Focus and Distractions

Cotton and Bamboo throw woven by Wendy Szpindel. Pattern from 8 Shaft Weaves book. 

Learning to weave and weaving requires a number of factors and environmental conditions. One is an environment that enables us to focus on the task at hand. Many weave structures are complicated and require ones full attention, the above being a good example of the kind of weave that requires this. Regardless of its complexity, most weaving requires that we not be distracted from what we are doing to prevent errors in threading and/or weaving. Not only does this require a certain capacity to concentrate, it requires that distractions are reduced and that we give the task the full attention. 

Knitters loom scarf by Mimma Draga

Last week I was talking to a couple of friends and they exclaimed that they were losing focus and were easily distracted. Is it an ageing thing I wonder or are we reverting to the child we were in the past? Who is to say. I do know though that we must respect that each person has different levels of "distraction tolerance" and so, when in a learning environment it is something we must try to respect in creating a positive learning and weaving environment for our fellow participants. 

Felted spaced warp merino scarf by Marion Kirkwood. This idea can be done on a Knitters Loom. 

Not too long ago someone was telling me about a couple of workshop teachers who insisted on silence during the workshop, that is to say, socializing. I found this very courageous of them to insist on that.  While I find that extreme, I also think it tells us that the learning and environment conducive to learning must take precedence in the class as most participants attend for that reason, otherwise, why pay to be there or socialize. We all have different learning needs, and perhaps participants also have different reasons they attend the class, but most importantly, we must remain focused on why we are here, gathered together!

More knitters loom scarves by Mimma Draga

I take pride though that participants for the most part, are friendly and this too creates  a positive environment. It takes all of us to create not only a friendly and positive environment but one where we respect the learning needs of others. 

Weaving Courses and workshops

Donna Kim is offering a new class in chair cane weaving. Looks interesting and intriguing!

http://us2.campaign-archive2.com/?u=6cabba50e96aa5ed24a3c303f&id=432db72e4d&e=8dfe32aed3

Donations wanted:

Erin Lewis would like to ask weavers for their woven discards. She needs them for experimentation with her Wearable Technology work. Please bring to the Toronto Weaving School. 

Want to sell some scarves?

Bring them to the Toronto Weaving School classroom and we'll try to sell them for you as long as you are registered in the class. 10% of sales will go to the Toronto Weaving School. You can also bring in other small handwoven items such as tea towels and hand towels. We'll let people know that we are open for business on the days/evenings classes are running. 

Weaving Looms for Sale: 

45" 4 harness counterbalance leclerc with bench $500. 

36" 8 harness Leclerc jack loom $600. 

45" Schact loom with bench, oak, 4 harness with option to add another 4 harnesses. $750.

contact Line at tapestryline@sympatico.ca. 

Patterns

Twill plaid blanket woven with Lemieux yarn by Judite Vagners. 

Recently I've been reading book The Philosopher, The Priest and the Painter: A Portrait of Descartes by Steven Nadler. Rene Descartes was a philosopher and mathematician and though born in France, lived for great lengths of time in the Netherlands. He is best known for the phrase: "I think therefore I am." Why, you might ask, would I bring that up, in my weaving class blog? As it turns out, there are a couple of reasons and one of them is his connection to Haarlem in the Netherlands. "Haarlem's economy [in 1646] was dominated by the textile industry, especially the finishing stages of production. The broad fields extending southwest of the city were used for the bleaching of fabrics. They served not only local manufacturers, but also foreign firms. Bolts of linen - woven by the thousands of textile workers employed in Haarlem or on looms in London or Scotland, and carried by boat across the English Channel - were first soaked in lye and then bathed for days in buttermilk supplied by surrounding dairies. They were then laid out in long stretches on the grasslands beyond the city's moat to dry and whiten in the sun from the late spring though the early fall. " 

Samples for the blanket above. First sample on left, the fabric just off the loom; middle sample washed; and final sample brushed. The result is soft blanket - a complete transformation of the yarn which at first seems hard and wiry. Instructions for this method available in class. 

As a philosopher and mathematician, Descartes was concerned with applying mathematical methods, strategies or patterns to our thought processes and observations. He believed that thinking required a certain methodology which we can apply to many parts of our lives, from our relationships, to our jobs and leisure activities, and of course weaving. There are many meanings and connotations for the word pattern but the ones I want to focus on most are that the references to our own patterns of thought and patterns of behavior based on the structures of our beliefs. As we see in weaving, patterns are directly related to the how the structure is organized and this will contribute to the overall patterning of the weft threads and resulting fabric. These ideas about patterns of thoughts and behaviors directly impact our relationships and the quality of our lives. We are each individually the master weaver of our lives. 

