Need Gift = New Warp

This weekend will find me trying to sell pottery at my "Pottery Garage Sale"...right next to the Fog Fest in Pacifica. We'll see what happens. That is Saturday, Sunday I'll be doing a throwing demo down at Clay Creations 2-3 p.m. People do love to watch mud whirl on the wheel and vessels emerge! I do too, it looks like magic when I watch others. But then I'm a sucker for clay.

It seems I still can't thread a warp without error - gah, what it wrong with me??? BUT, onward I go. I got some cotolin (50/50 cotton and linen) to make some dish towels for a thank you gift . Making a pattern is fun but I do like to have happy colors mostly...

Sorry I didn't go to the RAKU event in Richmond but that's across the bay and entails crossing the Bay Bridge doesn't it? haha.

My Boring Weaving Warp

So, I am weaving the most boring piece of fabric. I wanted to put this chenille on my loom and just see what happened. Well, it is terribly boring. No interesting color or pattern. I couldn't figure out why I hated this so much and I didn't really want to think about it until I remembered a post by Life Looms Large (hi Sue) and she had to figure out something like this. It felt good to understand why I was in such misery. I don't know if I am a color or a structure person but without either one...yawn. I blamed the chenille and it was me...I made the color selections and the weaving pattern.

I am itching to understand how to use my book "The Handweaver's Pattern Directory" by Anne Dixon. There are over 600 weaving patterns for the 4 harness loom. Weaving challenges my visual perceptions...this book shows me just what the result looks like when woven properly. I have sort of given up on making myself a jacket for now. My calculation skills are stretched when trying to figure it all out.

I've been getting email notifications from this company and it intrigues me...wish I knew more about yarn weights, things like that. They have cashmere, is the price good? I don't know!

http://www.colourmart.com/eng what gorgeous colors they have!

Betty is going to live in Palm Springs. I haven't told her yet and I'm heart broken to part with her but I know the buyer is just as crazy for her as I am and she's going to a good home. M. (the new owner) knows about Betty's proclivities and still wants her. Sob. Maybe I'll get a bike for my hilly terrain...but what I really need is a kiln hooked up in Vegas so that's what the $$ will probably go toward. I had an electrician quote me nearly $1,000.00 for a hook up. Gah...

I've had quite a few people read and respond to my post about the problem I had with Best Brand Value.com They have had the same trouble. I have read them all and posted most of your responses but I am cautious about posting some of them...good luck to everyone; if I helped anyone, "YAY".

Goodbye Cruel World

Is it just our newcasters or is it the same everywhere? Big storm, big storm coming our way, sandbags; 10 per home limited, PG & E cutting tree limbs hoping to avoid power outages, winds at 40-60 mph coming our way. OK, they got my attention, the matches are located, the candles are handy, flashlights ready.

I've got plenty of books, lots of weaving to do and the kiln was fired today so I got that done. Laundry is in right now washing away. If nothing comes of it, well, that's ok too but this Boy Scout is kind of ready.

Our house is one of the last ones to ever get the power back because Nobody Understands. My post titled What a Dump http://imakefish.blogspot.com/2007/08/what-dump.html shows the photo of our tv/telephone and power line. It serves only 2 houses.

So, here is a pic of the weaving still on the loom. I'm still practicing with the fine 20/2 yarn. I don't think I want to use it for the jacket I want to make; it is TOO thin. My slevedges are improving I think, I see that same spot is pulling too much, there are some threads caught in the "spokes" things...grrr! Next I may make some small guest towels for the bathroom while I work on planning the jacket.

Learning More About the Loom

My old loom is so beautiful, aren't they all though? Well, her name is Sabina and I've never changed the treadle/shaft relationship. For my doubleweave experiment I had to mix them up. I found out that my treadles don't make my harnesses work the way I thought they did. Harnesses 123 are supposed to rise so I hooked them up the the treadles I wanted to use for that and I had the 4th harness rise. Proof positive that my mind thinks backward.

And!!! Double weave is sort of like magic, the kind of magic that happens when pulling a cylinder on the wheel. What fun, the kids will go home with a book bag or a tube if they just want a reminder of their week here.

