 Each One Teach One
Yesterday I had a visitor in my studio! A close friend, also a Guild member, who understands that yarn on every surface, surrounding piles of books, topped with graph paper and colored pencils is not really a “mess.” Still, I tidied up a bit before she got here, so we could both sit down at the table for a visit. I wound sample skeins for my upcoming online Natural Dye workshop, and she looked through the stack of older VAV magazines while we had a good chat. These particular magazines from the 1980’s are written in Swedish. Even though neither of us read or speak Swedish, the photos are gorgeous, the weaving seems very contemporary, and the drafts are possible to figure out! As weavers, we know the code. Translate few key words, (i.e. bomullsgarn means cotton, varp is warp, sett is, well, sett) convert centimeters to inches, and we can do this! (Tip. divide the number of centimeters by 2.5, and you get inches. Multiply ends per CM by 2.5, and you get EPI. Round up or down to get a whole number.) This is how we keep our brains going right? And when we don’t get it, or aren’t sure, we ask another weaver. Looking back to June 2020, we were just figuring out how to connect with each other and our creativity in a pandemic that showed little real sign of slowing down. That summer, with precautions, we were able to get together in small groups outdoors, to connect, learn, share our fiber work and show off our cute masks. By that Fall, we were figuring out online Guild meetings and dialing into online workshops and classes. One year later, as a Guild we have formalized support for Study Groups, both in person and virtual, and committed to safety and inclusivity with monthly Zoom meetings and occasional outdoor gatherings. Driveway warping demos have become a thing. Inkle loom, tray table, folding chair in the car? Check, check and check. There are plans for larger outdoor meetings in the Summer! Unfinished projects and new starts. I have looms that are warped, dye pots ready, strawberries and peas are getting ripe, baby zucchini plants that need watering. I am excited for our June meeting, to share what is ahead for the Summer and Fall. See you soon, Carol Berry WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.
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 Weather to Weave?
Even after 40 years of making my home in the Pacific Northwest, I am still a fool for this time of year. I am so glad I got those bulbs in the ground in November, because I crave the spring flowers, but it is just too cold and wet to get outside in March. And then, as of now - though things will probably have changed by the time you read this - it’s been sunny for a number of days. I have actually been outside without a sweater. Snap pea starts are in the ground, and weeds are suddenly huge. And yet, I know in another week the weather will turn back to “normal” and the question of whether to garden or to weave won’t be a conflict. This season is always a new beginning, even more so this year. As a Guild, we have navigated new ways to communicate and support our common interests. Missing in-person connections, we have developed online interest groups. Small groups are meeting in settings that provide levels of safety the members are comfortable with. Wanting to learn and improve our skills, we have signed up for online workshops and classes, and redoubled our efforts to learn from books and videos. In 2021, it is the aim of the Whatcom Weavers Guild Board to ensure that each member is able to connect and continue our shared interests in the Textile Arts in settings that are safe, healthy and inclusive. How will we connect this year while protecting our own health, that of loved ones, and what about those of us that are kept apart by closed national borders? The plan is to continue monthly all-member meetings and programs via Zoom for the immediate and foreseeable future. Small groups, meeting in person, or online, as decided by the small group membership, are providing additional learning and community connections. Several groups have formed, and new groups are being asked for! Read the full newsletter to see the list of study & interest groups, and groups that are forming. Whether you want to learn to warp an inkle, borrow a rigid heddle loom, or meet up with others who share your current textile passion, let it be known. Warmly, Carol Berry WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  Mood Indigo
