Two Whole Days!

  My days off are Thursday and Friday.  When school is in session, I work one of those days, but in the last week before school starts, I have found myself with no obligations or appointments for today and tomorrow, a very rare occurrence!  I went to a chamber concert last night, and slept in this morning--past 2!--and have been weaving since I woke up.  Since I can do whatever I want for two whole days, I am filling them up with things I WANT to do! 

Beading Juliet2

 The Juliet 2 pattern is coming along nicely, though I did spot a treadling error 10 picks back, and decided to leave it.  Is that weaving heresy?  I don't know, but I feel the pattern is so subtle, it won't show, and who cares?  

From Iraq!

It's a gift to a dear friend at work who just had a birthday, and brought me back a huge, beautiful silk scarf from Iraq this past year.  She had to go back there to renew her visa, and I worried about her the whole time.  Bagdad is not a safe place to be now, nor has it been for some time, which is why she's here.  By not fixing the error, it doesn't mean I like her less, only that I want it done.  Remember, that warp's been on the loom for at least two years, and its new project is swirling around in my head already. 

I don't have enough of the dyed weft to finish out the warp, so I'll end up making a piece of fabric with the last 18 or so inches.  When I needed a break from beading this morning, I was rummaging around for orphaned weft bobbins to use.  I haven't narrowed it down yet, but I'm coming close.  I think it would be fun to plan a purse or trim on a sewn garment or...we'll see.

  One idea that's been swirling picked up new momentum yesterday, when I got Harriet Tidball's monograph on tartans in the mail.  I read it last night, as I settled down for sleep, and it is fascinating.  It has the history of how tartans came to be, and why they still exist.  The colors chosen came from what was around them, mostly red, green, blue, gray, yellow and black, whatever they could dye well.  And though they're bright, intense colors now, they used to be more muted.  I like that she points out that, while there are people who will lead you to believe you can't make changes, they were constantly evolving all the time.  It's perfectly all right to change them, and still call it your own.  I know that in another tartan book I have, there are three variations of the Davidson tartan.  She only has the drawdown for two, and Mom gave me the yarn to make one of them, but if I wanted to take artistic license, Harriet says it's okay.

 I don't want to, though, and will follow the pattern she sets out.  It's the same as one from Mary Atwater Black's monograph on the same subject, which I downloaded from handweaving.net, so I consider it official, and good enough for my family.

  Have you ever seen a color arrangement for weaving like this before?  I haven't, but it only takes a minute to figure it out.  Since most tartans--I hesitate to all--are "tromp as writ," one doesn't need the treadling.  They're always 2-2 twill, so no guess work there, either.  

  I'm excited to get started, but nervous about all the admonishments of 45 degree angles and perfect squares.  Enough of my lazy, easy-going weaving manner!  Time to get serious and accurate!  

 The sun will shine today, and the temperature should get about 15 degrees warmer than yesterday, so I'll be pruning and tilling and planning gardens later, but for now, it's back to the loom.