I am getting worn out but it's a good worn out, we have gone to the beach numerous times, the county fair, learned to play mah jong (and they beat us the stinkers), and learned to weave in just 3 days. See my little weavers go! My granddaughter is so helpful, if her brother was tired of weaving, she offered to help him finish his project. Sounds like there is a weaver in the making. Clay tomorrow!!!

Double Weave Made Easy?

Ok, I was told by someone on the Internet that to double weave, double the sett and thread a straight draw (ha, I think I'm learning weaver lingo). Then do a few shots of tabby followed by: 1, 123, 3, 134. Can it be just that simple?

The grandchildren are coming to stay and I thought that a weaving project for idle times would be good - a book bag would go quickly and they could go home with a complete project. Sounds just fine. Too late I read that the weft should be twice as thick as the warp. Well, they are going to be the same size.

I hope that the yarn I selected will lend itself to colors they both like. My grandaughter can use some purple, burgundy and lavender weft and my grandson can use darker greens, browns, etc. Of course they can use what ever I have and they like....any colors at all. I got some chunky kind of yarn so it will weave quickly. I have never woven with this size, it will be fun to see the results.

Still no word from my weaving teacher, I hope he's ok.

Sun, sun, sun, a perfect day in paradise. Life is good, very, very good. I worked a few hours on the "studio" and ouch is all I can say! Ouchy hands and feet...

More Eye Candy From CCACA

Wish I had taken photos of everything but, alas...here are a couple more anyway!

My friend, Mary sold one of her pieces at the show and that's always nice, YAY for Mary!!! Today is another clay day, the last day of "wet clay" for the classroom situation, I think I'll make some tumblers for iced tea for myself~I'll fire in the gas kiln to a stoneware temp. and they'll shrink down to doll sized tea glasses probably...

I have some funky warp on my loom, learning about color combinations on my own might be disastrous. I did buy a book about color (love to buy books) but I really need to do it and experience the thrill of defeat I guess. The colors are fine...brown, off white, yellow and turquoise, well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. They are weaving ok, better than I thought when just looking at the warp actually. I have yet to dress my loom perfectly the first time through. Maybe I never will. This time I had a couple of strands crossed between the reed and heddles and a couple of spots with too many strands through one dent; things like that...

Let It Go and Freecycle

Over at LifeLoomsLarge there was a struggle with a cactus; ouch! The author ignited all kinds of little fires that we all deal with from time to time. Letting go of something whether it be a long time resident of my life or a newcomer can be painful. First I struggle with how to make it work until the light hits me; well, maybe it is time to let it go. I am using *let it go* rather than *get rid of* because it sounds so much kinder.

That's where Freecycle comes in! I learned one huge lesson from my experience on freecycle. Wonderful lesson. I met a gracious, generous, kind woman who gave me her loom on freecycle, it was folded up and against a wall but I couldn't get to it; there wasn't a pathway to it.

She loved to make things, I felt a connection with her and thought I could just stay with her all day and make things and talk about making things and then make some more things. But there wouldn't be room for me because the house was filled with craft supplies of various kinds. I could not even sit down anyplace. She offered me so many other things besides the loom, I came home with yarn, a swift, 2 shuttles and bobbins, a spool thingy, extra heddles. One wall had a gorgeous handmade unit filled with labeled boxes: jewelry supplies, etc., etc.

Quilting was her latest passion and she need more room....

I could go on and on here but I think I painted the picture. The Sabina loom had been her mothers loom, new in the 40's, her mother gave it to her and she used it for a long time. (Her mother just had laser eye surgery and can see once more and took up weaving again, she is over 90 years old.) Anyway, she showed me some of her weaving and it was very nice...so I knew the loom was functional! I think of her often as I struggle with Sabina.

You know, I've learned some pretty important lessons from weavers in the last few months...

This Post Has No Title

I have some time before going off to finish my book, "Slumdog Millionaire". This book holds true that the book is better than the movie. I liked the movie but the book is better, it isn't even the same as the movie...wish they could have done it the book way!

I haven't had the time to be a good little blogger, I don't know what I've been doing, life has just been that way lately.

Still weaving and must make time to trot around the blog world again and see what folks are doing. A weaver blogger told me this some time back and I never got around to doing my part to keep the blogger vibes going:

Life Looms Large said...
Thanks for blogging about your creative journey! I put an award for you in my blog, so hopefully some of my blog friends will become your blog friends!

Sue

I'm back Sue, thanks, I'll try to carry thru!

