Starting the winter warps and weaving

Winter is nearly here so the studio is busier as people see more time for creating and the possibility of being indoors. Even though the winter in Old Bar is the very best of weather for getting about it still has a crisp air at times, making it the perfect season.

My week was filled with inspiration with a weaver who stayed on to learn more and more! Carolyn’s logical and studied approach produced some wonderful ideas and experiments. She had previously woven one Saori cloth but then just took off with three different pieces. This first clasped weft piece shown was her own ‘painted’ design flowing along as each row developed. Very beautiful I think.

Dominique also joined us to learn how to wind her own warp. As a dyer and spinner she was armed with a lovely selection of very fine cottons which become a colourful warp. She threaded her new warp on her inside set on my loom then we just tied up the set, took it off my loom, and she went home to put it on her loom to weave off. This has to be the best feature of the Saori looms.

Some of the techniques for weaving can involve really getting down to the loom’s level. Here is a photo of Carolyn adding additional warps to the fabric. Well worth kneeling and hoping that it gets threaded through the heddles and reed the first time! Perhaps a weavers prayer in this case.

I had a great week weaving along too. Special thank you to Dominique and Carolyn for brightening up Curiousweaver Studio and the coming winter.