weaving Archives - Page 3 of 4 - loveFibre

one warp, three weaves

At Woolfest this year, I bought a pre-wound warp from the Saori Shed – mostly purple cotton with a bit of texture and sparkle. I’ve been winding my own warps since I used up the pre-wound warp that came with my loom and I enjoy the process and the choices; but this was a bit different and a special treat.

In these scarves I was playing with cramming and spacing the warp and its effect on the patterns – twill on the left, plain weave on the right.

Both the scarf patterns were woven on the same threading, but I didn’t think there was enough warp left for a third and in any case I wanted to try some Saori play with pattern. Two weavers who use pattern in ways I find very inspiring are Susan Johnson of Avalanche Looms and Judy of Fibres of Being. I particularly like Judy’s Saori-style interpretations of the rosepath pattern. So I’ve rethreaded the heddles and have been trying rosepath in various yarns. It’s exciting to see all those wonderful little dots appearing as if by magic… Are they not-quite-diamonds or almost-circles? I’m not sure but I love them.

a quick one

I realise how often I don’t post here because I take so long to write a post and get images together; and how counter productive that is.

So just a note about a couple of things I’m doing.

The latest in the withdrawn warp experiments, this is bigger than the previous one, 36cm long, and was woven on the tail end of the first warp on my new Saori loom. The fibre was combed top, with an assortment of frayed fabric strips. I’m beginning to get an idea of how this could develop.

This is the first length of fabric I wove on the loom using the pre-wound warp that came with it. It’s mostly handspun yarns and the warp is cotton. Apologies that I haven’t yet trimmed the ends on the back.

Offset Warehouse, while looking for a heavy organic fairtrade cotton. I sent for their sample set and it arrived yesterday. I love the range… They sell reclaimed fabric as well.

weaving play

I made this little sample quickly yesterday and can’t wait to explore this further. I warped a tiny frame loom with some very rough hemp, and wove it with alternate picks of torn fabric and thick and thin Colinette yarn. Then I threw it in the washing machine with a load of washing.

When it came out I thought it looked quite interesting, with some parts firmly felted and some holes, especially where the yarn was thin. I hadn’t planned to remove the warp as well but once the idea occurred to me it became an irresistible ‘what if’, so I snipped the knots and pulled out the hemp. I wondered if the wool would hold the weft together and the answer is yes. I like the way it’s solid in places and fragile in others, just like memory. I also like the texture and structure of it, and the way the effect of the warp persists.

I’m going to have a play with handspun and unspun wool, and different kinds of fabric, and different warps, felting by hand, to see what emerges. I imagine a series of pieces, ragged yet strong, To do with prayer and memory and being made new. I am thinking about habits and quotidien rhythms and the structure of praying the hours, and how our outworn clothes embody our history and memory, about what we keep and what we waste, and about connections and inclusion and mixing things up. All sorts of things.

Re-weaving: Sakiori inspirations

I had heard this word, Saki-ori, before, but I never quite took in what it is. The Japanese tradition of creating new cloth from old cloth, weaving with thin strips of worn fabric. Akin to rag rugs, but on a fine scale, soft enough for clothing.

When I made these …

weaving

for these …

artwork

… I knew I would come back to this, one day. Find out more. Take it further.

A long time ago, I stitched connections between the fabrics I’ve worn and worn out.

textile

Three weeks ago I met a woman who will never buy any clothes again, ever.

Then, I read the year of enough by Joanna of Things[HandMade].

Yesterday, sorting out supplies for a feltmaking day I’m leading next week, I felt drowned in everything I’ve amassed, such quantities that I hardly know what I have.

There’s so much going on in my head right now I think I may fly apart. But I hope that the quiet discipline of cloth will hold the fragments together.

Sakiori is here, here, here, and here. And here, along with many other wonderful stripes and strips.

The prayer flag project

I can’t remember how I learned about this project, but I’m thinking about joining in. I find prayer flags and prayer trees captivating: the raggedness; the littleness; the physicality of spirituality; the way they hold permanence and impermanence combined.

Back when I was exploring prayer flags (and their relationship to laundry) for a prayer flag weaving, I favourited a number of images on Flickr, so I’ve just made them into a small gallery to share with you. If you also happen to like looking at laundry, on the line is another gallery I made a while ago…