Lather, rinse, repeat...

Be curious.

Try stuff.

Don't be attached to the outcome.

< Repeat >

Woven sett samples with knitting sock yarns.

~

Farm Show

Had fun last week representing the Butler Guild by doing a weaving

demonstration at the Butler Farm Show.

The spinners hand spun Linda's beautifully prepared wool rolags

into yarn for weaving. 

I warped enough for two scarves and wove the second one at home.

The weft for the second scarf was a miscalculated warp

from a demo last year.  Glad I hung onto it because I had just

enough to weave off the scarf!  

The medium blue weft really makes the colors pop..

One more demo to go.  Next stop...

Indiana County Fair

#weaveallthethings

hash·tag

noun

1. On social media sites, a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign (#) and used to identify messages on a specific topic.

Sometimes I use the hashtag 

#weaveallthethings

when I share my work.

That little tag really encompasses what I love most about weaving.

For example the above shawl was woven with:

• Reclaimed sweater yarn.

• Vintage yarns from garage sales.

• Yarn naturally dyed with Oak bark from my yard.

• Handspun yarns - with fiber that I hand dyed.

• Reclaimed silk from Indian Sari garments.

• Random balls of yarn found at thrift shops.

• Yarn given to me from guild members.

• Left over yarns from knitting projects.

The garment above was not woven with any yarn purchased specifically

to "weave a shawl'..

 I find it is much more fun to #weaveallthethings !!!

Part Two: Construction

Weaving away.

Blue warp:  Hand dyed indigo from a few years ago

Terracotta warp:  Repurposed sweater

Blue weft:  super super thin weight of a cotton cone yarn

from the guild trash-to-treasure sale.

Using a double bobbin shuttle for the thin weft making it

two strands.  Makes the edges a bit tricky, but I love the 

way it is weaving up!

~

Saori shawl to follow..

Something from nothing..

After all the precision work for the Master Weaving homework, 

I woke up craving Saori.

The warp was wound from scraps of yarns

given to me from other weavers.  I love using cast-off, donated, 

and reclaimed yarns.

The Noro weft was dug from deeeeeep in the bottom of

the stash.

I was having a great time weaving, but

my studio partners were not amused...

The scarf woven is open and etherial.  I'll post some

some photos once the fringe is twisted.

The remaining warp was beat down tight.

Loving the fabric it made!

Hoping to have enough to make a small pouch.

The magic of scraps and Noro ; )

Studio time..

Lots of gray dreary days make for good working time in the studio.

This little guy has been keeping me company too.

I like to grab a cup of coffee, turn on the twinkle lights, and

watch the sun come up.

Chipping away on the master weaving homework.

Thinking I've managed the gradient weaving assignment...

at least I hope so!

(..come on lucky number 13..)

We are keeping a journal of our weaving progress.

It was really fun to go through past photos and see what inspires me.

Looking at everything side-by-side made me realize how much everyday

life seeps into my subconscious.

It made me chuckle when walking in the woods I came upon

the colors of yarn I had just ordered for the next exercise..

..wet pine and birch barks.

~

Master Weaving

At the beginning of October a friend and I traveled to 

Yadkinville, NC to take the Master Weaving Level 1

class offered by Olds College of Alberta Canada.

This is the first time they have offered the class in the United States so 

I jumped at the chance.

Am I "master weaver"?......Not by a long shot.

Do I want to learn the weaving process from the beginning

and continue to build and grow as a weaver?....

YES!

Our hosts at the Yadkin Valley Fiber Room were amazing.

It was an intense week of concentrated learning 

and it was wonderful.

I am seriously excited to attack the homework assignments.

It is fun to have a path and a purpose.

"The journey is as important as the destination."

~ Deborah Chandler ~

~

Out like a lion..

Savoring a bouquet of daffodils as the weather has turned cold again.

March seems to be going out like a lion.  Lots of wind and cold.  

Meet 'Sonora Blue'.. 

named after an early spring butterfly.

She's a new favorite.

Happy Monday everyone!!

~

The thing about never..

nev·er

ˈnevər/

adverb

1. 1. 

   at no time in the past or future; on no occasion; not ever.

   
   

   ~

   
   

   Never.

   Have you really thought about that word?

   
   

   How often we use it?

   Causally..

   
   

   Never. 

   
   

   A few years back I remember quite vividly

   that I said I would never weave.

   
   

   Why?

   I am not so sure..

   At the time it felt, well.. limiting?

   
   

   I dug my heels in.

   The more I tried to back away, the more it called to me.

   
   

   Change is a funny thing.

   
   

   

   
   

   There is so much beauty in the structure of weaving.

   
   

   The process.

   The learning.

   The community..

   
   

   My mind is reeling with all the possibilities.

   Saori,

   Reclaimed fiber,

   tapestry!

   
   

   Suddenly I am craving (!) miniature overshot patterns

   and

   ROSEPATH.

   
   

   I need Rosepath.

   
   

   

   
   

   While I may have said never,

   I can't see my past or future not being at a loom.

   
   

   That being said..

   I can't help thinking of 'The Raven'.

   
   

   Instead of nevermore..I'll take evermore.

   
   

   Evermore.

   
   

   ~

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

New to me..

New to me table,

Reclaimed fiber,

Vintage tools,

Nature bits,

and

sun.

~

Mug Rug..

This little loom belonged to my mom as a child.

When I unearthed it there still was a little piece of her weaving on it.

That little square of wool now hangs 

on the inspiration board in my studio.

One day I took the little loom with me out to the campfire with

some cones of who-knows-what-kinda-yarn I dug out of the cedar chest.

Isn't hand-me-down-mystery-yarn wonderful?!?

The little square on the upper left is what came off the loom that day.

It happened to be just the right size for my coffee mug.

I use that little mug rug every. darn. day.

It makes me think of my mom's little fingers weaving wool..

the day we sat together laughing at the campfire..

how imperfectly perfect it is.

That little rug got me thinking about maybe trying a few more. 

This little rug was woven on a Schacht Zoom Loom.

Small.

Portable.

Easy to use.

Perfect for more hand-me-down-yarn,

recycled sweater yarn,

and..

a little embroidered pine tree.

~

Yarn Along..

For some time my mind has been wrapped up in trying to figure out how 

to create a certain fabric..

As it turns out what I was dreaming of was Saori..

"Sai" ~ meaning everything has its own individual dignity

"ORI" ~ means weaving

Saori Slogans:

1. Consider the differences between a machine and a human being.

2. Be bold and adventurous

3. Let's look out through eyes that shine

4. Inspire on another, and everyone in the group.

There are no mistakes..

I'm free!!

"Beauty with lack of intention" 

This wrap was created on my little 15" rigid heddle cricket loom with a mixture of 

stashed yarns and handspun.

Library love:

Fabulous book.. 

~

..Be bold..

..Look out through eyes that shine..

..Inspire..

~

Joining Ginny..

Yarn along..

Today I had my first real weaving lesson..

"Real" because after weaving this on a board with nails in it

I wasn't so sure weaving was going to be for me.

Turns out I was wrong.

(Thanks Carol and Marilyn and Chris and Ann ..xo)

After spending a lovely afternoon at the yarn shop..

I left with this..

.. a perfectly lovely, not so perfect, first weaving project.

Next week ~ learning to warp the loom.

The loom we used was an adorable little Schacht Cricket Loom.

Easy to use and perfectly portable.

Starting to read this..

The library list was long and well.. I just couldn't wait.  

~

Joining Ginny..