Comments on: Beginners

By: Meg in Nelson

Meg in Nelson — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:40:15 +0000

As a newbie, I was terribly fascinated by the act of weaving itself, and I kept weaving these long sample pieces, which I still have. Perhaps because my first loom was a rigid heddle and I only had wool yarns, I knew that I would have to invest in time, energy, equipment and material in order to do the kind of weaving (finer cotton and silks) I really wanted to do. That came a few years later.

By your definition of a beginner, (“Learning something new allows no preconceived ideas about anything much. Anything may be possible and experimented with,”) I believe I’m still firmly a beginner, because experimenting and doing new things on the loom continues to be fascinating.

By: Meg in Nelson

Meg in Nelson — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:53:04 +0000

Oh, no, another must-have… And I came here looking for a past post of yours…

By: Kay

Kay — Fri, 09 May 2008 06:53:25 +0000

Hello. I think projects are useful for a beginning weaver. There is so much to master. Projects allow one to become confident with calculations, preparing a warp, dressing and adjusting a loom, weaving and using finishing techniques. In time and with practice, when ‘all’ these skills are acquired and can be performed without assistance or the benefit of another workshop, then the so-called playing, exploring and creating become the next challenge. This is my experience of the process. Cheers.

By: curiousweaver

curiousweaver — Thu, 08 May 2008 07:32:35 +0000

Thanks Lynn for this interesting observation on how as beginners we want to be so perfect. This is why craft kits are probably so successful as all the supplies and design for the project are set up to reduce any risk of producing an item that says ‘ugly’ or ‘unskilled’.

By: Lynn

Lynn — Thu, 08 May 2008 00:24:46 +0000

Hmm, yet another book I want. I really should start a wishlist.

As for beginners being willing to experiment, I’ve found that very few are willing to play. Most seem to want to be instructed in every detail of whatever craft they’ve undertaken, so they can produce a perfect towel/quilt/sweater the very first time they try. And most classes, patterns, and books seem to be geared that way. I think it takes a gifted teacher to coax the timid into trying something new – God forbid they waste $5.23 worth of yarn! I keep thinking I want to create exercises to help the un-self-assured slowly move out of their comfort zone and to realize it’s OK to screw up, to make a sample that isn’t the most beautiful object in the world, to play and explore and create.