Friday, May 30, 2014

Challenges, Blessings and Friendships

Ellen Valters wove this rag rug out of tshirt strips. Her inspiration was taken from the "Rag Rug Handbook" by Janet Meany and Paula Pfaff, published in 1988 by Dos Tejedoras Fiber Arts Publications, Saint Paul MN
Kentucky Mountain Pattern (p.60) is a modified log cabin weave. 

Susan Mellor writes: 
I cannot thank you enough for helping me with this very special project and I cannot be happier that I did finish it on time, thank you for the push.  I really could have never accomplished this without you.  You know I love you so very much, your support always is so appreciated, special and I know so rare to be found (in others).  I am so blessed to have you in my life.
Here is a picture of Ben and I.  He absolutely loved it and was so very nervous for the actual day, although he sang absolutely beautifully.  He stood and touched it and twirled it in his hands during the service.  He told me after it made him feel so good to have it in his hands, he is mine and so very sensitive.   Before the service began Ben and I stood together in front of the congregation and I presented it to Ben, as the Rabbi said a blessing over him to receive such a special gift.  It was a very beautiful moment. The Rabbi wished that this gift will become an heirloom in our family and Ben whispered to me the next day at Shul.  "Mummy I promise I will give this to my children".
Thank you Thank you LINE!!
Tallit (Jewsih prayer shawl) woven by Susan Mellor for her son Ben's Bar Mitzvah. Merino Wool and Bamboo.
 A tallit  is a Jewish prayer shawl worn by men, over  outer clothes during the morning prayers and worn during all prayers on Yom Kippur. The tallit has special twined and knotted fringes known as tzitzit attached to its four corners. Traditional ones are made of wool and are often first worn by adolescent males on their Bar Mitzvahs. In some groups it is customarily presented to a groom before marriage as part of the dowry. To know about the tallit go to : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tallit
Baby Blanket in space-dyed 2/8 cotton in a waffle weave (also know as Honeycomb) by Julia Pelenyi. 
It's been a challenging year (in the weaving class). Many issues have come up that were unusual challenges to say the least. I shouldn't complain because the last 17 years there has hardly been any serious problems and things have gone swimmingly. Some of these challenges were not only mine, but the students too as they struggled with not only some extra challenging projects and class situations, but also real life challenges as well. So I am filled with gratitude and feel so blessed, despite all the struggles and turmoils, participants in the class still share their positive and kind thoughts with me. In the last while this positive feedback has been pouring in and if I have realized anything it is that kindness and gentleness can heal the world, one person at a time. Jane Richmond writes: 
"Dear Line, Thank you so much for helping me to discover the "joy of weaving" . When I first enrolled in this class two years ago, I knew absolutely nothing about weaving and no expectations but now, after 2 years of warping, threading, re-threading, and wefting - nothing compares to watching a pattern slowly emerge from the loom - it's magic! You are wonderfully patient, practical and talented teacher and your class is full of friendly and supportive weavers. I am [already] looking forward to the Fall term."

I am pleased to announce the tapestry installation, Fate, Destiny and Self-Determination/le sort, le destin et l'auto-determination, co-created by 200 people from 23 countries, will be on exhibit at the Craft Ontario gallery, 990 Queen Street West. September 18,  6-9 will be the opening reception. The exhibit will continue until September 27. Regis University Library, in partnership with the Smithsonian, is also interested in exhibiting the installation during the summer of 2015. Go to the Tapestry blog for more info: http://tapestryline.blogspot.ca/2014/05/craft-ontario-in-toronto-will-exhibit.html






I was recently at the exhibition opening at Craft Ontario (formerly the Ontario Craft Council) at 990 Queen Street West. I was excited to see contemporary craft work of emerging crafts people in Ontario. I was disappointed that there wasn't any weaving and I wonder if any weavers applied. Get your work out there....and here are some opportunities Craft Ontario is offering you. Opportunity won't open it's door to you unless you knock on it!

FOUR CALLS FOR APPLICATION! 
  1. *NEW - Celebrating Our Logo Call for Entry - In continuing the celebration of our new brand identity, Craft Ontario and Craft Ontario Shop are presenting two new member opportunities. Craft Ontario Shop Merchandise and the New President's Pin.
  2. Applications for our inaugural Craft Show are due JUNE 13
  3. The deadline to apply for the Craft Awards Program is JUNE 20
  4. Apply to be a part of the Holiday Pop-up Craft Shop by AUGUST 15
To learn more go to www.craftontario.com


Thursday, May 22, 2014

Gratitude

Mary Pietropaoulo with her bamboo crackle weave scarf , pattern taken from a recent Handwoven magazine. 