March marks the one-year mark of Pandemic semi-isolation, uncertainty, plenty of time in the studio, a decided reduction in outside contact and no travel adventures. It’s been a long year, and here we are in March again, AKA the NW annual cold, wet, winter-into-spring slump. Then today the sun came out! For a minute. There are crocuses of three different colors in the back as well as the front garden. Tulips are poking their points up, and daffodils too. Entering the season of – okay, this isn’t spring yet, but with intermittent sunshine, daily vitamin D supplements, and indoor fiber projects, I’m going to make it. “Am I Blue…” What to do? Indigo. In the middle of the dark and wet, I am now in the middle of an online Journey into Indigo workshop! Due to Covid, this class, normally a two-day on-site workshop, limited to 20 students, has been re-created online, opened up to 60 people, joining in from all over the world, over a period of 7 weeks. This is a great time to get into blue! Banana Vat, Date Vat. White cotton yarn. The first wrapped and dyed warp is on the loom at last! It’s very basic, and it took quite a process to get to this point. I am looking forward to doing more, and planning more intricate pieces, but that’s the future. I have learned a lot so far, not the least of which is, this is a time-consuming multi-step process. There are no shortcuts. Having learned about Ikats in Uzbekistan, that each family workshop masters one step in the entire process, I am starting to get it. Any aspect of the fiber arts can be a pleasing pastime, an engaging hobby, and much more… this is a lifestyle, and it is changing my definition of Blue. To be sure, I am following safety protocols and have not turned my hands blue. I am creating organic vats, reduced with plant material, not harsh chemicals. Confident that once summer comes and we can safely meet outdoors, I look forward to sharing the process in small groups, so we can all be Blue, in the best possible way! See you soon, Carol Berry WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  A Weavers Valentine
Almost 40 years ago, in a tiny yarn shop in Victoria, four skeins of fine silk yarn were purchased by a young man for his new bride. Soon after, in a small apartment in Seattle, she measured a warp from one of the skeins, tied some resists, and dyed the yarns. She intended to use four colors, but never got further than the first dyebath. Later on, the warp was unwrapped and the web woven. Pale and disappointing, her weaving and the three remaining skeins were kept with other textile treasures, the glimmer of a dream to make Ikat. Within a year, the young woman’s activities changed focus, with the necessary intent of contributing to the costs of rent and groceries. Time went on. Thread and ideas continued to accumulate, even as the days were filled with other worthwhile work. Money was saved, plans were laid, looms were acquired, dye pots materialized…. This morning I measured a warp, tied resists, and prepared to scour the yarns, before preparing an Indigo vat. 2021 is the Golden Anniversary year for the Whatcom Weavers Guild. Our group started in 1971, as the Whatcom Textile Guild. The name changed in 1998 to Whatcom Weavers Guild, due to the majority of members being weavers. The WWG textile community continues, welcoming anyone with an interest in fiber/textile arts. When I joined in 2009 or so I was not sure if I could still remember how to weave, but persisted, inspired by a spinning, knitting, basketry, felting and weaving community. The Guild keeps going this year, as we manage pandemic precautions, organize zoom and email study groups, sign up for online courses, weave one at a time at the Jansen Center, make appointments to check out books from the Guild Library, and touch base with one another through phone calls, emails, social media, Zoom meetings, and this newsletter. For me, Ikat Dream 2.0 is assisted by a book and an online workshop. Artist, Dyer, Weaver, Professor Mary Zicafoose, interviewed in the first “Textiles & Tea” program aired by the Handweavers Guild of America, has written “Ikat, The Essential Handbook to Weaving with Resists.” This new book provides the guidance I needed so many years ago – when I didn’t have the space, the time, or the focus to fully realize my Ikat dreams. And the Maiwa School of Textiles has transitioned to offering workshops online. “Journey Into Indigo” is leading me through all the steps necessary for successful Indigo vats for dying, on silk, wool, cotton and linen. My textile practice commitment this year is to planning and follow-through, attention to all the necessary procedures, learning from the experts, keeping track and keeping notes. Giving it the time it takes. Taking breaks to look around, be inspired, touch base with friends. Perseverance, Patience. Yarn, Dye, Weave, Textile. Commitment. Practice. Fifty Years of the Whatcom Weavers Guild. I am so glad to be here with all of you! Carol Berry WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  Endings, Beginnings, and a year that has been “A Bit Wonky”
