 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.
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 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. |
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March 2023
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