There is nothing as lovely to behold than when a weaver radiates with the joy of her handwoven creation. A lot of this joy and pride infuses the weaving classes and I am blessed to be there to behold the many transformations that people undergo, despite the challenges that weaving (and their lives) can present. 

Leslie Wynn loves weaving wallhangings, taking a Saouri approach. 
As the weaving classes are coming to a close and will not recommence until next Fall, many participants expressed their appreciation and gratitude for the efforts that I make to assist them in their weaving education and endeavours, and the lengths I go to so that they will be successful in their projects and weaving aspirations. This year,  people's kind words, thoughfulness and special gifts were particularly touching. Helen Skelton wrote: Many thanks for teaching me to weave this school year - just wanted to let you know how much I've enjoyed your classes, which are packed with knowledge and fun :-)
I'm already looking forward to fall classes starting up again. Also, wanted to say a big thank you for  the book prize for me last night - I had a quick look through it and it's excellent.  I'll get a lot of information and ideas from that one, and probably my attempt at an overshot pattern."
 Linda Thompson wrote: "Thank you for your generosity and kindness sometimes at personal expense....." I have a little book I keep where I mark down all the nice, kind supportive things people say....and I look at it when I think no one cares or notices how I try to make the world a better place in the most ordinary  daily activities and interactions of life. It reminds me that it's always worthwhile to be kind, even when one cannot always accommodate another person's requests and expectations. 

Caroline Castilloux wove this "Light and Lacey Huck Lace Scarf" desgined by Madelyn Van Der Hoogt and can be found in the MarchApril 2009 issue of Handwoven magazine. Caroline used a 20/2 worsted wool. 
Becasue the Wednesday group will not be meeting anymore, many came out for the pot luck meal we customarily have and there was a lot of exuberance in the room . Students still managed to get work done and projects completed. We still have two more Mondays to go before we break for summer. 

In the Knitters Loom Corner

Mimma Draga showed us her recent creations on her knitters loom, scarves made of alpaca. 

I too am grateful for the support, the patience, the enthusiasm and the affection the many students/participants give me. Thank you for making my job more than just a job!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

Surprise


How astonished I was to get Ted Hallman's call and request to come and visit me at the Toronto Weaving School. It all happened at the last minute with little time to organize anything more formal or a more substantial welcome. The students had no idea that there would be any change of plan. All were pleasantly charmed and enthralled by Ted as he talked about his work over his lifetime, showed us his catalogues and his  video of the latest installation and exhibition. His latest installation you can see here on this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrNgXsqQtUE. To read more about this visit go to the Tapestry link at the bottom of the page. 


Synonyms for surprise are astonish, astound, amaze, flabbergast...the positive side of surprise. How delighted we are when in our weaving projects, things work out better than we thought, people praise what we've woven, purchased our woven product or that the dressing of the loom went smoothly without any glitches or threading mistakes. 

Rep weave rug by Jane Tucker. Cotton and mop cotton. 


Checkered Scarf by Andrew Winter in a beautifully soft and very fine lace weight merino yarn. 

Weaving Links, Resources and News
Tapestry at the Toronto Weaving School http://tapestryline.blogspot.ca/2014/05/ted-hallman.html

Laura de Vrij sends this link about a Fibre Festival in the Ottawa area http://www.festivaltwist.org/en/

Susan Abrams reminds us that the Textile Museum of Canada is having it's annual garage sale next weekend

Loom for Sale $2000.
https://bay178.mail.live.com/mail/ViewOfficePreview.aspx?messageid=mgMd8v8Brb4xGrhQAkgYiG9g2&folderid=flGbikzK3Du0OFrL8wDy-ruw2&attindex=0&cp=-1&attdepth=0&n=42804668


Thursday, May 8, 2014

365 Words


Judite Vagners Merino scarf. Woven on the Jane Louet 8 shaft table loom. Judite said she enjoyed weaving on this loom. 
Individual words have always ignited my imagination, my dreaming, and been a vital source of inspiration and igniting my enthusiasm. Finding those words that are kindling for my learning and growing on my weaving quest has taken years to accumulate and likely I will add many more. Here are my 365 words that help me to keep an open mind and an open heart and a healthy approach to not only my learning but the learning of others. 
Iris Koczerginski first project, a bamboo and cotton scarf. The idea inspired by a project from Handwoven magazine. 
KNOWLEDGE
Is multi dimensional
cognition 
recognition 
realization 
mistakes
apprehension 
comprehension 
understanding
reflection
read 
grasp 
mastery  
consciousness 
awareness 
uncertainty
intuition   
time for absorption
listen 
foresight 
illumination 
revelation 
observation 
risk
enlightenment 
wisdom 
experience 
watch 
hands-on-experience 
communication
practical 
share
measurement
familiarity
errors
analysis  
sensory knowledge
experimentation 
self knowledge
introspection
discovery 
specialization
skill 
focus
discipline 
practice
attentiveness 
concentration
mindfulness experimentation
trial   and  error
repetition
evaluation

