New Years Picnic Anyone?

I snapped this picture on New Years Day (out my back window) on my way to bed with a winter cold. I am well over it now, but I couldn't resist showing this picture.

My looms are almost dressed and ready to roll. Pictures and story to follow.

Origami Boxorama

In searching for the perfect little square box to house the 72 mini self portraits, I recalled some little folded boxes I learned to make at a Seattle Weavers Guild (hands-on) meeting. Interestingly enough, I brought one with me in my recent move. I must have known I would need to know how to make them, so make them I did. I printed some of my weaving images on regular computer paper, and it worked just fine.

Then I discovered that I couldn't stop making boxes---until I had made over a hundred of them.

So here is my holiday tree (grin). I know there is a reason I have entered into box-making madness, and I will tell you as soon as it is revealed to me.

The looms have been resting up for another round of weaving. The snow continues to pile up, and real winter is setting in. I have selected a word for the coming year---SIMPLICITY. (more on that later). If you are interested in selecting your own word for 2011, click here.

Have a meaningful New Year (grin)

Facebook Holiday Greetings

The warmest holiday greetings to all! May my smiles brighten the season! I look forward to sharing my latest projects, ideas and inspirations with you in the coming year!

What do you get for your 92 year old mother who has everything?--a photograph of ME! In trying to decide on the perfect picture to send (and incidentally the perfect facebook image), I began searching through every picture of myself (scanning in old photographs) . Here are 54 of the 72 images I gathered. I cropped the pictures to just my face (2" x 2") and then arranged them in chronological order. I taped them together into a long strip (144" long) , folded them in accordion pleats , and placed them in a handmade box with the most recent picture facing out. It doesn't pop open like a jack-in-the-box, but it does come spilling out of the box---the years slipping backwards until I am 6 months old.

Making this montage was as good as a year of therapy! Hey folks, I had a happy childhood, my young adult years were a nightmare, and I am growing old gracefully.

A Fabulous Big Blanket for an Amazing Little Person

What a wonderful way to celebrate a day of gratitude!

I don't really have words, but I just had to share this picture with you. Imagine sleeping wrapped in the blessings of your family.

Parents report that Maya goes right to sleep as soon as she is wrapped up in her blanket.

Color Horoscope Weaving Meets Almost Ikat

As I settle into my new life in Montana, I notice each new weaving has moved up a notch (at least in my eyes). When I deliver a weaving to a client (and they totally love their weaving and I am trying out something a little different), I am very happy indeed.

Another test is if I can't wait to make one for myself. You would think that having at least a dozen version of my horoscope would be enough, but I justify it by saying I need it as a teaching tool. (and it is mostly true)
Although it is big enough to around, I don't think Toni is going to share her shawl with daughter, Stephanie.

A Wonderful Workshop

I always think my workshops are wonderful, but I really believe they get more wonderful each time. I also believe that a more accurate title for this workshop would be Creating a Personal Color Gamp. Since many of the students decided to use bamboo yarn, I thought it would be helpful for me to bring my current Bambu 12 shawl. I manage to cut it off the loom at 10:30 PM the night before the workshop. I brought it unfinished and measured it---28" x 104".

Then I took it home, finished it, and brought it back the second day. It was great to be able to demo the change not only in size (27" x 96") but in the amazing change in drape and hand.

I had taught an earlier version of Color Horoscope Weaving to the Missoula Guild several years ago. Three of the students from before came back to do it again. Here they are: Karla, Vanetta, and Coby showing off their horoscope shawls in 20/2 cotton (tripled and sett at 24 epi).
I can't wait until they finish their new weavings. They all agreed that the new improved workshop was more fun.



One of the things that made the workshop fun were the color exercises. Creating a personal palette and the introduction to Woven Words made me wish we had at least one more day to further our color exploration. The Missoula Weavers Guild is a great group!


Of course, now I can't resist making a montage of the Color Horoscope Weavings in process. (although now that I look at it, I can see that I duplicated some and left out others) Ah, it is surely a work in progress.


So now I am a member of the Missoula Weavers Guild---something I didn't do when I lived here in the 70's. (grin)

It's Funny How the Least Little Thing Can Stop a Gal

Although I haven't posted in a little over a week, my life has been quite full of non-weaving (and totally magnificent things which I will tell you about at another time). I arrived at this point in winding back my "Almost Ikat/Color Horoscope Weaving" and suffered what I like to call a "duh" moment.
I was feeling so clever about winding the ikat stripes first in order to give them a smooth flow. Why I began with the stripe in the middle, I will never know. (yes, the one that dips down was the first stripe, and the one that doesn't match up was the last). I just had to walk away....
Sometimes the problem seems to go away or correct itself as if by magic, but after several days I realized I would have to take action.
So I painstakingly adjusted the stripes....

But now that the loom is all threaded---low and behold, I over-compensated. The whole thing is wonky in the other direction. And the red stripe in the center continues to be "off". Now I have to decide---is it too off? Or does it have a lively sense of movement?

I know if I bring the client over to have a look she will be too polite to tell me what she really thinks.

Opinions? Suggestions?

Here is where the "fudge factor" really comes into play. (grin)

I am teaching a Color Horoscope Weaving workshop this coming weekend. I always like to weave a cloth dedicated to the workshop and spend my weaving time just prior to the workshop focused on the group. Perhaps this workshop is all about not being perfect.

Life is good here in Montana, and I know I made the right move at the right time. I am sure the Missoula Weavers Guild feels that way since they will not have to fly me here from Seattle (grin). They had hired me for this workshop months before I knew I was going to move here.

Blogs are all about moving forward for me, but I will soon give you an overview of the past week. It was too good to gloss over.