When I first walked in the weaving studio, I was stunned by alien and intimidating things that occupied the space. Something that looked like an umbrella skeleton in one corner, three or four square frames that obviously can rotate in the aisles, and above all – lots of large wooden frames with some complex looking thingies attached to them. Well, I assured myself that at least I recognized table and chairs, and I am here to learn.
And learn I did. The umbrella skeleton turned out to be a swifter, to wind the yarn from a skein into a ball or to a bobbin. Rotating frames, as I quickly discovered, were used to wind the warp. And large and complex looking thingies – floor looms, of course. The studio had several 4-shaft counter-balance looms, with a couple of jack looms with 4 shafts as well.
And so my journey in the wonderful world of weaving began. If by now, my reader, you feel slightly intimidated by the terms I used, you can:
- google them (kudos to keeners)
- look them up in a dictionary (paper or electronic)
- ignore them altogether.
In my future posts I will be explaining technical terms, so worry not. If you’re from the weaving world, then you already know them.
And, finally, why I want to blog about weaving, and my weaving in particular, is because I want to show how it is done behind the scene, how I find inspiration for my projects, plan them, wind the warp, dress the loom and weave.
THE SILKY WEAVE 