Tapestry Diary

Weaving the fall chamisa bloom

Weaving the fall chamisa bloom

I’ve been doing a little weaving. There are seasons where I don’t have enough time to play with yarn and the last few months have felt like that. So I spent four solid days last weekend weaving and I finished a piece. A fairly large piece actually. It is a wonderful thing to completely give yourself over to making something for several days in a row. I had enough of a plan to get me going and I had previously dyed the yarn. Sitting at the loom, despite the ache in my rear after the first day, was marvelous. I made some decisions and added some elements as I saw the thing unfold and in the end I was quite pleased with it. I can’t show it to you right now, but I’ll give you the details after I learn the fate of the show submission.

Weaving for days in a row reminded me of how brittle I start to feel when I don’t weave. My fiber crafting with knitting and spinning here and there helps, but there is no substitute for making art. So until the next large piece is started, more tapestry diary work it is.

Inhale

Inhale

A vacation.

It does not seem like taking some time off should be difficult. Humans need rest.

But I do find it difficult to absent myself completely from my business. It turns out in two weeks there were no monumental tapestry emergencies, my website went back up, and I enjoyed watching my brain relax its anxious grip on whatever it perceives as reality in that moment.

I picked up Krista Suh's book, DIY Rules for a WTF World in a yarn shop recently and it seemed like great deck reading. Right at the beginning of the book. . . .

Weaving on the road

Weaving on the road

Summer is a great time for tapestry weaving and travel. I packed up an overly large bag (or two) of yarn, spindles, and looms and had a few days car camping at 11,000 feet with friends.

Some four selvedge weaving was done on this trip... the first completed on the ride there. One of my favorite views is this one coming out of South Park when you first see Mt. Princeton.

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Fringeless and other four selvedge adventures

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Fringeless and other four selvedge adventures

Making the Fringeless four selvedge warping class has been an adventure. A new online class always is. I totally love curriculum development. I like editing videos especially if I pick up some new skills for each class. And then the best part is when the class goes live and I see people's reactions to it. This class was extra special for me because I got to work with Sarah Swett who is always inspiring and a fantastic teacher. Also, the fact that she regularly makes me laugh is a big plus.

Summer is for weaving

Summer is for weaving

That probably isn't true for all of us... that summer is for weaving. But it is definitely the time when I feel the least inhibited by my inner rules about the weaving (you know the ones... it must be big and grand and perfect and say something and...).

Because in the summer I go outside.

When you live in Colorado, going outside is expected. I don't think you can live here without owning running shoes, hiking boots, a closet full of clothes containing some level of synthetic wicking fiber, and some kind of bike that might just cost more than your car. (Give me a break Coloradoans--mine is just an inexpensive commuter bike, but at least I have one and I know how to ride it! Also, I don't run. But I do own running shoes... which I use for backpacking. The hiking boots are for snowshoeing. Also, I don't ski. Don't judge.)

Weaving four selvedge in the Wasatch

Weaving four selvedge in the Wasatch

I'm a conference spouse this week. I figured that the internet at Snowbird would be at least as good as ours at home (it's better)  and that I could just as easily work from a room with a view as from my studio. Who knew being the one who was NOT teaching or presenting could be so great?! I feel like I'm on vacation even though I'm still working.

But, it turns out having this view outside the 12-foot wide floor-to-ceiling window is just a tad distracting for someone who loves hiking as much as I do.

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February's weave-along, #thetapestryheart

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February's weave-along, #thetapestryheart

In February, I saw a lot of lovely hearts being woven. Here are the ones that people sent me. If you'd like me to add your heart project, send it my way! I'll add it to the post. Last year's final post is HERE.

I finished my own tapestry heart. It came out quite well. I ended up leaving out the tiny heart shape and just leaving the design more abstract. It is part of my current tapestry diary, yellow piece bottom right. I talked about designing that piece on the blog in February HERE.