Ghandi dedicated his life to the wider purpose of discovering his own inner truth. He set out to do this by trying to learn from his own mistakes and observing himself, his actions, his reactions, his thoughts. This journey of self discovery and learning is in his book The Story of My Experiments with Truth. Ghandi believed that the most important battle to fight was overcoming one’s own demons, fears and insecurities.

About MISTAKES
An action that was not one’s intention and a result of a moment of inattention.

“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein

“Since nothing we intend is ever faultless, and nothing we attempt ever without error, and nothing we achieve without some measure of finitude and fallibility we call humanness, we are saved by”…..being able to forgive ourselves, by not abusing ourselves, berating ourselves, nor judging what we have done harshly. Part quotation by David Augsburger.

Wendy Hayden worked on the double weave sampler inspired by Jennifer Moore's book. Here on my computer screen the light areas appear green...these areas are white, however I thought this colour combination would be a nice combination. 

Tapestry Weaving
http://tapestryline.blogspot.ca/2014/05/warp-and-weft-ends.html

Thursday, May 1, 2014

What's in Your Weaving Tool Box?

Avril Loreti created these delicious baby blankets with 4/8 cotton in a rosepath pattern. The colour combinations remind me of ice cream. 
Like a musician, a weaver improves with practice and experience. Nothing else can replace that. Although they are important resources, it doesn't matter how many books one reads, how many videos one watches, nothing can replace the actual DOING. This becomes very evident if you've ever tried to learn another language, or  to dance. To improve virtuosity, skill and reportorie one needs to practice, practice, practice. There is no getting around it. 
We saw this blanket created by Mai-Liis Toome a while back but now here it is with the baby included. This is Mai-Liis' grandson in Sweden and she says he doesn't notice any of the mistakes! 
"Rules" often vary from one book/DVD/instructor to another. See them only as guidelines. None are completely right or wrong and all have their appropriate situation when applying them will be very helpful. From one fibre to another, the best method of handling also varies in terms of what is most suitable. Methods and techniques, approaches have their different conditions and circumstances when they are most appropriate and best circumstances.  Most of us know that if you want to paint like Robert Bateman, one probably wouldn't apply paint like Van Gogh. The same holds true for weaving. One learns that to achieve certain outcomes, different and varied strategies, equipment, approaches exist and what works for one person, may not for another. It's important to evaluate your project once you've done it. What have you learned from it? What will or won't you do again ....though never say never!
Helen Skelton was creating this warp at home. Her son called the warp a Wooly Caterpillar. Though the colours look Christmasy, Helen informed me that these are the Welsh colours....and oops, I forgot the rest of it! She's making three scarves. 
This is a wonderful time to be learning to weave when there are so many great resources now available at your fingertips.....a great springboard for our weaving practice which can serve to generate discussions about various methods and techniques.
We had a bag load of miscacealeous yarn donated to the Toronto Weaving School. Here Helen Skelton, who is a chemist (on right) and Laura de Vrij (on left in top picture) do burn tests to see what the fibre is. 
There are many pros and cons to using various technical methods in weaving and discussion about them can help dispel confusion and frustration.
Here Carla Duncan (left), herself a scientist and Laura de Vrij, continue to unravel (tee hee) the mystery fibres with burn tests. By analyzing the smell of the flame/burn and the colour of ash, as well as burn speed one is able to determine the fibre. 
What's in your weaving tool box? 
Books, magazines, DVDs, YouTube, other teachers, other learners, and the many cultures that practice weaving all in their own way with their own unique methods and techniques. Also in that toolbox new ideas, new weave structures, new materials. Colour design courses. Workshops. and oh yes, you will need a screwdriver and plyers once in awhile. 

All that being said, who says it has to be hard work to weave! Enjoy the journey and the discoveries. Enjoy the not knowing and let the delight of wonder and curiosity ignite your imagination! Enjoy the people you are meeting who are also on this weaving journey!

KNITTERS LOOM CORNER
Very happy colours scarf by Arlene Williams.

Houndstooth scarf by Phyllis Fitzsimmons
Link to the Tapestry Blog..... http://tapestryline.blogspot.ca/2014/05/a-clever-miniature-tapestry-idea.html