The January Newsletter heralds not just a month and season, but also a New year. Every year we look to the turning over, what’s been accomplished, what events have passed, what are our goals, what do we anticipate? This little time between the two mid-winter holidays is more than ever, a time for some reflection. Gratitude: I am well, with enough food, a warm, dry place to live and plenty of string! Gratitude for the work I am able to do with my hands, which occupies my mind, pleases my senses, and keeps my loved ones warm or dries their hands when it’s finished. The past month has seen the passing of two long-time weavers associated with the Whatcom Weavers Guild. Linda Rees, a founding member and career tapestry weaver, passed away in December. A few of Linda’s remaining tapestries, including one simple and charming piece titled “A Bit Wonky” are looking for homes. Rowlanda Hughes, limited by a life-long disability, found satisfaction in weaving, assisted in recent years by Weavers Guild members who dressed her table loom regularly, passed in December also. Gratitude that there is still some warp left on my loom(s) figuratively, and literally. I received two lovely weaving books as gifts recently, and I am inspired by what I am reading to approach familiar weaves in a new way! But First… Two looms have the remainders of scarf warps on them – in each case, the first scarf has been woven, cut off, finished and gone to a happy recipient. Now, time to re-tie, and weave the second half of each. Nice to have some weaving to do without having to make big new decisions before getting started. But then…I get to start a new program of color and cloth for the year. By the time you read this, I will be finished with a 12-thread Andean Pebble Weave band, and have a wider, more ambitious band on the inkle loom. A small portable project is a welcome break, and I am so pleased to have braved the world of online learning this past year. It’s something I would not have done if I didn’t have to – and I am so glad I tried it! With my new-found tech-ish confidence, I have signed up for two new projects in 2021. The Maiwa School of Textiles Indigo Course – taught online for the first time ever. And FiberWorks Weaving Software. Yes, I’m getting started with drafting software, thanks to the gentle persuasion and awesome support of a wonderful mentor. Also still learning in the old-fashioned way, looking at new and old weaving books, and experimenting with “what-if’s” on the loom, adapting known structures to try them out in new ways. Looking forward to seeing you, via Zoom – and maybe at the front porch or garden gate – remember, you can request a book from the Guild Library, anytime, and pick it up curbside! Between online resources, mentors, ongoing projects, and the books and videos in our Guild Library, the Public Library, and on your own shelves, I hope there is inspiration enough for all of us, to keep our spirits up as we enter into a new and hopeful year. Carol Berry WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  Some years ago, possibly during a previous administration, I put 25 yards of 16/2 cotton at 60 epi on my big loom with the Drawloom attachment and 20 pattern shafts. It is a magical loom, and I love it, but it does not weave itself. Last week, I finished that warp! It will get a new warp in December, or maybe January, but for now I have draped it with colored twinkle lights for some winter cheer and I’m letting the sock monkeys play on it. This warp produced numerous quirky Damask tea towel experiments including birds, flowers, little dogs, and a copy of a Swedish ladybug design. I worked these designs out on graph paper, because, although I look up weaving drafts and project ideas on the internet, I still don’t have weaving software. Pencil, graph paper, and a big eraser from the art supply store. At some point, I will take the plunge into the advantages of weaving software, (this will require a new computer) but for now I have everything I need, even if it is slower and a bit messier.
