Sunday 26 March 2017

Weaving Update

This weekend I met with my weaving group to look at each other's projects, discuss problems we've encountered, and tour one weaver's fantastic basement fibre studio. This woman has probably four or five looms set up in her basement, shelves and shelves of threads and yarns, beautiful dyed warps hanging ready to dress the looms, and every book about weaving that one can imagine. She's in full production mode, turning out towels and scarves and other lovely things to sell. She has years of experience, and every question we posed, she had a solution. And best of all, she demonstrated to me how to put the "cartoon" (tapestry pattern) on my big floor loom, so now I can do BIG tapestries. Like, I could do a thirty-foot long tapestry if I (insanely) wanted to. Whee!

It's fun to think that whatever I imagine, I can make. All the limitations I thought were holding me back do not, in fact, exist. Some of the other weavers displayed some beautiful projects they've made and the things they've done with various colour blends. It really sparks your imagination. Don't know how it will turn out? Try it! Always wondered what such-and-such a combination would look like? Try and see! You're really free to play and experiment, and the only risk is a bit of money for materials. And even that isn't much of a risk, because a scarf is warm and wearable no matter what the colour ends up being, and you can always dye things afterward if you really need to.

I have great plans for my next tapestry, as soon as this one is done. Yesterday I spent six hours working on it, without realizing how much time had passed. That tells me I was "in the zone." Usually that only happens when I'm writing.


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