I decided that the yellow/red towels really are ok, once I washed them the nubbies plumped up and made a nice fat absorbent towel, same with the red and white. But, oh, mama, I fell hard for the green color, next is a blue color!

Tea Party

This teapot is finally finished!!! Fired to cone 10, glazed with a celadon glaze.

I wish I had better photo skills!

It has little Asian style cups to go with it, I'll photograph them eventually. I even made a little creamer and sugar to sort of match.

I met a nice woman the other day, we traded yarn for "bits and bobs", or this and that, I love the yarn I got and I hope she enjoys the odd assortment of things I arrived with. I'm saving the pretty yarn for my better weaving skills time-to-come. Anyway, she told me about some visitors she has met and who am I to say she hasn't met them? Even if they are from the Pleiades. Huh? Really, who does know? Maybe we'll have lunch one day and I can learn more, that would be nice.

The nubby boucle yarn on my loom will make a nice thick towel but I don't like the texture, it's like a towel you can get at Safeway...that kind. The yarn is very fun looking before it is woven, so much to learn , so many yarns to try.

I am putting myself in that scary place of being judged. I have applied to be part of a show at our local art center, Sanchez Art Center...I'll find out at the end of April if I got in. It's called a 50/50 show, I must make 50 pieces of art in 50 days. What a way to challenge myself, I'll be heartbroken if I don't make it and panic striken if I do...go figure.

I Did It My Way...Or Ta-Daa!!!!!

This is my first project done from scratch and I did it my way. I didn't use no stinkin raddle or nothing. Just held the "cross" in my hand, cut it, carefully threaded the reed. I'm not sure I breathed while doing that for fear of losing the cross....then I just threaded the heddles, tied onto the back beam, and what do they call it??? beamed the warp I think. Woo-hoo you go grandma!!

Deborah Chandler describes this method in her book and I could read the words but....until doing some loom work myself, well, it skeeerd me.

I emailed my teacher and told him I did this (he emailed first...asking how I was doing)...I know he probably wouldn't approve, BUT, it worked on my loom.

This piece is also riddled with mistakes but I sort of like the mistake near the hem, looks like I did it on purpose (if you didn't know better). The selvedges are ok, I have stopped fussing about them, they are what they are. I put some nubby warp on my loom. Probably a mistake. Gotta learn things the hard way, at least that's been the case so far.

Instant Gratification and Patience

Pottery is instant gratification. Touch it and you leave a mark...and that's fine, a mark. But I'm talking about making something you want to keep; more than just a mark.
Pottery is needy. I can't just leave it alone after making a mark. Throw a pot, undercut it, leave it on the bat long enough to dry for trimming. Now, don't wait too long and don't do it too soon, it just doesn't work like that. Needy...come and look at me, come and check my condition, hurry...wait...do this now then come back and do something else with me. Timing is everything. Oh, don't fire me yet, wait until I'm ready...that kind of thing.
Ah, but weaving waits.
Have I found balance at last?
Is this what heaven is all about?
My very, very first project almost all alone (is this good?).
I measured the warp and dressed the loom all by myself. All alone, no one else, just me. Thank you my weaving teacher and Debbie Chandler!
Drat, I can't find my camera to post a bragging photo but I will...later...

Weaving Perfection?

So, when my teacher left me last week he said something about my next project being perfect. Perfect is not in my vocabulary anymore, not when it applies to me anyway. I don't do perfect, I don't even try for it, I just do the best I can at any given moment.

When I put the word out that a teacher was desperately needed it was just to teach how to dress the loom. Now I see how things work...well, pretty much. And I need to do it a few dozen more times until I become more confident. I'll need my teacher again I know. For now, I need to go it alone for a while. I do hope he doesn't take it personal! The word perfect did alarm me though...

My fear of the loom is pretty much gone, it is slowly becoming my friend.

My fish is so large it may just barely fit into the kiln, no room for the tail, maybe I'll weave him/her a tail, I don't know!

Look Ma, I'm Weaving!

