,

Heaven is where yarn is made.

,
Heaven is where yarn is made.

I taught at Harrisville Designs last week and had a wonderful time. I wrote more about it on the blog this week (link in bio). I haven't taught that much since my book came out in late 2020 due to Covid and it is really fun to see a copy on all the student's tables as well as all over the @harrisvilledesigns retail shop.

The workshop was called Learning to See Like a Tapestry Weaver. It was a techniques class where we looked at applying the techniques we were practicing to our weaving. Of course we could have used another few weeks and perhaps in the future I’ll pick just one technique to focus on for a bit.

,

Begin with the end in mind. Header and finishing choices in tapestry weaving

,
Begin with the end in mind. Header and finishing choices in tapestry weaving

Have you heard the saying, start with the end in mind? It definitely applies to tapestry weaving when you’re making decisions at the beginning of a tapestry. There are many things to decide and the equipment and materials you currently have might make some of them for you.

For example, the loom you choose might dictate how you can display your work. If you have only very short looms*, you may not be able to finish your tapestry with a braided edge because you don’t have enough extra warp to allow that. A longer loom might allow you to use that finishing technique.

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.

Fixing Shedding problems in tapestry weaving

Fixing Shedding problems in tapestry weaving

How many times as a newer tapestry weaver have you felt frustrated because you’re weaving along and suddenly your wefts are in the wrong shed?

Wait, what is a shed anyway?

How many of us who have been weaving tapestry a long time remember those days when every time we added or subtracted a weft in our design our sheds were wrong? Or we are trying to fill in a dip between two forms or add a new color into a pattern and there were either lice or the wefts just wouldn’t go where we wanted them to go?

We have ALL been there.

,

Sketch Tapestry: Weave your world

,
Sketch Tapestry: Weave your world

The Easy Weaving on Little Looms Summer 2023 issue has landed and in it is an article I wrote about my favorite summer weaving activity, sketch tapestry.

Sketch tapestry is what I call my practice of weaving something simple and fairly quick from an environmental inspiration. I also call it my tapestry diary and I’ve been doing it since 2016. I find this practice a lot like sketching. Especially if I practice it while traveling or backpacking, it reminds me to take the time to look at what is around me as I explore. If my intention is to weave something about my day, I’m much more likely to actually stop for an extra moment and explore whatever caught my eye and spend some time really looking.

The weaving woodwork of Jim Hokett

The weaving woodwork of Jim Hokett

Jim Hokett’s business was called Hokett Would Work. He was a woodworker and his little pun was quite a joke actually because I have met few people who worked harder than he did. For many years after finding his beautiful looms at a conference booth, I purchased his looms and tools. He did eventually retire several years ago and the tapestry weaving world has missed him ever since.

Jim passed away suddenly on March 6th. I wanted to post some of his work here as a remembrance. I hope you’ll tell me your memories of using his tools or maybe interacting with him in the comments.

,

Woven doodles and finishing work

,
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.