Saori Weaving - Hat

Now that I've completed most of the public project for my grant, it's time to begin the work that this grant is primarily for: my personal growth as an artist. I'm beginning on a small scale and this hat seems the perfect vehicle for beginning to learn how to use Saori weaving in garments.  One of my goals was to integrate various fiber arts I love, and this little cap combines weaving and knitting.

First I hemmed the ends by zigzag stitching each end twice, then turned the edge under and did a straight stitch - these ends are the cap edges.

Then I used black carpet warp and gathered both selvedge sides by crocheting across twice, once right into the weaving, every 1/2 inch or so, then into the first row of crochet, every inch or so.

 I made two fan-shaped pieces of knitting, using short rows and one of the yarns in my weaving, Noro Furin, so they are both different in colors. I used these pieces to cover the gathered edge and anchor it in a semi-circle, so that the hat shape appears.
 It's very neat on the inside as well, as the fan covers the gathered edge on the inside.  I machine-sewed the inside part and hand-sewed the fan on the outside.

I'm now making a long length of Saori woven fabric, about 12 feet, which I will use to make 6 more hats. It suits my sometimes short attention span to weave a whole different set of colors every 2 feet or so.  I am making enough for each hat so that I can make the side pieces in weaving on some of the hats.
As for my public project, the Earthpeace Banner Project, I'm working on all the photos I've taken and updating the page.  I hope that will be the subject of my next post!

Namaste,
Zann

Adventurous Weaving Workshop

I'm not a very good documenter, an issue which makes blogging difficult.  I forget to take pictures.
I especially forget to take pictures of events in which I am very engaged. I feel pretty good about documenting yesterday's event, though, because:
a. I remembered to bring my camera
b. I remembered to take pictures before the workshop was over.

Just before.
The picture above is everybody after 4 hours of adventure. John is taking his finished sampler off the loom, Cheryl and Dennis are watching, Dawn is reading a Saori book (probably not actually reading as it's in Japanese) and Susan is finishing up for the day.

The workshop focused on two techniques and permutations thereof: inlay and clasped weft with 2 and 3 yarns. It was planned to be an intermediate workshop, with previous experience on rigid heddle required. Participants were to come with a loom, warped and ready to weave. On registration, everyone was provided with 400 yards of black cotton 8/4 carpet warp, and instructions to create a 9' warp about 9" wide.

Oh the rebellion! Cheryl and Susan weren't experienced rigid heddle weavers and had little weaving experience. (They are, however, fiber people and great knitters, and adventurous, and I am not such a stickler for rules, even my own.) John offered to come in before the workshop and help them warp borrowed looms. So, they were essentially weaving for the first time in a Saori-inspired way.

Cheryl's weaving

It was so rewarding to work with Cheryl. She was using a 20" loom, and was having to navigate the learning curve of using it. Adding in clasped weft, juggling two and then three weft yarns going at the same time  - well, that's a whole lot to encounter for first time weaving, and I very much admired her for plunging in and exploring the process.  And not throwing up her hands, even when she chose mohair to work with at one point!

Susan's weaving

Though it doesn't quite show up in the photograph, there was a tremendous amount of motion expressed in the beginning part of Susan's weaving. It was very lively and lovely to see.

Dawn's weaving

Dawn is an experienced rigid heddle weaver. I'm not sure I've seen anyone take off the way she did. For weeks after her first class, every time I saw her in Riverwools, she had a new scarf or wrap to share. Since she was trying lots of different yarns, I got to enjoy seeing (and feeling) how they worked up.

Two things are interesting about her work yesterday -one,  her choice to use white as her sampler base color. It was a practical thought she had, so that things would show up better. I don't think she realized how amazing it would look. The other interesting thing is that weaving freestyle is out of her comfort zone. You'd not know it to see how she enthusiastically engaged and created some visually striking work.

John and his sampler weaving

 John is a master weaver - he is actually my weaving teacher. I learn to tri-loom weave from him and he is also the one who started me on rigid heddle. So it was a great thrill to be able to share some weaving fun with him.  He has one of the Saori principles deeply in his heart: weaving as a group, the sharing of weaving with others.  It was very generous of him to help Cheryl and Susan to be able to take the class, and he has been more than generous with me over the years, sharing his knowledge and weaving wisdom, booth space and lots of laughter.



This is my post-workshop weaving. My own weaving in the workshop was demonstrative, and done more to show the techniques.  But I was certainly inspired by all the discovery of the day and came home and continued to weave. I'm using up some Opal sock yarn here.


If fibery clutter is evidence of a good time, we had a great time.
I learned some new things, found inspiration from my students.

And Susan and Cheryl bought looms. 

Weaving Again & With Sophia, Too!

Sophia hasn't woven with me since 2010, when I got the Saori loom. She was five.

 

 She's here this week on her Thanksgiving break and she's eleven now and she's weaving again!

Perhaps if I was weaving more (hint, hint to self) she would be, too.  Hoping this is the beginning of renewed shared creative work with Sophia. As she has gotten older and started middle school, we've struggled a bit to find things to do that we both enjoy.

While Sophia is on the Saori loom, I'm on the rigid heddle, working on a warp that has been languishing for...oh, a year?  It feels so good to be weaving again.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to finish this languishing piece. The loom is meant for children and it's quite a nice one, made by Melissa and Doug. I paid $28 for it on Amazon last year, but it is often priced lower - it was $18 recently and, as I'm writing, it's $21. Well worth it!!

I did warp it with 3 strands in each slot, so was able to get a denser weave. I used a thick/thin hand-dyed cotton for both warp and weft. I also added some cotton carpet warp to make the section that floats on the surface.

I've hung it on one of my sanded and beeswaxed branches.  It's called 'A Way Through.'

Rigid Heddle /Saori Inspiration - A Runner

I took my 12" Ashford Knitter's Loom outside to weave on a lovely autumn day this week.
Working on another piece to take to my Saturday workshop. Thought it would be a scarf, but I like it as a table runner.

 Ingredients: 8/4 cotton carpet warp in purple, Noro Silk Garden Sock and Noro Furin , assorted treasures: bits of recycled sari cloth ribbon yarn, banana silk, cotton cloth strips, snippets of leftover yarn from projects.