This year I broke my own rule about not decorating the house before Thanksgiving. A pandemic calls for extra measures. Colored twinkle lights on the porch in early November. LED lights, so they can be left on 24/7 without running up the electric bill. I also made molasses sandwich cookies with cream cheese frosting. Weaving patterns aren’t the recipes you can find on the internet. Our Zoom meetings and programs continue, with popular approval! A first for me this month has been taking a weaving workshop online! Laverne Waddington’s Andean Pebble Weave Pick-up on Inkle Loom workshop was awesome! I didn’t think I would be able to do it, and I can. Laverne sent out handouts ahead of time, we pre-warped our looms, and she went through the techniques step by step, on Zoom – with video slides and in person instruction. This works. Our Zoom visit to the Ikat workshops in Uzbekistan in November was beyond inspiring. I am grateful for the roof over my head, friends and loved ones staying sensibly safe, plenty of string waiting to be transformed. As we head into the darkening winter, I am also thinking of those in need. I am embarassed to realize that our Guild “Snow Cap” project had fallen below my radar in the pandemic. There is plenty of need, and plenty of time before spring, to make use of the extra odd bits of yarn and keep hands busy making scarves and hats for folks who need them. Read the announcement in this newsletter for where to drop off contributions for local distribution. Need yarn – or have too much? Ragfinery is open again, by appointment only for drop off, and socially distant shopping! Or list your fiber-related extra stuff in the WWG Newsletter Classifieds. My “extra” 8-shaft table loom found a good home with a new weaver, who is now a new member of our Guild! And finally, believe it or not, spring may be sleeping but it will soon be on its way! Neighbor Joan was out planting last-minute daffodil bulbs this morning. Wendy saved seeds from her gorgeous fluffy Salmon pink poppies to sprinkle in late fall, for blooms next year. Mine are spread in the garden now, and I still have more, if you would like some! Hoping you are warm and safe, with just enough of everything you need, Carol Berry 2019-2020 WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  I am so relieved to have the temperatures “warming up” to the 50’s (Farenheit) this week! That bracing blast of freezing temps was a wake-up call. Where did I put the gloves and mittens when we cleaned out and re-painted the pantry/coatroom last summer? I found half a pair of fingerless mitts and two different halves of those dime store one-size fits all glovies. Luckily, the rights and lefts are interchangeable, but really! I am a weaver, but I knit some, too. It is time to get out the sock yarn remnants and get some mittens made, because we are going to need them full-time, soon!
Another benefit to the (brief) weather warm-up: I can dig up the Madder roots. I have been putting it off so the seeds can mature on the plant. I have a lot of seed this year and will share, whenever you are ready. Madder is a gangly plant and takes three years for the roots to mature into dye-quantity and quality. If you have a spot where it can be propped up on a trellis and grow for three years, contact me for seeds in early spring. I’ll also start little plants to put out again in 2021 and am sure to have extras to share. A pair of deflected double weave scarves came off the loom earlier in the month. The yarn is Harrisville Shetland and Highland wool, which I had not used before. I worked up the nerve, and after soaking one in the sink overnight, agitated it in the washing machine for 3 minutes (set the timer, like they say to do) then, moved the dial to SPIN to extract the water. I laid the damp scarf out on the laundry table, and gently pushed, pulled, and patted it into shape. When it was dry, I gave it a good steam pressing. It worked! What came off the loom stiff and somewhat fragile (though in lovely colors and patterns) is now thick, soft, and cuddly. The deflected double weave patterning is even more distinct, and the angles have turned into curves and circles. Lots of treadling variations to try out with this weave. Did I mention that the Shetland has a quick to thread sett of 12 EPI in this weave? I am not the only happy weaver around here. You will enjoy the photos of Sophie, a protégé of Sharon Allen, who is learning to weave – or I should say, burning up the warp – on a structo loom! Sophie will be done with her set of mug rugs by the time you read this and is graduating to a larger artcraft table loom. Maybe a Twill Gamp is next? I can’t wait to see what Sophie, and all of you, will have to share with us next month. I am getting used to our Zoom meetings and programs, and looking forward to joining all of you in the coming months without having to brave icy streets in the bitter cold! – Having presenters from far away, without the travel issues is awesome! I may be a little late getting to the (virtual) party, and I am still more of a hands-on person – but more and more grateful for online communication. I hope it is working for you as well. Gift-giving season is getting close. I hope you will all remember to shoot photos of your work as it comes off the loom, needles, felting table… and share them with all of us via the newsletter. Warm woollies to all, Carol Berry 2019-2020 WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  Well, Fall is officially here. Pulling out the woolly sweaters, making soup, waiting for a dryish day to sprinkle the poppy seeds that Wendy gave me. Pink peony-blossom poppies will be such a joy when they show up in the early summer, rain or shine! We have tasted the first ripe fruit from my little Florina Apple tree. Though this variety is reputed to be a good keeping apple, I don’t think they will last long. Sweet, tart and crisp. And don’t they look nice on a handwoven cottolin towel?