My warp is finally on the loom! I threaded it wrong in more than one place, a thread was crossed, one was just hanging out and it didn't have a home. (I took it out and let it hang behind). These are just practice dishtowels for goodness sake! The weft color is yellow, I am doing a 2/2 twill pattern. What a thrill to see it emerge!!! I missed threading one dent; you can see a space on the right, it may fill in once its washed. There are 2 dishtowels on this warp. If someone paid me by the hour these would be the most costly dishtowels on earth!
One woman that sold me a book about weaving gave me some sage advice. She said that I should develop appreciation for the warping process since that is the *most* time consuming part of weaving. I suppose if I hated it and couldn't wait to get it over with then weaving wouldn't be much fun *most* of the time I spent doing it.
Well, I really TRIED to appreciate it, I think that's what she said, I don't have to love it, just appreciate it!

Welcome to the Wonderful World Virginia Marie In Tennessee!

I think I'll get rid of that utube connection here on my blog. That one dumb pottery video keeps playing; very irritating. (3/07/09 edit - I did change the Utube to feature KIVA, microfunding, please take a look).

A friend of mine just became a grand aunt, or is it great aunt? She is very excited and so it the new grandmother. Welcome Virginia Marie to the world; she was born in Tennessee; welcome Virginia, maybe by next year when you have a baby brother I will be able to weave him a blankie!

My warp is on the loom again, I'm unclear as to what my teacher is doing since it isn't in any of my books the way he is having me prepare but I keep thinking that maybe its one of those "wax on; wax-off" exercises. I do hope you remember that Karate Kid movie!! He doesn't seem like one of those types of teachers but then again, who knows?

Instead of destashing such a large portion of my Tibetan beads; the repousse ones, maybe I'll go ahead and make myself more jewelry using it. That is what is was all about in the first place and I do love the designs!

Next week I hope to have some photos of a fish, a surprise fish...it is certainly surprising me, it has almost outgrown the kiln!

Practicing The Calm

I keep trying to slow down...everything; time, my thoughts, life, growing up, growing old...all those things and more. I think I've said this before and I'll probably say it again!

Anyway, my weaving has sure slowed down, I was away for a week so I just started again, I learned how to measure out my warp on the warping board. I really tried to just lay the yarn onto the warping board but I kept getting it quite snug, my teacher said that it is what beginners do; so I guess that's ok for now. (My first project was all ready for me, being given to me by a kind benefactor!)

So the dishtowels begin!!! I purchased the 8/2 cotton; white and several other colors. The first 2 dishtowels are for one of my sisters who requested purple in her dishtowels (I have added a small yellow stripe too). My friend sjs has requested some dishtowels too since I am going to be making so many, thank goodness she isn't picky about the color and is willing to be surprised since I may just go color crazy! Me, who wears black in August...

So Many Weaving Plans Dancing In My Head

What I plan to make after I have practiced making dishtowels for however long it takes to get sick of them:

I want to make myself a simple jacket. Am I crazy? Well, maybe yes and maybe no. I hope no one will say, "You can't do that yet". Because then; what if I NEVER feel ready? I know the 1st color, I love electric blue. What other colors? Hmmm, a lighter blue, and something else; black? I don't know what fiber (or is it fibre?) to use I am thinking something washable.
Ah, bamboo! But is it suitable? Tencel? So many choices really!
A lot of synthetic materials make me itch anymore, is this common? To develop food intolerances and allergies relatively late in life??? In any case, that's the case.

What I learned from my sampler:

To remember that the piece will shrink and it isn't necessary to thread my 8" reed with 3 per dent to make a nice evenly woven piece. When I wash my sampler I expect it to crinkle up because I threaded so tight...that's probably why it looks so even!

That I don't have to be fearful of color: why didn't I order larger cones of the yellow and purple? Oh, well.

That my hand swells up doing that itty bitty fringe stuff. At least the towels won't have fringe!

I got my teacher by contacting 2 local weaving guilds, asking for a teacher to teach me the basics of dressing my loom. I'm not sure what he feels his role is but I do find myself racing ahead, reading books, buying books (I didn't promise not to buy books, only yarn), selecting drafts I want to try, etc... I hope that he understands that I'm a self-starter most of the time. Unfortunately I was stuck in neutral without him!

One thing I have found is that many of the drafts I feel I must try require more harnesses than 4.

Note to self: "I will not fall into wanting **more**more**more*** than I have.

Weaving Sampler Finished

My first weaving is 24" long and 10" wide. Once I finish the fringe I'll wash it and see how much shrinkage I have. Although I don't know exactly what fibre content and size the warp was I am hoping to develop good habits. At least in this one small portion of my life maybe I can be disciplined!

