Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Oops: A Cautionary Tale

So I was weaving this most lovely warp in Woven Words and Ikat Dyed Bamboo. My client wanted me to weave space-dyed chenille for weft. She loved the feel and drape of the bamboo/chenille.
Here is a picture of an earlier piece woven with bamboo and space dyed chenille. Although you can still see the warp, it is down-played and the weft really shows. Notice the bright horizontal turquoise stripe near the top of the picture. This is the new warp. You also notice you don't really see the weft.
Try as I might, I just couldn't bring myself to beat the weft as tightly as I should. All the time I was weaving I kept telling myself I was beating correctly. Denial!

I know many people shy away from chenille for this very reason: the dreaded WORM! Here it is in all of its glory.

THE FUDGE FACTOR: Let me say a word or two about the fudge factor. It is a principle I adhere to with great devotion. It goes like this, "If it works, it's OK."

When I pulled the shawl out of the dryer and discovered I had pushed the fudge factor over the edge, several thoughts raced through my mind. The first thought was, "OH NO! What will I write in my blog!" My second thought was, "What will I tell my client!" My third thought was, "Maybe I made this mistake because I wanted to keep the weaving for myself, hmmm".

I draped the shawl over a chair and walked away. Here is an opportunity for me to learn a new weaving lesson. The biggest lesson I have to share with you is, "No matter how long you weave, you still have lessons to learn." It has taken me a few days to get over myself enough to show the world my latest creation, but here is the good news.

When I walked away from the weaving, I didn't walk out of my studio. I immediately put warps on BOTH looms, started weaving on both looms, and wound a another warp. (pictures to follow soon) So if I haven't learned much in the past 47 years, I have learned to keep moving forward.

Once the "wormed weaving" has had a chance to consider its future, I will visit it again, see what I can salvage and let you know its final fate.

3 comments:

Laritza said...

As bad as it sounds, it does feel good to know YOU make mistakes :). I had the opposite problem I beat too hard. To prove it I have a bullet proof chenille scarf!

Christine said...

I have heard of the dreaded chenille worm -- too bad it's not the kind in tequila!

Anonymous said...

So, careful attention with a tapestry needle...would that be bad form?

Syne