I'm at a decision point again. With my weaving so far, I pick a goal and then work towards it, then I slow up and have to think what I want to do next. So far, I have only woven samples. I've joked about this a bit, with kind friends, because I feel I'm not properly weaving yet and I'm a bit embarrassed when anyone asks what weaving I do. But I don't want to spoil good yarn weaving things I'm not happy with, and there are still several things I want to explore.
So, here where the road ahead seems to split two ways - I could weave some finished goods using what I have learnt, or I could carry on working on samples and getting to know different weave structures. I do badly want to produce something useful now, and I know I could weave a collection of towels or scarves - but I have decided to stick to the weave samples. Why? Largely because I find that I am building a stash of yarns, and the yarns I have amassed are not suitable for the things I think I might weave, and I don't want to buy more yarns at the moment. I have to manage my spending better for a few months, so it makes sense for now to carry on using the mercerised cottons that I bought for samples.
At the same time, I have a large pile of books on weaving that I intend to read! It would be a good idea to read them now - before I buy more books. I will just allow myself one more for now - Peggy Osterkamp's Winding a Warp. I started ringing around UK suppliers to find a copy this morning, but most of them seem to close on Mondays. I always want to start new projects on Mondays, so this is a little frustrating!
I have started to read properly through Madelyn van der Hooght's The Complete Book of Drafting. She gives clear instruction that this book is supposed to be read from start to finish, and not skipped through. I struggled with this yesterday. My eyes wanted to skip about the page. So I went back to the early school reading technique, got a piece of blank paper and covered up the page below the bit I was reading. Simple, but it does work.
The longer term plan is: read all through Madelyn's book and work on the design exercises.
I think there's a couple of weave structures I should look at in particular, overshot, which I didn't like at all when I first saw it and yet has grown in appeal since I realise there are many different ways to use it. I also want to do some crackle weave, partly so I can follow Peg's work with crackle better.
Then, I want to go onto a particular weave structure I've wanted to try since I got my loom - doubleweave. I have an ambition to weave a wool blanket in twill doubleweave (to get the extra width) from handspun yarn. I will have to work on my spinning too if I am to achieve this. I want to use a mix of natural wool colours and dyed yarns together. This is my big ambition - to get the spinning, dyeing and weaving to come together at last.
There, now I've put this down to publish on my blog, I'll have to try and stick with it. - sigh! - ignoring other temptations. But I have to have a bit of a plan if I'm going to make sense of what I'm doing - and eventually get that blanket woven.
16 hours ago