Absence of weaving

With my day job having to take precedence (out of necessity) over the past three months, there has not been any weaving since my brief Saori sojourn with Kax Maddigan of Curiousweaver, back in June.

SwingKnitting exploration

Hand-spun & hand-dyed Mohair

The only way I have been able to get through this weaving deficit has been to use the snippets of time available and knit. This has allowed me to (a) handle beautiful yarns (b) create (c) produce some functional items for self (d) contemplate ideas for future weaving.

• I became intrigued with something called "Swing Knitting" and explored the techniques and potential for infinite variation through this fascinating approach to using short rows.
• Learnt a little about Elizabeth Zimmerman and her approach to garment design through knitting a vest from a 1950s pattern.
• Discovered both the pleasure and frustration in knitting fine silk yarn into a lace shawl. 
• Knitted up some hand-dyed German sock yarn into a stunning collar.
• Delighted in knitting mohair, hand-spun and hand-dyed yarn by a friend, into a lacey, floppy beret.

Kyoto in Autumn

Weaving is definitely back on the agenda soon though, as I am off to Japan shortly for intensive weaving workshops in Osaka at Saorinomoro. Spending time also in Takayama during their famous Autumn festival and also visiting Kyoto. Won't be at all surprised if these strong autumnal tones appear in my weaving on my return!

Saorinomoro in Osaka, Japan

The anticipation of this adventure and learning opportunity has kept me going these past months and I am sure to return to weaving with enhanced skills, expanded ideas and new friends.

Autumn in Takayama

Weaver to Weaver

Back in early December, Meg  http://www.megweaves.co.nz/ proposed a way of connecting with other weavers around the globe and sharing some "weaverly love". I signed up for this and sent off two little packets of inspiration to weavers in New Zealand and USA, neither of whom I have ever met. The next step was waiting for a couple of packets to arrive from others, all of us assigned names randomly.

I had been wondering who would be sending me some weaverly love and excited about the possibility of some new weaving friendships. With the new year off to a start, I was delighted to receive the two envelopes over the past couple of weeks.

 The first one, from Helen, filled with inspiring images and pieces of her own weaving. She is a long way ahead of me in weaving experience and her letter was filled with the wonderful details of her 2012 weaving year. Truly inspiring and as she just so happens to live nearby, we may actually meet up in person to share even more. One can never have enough weaving friends!

Close up of Helen's yarn & handwoven fabric samples

 My second package arrived today from Jane in the UK. Inside was a copy of an exquisite painting done by a friend of hers (http://www.amandapellatt.co.uk), based on Jane's Chinese moon moths. Apparently Jane raises these moths from silk worms. She also included some lovely hand dyed silk yarn in soft greens and rose. Jane is an experienced textile artist and tutor, and you can read more about her at http://www.janedeane.co.uk/  Thank you Jane!

With comparitavely so little hand weaving in Australia, it is exciting for me to meet up with other weavers, even if by long distance. There is ALWAYS something new to admire, learn and be inspired by. Thank you Meg for initiating Weaver to Weaver!

 

Weaving a Life

Weaving a life

with threads of glass;

fragile and sharp

they can cut you.

Reflecting a world

of beauty and pain;

the warp of years

the weft of experience.

Weaving a life

with threads of song;

joyous release

it can free you.

Harmonies of love and sorrow;

the warp of years

the weft of experience.

H.Walters 2011

I wrote this poem last New Year's Eve - clearly in a deeply contemplative mood at the time! With my mother's 80th birthday approaching I have reflected on her life. Her lack of options for education, her entire adult life marred by illness, repeated surgery and long periods of hospitalisation. 

Her indirect influence on my life has been conversely to value education, value independent thinking, question everything and value creativity. My gift to her is to weave a summer silk wrap, combining a strict weave structure with free form Saori type weaving. Somewhat of a metaphor for our contrasting approaches to life!

This wrap comprises my first attempts at a leno weave, my first use of a silk warp and weft and using the maximum width on this loom at 45cm. The finished length of the wrap is 185cm plus 18cm fringes at both ends.

 

As I wove, I made conscious moment by moment choices about changing the weave structure, adding silk fibre, changing the beat and skipping some warp threads. Struggling with uneven warp threads due to my uneven beaming, meant I had to constantly add weights to parts of the warp. It sure wasn't smooth sailing! Rather like our lives.

It is now off the loom, hemstitched, washed to see settle the silk yarns into their new life, twisted fringes done and ready to give to my mother. With my love woven in, even if I cannot say the words.