Brick 1 & 4

Tomorrow is Wednesday...Brick Wednesday...the one day of the week when I get to weave on my old counterbalance loom. It has been extremely difficult to not weave on that loom during the week...all I could do is walk by and touch it...and think about what I would like to weave next.

I never got the pictures of the two twills I did. The first is the simple twill in a hand painted mottled yarn. It's feel is fabulous...a nice repetitive bumpiness and texture. I do want to explore using twill more. It will be interesting to see how hatching will look as what I could do with dots. The pattern would be great to provide texture in a tree or landscape.

The second is a zigzag pattern where I changed the direction of the twill each third round trip. Between the mottled blue yarn and the zigzag pattern, it says 'chaos' to me. Looks like it would be wonderful to use in an scene with big waves breaking on the beach or the churning of the water underneath the wave.

Brick 2 & 3

Oops...I posted this on the wrong blog...I forgot this was an exploratory piece and deserves to be here. ..

to read about Brick 2 and 3 click HERE.

Brick Wednesday - Week 1

Things are starting to settle down and I am warping up all my looms to start 'creating' vs. 'finishing'. It never occurred to me that getting ready for gallery exhibits would be so time consuming.

I gave a talk at a recent Guild meeting on the topic Is Weaving Genetic. I showed a fair number of photos of my Mothers work as well as mine. My Mother was a textile artist up in the Wine Country of California and she loved tapestry and baskets. One of the photos I showed was of my Mother's old counter balance four harness loom which is now sitting in my studio. The loom hasn't had anything on it for several years and I thought it would be nice to fill the loom with warp and have some fun.

I warped 24 inches at 5 epi [yes...5 epi! Never done anything this wide before] using some fairly thick cotton I had sitting around. I actually don't even know if this stuff will work as warp...we shall see. I actually hand painted the warp with some emerald green, yellow and violet dye. I didn't let the dye sit on the warp too long since I wanted a light value for the warp - just not white.

I will be weaving a brick wall in various tapestry techniques. I intend to explore a number of things with my brick wall. I didn't want white warp since I will be having the cement part of the brick wall be exposed warp and explore how negative space can impact color and structure. Since I am doing a tapestry on a four harness loom I thought I would also explore how various structures [e.g. twill, basket weave, etc.] can be used to enhance a tapestry by adding texture and shadows. I also intend to use up some of my stash...I have lots of leftover dyed yarns from a variety of projects which I would love to use somehow.



I don't want to overly plan this project since I have several other projects which are highly planned. My working title for this tapestry is 'Brick Wednesday'.

My goal will be to weave at leave one brick on every Wednesday until the piece is completed. The brick can be whatever I feel like weaving on that given Wednesday. I, of course, can think & plan on the other days but just no weaving on this piece. There are lots of other looms that need attention.

Here is how I have started...I have four bricks at the bottom. I wanted to see what a twill, basket weave, tabby and zigzag twill would look like when entirely covering the warp as in tapestry. I didn't vary the yarn or do any tapestry techniques so just the structure would stand out. My closeup photos came out blurry so I will try taking photos again with a different camera.

But I must say, these four little bricks definitely have my brain working on overdrive. I really never understood why some tapestry weavers would want a four harness loom. Perhaps I am just beginning to have a glimmer of understanding...

Beginning the Finish...again

I am in the midst of finishing my yardage for the Ebb Tide exhibit in Convergence. I need to send it off in May. You may recall it is a 13 foot maze which you can actually get through if you stare at it long enough and don't get lost. There are clues woven into the maze to help you along if you know your nautical flags, signage and regatta flag indicators. The clues can also distract you along the way.

For fun, I decided to weave a small solution key to go with the yardage. Like the yardage I start at the bottom...or in this case the finish.

I had some extra warp after finishing some beetles and bracelets which I had on queue. You can see the bracelets here and read about the beetles here. The photo shows the beginning of the solution key. I have kept some of the pictorial elements also. The piece is less than 3 inches wide.

Sometimes I think I am nuts...but this time the weaving is quite fun and makes me smile. The colors are cheerful. The weaving focused and intense. Once finished I may make a smaller one and turn it into a bracelet to wear at Convergence. I think it might be cute to have a bracelet with start and finish at each end...

I Got Your Letter

Dear J -

I received your letter yesterday...

