A New Year and New Weaving Goals

The Scandinavian Weavers met on January 15.  2012 is still new and shiny so in addition to discussing recent accomplishments and current projects, we talked of hopes for our weaving work this year.

Robin is in search of the perfect loom.  Melba is taking her first tapestry class, and hopes to weave a virgin – an image from the traditional “Wise and Foolish Virgins” tapestry traditions.  (Will she weave a wise one or a foolish one?)  Melba asked for advice on which yarn to use; a few people suggested Rauma prydvevgarn and aklaegarn.  Jan has also used single-ply ullspiss yarn to good effect. Harrisville yarn isn’t a great choice; it is more for clothing and blankets.

Jane wished for something that many of us could use – more time for weaving and a more organized approach.   She would like to do more tapestry, krokbragd, and card weaving.  She may try a Vestfold piece on a home-built copper tapestry loom.  The laid-in pattern Vestfold technique could also be done on a frame room, but it’s difficult to keep a tight tension.  She has been creating Viking chain jewelry and experimenting with chain mail technique.

Claire brought a beautiful slit-tapestry piece, impeccably woven.  She talked about the difficulty of making the slit areas meet without gaps or overlap.  Jan said some people throw an occasional shot of sewing thread across the whole width of a piece in areas with long slits.  The sewing thread remains invisible, but helps the slit areas stay together without excessive pulling-in.  Claire managed perfection without that tip!

Mary has three projects on deck; Christmas towels, pillow-tops in huck technique, and a rya to hang above their fireplace.  The rya image will be geometric, in blacks, whites, greys, and a dash of red?, it will include her initials and those of her husband.  She also has a monksbelt pattern in mind.  Her final resolution?  To purchase NO more yarn for sweaters the rest of the year.

Jan noted that our group resolution should be to enter at least one piece in the 2010 National Exhibition of Weaving in the Norwegian Tradition at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Personally, she is going to finish a commissioned krokbragd piece, weave at least one piece of monks belt, and make a large skinnfell.

Robbie’s plans are modest.  She will complete at least one, or hopefully more, small tapestries in her series of family portraits.  She will continue with monksbelt pattern experiments, with more runners/hangings with an “op art” effect.  A big rya is planned too, one that will be displayed with the back folded over for display.

Veronna brought two recently-completed doubleweave pieces.  In one, the cross with ‘L’ shapes and dots in the corners is the seed pattern for making a seven path labyrinth according to the source she used, ‘Labyrinths, Ancient Myths and Modern Uses’ by Sig Lonegren, Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., New York.

The other piece, with horizontal and vertical lines, graphed out on paper in a perfect square but something happened in the weaving as the horizontal lines didn’t take up as much space as the vertical lines. She described the technical problems with making exactly balanced geometric designs.  She apologized for mistakes, but of course the resulting runners were beautiful.