My teacher is pleasantly surprised at my weaving; I didn't expect that. Made me happy:)

Taking off a couple of weeks while I gather the yarn and other supplies I need. I will get 8/2 cotton; bleached white for the warp and a couple of colors for stripes and commence to learning to calculate and measure the warp for my many dishtowels I plan to make for practice. I am getting unmercerized cotton from Halcyon. They had a nice color chart and the shipping was within reason. Have I mentioned I have a thing about shipping costs??? Ha, don't we all? Well, I've run into quite a few that don't but more do than don't...

My list:

yarn for warp: 1 cone

yarn for weft: 2 small cones

weight for loom apron

thing to hang over the door to put my warping board on

The dragonfly teapot is drying nicely, no one has broken it yet. That's the disadvantage of working in a space with so many other people! Things get broken, lost, stolen, all that. The advantages are there too though and most of the time the advantages outweigh the dis...

Bobbin Winder Search

I have been winding my bobbins by hand, my husband actually would one for me. Well, about 1/3 of one, then he handed it back to me...

I tried to make my sewing machine wind the bobbin but it isn't cooperating. I have read that some people use a power drill; I'm having trouble visualizing myself with that drill, it is really heavy, when I use it, it goes kind of crazy in my hands.

A Swedish bobbin winder is the tool to get I'm told. Eventually I'll get one even if it isn't the perfect Swedish one. Darned things cost about $100.00. They just look like a fishing reel for Pete's sake!

Making a teapot with a dragonfly on it, carved into it. A dragonfly, what else? I wanted to do something different but my hands started carving the dragonfly, so there you are.

The Weaving Sampler Continues

Little by little my selvedges are improving. I read that as I weave I am establishing a style if you will and that it is good to establish good weaving habits. Being so stubborn and independent I want to finish up my project all by myself and learn by doing and all of that. However I am going to wait to end my project. My teacher left me after we tied the warp onto the front apron and got the tension right the best I could...

So, the next day I took off like a new skiier; wildly careening down the slope....look at me, I'm weaving!!!

LEARN CHINESE IN 3 HOURS

It was so nice to hear from other weavers that blog, yesterday 3 of them encouraged me to keep at it, I plan to keep abreast of their weaving also! I've decided to use my first weavings as dishtowels since I plan to use cotton on my experimental pieces which should be the first 50 or so I imagine.

So much to do, so little time, the less spent on my computer the better. I forget that I want to treat it like a tool and less of a toy. The lure is like a siren song beckoning me to come turn it on and look up odd bits of useless trivia.

I HAD TO LEARN CHINESE TO PLAY MAHJONG YESTERDAY!!!!!!!

I registered at the tournament desk and my friend kt showed up to do the same, I sat her down and pleaded for help, I looked at all of the mahjong sets, they did not have English on them anywhere. My set has both chinese and english. I look at the pretty Chinese designs on my set and utterly disregard them as to being useful as far as play is concerned. These people played mahjong like the room was on fire. In fact I think we would have had to finish the game before anyone bothered to put out any fires....

kt wrote down the numbers 1-9 and the winds, N,S,E and W so I had my cheat sheet. The play started and I thought, well, I will just save the bamboo and circle tiles and last for as long as I can. Yeah, I drew a handful of characters (numbers); to me it looked like scribbled tiles, not so pretty anymore. And they weren't the easy ones to remember either, the 1,2 or 3. Since it would be considered impolite to vomit on the table or cry or even whine I just kept faking it. If I had a wind that didn't match another - out it went, who cared if it was my wind? I looked at a 7 bamboo and my head said 5 bamboo. Ha, I had mahjong only I didn't have mahjong. OMG, there was no place to run or hide. I thought about the books I'd read where silly people do things among other cultures and the thoughts that run through the mind of them - were they thinking, "Stupid Caucasian woman thinks she can play Hong Kong mahjong?" Or, "Why is she here ruining our fun?" Things like that. Well, during the bathroom break I thought about hiding in the bathroom for a very long time to eat up tournament time so I could go home but I returned to finish up the last hour or so.

By the time I went home I had nearly all of the 9 Chinese numbers burnt into my brain; the winds...not so much. Well, I went for an adventure and I sure got one. I better stick to learning how to weave!