The madder (red) is setting seeds, and the roots will be ready to dig up in a few weeks. I have discovered just how easily weld (yellow) will take over the garden, and gave weld to Mary for her Eco-dye group. There is more, if you want some! My japanese indigo plants (blue) are a little sparse this year, but I have seed for next year. The local harvest this year includes flax grown by Jane and Yvonne, with seed saved from my Fairhaven plots of a few years ago. Jane and Yvonne are experienced spinners, used to working with wool, so this is a new venture for them. Flax is having a resurgence among fiber folks across the country, and it grows well in our climate! A large part of my Covid-keeps-us home-and-working-around-the-house this summer has involved renovating a small outbuilding for secure storage and a dye studio for me. It’s done. My dye pots, hotplate, drying rack, plant material, and supplies obtained from Maiwa Supply over the years, now have a dedicated place. There is a counter for the notebooks and scale, a workbench for the hotplate and crockpot. With a wonderful sense of satisfaction and elation, I stirred up the first “cauldron” with cochineal and logwood last week, and was faced with the sobering fact of a steep learning curve for Ikat and painted warps using plant dyes. Weaving and dying are the journey of a lifetime, for sure. An interest group is forming for those who want to weave the VAV magazine “World’s Best Hand Towels” for the Guild Challenge and you are all invited! While the weather cooperated, several of planned warps and measured them outside, and had a warping demo. Let me know if you are interested. The PDF is in a link further on in this newsletter. There are a number of interest groups forming, getting back together with safety protocols, and moving onto ZOOM, as we all get used to online programming. Plus, in person programming is getting organized, with Covid protocols, at the Jansen Center! Towels, blankets, felting and more! More details further along in the newsletter. Daryl Lancaster’s program for the September Guild meeting via ZOOM came off without a hitch. It was great to meet up with Daryl again, and see the inside of her studio! Her explanations, examples and technical material on combining weave structures and hand-dyed warps were inspiring and empowering. Again, a steep learning curve for me, but I think I am starting to get it! I am looking forward seeing Laverne Waddington, Backstrap Weaver, who will join us from her home in Bolivia for our October Program. We are working out the logistics of an online workshop with Laverne, no travel required. As the rain keeps us indoors, I am taking my time, dealing with thousands of miles of string, in a multitude of ways. How many of us, throughout history and pre-history, have spent the winters engaged in just such activities? On it goes. Hoping you and yours are safe, secure and busy enough to be happy. See you soon! Carol Berry 2019-2020 WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  We Zoomed! 20 members participated in the Whatcom Weavers Guild first ever Zoom business meeting and show and tell, on August 22, 2020. We had a chance to catch up on Guild business, see each other's faces, and chat a bit!. As a silver lining to all this Coping with Covid, we got to see members who live far away, and wouldn’t be able to attend otherwise. We voted to continue having Zoom meetings on our regular meeting dates, and to invite guest artists to present remotely.
