don't have the energy to write much. I feel like I have been running a marathon.

Ah, the thrill of victory.....
The dimensions before washing---44.5" x 72". I wove some extra which I planned to trim off when I hemmed the blanket after washing and drying in the machine. I usually get about 10" shrinkage in the length.

Yes, it is true, bamboo/cashmere washes nicely on gentle in the machine and dries in the dryer on low. It is really quite miraculous. I'll have a picture for you tomorrow before I race off to FedEx to ship before noon, so it will arrive on the East Coast on Monday.

Weaving With Intention

The focus is on "intention". The blessings I receive from the client are qualities they desire to wrap around the baby in a permanent "hug" rather than something for the baby to grow into.



I was going to tell you all about how I was 60 heddles short when I was threading the loom and that I had to have the only person I could think of with a Fireside loom FedEx a hundred heddles from Arizona. I was going to tell you about how I then proceeded to miscalculate the number of dents and had to re-sley---but I won't bore you with the details.

Instead see the cashmere I selected to use in the weft. Each different color and shade represents a cashmere sweater my mom and I unknitted together. (By the way, on my last visit to my mother, we decided that we had taken apart just the right amount of sweaters. I am no longer collecting cashmere.)


It looks like plaid---who would have guessed.


I just looked up the definition of plaid---interesting
A fabric in which bands of color running horizontally and vertically intersect to form squares.


Here's another definition:
Wide and multicolored stripes on different colored backgrounds for creating various patterns.

And another:
a plain or twill-weave cloth with a pattern of intersecting stripes.

I just have a few more inches to go, and I will cut it off tomorrow.

Blessing Baby Blanket

I don't recall what I was thinking when I accepted a weaving commission due on October 1, but I did.

The family selected 18 blessing words (and 9 colors) and requested a blanket 40" x 48". A blanket with that many words would have to be 80" wide. The family told me to decide, but I didn't want to leave out any blessings.

What to do?

I decided to put 11 blessing words in the warp (Bambu 12 doubled and sett at 24 epi)

Words are (from right to left)

Kind, Courageous, Creative, Curious, Inquisitive, Rhythm, Patience, Persistence, Joy of life, Confidence, and Charisma

The other thing I did was to treat each blessing as if it were the ONLY word to reduce the number of colors and give a more cohesive look (which I think it does)

The weft will be the recycled cashmere (triple strands)AND spell out the rest of the blessing words so I won't have to leave out any!

These are the words that will be weft: Adventurous, Love of music, Sense of humor, A good friend, Able to forgive, Strength and Unconditional love

I haven't quite figured out the weft in cashmere yet, AND I can't imagine what it will look like. It will surely be a surprise.

So I guess you could say that I am settled in my new Montana home...(grin)

Currently I am unable to send email, so if you have been expecting an email from we---next week for sure.

I'm in Montana Now

I'll be resurfacing soon. I'm much beyond this point. In fact I am actually setting up the loom. I wasn't sure I would be able to make a blog post as I am unable to send email (although I do receive it). More to follow......

It may be cloudy in the picture, but it was sunny, warm and beautiful today.

Dalai Lama Weaving and Sunflowers

Although I brought the Dalai Lama weaving with me on my trip to the East Coast, I didn't show it around very much.
But when I got to these magical fields...well, you get the picture.


Whenever I feel overwhelmed with the move, I look at this picture and can't help but smile.

It puts every in perspective---don't you think....

I am living the experience of "Right Livelihood", a blessing to be a Weaver in this time.

The following is a brief excerpt from the piece by Susan Crowell, writer, and
ceramics instructor at U. Michigan, Ann Arbor:

"For craftspeople, this making special emphasizes both the making and the
special. Reversing the terms - special making- rings even truer when speaking
of craft, for which the process of handwork is an essential component. As our
perception of time becomes more precious and the time-intensive nature of
craft increases its value, craft may even come to represent the preciousness
of time itself, embodied in an object."