Mum Mum
Sorry I have been so blog mum. I have been thinking about why it has been so hard to write. It could be a couple of reasons. One might be that all my children have been away for the last couple of weeks, and my need for an outlet has decreased:) It could also (and alarmingly) be because I have recently become addicted to NYT crossword puzzles – essentially using up my limited word power on crosswords instead of blogging. Geez, shallow pool! Finally, I have had a couple of beginning weaving students in my studio for the last few weeks, and perhaps I only have so much Weave Talk in me . . . I really thought I had an infinite supply. Well, no more boring explorations of my bad behavior . . . on to fiber findings.
The scarf on the left . . . yes . . . sigh . . .deflected doubleweave. I set up a quick warp so I could make a movie (my cinematic debut) about how to handle the selvedges. After many/mini movies I still don’t have one small enough to post. I have been trying to learn iMovie so I could edit one down, but remember how I was going to learn WordPress . . .
Anyway, the samples at the center & right are my current obsession. I am in a study group with a great friend and fellow Conwegian Ute Bargmann who has been delving deeply into historic drafts and old grainy photos of Southern Coverlets woven on 4 shafts in “Dimity”. She has discovered/deciphered some incredible pieces of weaving and has been recreating them in samples. The variation and texture of the samples, the ingenuity of the original weavers and Ute’s patience and mental agility in decoding are all mind boggling and inspiring. I am weaving my study group samples in the 20/2 unmercerized cotton with a 9/1 cotton weft, but I was so taken with the structure that I decided to try a sample warp in 24/2 wool using overspun, handspun singles as the weft. So exciting!
