At last! 5 minutes to upload – Noriko, “work in progress”

Weird few weeks

So, what I say? Another long-ish delay since I last opened this blog, but it’s not for want of thinking about it. I’ve discovered, (or rather, “admitted to myself“), that I can weave or I can blog, but I can’t blog about weaving and weave – I don’t have the time for both – and sometimes I have the time for neither…and then there are babies, house-work, sale shopping, grocery shopping, and going to “full-time-paid-grown-up-work-at-the-office” all to consider.

The good news is that my withdrawl has been for a nice commission to weave a scarf for a lady in Japan (and go shopping in the sales!) - I’ve been rummaging for yarns, making wee wrapings, Pixeloom-ing designs and generally filling my evenings with the little pleasures of warping, winding and threading (I’m still threading up but hope to get started on Sat or Sun). Pictures of these efforts to follow.
I’ve avoided house-work and grocery shopping, and this week we’re trying grocery shopping online for the first time – fingers crossed it goes well, as I would really like to give up the 2-3 hours we seem to spend at the market, butchers and supermarket on a Saturday morning…It’s doubtful I’ll be able to spend the time saved Weaving, but I can always hope!

Another long gap

I had such grand plans to update this during the Christmas holidays – and here I am, back in Barcelona, after 3 weeks of Ireland and Derbyshire, and I am sitting in front of a computer again for the first time in that whole period…It’s been a bit hectic with Hannah being ill (one trip to the hospital with a strange rash), snow, more snow, quite serious sub-zero temperatures and then a bit more snow…been one of those holidays!
So as I write this, H is going through a basket of yarns, listening to “Happy and you know it clap your hands” and I’m trying to plan a wool warp and a quick dyeing session for tomorrow. I’ve got some things to upload onto Etsy, but I’ve decided to focus on sampling for a month or two – and a nice lambs wool warp is the focus of my attention right now – that and SOMETHING useful to do with thrums (left over weaving yarn) – photos of that to follow – Hannah has just velcro-ed herself to some single spun linen.

I should have put these up ages ago – after my fed-up-ness with suggestions in Handwoven, I went on the hunt to find something to do with my lefts overs, and having discovered the pin loom (I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I discovered it in Handwoven), I thought that some of the longer thrums would work with this – especially if they were wool and could be felted afterwards. So, “Project 1 – What to try and do USEFULLY with thrums has been launched” – God knows how it will go, or if it will ever be finished, but I’ve got to start somewhere. The idea is to weave up little rectangles with the wool thrums I have and then stitch them together and felt them – or felt them and stitch together (depending on how I feel on the day). I’m not sure how much I’ll have, but hopefully enough for a warm cot blanket or a throw.

I bought a set of 3 wooden picture frames from Ikea and used the pattern layout from the Pin Loom (eloomanation.com) reference page. Matt put in the tack pins for me – total cost, 4euros for making the pin loom…the cost of them on Ebay is quite scary, so I would suggest to anyone thinking of trying this little project to check out the eloominations page – for the cost of a wooden picture frame and a few wee nails, you can’t really go wrong.

When I was home in Ireland at Christmas, I also got my dad to make me a raddle and a “mobile warping set” so I can get some things done at home, if I don’t have time to make a warp before I go back. I’m not sure this was what I’d originally intended to blog about here, but it seems like a good time to mention it. He put together a raddle and 3 sets of warping pegs from bits of wood he had in the garage, some wood glue and some tack nails. I was very impressed! The warping pegs are brilliant, they can be fitted onto a table or work surface with g-clamps and it means you can make the warp as long as are short as you like. Not quite as convenient as my warping mill (also home made), but almost as convenient / inconvenient as a warping board.

More Japanese art in town! wooo hooo!

So after the lovely free exhibition that was on in the Padrera last year I shouldn’t complain about having to pay to get into the Picasso museum…(mmm, it’s not the money that bothers me, it’s the queues and pickpockets – but I’ll stop with the negative waves).

In particular the exhibition is of images from the floating world or “Water trade” – “Mizu shobai“…(eh, “street industry” erotic art or “porn” as it is known to most westerners). As always though, the Japanese manage to take something that the western world views as a bit sordid and cleans it up to be sensual art. I love japanese prints, and their riské material is no exception – now I just need to find someone who will go with me to see it! (I don’t think Matt would pay the money!!)
Neki – are you interested?

And the exhibition runs to the 14th of February – how romantic!

http://www.bcn.cat/museupicasso/en/exhibitions/current.html

On a sad note, I found out yesterday that an old gentleman who sells end of run yarns is shutting up shop in Barcelona. “Fleko” has been one of the best sources for some beautiful yarns and when I went to get some curtain tape from him yesterday (as I’m currently trying to make some curtains), he told me he was closing down – it’s not worth it any longer. Any weavers or knitters in the Barcelona area who don’t know about this shop should give me a ping, I’d be happy to pass on the address so you can make the most of his end of line bargains while he’s still around.

 

Rebirth – in gentle golds and soft wools

 So after a lot of debate I decided to get back to what I love – colour and structure. Klimt had more than a small hand in the influences for this belt, but I have to say, I’ve not taken one photo that actually does this justice. It is such a gorgeous blend of warm colours. I’ve just put it up on etsy…let’s see if anyone else thinks it’s worth wearing.  More about this on my Esty Weaves page.