Huck Pattern bamboo scarf by Marion Kirkwood.

A couple of recent discussions are fresh in my mind. One is my sharing with some students my ongoing belief that weaving for me, has always been about a "healing journey" and though I have not been that vociferous about proclaiming it, I know that the moment I think the journey is about something else, for instance, about ego, pride and achievement or even intelligence ..some event arises to remind me about the real reason I weave, or have to weave. Often this  event may  humble me or leaves me feeling vulnerable. Sharing this opened the door for a friend to reveal that she saw weaving as a metaphor for life, an activity that mirrors what we are going through, our explorations to make new 'patterns' in our life, find new routes, new methodologies, new routines, new connections that will revitalize us. Somehow this weaving methodology does lead to transformation on a personal inner and outer level. I am mindful of it in myself and I clearly observe it happening in those that surround me and are part of this wonderful practice. 

Agota Dolinay (holding the tablet and looking down) and Ellen Alias are back from there 3 week journey in Peru where they studied tapestry weaving with Maximo Laura. The tapestries they completed were based on Maximo's 'patterns' (designs) and learned the Peruvian methodology of tapestry execution. It is very textural and each colour area uses 5 strands of  a fine alpaca. Agota, Ellen and Mai-Liis showed us their pictures and samples. 

Which leads me to the conclusion of my meandering but first....isn't it neat how synchronicity has been working these last few weeks and how each interaction with you and whatever is going on in my life seems to be so connected. Christine Shipley sent me this link to a blog entitled "Work is not  a job": http://workisnotajob.com/en/about. On the same theme, of changing life patterns, HGTV is looking for people who are doing just that: 

Fed up with the daily grind? Ready to give up your Wall Street corner office to run the corner cafe on Main Street? How about trading in that cubicle for a houseboat? Want to run your own B&B, rafting business, ski lodge, doggie daycare? Then HGTV is looking for you! HGTV’s, latest series, new house, new life seeks fun, high-energy, people who are in the process of flipping their career or current status for a lifelong passion or newfound interest and moving from their current digs to their dream home! Our cameras will be there to capture key milestones: The trials and tribulations of career departures, moving, settling into new environments, wrangling unexpected surprises with family, realtors and colleagues as the dream becomes a reality. Getting from point a to point b promises multiple surprises and unpredictable finales. Casting applications are being accepted now and production will continue through the fall. Ideal candidates will be outgoing, financially candid people who would love to share their life-changing experience with HGTV’s audience; inspiring others to pursue their dreams too. Singles, couples and families are all invited to apply! For more information please contact:bschoede@orionentertainment.com720.891.4860

Exhibitions

Sacred Stitches

Beauty and Holiness in

the Needlework of many faiths

A week long exhibit of textile art

to mark the 100th anniversary of

Ecclesiastical Needleworkers

of the Diocese of Toronto

Friday October 25-Friday Nov. 1, 2013

at St. James Cathedral, 7:00 am -7:pm

65 Church St. & King St. E. Toronto

http://www.stjamescathedral.on.ca/HistorybrArchitecture/SacredStitchesExhibit/tabid/603/Default.aspx

Community Threads Exhibition

12 tapestries depicting community life recently woven by the Nottawasaga Weavers and Spinners to be exhibited in Alliston, Ontario. Be supportive of other weavers and join me at the opening reception Sunday October 27 between 2-5pm. Refreshments are served!

The Gibson Centre

63 Tupper Street West

Alliston.

Christmas and Cedar Ridge

Sunday November 10

12-5pm

Cedar Ridge Creative Centre

225 Confederation Drive

Scarbourough Ontario

Talks, Workshops & Call for Entries

Karen Bota let us know about a rug weaving event happening at the Textile Museum of Canada: 

http://www.textilemuseum.ca/microsites/artdayproject/ArtDayProject.html

Stitches across TimeDeadline: April 14, 2014
Dufferin County Museum & Archives
936029 Airport Road, Mulmur, ON
September 12 - November 9, 2014
Dufferin County Museum & Archives is pleased to once again present the exhibition Stitches across Time in 2014. Continuing the theme of the first exhibit in 2011, the exhibition will celebrate the tradition and history of textile arts. The DCMA invites submissions for a national juried exhibition of fibre art works inspired by a new selection of six historical pieces from the museum’s extensive collection of textile artifacts.

For access to the call for entry and to view the six inspirational images go towww.stitchesacrosstime.com. For further information email Ruby Qureshi:events@dufferinmuseum.com.

