Sometimes inspiration is simple!

Sometimes the best inspiration is the desire to give something to someone you love.

In the building of our extension, oldest son (Michael) had his room re-arranged and updated. Much nicer with lovely windows over his desk, good blinds (?) and a wardrobe. Unfortunately, he is the only one with:

bare floorboards. Great for the rest of the house. The rest of us have cosy carpet to keep our toes warm on a cold Melbourne morning. So a rug is called for. Colours?

This is the lightshade in his room. If you look behind you can see the tasteful paint colours (my choice) don't necessarily go with the shade (father's choice and M's approval), but when outnumbered go with the flow.

The warp has actually been on my big loom for awhile, but I've finally got around to the weaving. Having worked out that I do have enough yarn to make the size we want (more luck than good management), I've been steadily working on:

It's a Krokbragd pattern which is a very simple 3 shaft technique, the main aim is to play with the colour patterns. I started with plain black and now have incorporated all three colours and will continue the current striping till the black runs out, then add extra cream till the orange runs out and then the middle will have the remaining cream and then reverse the lot!

I love weaving at the big loom, it's such a physical process. It's wide enough that you have to move from side to side as you throw the, quite heavy, shuttles. It is a rug, so they are quite heavy with thick yarn. Your feet are moving as you change pedals to change the shafts that are required. I love it!

The only downside to Krokbragd is that it is quite slow as you need three passes for one 'row'. I have extra warp on and hope to weave a couple small rugs. I'll probably do at least one more in Krokbragd, but in a thicker yarn and then see how long it takes.

Right now I'm just enjoying weaving for Michael!

I keep starting new stuff!

What I should be working on is my weaving, so I'm blogging about that!

For some new scarves I decided to wind a beautiful cream linen warp. I have enough for three scarves, which is what I have been doing since restarting my weaving. This is about as imaginative as I get, three different variations. Hopefully, as I explore different weaves I'll become more experimental and imaginative!

The pattern I've chosen is a shaded twill. The weaving is easy as it is a straight twill treadling in the first variation, which is what caught my eye. The variation is just another twill treadling. The 'trick' is in the warping. This is in the variety of 'grouped' thread twills. In this particular twill, threads are grouped together on the same shaft, and also, other parts limited to only two shafts.

I've just started the first scarf using a linen/cotton yarn in a light brown or dark cream...whatever! So the difference is quite subtle. So subtle that I almost abandoned it in the first inch. I did manage to talk myself out of that and now I'm quite pleased. (Sorry, photo will follow soon!)

I will do the second variation in a slightly thicker and brighter yarn, maybe yellow. The third variation is as yet unknown, but will consist of a colour?

The book that I'm using is an oldie but a goodie...'A Handweavers Pattern Book' by Marguerite P. Davison. It's all four shaft patterns, they're very well explained. So much to look at, it's really hard to choose which one to try.

The right tool for the right job.

Despite my last market for the financial year being a 'bit disappointing', I actually had quite a successful year, almost reaching the first of my financial goals. So much so, that I purchased a number of equipment items.

If you know me, you know that I love hand tools. Mechanical, don't often break down, hand tools. I even don't have an electric beater, but a hand beater. Perhaps says as much about how often I bake, but I DO use it when I need to!

The first purchase for the year was the overlocker, but the second, perhaps the cheapest of all, is the swift. Organised by Amy (thankyou, again), I managed to obtain this beatiful and incredibly useful tool for simply holding skeins while you wind them. This may not seem like alot, but after the number of skeins I have knotted and struggled with, this is just heaven.

Then after much umming and aaring, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase a 16-shaft table loom, and then proceeded to add it a double back beam and a warping mill from the very helpful people at Ashford.

I do like playing with weave structures and the more complicated the better! There are a number of weaves in my sample books, most notably the eyelash weave, that require lots of shafts, so I can go back and revisit them, or make the sample for some of the weaves I didn't get to do. The table loom means that I can quickly warp and produce, hopefully interesting scarves, etc for my market stall.

The double back beam adds to the complexity by having two separate warps that can be woven in very different ways at different rates. I haven't put this on yet, but I will.

The warping mill, like the swift, makes a tedious job so much easier. 10 minutes to do my first warp, including fiddling time. Love it already!

So, keep an eye out for more weaving!

Fibre and Clay

I have been quite busy of late turning these beautiful nylon warps into hopefully, some lovely works. I've been working toward my first 'not quite' solo exhibition.

