Had to try this again. Hope this works.
I can’t figure out how to add a video from You Tube, so here’s the link instead. It’s about saving an executive. You may have already seen it, but it’s funny.
Will need to turn off the computer soon–storms all around, hail, tornado watch, etc. Later …
After trying to like what I had on the loom, I finally cut it off and started again. Since I have to keep up with the warp that I use, I wasted a total of 22 inches on the cut-off section. I recently put 33 yards on the loom, and I try to keep up with every bit that I use. It’s horrible to be in the middle of a project and to realize there’s not enough warp to finish. Now I’m happy and really ready to weave. I decided that I was being to0 literal in using the colors of the domes in the Badlands picture. I am not pictorial at all, so back to the drawing board. Plus, I think I was trying to use some of those greens that were the wrong colors for the commission piece.
Today is not going to be a weaving day, but I’ll be ready to start fresh tomorrow. Today is the regular house blessing (aka cleaning) and a guild board meeting. Guess I should get busy, right?
Guild pictures
I uploaded new images to our guild web site. My friend Margaret Humphries as a new piece that’s a sculpture. Take a look at it here.
This is a picture that a friend took of some dolls in a market in Peru. Just thought I’d throw it in for some color.
Okay, it’s pretty boring around here right now. I’m weaving, watching the birds, and thinking about how I’m going to finally get the right colors for this dye project. I made a group of small sample skeins (10 grams) yesterday. I’m going to dig out my old canning jars and try minute amounts of dye on each skein. I’ve never dyed this way before, but I know people who have. It’s tempting to go out and buy a cheap microwave, but then I’d have to arrange a place for it.
Had my eyes checked yesterday after having lunch with a friend. My prescription has changed, so I’m going to have new lenses put into the old frames.
Like I said, pretty dull. The weather is nice, though we need rain. Makes me want to do some gardening, even though it’s February and will freeze again.
Back to weaving . . .
Jennifer wanted to know about the texture of the piece in the last post. I showed a close-up of that piece in a previous post. After trying a sample last summer, I just recently got around to doing some needle felting around the Xs and Os with some merino roving. It looks good and appears to be structurally sound, but I don’t think I would put it on the floor and walk on it. Of course, I don’t think the size of this piece lends itself to the floor anyway. It measures 33.5 x 46–I think. I’ve got a couple of pieces that I either want to do some more needle felting or other type of surface design, perhaps printing or dyeing. They are rolled up in the collection that needs to have the ends needle woven into the fabric of the rug.
Sunshine again…but cold
Doing more dyeing and weaving today. I find myself really ready for spring, and it’s only Groundhog Day! My desire for spring seems to be coming earlier and earlier every year.
Math
I spent some time yesterday translating the small amounts of the Grey Spoons into what I think are metric equivalents, since all my dyeing is done by metric weight. I think I’ll make a table because those spoons are really easy to use for the smaller amounts needed for lighter colors.
Web Site
I have spent some time updating our guild’s web site with new photos.
I added the piece on the left (in the top photo) yesterday. Since it’s shorter, it was easier to hang. I don’t have a good photo, but the one I took is the second photo. I have hard getting these pics to go where I want them to do. The picture is a little dark, but . . .
Friends
I spent some time yesterday afternoon catching up with friends that I haven’t seen in a while. Just made some calls, went to school and saw my former fellow colleagues. Two lunch visits are now scheduled for next week.
Stuff
I have also scheduled delivery of a new washer, something I’ve been putting off for more than two years. One of those new, super-efficient washers would be wonderful, but they’re too big for my space. I have a closet that holds the hot water heater and the washer and dryer. I recently had a new water heater put in and discovered that water heaters are much larger in diameter than they used to be. So are clothes washers–not in diameter, in width. The closet doesn’t get wider. In addition, since I dye all my yarns, I need a regular top-loading washer. After the dyeing is completed, I bring the yarns in, spin out the water, remove the yarns, fill the washer with water, put the yarns back, and let them soak for a while. Then I spin the water out and repeat the process. You can see that front-loading would not work. I’m getting a Speed Queen that’s 25.6 inches wide, close to the size of my current washer. Hope it works. It will be nice to be able to wash in cold water again. Haven’t had that option for over two years. I’ve also got the new roof scheduled for next week. Noisy time!
Movie
We went to the Modern Art Museum last night where they show “art” movies on the weekend. The movie last night was Waltz with Bashir, an animated documentary about a 1982 Israeli war veteran trying to regain memories of the war with Lebanon and the massacre of the Palestinians in the refugee camps there. The animation was like graphic novels and very good. This film has won several awards and was very interesting. Here’s the Wikipedia info.
Here’s what I hung for Stage West. They want me to hang one more piece, but I have to decide on what will go well with this group and the RED wall. Actually, the wall doesn’t look bad. There is a big window to the right, so it gets plenty of light. And there’s a big spot for the evening lighting. Speaking of evening, we’re getting comped to go to the champagne opening. Guess we’ll get out on a Saturday night!
Tonight is the first presentation of the play, and they’ve still got ice in front of the door and the walkway to the door. Needless to say, we utilized the back door. Did not want to try and carry large items and try to follow the 10-inch wide, ice-free path across the parking area.
I think I know which piece to hang with this group. Will hang it tomorrow. If it doesn’t go with the group, it’ll just have to look like the outcast. At least it has a title.
Titles
The piece on the right in the picture does not have a title, so it’s listed as Untitled (Purple Ikat). I think most of my work could remain untitled, as in Untitled I, Untitled II, and so on. But people seem to like titles and expect them. If anyone has a title to suggest, I’ll consider it. I was thinking of something like Eights, since the ikat sections are in groups of eights. Pretty boring, right?
I’m finally doing some weaving! Another yay! We took a trip to the Badlands in September, and I’ve got a couple of ideas for using scenes from there as inspiration for weaving a couple of smaller pieces. Many of those wrong-color yarns will be good for this project. The pictures shown here are two different shots of a particular landform in the Badlands. I’ve forgotten the details, but it has something to do with evaporation…I think. You can read about it if your’e interested in the link above. The colors were pretty distinctive, maybe because everything was so flat and grayish. I’m just going to pick out the colors I like and weave a very non-pictorial piece–some gradations of colors, etc.
South Dakota
The reason we went to South Dakota is that I wanted to see Mt. Rushmore. We flew into Rapid City, and I knew as soon as we landed that we weren’t in Kansas anymore, or even Texas. It’s an old city that has kept many of its old buildings giving it a very quaint downtown area. I really liked SD and was very impressed with the Badlands. But, then, I also thought Rushmore was pretty impressive, along with the Black Hills. We drove to Deadwood–also a neat, historical place. I’ve been to several National Parks in the last few years, and I have to say, we’ve got great parks. I’ve been very impressed with the facilities and the personnel. The rangers are very knowledgeable and receptive to questions.
I always like to see weaving in any form. Many of my friends weave with complicated structures that are beautiful and that I admire. I just don’t want to keep up with the treadling necessary for that kind of weaving and do it myself. There’s an artist who comes to Main Street that weaves large metal screens. Maybe I’ll own one someday. Then there’s glass weaving. Take a look at at William Zwiefel’s work, pictured above. I love it. I heard about a program on CBS Sunday morning about glass weaving and watched the video. You can see it here. Pretty interesting.
