Making

Blog-o-versary | Fifteen years of blogging about tapestry weaving

Blog-o-versary | Fifteen years of blogging about tapestry weaving

How ever did I get to fifteen years on this blog? I suppose one week at a time is how that happened. I started the blog on April 20, 2008 and that makes it 15 years today.

What on earth have I talked about for fifteen years? The digital pages have been full of stories relating to tapestry weaving and now and then a peek inside other parts of my life. Remember the skunk house when I lived in southern Colorado? Or the Colorado Trail thru-hike in 2022? Those weren’t very tapestry related, but I found them fun to write about. There have been knitted creatures and all sorts of fiber-filled adventures along the way.

The blog is also full of useful information if you’re a tapestry weaver. I’ve talked about yarn and looms and technique and design and that is my primary goal in continuing to write it, creating a resource for information about tapestry weaving.

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Woven doodles and finishing work

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Woven doodles and finishing work

Sometimes a little doodle on the loom is all you need to find your weaving momentum again. I had completely forgotten about this little tapestry until last night. I have a very large pile of small and large tapestries that need finishing work. I hate to say it, but that pile has been growing since 2020. I know because virtually all the tapestries I wove on Change the Shed over the last three years are on that pile.

Last night when I was feeling weary and just wanted to relax on the couch and watch TV, I decided it was the day to tackle that pile. Instead of knitting while watching, I would finish those tapestries. And indeed I did the finishing on two small ones in an hour. One of the ones on the top of the pile was this little guy.

Let your hands take over from your brain for a bit

Let your hands take over from your brain for a bit

Have you ever found that state where you lose track of time, completely immersed in something? Where time seems to expand endlessly and your world is simple and completely about whatever you’re doing? For me that happens with hands-on making. It happens with tapestry weaving but also drawing, knitting, and other art or craft I might be engaged in.*

I recently read Michelle Obama’s newest book, The Light We Carry. It is a delightful read. Near the beginning of this book, she talks about knitting.

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The joy of learning: online? or in-the-flesh?

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The joy of learning: online? or in-the-flesh?

THE LIFE OF A FIBER ARTS TEACHER

As most of us return to teaching workshops in person, I’ve seen several musings on some of my colleagues’ blogs about their feelings and experiences of going back to teaching post-covid, not that I believe we are actually “post-covid”! I have been reticent to return to classrooms full of people due to health concerns, but this October the covid numbers were low, I was able to get the omicron booster, and it was time to face my fears and return to the classroom.

It turned out beautifully. Spin Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR) was a wonderful conference. I wrote about it last week including a run-in with a 12-foot skeleton and some beautiful fall weather in Wisconsin. This week I’ve been thinking more about returning to teaching in person as I’m preparing to teach a retreat I run myself in Taos, NM.*

Staying pain free while you weave: Wellness for Makers

Staying pain free while you weave: Wellness for Makers

Missy Graff Ballone’s new book, Wellness for Makers: A Movement Guide for Artists is a book I’ve been waiting awhile for. It is finally out from Schiffer Publishing.

Many of you know I worked as an occupational therapist for 17 years in a wide variety of settings including adult inpatient and outpatient rehab, work rehab/pain clinic, SNF, home health, and I worked for many years in pediatrics in outpatient and schools. Ergonomics was not my specialty, but any OT has to know quite a bit about how to to adapt environments and habits for health and to adapt after injury or disease.

I hear many stories on social media about weavers who give up weaving because they have too much pain with the practice. I think a lot of times that is because they do not know how to adapt their practice and equipment for pain-free use as well as long-term health. It is sad when people give up activities they love because they think they’re too old or have too much pain due to other factors than age rather than learn to adapt the way they approach that activity so they can keep engaging in it. Before you give up weaving, please get a referral to an occupational therapist who can help you figure out ways to continue!

Oh those sheep! They just keep making fleece. Estes Park Wool Market adventures

Oh those sheep! They just keep making fleece. Estes Park Wool Market adventures

For me, there is not much better than a day spent at the Estes Park Wool Market. It has been several years since it happened and I missed it. So I donned my N95 and headed up the mountain on Saturday. I saw so many people I haven’t seen in person for years. I chatted with fellow teachers and friends from the fiber world of Colorado and beyond. I ran into students I’ve only talked to online, students from past retreats, and even some Instagram friends and followers.

One reason for going was to get a fleece to use for teaching at SOAR in October. (Spin Off Autumn Retreat is run by Long Thread Media). I know. I’m teaching at a spinning retreat. But I’m not really teaching spinning. I’m teaching spinners how to use their handspun for tapestry weaving. I did manage to find many great fleece candidates, quite a few of which were already sold. But I came home with one complete fleece and three partial fleeces. Two of those are at least in part for the SOAR classes. Triumph! (Buying a fleece can feel sort of scary.)

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Icelandic yarns for knitting (and tapestry weaving!)

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Icelandic yarns for knitting (and tapestry weaving!)

Icelandic sheep are the only ones that live on the island. As such, their genetics are well preserved. The wool there is mostly processed by Istex, the company that makes lopi yarn in various sizes. There is Alafosslopi (bulky), Lettlopi (worsted), Einband (laceweight), and Plotulopi (unspun wool used for knitting) along with a few others.

I bought Einband for tapestry weaving. More on that later in the post. I also bought a few skeins of Lettlopi to try my hand at some Icelandic/Nordic mittens. The pattern is Emma’s Ice Flower Mittens (Ravelry link). I forgot how much I enjoyed stranded colorwork. And I have to say that this yarn is outstanding for this kind of garment. Oh my goodness but this Lettlopi grabs. These stitches aren’t going anywhere.