Yes, I have been amiss in not updating my blog. But I do think I have a good reason...five in fact. From the last time we 'chatted' I learned I had been accepted into five exhibits in Tampa in June of this year! Yup - five. Well, so what have I been doing? Lots of weaving, finishing, framing, mailing etc. And I am almost done...3 of the 5 are completely done, 1 is ready for unveiling at my meeting on Wednesday and one is in the finishing stage...hopefully ready for unveiling at my Friday meeting.

Here are the photos of the two that are going into the Complex Weavers exhibit called Weaving in the Computer Age - from inkles to jacquard. Tarpon Springs Cultural Center, Tarpon Springs Florida June 8th-July 30, 2008.

These are done in taquete with rayon and metallic sewing thread. The first is an aristobia beetle...the other two platynophus beetles - - both from Thailand. I wove three of these beetles each with a subtly different palette. These are the two from my personal beetle collection. The actual ones for the exhibit are a bit different so you will have to go to the exhibit in Tarpon Springs to see the versions that are hanging there.

Hope you like them!

I apologize for being incommunicado. I should be freed up in a couple of weeks and will able to chat more often... and actually work on the two pieces that have been swirling around my head for months.

Luv & kisses


N

ps. I will post photos of my other pieces as soon as I can. Some may have to wait until after the exhibits are open...

Delicate Dimensions

I am back to weaving with fine threads on my sixteen harness table loom.

I have put on several yards of black polyester serger thread as warp and am happily weaving away.

Here is my first pattern...as you can see I have three pieces being woven simultaneously....with two shuttles moving all the way across the loom and three moving only across their respective warps. The ones making the short trips rest on the c-clamps on each side of the loom. My maze pattern is on an excel spreadsheet on top of the loom.

The colors are reminiscent of a tiger...

Bamboo Samples

I bought six cones of bamboo from Webs last year for some reason that has escaped me for many months. I've got a wedding to go to in June so I have decided to weave some material and make some sort of jacket.

Anyway, I have six cones of 10/2 bamboo which is similar to 20/2 silk in size and feel. I've never woven with bamboo so I figured I should do some sampling.

The photo shows two scarves I wove to experiment with sett [24 and 30 epi], the warp values [one is with only dark values, the other with all six colors repeated in the warp] and a variety of undulating twills. They are much brighter in person than the color in the photo.

For the jacket, I figure the 24 epi sett is best. The 30 epi works nicely on a scarf but doesn't seem quite right for a jacket. There are two undulating twills I like and the appearance of the dark values in the warp is my favorite.

As for the jacket, I have a number of options.

I bought this Six Panel Jacket pattern from Nadine Sanders which uses two different handwovens. It might be interesting using two different colors/twills of green for the panels and have a lapel of all six colors and a multitude of twills. I also saw a real easy pattern in Handwoven last year which got me started...ah...now I remember...that is why I bought the bamboo yarn in the first place. Plus, I have two other jacket patterns that I have bought at past Convergences but never used.

Choices, choices, choices...better choose soon since I need to warp and weave!

His & Her Gourds

DH and I took a gourd class with Don Weeke where we learned how to clean and decorate a dried gourd with weaving, twining, coiling, couching, tenneriffe lace, knottless knitting, wood burning plus paints and leather dyes. Quite a fun and enjoyable workshop...would recommend it to all.

The results say it all: his and her gourds...

The Starting Line

I got the memory card reader to work so I now have some photos to share.

Here are two of the sailboats in the maze regatta. They are moving along the course nicely, having crossed the starting line without penalty. Below them along the course you can just see the 'keep marker to the port' flag in red.

The Starting Line is at the top of the maze...about twelve feet from the finish line. It is a long a arduous course with a variety of dangers and interesting spots. The sea seems to sparkle in many colors as the sunlight reflects off the water. And the water blends through many shades of blue. In some places, there is a slight reddish color indicating the presence of kelp beds under the water.

The start of the course is marked in a sparkling sea foam green...but it disappears several feet down and it is up to the captains to figure out how to sail the maze and get to the finish line first. The race officials' blue flag hangs at the bottom of the piece to indicate the official finish to the regatta.

Do I Knit?

Wondering if I still knit?

Remember I started a yellow scarf awhile ago? It was the pattern on September 22nd of the knitting calendar. It's done! [This is why I stick to scarves...check the date...it would take me a decade to finish a sweater!]

I really like it. It's a simple yellow cotton scarf with rows of perle. However, I just could not resist unravelling three stitches on each edge to add a fringe. I did make it shorter so as it lengthens it won't be down to my knees. It feels great around the neck...soft and warm.