I do love warps, they often intensify the colours and textures you're using and they hold such promise.

The thinner is 60 ends and the larger is 540 ends. However, after much angst, accidents (don't drop partially dented warps!) and redesign, the big warp was slightly smaller (320 ends!) Despite all this, all the new works that I've made have ended up achieving the result I wanted.

Today was the hanging. I spent all morning trying to get it all just right. Thank goodness the lovely Heather Wilson is there with her wonderful pots and dragons. The Bolin Bolin gallery is much larger when you have to put the work up. Finally, it's up and even looks OK.

If you're free Thursday night 6-8pm, we're having an opening, so please come along and help us celebrate our achievements, we'd love to see you.

Fibre & Clay

Teresa Bennett& Heather Wilson
9th October to 3rd November

9am to 5pm, 7 days a week

Bolin Bolin Gallery at Bulleen Art & Garden,
6 Manningham Rd W., Bulleen. 98505155.

www.baag.com.au

Weaving way too slowly

Early this year I applied to have an exhibition at the Bolin Bolin gallery at Bulleen Art and Garden, a nursery not far from me that has resisted the temptation to put in a coffee shop, but has a really lovely gallery instead. The exhibition is in October, and while that seems along way away, it's not!

I am going to do a series of three woven structures, this is the first. They should have been completed. I will get this off in the next couple of days, and hopefully the next two (copper wire and plastic piping) will be quicker. At least I don't have to collect my insert supplies.

I am, however, very pleased with the way it is weaving up. Using fine nylon wire can be annoying as it does like to do its own thing, but the effect is fine and ethereal.

The Art of Gardening Sustainably

What have I been doing in all this heat? Nothing you might say, but you would be wrong....I have been weaving some pieces for the above exhibition. The exhibition is to support Sustainable Gardening Australia, and is being put on at my local gardening centre, which, instead of the usual coffee shop, has a gallery, run by Meredith Plain who is a ceramicist. One of her amazing birdbaths (with frogs) is in my garden and I would have one of her dragons, but that is a long story.

I've chosen the theme of recycling, so all the knitting needles are orphans from the opshop, which is where most of the buttons have come from, recycled plastics, and the neverending spool of nylon wire. Who knows what I'm going to do when that runs out.

I've given you a little sneak preview of the six works. I'll post the full lot when I have pictures of them hanging, but if you want to see them live....



The Art of Gardening Sustainably

An Exhibition to spread the word about sustainable gardening and raise funds for SGA (Sustainable Gardening Australia)

7th February to 8th March 2009

Exhibition opening: 6 to 8pm, Thursday 5th February
To be opened by Mary Trigger, Chief Executive Officer, SGA.

Bolin Bolin Gallery at Bulleen Art & Garden
6 Manningham Rd W., Bulleen. 98505155.
www.baag.com.au

SGA (Sustainable Gardening Australia) is a not-for-profit, non-government organisation whose mission is to promote the benefits of sustainable horticulture. (For more information about this ground breaking organisation and gardening sustainably go to http://www.sgaonline.org.au/).
Funds will be raised by donating Bulleen Art & Garden’s normal commission to SGA; small artist contribution donated to SGA (which would cover exhibition & opening costs which will be met by BAG); and sundry other donations.

The Gallery

The exhibition will be held in the Bolin Bolin Gallery at Bulleen Art & Garden, 6 Manningham Rd West, Bulleen. (For more information about Bulleen Art & Garden, go to http://www.baag.com.au/ or www.baag.com.au/gallery/)

Side-tracked again for Christmas

I haven't blogged for a few days. With a wide variety of events, some wonderful, some feeling on the disastrous side, my motivation is low.

Saturday, however, was lovely, with the guild Christmas party at which I was presented with my 20 years badge. I knew I was getting close, and, it was a nice surprise to get my badge along with another member who had introduced me to teaching and we share a passion for the library and related matters.

Sunday's market, for me, was not good. Last year I had done very well, with people buying presents. There were plenty of people, plenty of good comments and interest, but no sales. This is extremely disappointing and I'm still trying to figure out what to do. Next year we're trialing opening on Saturdays, instead of Sundays. Hopefully, I'll be able to figure what to sell in February when we restart.

I did start some weaving. I took this lovely yarn, picked the colours from my stash and have warped up enough for three knee rugs, two of which will be for my mother and mother-in-law for Christmas. The first is a straight tabby with black for the background, just to get me in the swing. However, I've threaded for an 8-shaft twill and will weave different background colours for the other two.

