Hello From Baltimore

I have finally figured out how to post from the computer at my mother's apartment. Now I just have figure out how to add pictures. One thing at a time. 

I have spent most of my time wading through another pile of cashmere sweaters. The "un-knitting" factory is in full swing. Of course all production stops when I am not here. (For those of you who don't know about the unknitting factory: it is my 90 year old mother, her 85 year old sister and me taking apart imperfect cashmere sweaters). We have two dozen to work on this trip. 

When not un-knitting, I have been mostly cooking and eating. I discovered Maryland crab hardly ever comes from Maryland any longer, thus ending my search for the perfect Maryland crab cake. (also I am now a vegetarian, so I can content myself in remembering how they used to be)

It's late......  

Off to Baltimore

Time has gotten away from me. I had a plan to do this wonderful post before I left, but now I leave for the airport in 15 minutes. I will attempt to post during my trip, but that has turned out to be rather iffy in the past.

I do have plans (all in my head) for some really exciting things to share with you, so don't give up on me just yet.

THANKSGIVING IN BALTIMORE! I know you are green with envy (grin)

Slowly But Surely

I seem to be weaving at a snail's pace. In case you have forgotten, above weaving is Woven Words, bamboo warp, variegated rayon chenille weft.

I am leaving on Thursday the 20th for a 2 week trip to the Unknitting Factory (aka. a visit to my folks on the East Coast). My plan is to have this off the loom. I probably won't have the piece below finished however.

Below is the beginning of a Color Horoscope Weaving, bamboo warp with a cashmere weft.
It is a Christmas order, so I do have time to weave it when I return. I noticed after I took the picture that I still had the beater tied to the castle from moving Grace back home.


Below is the very beginning of an idea to be explained as it unfolds. The working title is "The Many Shades of Hope" inspired by the outpouring of hope I witnessed on November 4th.

More Finding the Colors Within

A VIRTUAL QUILT CREATED BY THE WHIDBEY WEAVERS GUILD

Several years ago I taught the workshop FINDING THE COLORS WITHIN. I asked for a scanned copy of each students' woven collages. There were 64 woven collages, each one measuring 4" x 4". They actually were 4" x 5", but I trimmed off an inch because I wanted each piece to be a square. Then I grouped 4 squares together to make 16 eight inch squares.

I know it is possible to do this in photoshop, but I did it all at Kinkos. They really got to know me as I spent countless hours and countless dollars there. They also have a fabulous paper cutter there---very accurate.

So then I reduced the image to an 8" square and printed 2 of them. I flipped the image and printed 2 more and pasted them together. The quilt below measures 16" x 16"

The possibilities are endless.

One of the things that fascinated me about teaching these workshops is that each group produced quite different collages, both in the look and in the number of collages (which changes the configuration of the quilt)

The Return of Grace

Here I have carved out a small space for Grace. She has enjoyed her stay in the Cathedral, but want to get back home. Little does she know she will be coming to a different place altogether. I know it is going to be tight.

Tight it is. I have decided to let Grace and Gary discuss the situation and see what they decide. First I will give Grace a nice warp to play with and see how she settles in.

I may have to let go of one of my looms---you all must know this story.

Finding the Color Within

Several years ago, I was teaching a workshop called "Finding the Color Within". It consisted of creating a series of personal collages based on specific themes. What does this have to do with weaving, you might ask? I feel many weavers have a hard time with color in general. They discover a few combinations that work and stick with them. Learning color theory is painstaking, but making collages is fun, freeing, and generates lots of ideas that can carry over into weaving.


The other day I came across the folder with the collages I made during that period of time. I scanned a few of them into the computer, but then was unable to create the flipped mirror images of them with photoshop elements (although I knew it was possible)


A geeky friend from NIA stopped by and mirror imaged and flipped one of the collages pictured here in the 4 possible ways to manipulate an image. I really love the look of them and can't decide which one I like the best.


Hopefully my friend will return soon and teach me how to do this myself. I have many collages crying out for photoshop manipulation. It is fascinating to me seeing these images on the blog.

By the way: the question for the theme of this particular collage---if you could change one thing in your life, what would that be? My answer at the time was: I wanted to change my relationship with my brother. Once I answered the question, I closed my eyes and thought about what colors related to my question. Brown and blue popped into my mind and became the color theme of this collage.

Now A Step to the Side

I don't really understand why these pictures have come up in reverse order, but I don't have time to fiddle with it, or start over. I will just have to tell the story backwards. Here is a detail of what is currently on the loom. The warp is Bambu 12 doubled and sett at 20 epi. The weft is a variety of variegated 1300 rayon chenille.


This weaving is a commissioned Mobi-Q like the one I had recently made except this person is sensitive to wool, even cashmere.

I decided to move Gary. The picture below shows where Gary is now. I weave with my back to the window which gives me wonderful light during the day. The picture above shows the wall where the loom used to be. I would have been sitting where the baskets are. I am about to move the baskets to make room for the warping board which is located on the wall where Grace will go.

I'll show more pictures as I prepare for the arrival of Grace. She will return the week of November 2nd. She is still at St Mark's and will be there until after All Saints Day. It remains to be seen if there is really room for both looms in this space. They will have to discuss this amongst themselves. If they decide that one of them has to go, I will let you know.

Periodically I decide I should sell Gary. I write up a little pitch and put it out locally. Nobody has ever expressed an interest (except for someone else who has a Fireside loom and wants to sell theirs). I keep thinking the right person will step forward, someone who wants to be my apprentice, and they will "earn" the loom through their tireless assistance to me. That is my true desire.