It is fortunate that the scarf is done [and the maze]...since Santa brought me this real cool knitting book to get me back into the fun nuances of knitting. It has all these interesting shapes to try out

Now I just have to get some yarn....

ps. let's not discuss that one other KWIP...the shadow weave scarf

...I simply hate having projects not completed...

Maze is off the Loom

My Regatta Maze came off the loom yesterday afternoon - all 13 feet worth!

Whew! What a relief. Now all I have to do is weave an eight inch by eight inch sample and I am on my way.

Oh there is some finishing and final tweaking. I put the finishing and tweaking into two categories. The first is the grand tweaking - knotting and snipping the edges and ends that abound as well as removing some of the pressure lines plus a hem on the top and the bottom. These are what must be done so I can get a good photo to send the judges. The second category of tweaks are the detailed ones which could go on for weeks. There are for close up viewing.

The entire piece looks fabulous. The colors are good and the small images do not pop out and distract from the maze. The downside is that it is incredibly difficult to work yourself through the maze since it is so long and the route is circuitous. I am sure a few daring souls will attempt it...but I can see it will be necessary to provide a chart showing the route for all the other viewers who get lost.

...and you say...where is the photo?

...well my camera is on vacation - off sailing in the Windward Islands...but fortunately Santa brought me a new camera guaranteed to take fabulous close ups. I took some photos of the two sail boats at the top of the maze as well as the starting line. Taking pictures was a snap! They look great. Unfortunately, I have not yet figured out how to get the pictures out of the camera onto my computer.

I have tried everything on my computer...now I am off to my DH's computer...then to the memory card reader as last resort.

Getting Closer - 74% Complete

I have 68 more rows to weave in this piece...only 43 more in the maze. The rest is the header consisting of two sailboats and the starting line. Oh yes, and a hem. It is almost starting to become exciting.

Change in Course

Ah another photo that looks so similar to those in past postings.

Here I am almost 60% complete after making sure I complete at least ten rows per day. At this rate I could be could be done weaving in a couple of weeks. But finishing ten rows a day will become more difficult with the visitors, house guests, Christmas wrapping as well as the more difficult patterns coming up. But hope springs eternal.

This photo depicts a race flag communicating a change in course. It is a flag composed of horizontal blue, white, red, white and blue stripes. The tough part with this color scheme is that the blues and greens recede while the reds pop out. I tried to get the blue to show up more by making it a combination of two metallic blues. It's real hard to tell if it's a good/right color choice since I am viewing it horizontally...I really should stand on a tall chair and look down on it...I had that same problem on weaving tapestry on a horizontal surface - it's the reason I bought an upright tapestry loom.

Tomorrow I hope to cross the 100 row line...meaning I will only have 100 rows to go. The end...[actually the starting line] may be in sight!

PS Looking at the blow up of the photo above I just noticed an odd turquoise line running the middle of the piece...something to check out in the morning....broken thread? odd tension? stucky threads...hmmm.

Man Overboard

It's the December crunch time...the time where I must focus on weaving at least ten rows a day in order to get this piece done in time for photos, slides, samples and mailing.

Today I did nineteen rows...quite a day. The biggest day yet. I have 139 more rows to do...the earlier ones are easier...the later ones more difficult. I have finished almost 6 feet of material [for context...what you see on the loom there in the photo is about five inches of yardage - the entire piece should be about 13 feet]. I am about 47% done.

The small red and yellow nautical flag is the man overboard flag. I have never understood this flag. Who has enough time when there is someone overboard to hoist a flag? In all the drills I have participated in, everyone had a job to do when someone falls overboard...no one was told to hoist a flag.

I neglected to take a picture of the chart symbol for kelp. It's pretty subtle as is the reddish kelp beds that I am weaving. I have woven with a red and pink metallic thread with all the reddish threads underneath the navy and turquoise blues. By keeping it underneath I am hoping for a reddish sheen like the the kelp beds you see off the coast. I saw some great examples yesterday off of Malibu.

There is a great deal of subtlety in this piece. I am hoping with the right light it will all come through.

Danger

I am about a quarter done having made it up to the Danger sign. I tried to weave the red diamond with a shuttle while picking up the right threads but it just didn't show up enough. I ended up just weaving a white square and adding the red diamond with needle and thread. Looks good now. Tension issues continue here and there but I press forward.

