Tiny tapestry landscapes of Penland

Tiny tapestry landscapes of Penland

After much deliberation, I brought my little pipe loom to Penland where I am teaching a two-week class about color use in tapestry weaving. I debated about trying to weave a large piece on a floor loom, but I'm not the kind of teacher that can really accomplish my own work while teaching a workshop. I need uninterrupted time to make work and teaching is definitely a full-on task.

I usually travel to teach with a Mirrix loom but I wanted to do some four-selvedge experimenting and the thinner bars on the pipe loom work better for this. So the decision was pipes. 

Forest witches and all, creativity is the thing

Forest witches and all, creativity is the thing

First of all, I'm still at Penland. Thankfully. I've been here a week now and feel I could stay for a few years without trouble. I'm still searching for more wishing wells (as well as forest witches) but I've also seen some marvels in the other studios. For example, Esther Shimazu is here and the clay figures that class is making are incredible. They are firing tomorrow. I can't wait to see the personalities that come out of that kiln.

The amount of creativity that I see every minute is astounding. Put two-hundred plus people who are interested in art and craft together on the side of a mountain, give them a little instruction, time, some good food, and the proper tools and the results are phenomenal.

Doin' the craft school thing

Doin' the craft school thing

If you missed the oft-repeated news, I'm at Penland. I apologize for mentioning it so often, but geez if Penland isn't just the greatest place. I've been here three days now and already feel everything loosening up. Maybe that is the morning yoga, but my step is lighter and my headspace is clearer.

I am here to teach a tapestry class called The Thrill of Color. It addresses color use through color theory and woven techniques to blend color. It is such a wonderful thing to have two full weeks to work with a group of students. This length of time allows some real learning and experimentation to happen.

A stash-use failure

A stash-use failure

After trying to convince myself for a whole day that the camel/silk yarn I found in the stash was going to be the perfect thing for this two-week teaching trip, I quickly caved when Emily (the enabler) suggested we could make a quick stop by The Loopy Ewe on our way downtown last night. It took me no less than two seconds to agree whole-heartedly. Luckily for me, the Ewe is open until 8:30 on Thursdays and yesterday folks, was Thursday.

Stash diving

Stash diving

There comes a moment when I'm getting ready to go on another trip when I feel compelled to visit one of the excellent yarn stores here and buy the supplies for a new knitting project. The voice in my head is very strong.

"You have two long travel days and two weeks among strangers. If you run out of knitting/weaving/spinning projects, you might not survive." --Rebecca's head-voice

Resisting this voice is difficult, but I am determined to go shopping in my own yarn stash first. This is only practical. The stash is threatening to take over all available space in my clothes closet and even I need to wear clothes most days. Certainly I can find an appropriate match of knitting yarn and pattern for the upcoming teaching trip to Penland School of Crafts? Surely I can.

The internet guide I wrote for my mom. When you didn't grow up with the internet...

The internet guide I wrote for my mom. When you didn't grow up with the internet...

My mom didn't grow up with computers. I didn't either for that matter. We got our first computer in about 1985 when I was in junior high. My dad bought an Apple IIE and I think it had a total working memory of 2 MB. Everything had to go on those little 3 inch floppy disks and heaven help you if you lost the one with your 9th grade English paper on it.

My mom just got her very own Macintosh computer and I am so proud of her! What I have realized from watching her struggle with technology is that for those of us who were not born with a smartphone in our hand, learning how the world of the internet works can feel really overwhelming. The internet didn't really exist until I was well out of graduate school and my own education in how it works has been largely courtesy of Dr. Google.

Commissions: weaving for a client (or learning basic addition the hard way)

Commissions: weaving for a client (or learning basic addition the hard way)

The piece on my loom right now is a commission for a couple's home. Managing a commission demands some organization and I am fairly good at this. What I'm not as good at is estimating how much time the accumulated tasks on my calendar are going to take. Oh sure, I can come up with a fairly good estimate of how many hours creating a certain piece of art will take me. I can also estimate how long it'll take me to rebuild my website or do my accounting for the month or answer Monday's emails. 

What I can't seem to do effectively is ADD. I might have a separate number for all those things in my head, but when I add 2 + 3 + 4 hours, I tend to get 5 instead of 9. So though I'm sure that I can shoot six videos, weave a foot on the big tapestry, and manage all the online teaching in a week, the chances of that actually happening are really zero... due to that addition thing. (And perhaps my eternal sense of optimism.)