I do miss weaving larger pieces, and, despite not having woven on this scale for a while I'm feeling very happy. I am a weaver and it really calms and revives me.....it's also a great stash busting exercise. If the tabby works out, I have two very large boxes of blues and greens which may well contribute to a pile of knee rugs for my stall.

I do love to weave

It doesn't feel like it this week, but I have been working. I'm onto my next woven wall hanging, about half way up at this point. Again, I'm using a mix of handspun yarn, three different textures, this amazing black tape, like video tape, but not! and also add in some gold wire which I will twist prettily once off the loom.

It's slow as I didn't prepare the warp for this pattern. I wasn't really thinking that far ahead. But I do know what the next one will be...

I love weaving, sometimes

Finally warped up my loom to make some of my 'Woven Memories' hangings. I thought I'd play with using my handspun yarns and recycled materials. I have my Experimental Spinning Birthday skein to make one for me, and I'll make a couple for sale.

This has got to have been the worst warp I've ever done. I like to think that I'm careful and don't make many mistakes. That nylon wire has made an idiot out of me. I did finally get it all right, then a broken thread. This stuff is hard to handle. No excuse, I've done it before!

I am happy, though with the way it's weaving. It should look spectacular at the beach.

I did retrieve my knitting from the beach and have, sort of, finished it. I'm not happy with the neckline and will open it up a bit more. I didn't finish the front twisted cable panels properly, just for this possibility. It's the right size, but is a bit tight around my tummy. Hopefully, it will be all right with a pair of jeans.

I'm still not sure if I'm totally happy with this jumper. We'll see after I fix the neckline.

Five scarves

Had a lovely day yesterday. Finished weaving the last scarf. This was a little annoying as I was weaving with some nice fluffy yarn, thinking I had more....wrong. I decided to start again with some handspun and it worked well.

With a little dyeing I now have five very difference scarves. I did try tumeric, which is the bright yellow. Takes alot of rinsing out as you don't want to leave the scarf with a foody sort of smell!

Having not woven fabric for awhile, this has been a great exercise to get back into it. I already have several ideas for the next warp. I do also want to try some of the weaves that I didn't have a chance to do when I was at college....now I have an eight shaft loom.

Back to the weaving

I'm half way through the third scarf on this warp and I'm very happy. I decided to combine the fine wool yarn I've been using throughout with a textured yarn. I tried a fine boucle, but it just got lost. So I chose a very fluffy knitting yarn and it has worked really well.

The next yarn will be about structure and using my 8 shafts. Just have to find a yarn that will work well on this open warp.

Hats and handwarmers finished. Just alot of sewing on buttons left to do.

Double-cloth pockets

Again, I've spent hours on the floor of my workshop adjusting my loom. I've added a new tie-up so that I can do some double-cloth pockets.

The loom is now sitting all even and perfect......again.

I've stuffed the pockets with a little wool top, which is actually looking quite 'pretty'. Not something I can usually achieve purposely. It will take a lot longer than the tabby, as I have to stuff as I go. The weave is so open, it moves very easily and a long pocket is almost impossible to stuff in one go. I was going to overdye this scarf, but maybe I don't need to. I'll see once I get it off the loom.

Blocks and new looms

Another day out, helping a friend with their new loom. It was fun and all questions of 'how does this work?" were finally answered when the top was lifted and all was revealed!

I love traditional equipment, even by a relatively big company, like Leclerc. Each has a unique vision of how something should work, revealing something of the maker/user, though the idea is not always clear.

I did manage to finish, what must now be, a first coat on the blocks and I've started the production of their jackets! I'm very happy, but suddenly, very aware of the time deadline of next week!

Anyway, off to have my porridge!

Beautiful Photos!

I did manage to ring Craft Victoria, only to discover that the relevant person is on leave till Thursday. They didn't sound too optimistic about prospects before Christmas, so I sent off an optimistic email saying to the best of my ability: 'but you'll love my stuff!' I did manage to take the photo, which is the best photo to date. I really love it!

I've also started my little one ball 'necklets', which have sold well on my stall and I haven't made any for quite some time.

Now, is the time, however, to get on with my 'Knitters' Block' sculpture for the Contemporary Sculpture Association's members exhibition, due in on the 20th November.

Have you noticed two names, I must be on a roll. All I need now is a really good name for the 'Woven Memory' offshoots....the beautiful photograph.....!