Earlier in August the Muslin Mondays sewing skills group met via Zoom, for a program led by Susan Torntore on hand-stitched buttonholes. We watched a video, saw samples, and I, for one, learned a lot about making handsome and sturdy buttonholes in handwoven cloth. It has been reported that the new issue of Threads has a long article on handmade buttonholes, with lots of photos and step-by-step instructions! I am thrilled with the Fall 2020 line-up of Programs and meetings! Be sure to save the dates on the Schedule below and look for the emails with the links to the Zoom meetings. We may continue with remote presentations in 2021 as well, it all depends. Daryl Lancaster, one of our favorite teachers and speakers, has created a power point training especially for Zoom participation in programs like hers. There will be a practice session scheduled the week before the September 19 program, so that we can all figure out Zoom and improve our skills, BEFORE she gives her talk. Daryl has traveled extensively for her teaching for many years, and thanks to Covid, she has been able to enjoy her home and garden every day this summer. Another silver lining. And here it is, September. Eleven apples grew on the tiny tree we planted last fall, and they are now full size! They ripen in October, so you can expect a report on the taste testing in about a month. After all those years of getting ready for school in the Fall, this time of year my internal clock just feels ready to clear up some old stuff, renew, and start something new. I will be winding warps and dressing looms for the Guild Challenge(s), and starting to plan deflected double weave for cozy wool shawls. I have Harrisville Shetland and Highland, Borgs Tuna, Faro, and Mora, plus some colorful handspun yarns to experiment with. Looking forward to wet finishing to see what these different wool yarns will do. Of course, I must weave them first - but that’s the most fun part! I so hope you’ll be able to join in the remotely delivered meetings and programs this Fall. Electronic technology is not the same as hands-on, but we are always learning in our crafts. We can do this too! Be safe, and keep your fiber dry (except when wet-finishing)! Carol Berry 2019-2020 WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here.  I enjoy having more than one project going at a time - especially in summer. One loom has a wool scarf on it, sampling for a blanket. One loom has towels. I’m designing a new pattern for the drawloom, which requires graph paper, pencil and a large eraser. The inkle loom is ready to be carried outside, when the weather allows and sunshine calls. Hemming towels is a nice portable activity - and finishing in a small group, in accordance with phase 2 guidelines for safety, is something I may be able to get into soon. Because I like to add woven band hanging loops to my towels, I am way behind on hemming - the bands have to match the towels! ( well, maybe that’s not the only reason I’m way behind on hemming)
So, on the latest project - inspired by the colors of the Hong Kong Ballet video in the June Newsletter, I tested the colors by weaving the inkle band first! The warp chains are measured, pre-sleyed, and on the loom, ready for winding on. When those towels are woven, I’ll be able to hem them right away! The structure is my current favorite for 4 shafts: 5-fold M’s and O’s from the M. Davison Book. M’s and O’s makes check patterns, with a variety of options in treadling and color use, and this pattern can weave checks within checks! numerous patterns are possible on one threading! Take a look at the color samples in the photos below. I have a new appreciation for making yarn wraps, after the Linda Rees Color Challenge. Staying safe continues to be a bit of an emotional challenge, as cases of Covid rise in Whatcom County. I am grateful for my own health, vigilant for those around me, while savoring any chance to interact with Fiber Buddies. A group of five WWG members met last week for a Demo of beaming 10 yards of cottolin 22/2 warp for towels, onto Sharon Allen’s 8-shaft Baby Wolf Loom. (We are proud of our mask-making and wearing ability!) Sharon had pre-measured the warp chains, and moved her loom out into the garage, with the door open onto the driveway. The weather held, and we had the warp beamed in less than an hour - then we chatted and enjoyed a little show and tell, distanced and masked. Sharon also brought out a new “aftermarket” piece of equipment, which raises the shafts to a comfortable height for threading and distinguishing between the heddles on each shaft. This is a handmade item, 3-D printed and gifted to Sharon by a weaving friend from outside our guild, and it is ingenious! Barry Schact, have you seen this? Sharon’s friend is not making these anymore - could something functional be made by gluing lego or duplo bricks together? Is there a woodworker or a 3-D printer in the area? Sharon is now happily threading her loom, under a canopy in her driveway. Patty Dodge is enjoying her new puppy, Tonka, and reports that not so much weaving is getting done right now, and she’s trying not to feel guilty. Tonka looks like a super fun “High Fiber” project right now! What could be better than sunshine and weaving! Or sunshine and gardening, or sunshine and strawberries, or just sunshine! Hoping you are doing what keeps you energized, safe, healthy and happy in these trying times. Warm fuzzies to all, Carol Berry 2019-2020 WWG President To read the entire newsletter please click here. To see details about our upcoming meetings and events please click here. To see who our board members are please click here. To browse through our "Resources" page please click here. |
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