Thanksgiving Visitors

What does one do when a six grade teacher
visits for Thanksgiving?

Make Egyptian canopic jars and royal mummified animals out of plastic bottles and masking tape...of course.

Warning - Fish Haven

Weaving continues on the maze...

I just finished that white section near the top of the photo. It is a warning sign for a Fish Haven. If you see that on your nautical chart - don't go there!

I have been experimenting with different metallic and shimmering threads. I have holoshimmer, sliver and metallic threads from Sulky - all in a variety of colors. I also bought some shimmering thread by Nomis at Nettie's during their recent liquidation sale. [Nettie's is an embroidery store in Beverly Hills which is going out of business this month. Most everything is 70% off. If you are near by, its worth a drop by - great tapestry wool yarn, knitting yarns and tons of other stuff.]

The holoshimmer thread is quite visible due to its intense mirror like qualities. Others are more subtle and only reflect a bit when the light is in the right spot. So far I have only been using the light emerald green colors and the white. I still get to experiment with the many blue metallics that I have. I also have some lavenders which might be a nice touch here and there.

This is one of the ways I keep interested while weaving so many yards of material in such fine threads.

It's Starting to be a Maze

Well, after one day of weaving I am now over 20% done. Things are moving nicely along. And yes, it finally looks like a maze. From now on, the photos should look fairly similar to this one...just with slightly different nautical signs here and there.

The path of water through the maze is in slowly changing shades of emerald green and turquoise. The dark blue stays dark blue except for the underlying changes in metallic and foam which floats underneath the two colors on top. These underlying colors peek out here and there giving the piece depth and subtle color changes. The warp also changes colors across adding another dimension to the piece. I look forward to seeing how it all works out.

The material is eighteen inches wide and with the fringe it measures out to nineteen inches. I need to make seven passes back and forth for a row to match a column in size. I am now on row 203 and have a total of 259 ignoring the hem on the top.

I have yet to project a finishing time...the time I sail by the Starting Line. Maybe I'll do the calculations tomorrow just to make sure I can finish in time. Once finished I will need to weave a sampler that goes in with the entry form. It needs to be perfect. Fortunately it is only eight inches by eight inches. I should have enough warp already on the loom to pull it off...fingers crossed.

ps here's my tapestry Harvest Moon which I just finished...

Ready for the Maze

It took awhile but I am finally at the point that I get to start weaving the maze. I am a bit over 10% complete...

The sail is done. The shimmery white I selected looks good. I am a bit disappointed by the blue flag - I did it in a shiny metallic blue. I thought it would pop more from the piece. It does shimmer...you just need the right light. I may embellish it later depending upon how the entire piece looks.

Each of the flags or symbols I incorporate into the piece will represent something from our nautical navigation days. Here the blue flag represents the Finish Line flag that the race officials would normally fly at the end of a race. The next symbol will be 'shallow water' markings you would see on a nautical chart.

I am looking foward to starting the maze. With the wind at my back, I should sail quickly through the piece.

I have finished the FINISH

Despite what the word spells out this is only the beginning of my latest project. The is the beginning...or the end so to speak of the maze I am weaving for the yardage exhibit of Convergence 2009.

What you see here is a minimal part of a 259 block-row piece. Each block has 7 back and forth of the shuttle...I did the calculation as to what percentage is finished and it is way too small to admit.

The maze here is going to have a regatta theme. Near the top of the photo you can see the beginning of a sail...there will be more. I am trying to remember that the focus of the piece is not the bottom...but the maze itself. I keep wanting to enhance and embellish this bottom part.

I have tried many things to remove those nasty worms that form due to the inconsistent tension in the warp threads. The turquoise warp seems to have the worst problems while the lite blue has the least. They are both 100% polyester but obviously there is some difference. I won't go through all the things I have adjusted, tinkered with, pulled, tied, lashed etc.

I am now trying what I call the 'squirrel' approach...using nuts to weigh down the various threads. You can see I have attached key rings to bunches of warp and used a nut to weigh them down. I didn't have enough key rings for each of the 25 blocks so I have combined those that are similar in looseness. By using the same size nut, all the thread should have a similar tension. Time will tell.

Although I still seem to be having a bit of a tension issue with the warps on shaft 7. I am nevertheless plowing ahead. I will attempt a special massage once off the loom with a needle and a bit of spritz. Hopefully, that will remove the tension worms at the bottom of the piece...or I will embellish them to made them part of the piece....Time will tell.