Role models and mentors

Recently, a friend mentioned how inspired she was by a talk Andrea Graham gave entitled "Paddle your own Canoe". http://www.andrea-graham.com/about.html.  Already this young woman has had incredible success in every area of her life it seems, but especially...and enviably, as a fibre artist, more than most  will ever achieve regardless of how much they strive. All her circumstances seem to have conspired to create the incredible opportunities and creative life she has. 

Picture taken by a friend of Darryn Crombeen, while visiting Thailand. These people dyed the silk and wove it. 

In the news here in Toronto recently, an 89 year old peace activist by the name of Audrey Tobias won her court case for refusing to fill out a federal census form, because "Lockheed Martin , the American arms manufacturer, .....provided the software Statistics Canada used to process the information. Tobias said the publicity of last week’s one-day trial pleased her.....“I wanted to make the point that our government is on the wrong path, vis-à-vis the way it handles its military and defence,” Tobias said. “Do you think I made that point? I think I did. " http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/2013/10/09/audrey_tobias_89yearold_census_refuser_to_find_out_fate_wednesday.html. 

 Karin Domnick, a recent arrival to our weaving class, has had many weaving adventures. Here one in Mexico. 

This connects with a review I read recently of Malcolm Gladwell's newly released book, David and Goliath. 
"In David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell, with his unparalleled ability to grasp connections others miss, uncovers the hidden rules that shape the balance between the weak and the mighty, the powerful and the dispossessed. Gladwell examines the battlefields of Northern Ireland and Vietnam, takes us into the minds of cancer researchers and civil rights leaders, and digs into the dynamics of successful and unsuccessful classrooms–all in an attempt to demonstrate how fundamentally we misunderstand the true meaning of advantages and disadvantages. When is a traumatic childhood a good thing? When does a disability leave someone better off? Do you really want your child to go to the best school he or she can get into? Why are the childhoods of people at the top of one profession after another marked by deprivation and struggle?" 

Karin Domnick, a silversmith, also visited this Japanese weaver on her travels. 

The subject came up yet again when I was driving a couple of weaving students to the subway. One mentioned that she was sent a link about a contest of sorts to win a spot to be mentored for a weaving experience. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHjvzOEbWd8&feature=youtu.be
It doens't matter how old we are, we naturally seek out people, usually older than us and often more experienced, that for us represent how we want to live our lives, and the kind of people we want to shape ourselves to be. Audrey is definitely on my list , and there are many women her age that  inhabit my list along with her. Somehow they've maintained a vitality, still have ideals and qualities that I admire. Somehow, they've managed to live  a life that is true to themselves, that is authentic and not prescribed. They are my role models and offer me other ideas about how to live ones life. More recently, I see that I too am a mentor for other women....some younger, some not. It doesn't matter where one is along that continuum, of seeking to live an authentic, and meaningful life, we need to be able to envision what that looks like, what it sounds like, what it feels like.....we need to examine every dimension of our lives and remove all that is not enabling us to reach our 'best self' as Oprah would say. When we don't live the kind of life we envision for ourselves, we start to feel that ache inside and a sense that we are not truly living our lives, but only going through the motions described by the parameters of societal and family expectations. In short, it takes courage to live that kind of life because we must risk: risk looking like a fool, of failing...of not always being certain of what the outcomes will be and where our choices will lead us, but it's even riskier to one's well being if you don't take the risk at all. I may not achieve or accomplish all that I aspire, but I sure will try. 

Arlette Schulman submitted this tapestry woven shape for the international tapestry project. 

I find this theme connects also with Fate, Destiny and Self-Determination/le sort, destin et l'auto-determination international tapestry project that I have undertaken. Fate is defined as a force, energy, principle, element or power that prescribes to each person a set of limits, boundaries and confines. In Islam it is called Kismet.The Greeks called Fate, Moira. Greek Mythology speaks of the three Fates: Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos who supposedly controlled each person’s fate. The youngest, Clotho,  is a spinner and she determines the time of birth and spins the thread of life on her distaff. Lachesis measures the length of the thread to determine the length of one’s life; the time of death is decided by Atropos, who cuts the thread. Inherent in the idea of Fate, is that one has no influence over events and outcomes. Mythology and psychology distinguish between Fate and Destiny. Destiny, is considered an expanding field of possibilities alluding to our potential to influence our Fate. This makes Destiny kinetic. “The lives we construct are an inextricably woven fabric of influences, possibilities and accumulated consequences of choices made.” (What Matters Most, James Hollis). You are never too old and it is never too late to make your life into what you want it to be.