Crochet Mad! (but especially to go with a woven shawl)

It has been a bit depressing, looking at all the beautiful things on Etsy and looking at the pile of scarves I need to get finished, the 2 baby blankets and all my shawl flower pins that have been carefully wrapped in plastic awaiting finishing – but, I’m getting there!

Hannah has been co-operating this weekend, and as well as making a beef and guinness stew for dinner I also got some pins finished – unfortunately it is taking me ages to get them on to Etsy, and further more has anyone else ever thought that Etsy is lacking a European grouping for shipping options? (I feel a twit now, I’ve just found they have put up a European Union option…ah well, you live and learn)

Extreme Weaving – Not for arachnophobics

I had to put this post in, as to me it is a beautiful little story – not to mention expensive, (and some might say creepy). So, as we approach Hallowe’en, here we have a lovely story of silken spiders and weaving.
A wee bit on the expensive side for anyone thinking of getting some of this yarn, but it’s definately a renewable, natural fibre!

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113223398

And another trip – this time, Ireland

Well, we were in Ireland last week and just before I left for home, I was given a commission and asked if I could weave a long table runner to match a set of placemats I’d woven about 4 years ago. It’s always nice to get a commission, especially when you know you’ll have time to do it (and you’d be weaving anyway!). Luckily I had time to make a warp before I went back, and even luckier the weather meant I could take my little weavemaster out into the garden – above are the results.

I can never decide if I love or hate this little Weavemaster. Reasons to love it are clear – it cost me 12 GB pounds; it can be carried around the house / garden by one person; it is quick to thread up; You can wind off the back beam while standing at the front…
Reasons to hate it – It’s small with only 2 shafts and not a very big shed.

Anyway, it more than served its purpose and it was very nice to weave in the garden.

Industrial Revolution, Spinning Jenny…and Why fairies need scarves

So, after a lot of family drama, we eventually made it over to England to visit Hannah’s great-granny Violet,  meet up university friends whom we’ve  not seen in almost 15 years, and then up to the north, to see Matt’s parents. “Too much (non-relevant) information” for a weaving blog? Well it turned out to be more of a weaving trip than I’d imagined.

To start with – “old uni friends” – Claire Silverthorne and I went to Winchester School of Art together, and became good friends. Both of us specialised in weaving, and while I always went a bit mad with colour and technicalities (give me 36 shafts and I’ll still want 2 more to put the selvedge on), Claire was the master of subtle designs and delicate colours. She can work magic with 2 colours and make it a full palet. Not to mention having had more of a clue how to use the Jacquard! Claire’s now married with two beautiful wee girls, and when we met up she returned 2 scarves I’d made a very long time ago. One (pictured here), Claire described to Poppy as “a scarve for fairies” towit Poppy repied “why do fairies need scarves?” A lesson to all of us not to get too airy-fairy in our naming policies or what we think we make! There’s always a 4 year old around to help bring you back down to earth!

And then there was the trip to Arkright’s mill, 10 minutes from my parents-in-law’s house…

2 weeks later I get back to finish this post -
spinning jennies and water powered mills -
My parents-in-law live in Derbyshire, about 10 minutes away from Arkright’s first mills – “Masson Mill” and “Arkright’s Mill” at Cromford. If this means nothing to you, then it’s time to read up on your weaving / spinning history.
Arkright “Father of the Factory System”, for better or worse, was one of the men who changed the course of spinning/weaving history and brought it into the industrial age – to the cost of traditional weavers and spinners. There is a lot of debate if he and men like him, were forces for good or ill for spinners and weavers, but as Hemmingway said, you cannot stop an idea whose time has come – so maybe it was just that Arkright had the ideas first and it was all going to happen anyway.
Unfortunately the state of the mills right now is a bit sad, and although there are working looms, carders and other machinery to see in Masson mill they seem to only be churning out deck-chair fabric, while Arkright’s Mill is infuriating-ly a “Weaver-free” zone.  The photographs above are from Arkright’s mill (the weir, sluce gate and out buildings), and the internal photos are from Masson Mill museum – about 10 minutes away from Arkrights mill.

For a real treat on a working mill and the conditions of those who worked there “Quarrybank Mill” is excellent – but that’s another story – and day trip – entirely

I did some Googling to find out a bit more about Arkright, Cromford and Masson, and found some interesting links by more knowledgeable people than myself. 
 
http://www.arkwrightsociety.org.uk/
http://www.massonmills.co.uk/
http://www.derbyshireuk.net/mills3.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cromford_Mill

And shake it all loose…

You know when you’ve just finished your step or aerobics class (way back in the day, when I actually did something other than running after a baby for exercise!), and they tell you to “take a deep breath, and shake it all loose”? – Well, that’s what I need to do weaving-wise. Something with “no-stress” attached.

It’s been a hell of a month, quite literally. My dad had a heart attack while staying with us here in Spain (a huge shock to everyone, not least of all himself – but thank God for the Barcelona emergency services and Spanish public health system – How in the name of all that is Holy, can the richest country in the world even be debating the possibility of a public health service?? ), Hannah decided that she was waking up for a feed every 2.5 – 3 hours and was sleeping in our bed again, work just heated up and  we’re waiting for our mortgage to be re-evaluated…yup “take a deep breath, and shake it all loose”

A wee bit of linen and pure wool double cloth with pockets of cotton thrums. It’s been a while since I did anything for the fun of it, or to “see what happens when you wash it”, but this has been good, relaxing therapy.