Taking on New Challenges

It's been exciting to watch my weaving 'students' take on new challenges in weaving. Some take them on fearlessly, others with more trepidation, but still most remarkable is that they take them on at all. As they have discovered, preparing one's weaving projects is fraught with all kinds of possible unforseen setbacks, threading errors, the needs of the fibres they are working with, and the goals they set for themselves. Most people learning to weave are looking mostly to perfect their technical skill, a good place to start one's journey in weaving. After that many want to learn other technical knowledge in weaving, for instance understanding the different weaving structures like overshot, M's and O's, Monks Belt, Huck and on and on the list goes. Learning about weaving is also about exploring and experimenting with different fibres, structures and then also, sometimes breaking the rules just to see what will happen, and hopefully be pleasantly surprised.
Judite Vagners has spent many years perfecting her technical weaving skills and knowledge. Some of her journey has been about using what she has learned to create traditional Latvian costumes. Of note is the belt or strap that is Card woven, and which is sometimes called Tablet weaving. Many different cultures around the world use the technique of Card weaving. In Card weaving you can only weave strips, so its ideal for bracelets, belts, and straps. Incredibly detailed and complex designs can be created using the Card Weaving techniques. It's very portable which is its great advantage.

Agota Dolinay wove these handsome Alpaca scarves. The subtlety of the design is breathtaking when seen up close. I'm sure this digital photo isn't doing it any justice but I hope you can get a sense of its beauty.









Marion Kirkwood has a friend who recently returned from Liberia where groups of women harvest raw cotton, spin it themseleves, dye the cloth, and sew the strips of cloth together. We're hoping her friend will send us pics of the women in Liberia actually going through the process and I'll post them here if she does.

Lastly, more projects from the very popular and much loved Ashford knitters loom. Cheryl Yetman has woven this fine cloth on a knitters loom and it is surprising the quality of the weaving that can be accomplished with it.
Kate Kitchen has been weaving dozens of scarves on her knitters loom, shown below and she has been having a very fun time exploring textures in fibres. Nowadays there is such a wide array of fibres to inspire us. Kate takes an unusual approach to weaving and her fresh approach is perhaps because she is a tapestry weaver and sees weaving in a painterly manner. The knitters loom can also be used to weave tapestries which is very good news for tapestry weavers, because of its portablility. On that note I'll take my leave and look forward to sharing more with next week!