It had to happen – the inaugural warp for my Toika loom. What a dream it was to wind on. The warping basically involved sitting at the from and winding onto the back warp beam through a raddle placed in the beater. I have never warped this way before but getting a new loom is sort of like learning to weave again….trying new ways, thinking new strategies. Syne also found this with her new loom.

I dived into a chenille painted warp with unmixed colours. Wildly interweaving vivid softness incorporating a very fine Irish linen weft. Although I really like the soft drape of all chenille I just ‘felt’ like a touch of the crisp within.

And herein lies my new year’s resolution – to feel more. The textiles we wear are really an extension of our skins. It’s how we learn much about texture and touch.

Some children’s books have textile touch swatches in them to make the book sensory beyond hearing and seeing. Handweavers can create fabrics that promulgate seeing, touch and smell (eg. the patchouli in paisley shawls from India).

Beyond technical knowledge of textile construction is the intuitive approach to textile design. An approach that doesn’t need proof of success before I start to sample or even attempt to set up the loom.

Happy New Year to all….what is your weave resolution!

Well the time has arrived and I’m assembling my new Toika loom.  It’s alot of pieces but I enjoy a good jigsaw. Although I haven’t been posting I’ve had alot of weaving and life going on in the background and the assembly of the loom was almost a meditative practice for me. I’ve nearly finished the actual assembly but now have to make ‘Cosmos’ feel at home…attending to the creation of aprons or texsolv to handle my inaugural warp.

The wood on the loom is a beautiful blond colour which is refreshing compared to the darker wood looms but I guess it will darken somewhat with time. Jukka from Toika also sent a photo of the felled trees waiting to become looms. I think it’s important for a weaver to appreciate where our tools come from in our environment. It further connects my textiles to our human and natural environment. 

What will I weave?? This is the next step. I think it will we a warp ikat/painted cloth.

In November I provided an online workshop for the Online Guild for Weavers, Spinners and Dyers on Easy Ikat and Warp Painting. The results from the participants were amazing. Although the workshop was for fibre reactive dyes, one weaver used her dye skills to paint natural dyes on the warp! My instructions could be followed exactly or used as a guide within a weaver/dyers own ideas and skills.  Leigh has a group of excellent posts detailing her progession in the workshop and her final results are beautiful. Thank you Leigh. I’m planning to have a similar workshop again online in the near future which will be more widely available… so stay tuned.

Photo: Courtesty Toika Finland