Opportune...
...that I should happen upon such a thought-provoking band when I decide to shift my mental energy from the crafty to the cerebral. I've been listening to Why? all week and it feels like being in the bathroom at the Montague Book Mill/Lady Killigrew.
I'm not saying that crafting isn't cerebral, I think it is. I feel like I've had a very lucky perch here in the knitting craze and what I notice more and more is a trend of sameness. The best designs/yarns/bloggers quickly attain cult status and they're deified in a way I find almost embarrassing. That isn't to say they don't deserve this, but it seems counterintuitive to the DIY ideal of self-sufficiency and creativity...Anyhow, lately I have been thinking about weaving. I had my reasons for resisting it, despite the fact that I work at weaver's mecca (before the knitting craze, Webs was known for being the source for weavers). It takes a ton of yarn, space and know-how. I didn't dare take up another fiber hobby lest it take over the apartment entirely. Then I saw these linen towels woven by Sharon Alderman. They are beautiful and functional and all of a sudden weaving made sense. My plan is to use my last few store credits to buy the simplest of looms, a rigid heddle loom.
I took it as a sign when I found Learning to Weave for a 1/4 it's usual price at the Book Mill.
Over and out,
Cirilia
posted by Cirilia @ 11:26 PM
4 Comments:
Dude.
I have three looms (LeClerc ancient table, small old Purrington jack loom with 4/4 and monster LeClerc Aristat with 8/12 I think). And a LOT of coned yarns. I also have six spinning wheels. You have to watch fiber toys closely. If left alone for long they will reproduce with the rapidity of rabbits, requiring additional living space. Or maybe it's like farm cats, People find out you've got one, and start leaving new ones on your doorstep.
No, seriously, you're right - on a lot of levels. And my favorite dishtowels are the ones Mr W. wove for me. Weaving is indeed both beautiful and functional.
It's always fun to find fellow bloggers in the Pioneer Valley, especially when they attend the same concerts and comedy shows. I hope to see you and Eric on Friday at the IWA show!
By the way, have you ever seen Sut's MEF "Wrestling with Manhood" film? I just saw it and was blown away.
I don't read all of the big knit bloggers for that reason.
Amy
I started as a weaver but I taught myself to weave primitively on a Northern Eastern Indian loom after sitting in the Museum of Natural History for an ungodly amount of hours completely taken with the beauty and function of this type of weaving.
Weaving is so wonderfully different than knitting that it is hard to compare them. When you work with fiber because you love texture, color and pattern it seems natural to grow into different mediums.
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