New samples

I've been trying out yarns, ideas and weave structures for some new work and learning so much along the way. No matter how hard I try to avoid this situation, I always manage to get caught up in the trap of sampling with a yarn only to find out my supplier has no stock left and won't get any for months, if at all. These days, I'm less likely to get frustrated by this and usually just switch to a different yarn. In the case of these black and white samples, I bought up what was left of the stock in shades of greys and creams and I'm going to make myself a rug when I get the chance. 

I met an old friend yesterday with whom I studied second year weave. She mentioned never feeling like her apprenticeship had ended after leaving university and that there was always so much to learn. I totally agree with her and thought this was an adept description for the life of a weaver. While I am so much more comfortable with just trying ideas out, I still wonder if it is all going to hold together in the final stages. After all the hard work of setting up the loom, those moments of finally tying onto the front of the loom and starting to weave are usually accompanied by a slight uneasy feeling. After many years, I've come to realise I do love this process and it is all about experimenting, learning and problem solving along the way. How boring if everything were easy, don't you agree?

A black and white sample

One of black and white samples I wove over the past two weeks. I ended up running out of time to do more than three warps. So my coloured silk warp will have to wait. For now, holidays are over and it's back to work. This is for Jessie.

A new sample, a new book

I've finally gotten around to photographing a sample for a new range of scarves. The colours available in cashmere from Avril are pretty amazing that, amongst others, I couldn't resist using the super saturated turquoise for this small run. I really want one for myself, but I think I'll be last on the list. Once woven, the final design will look a little less like stripes and more like large blocks of colour. When you're using cashmere, you don't want to hide it in the warp yarn. Using a double-faced twill means that the colour will be saturated on both sides. Oh and Nigel Peake, he's awesome too!

 

New work

Despite the cold Melbourne wind today, I managed to get a lot done and was so grateful for the sun when it appeared in the early afternoon. It was glorious addition to the day. My yarn has arrived and I'm going to wind the warp tomorrow. This sample was simply to test the technique, as the plan is to use a combination of baby alpaca and coloured cashmere. I wanted to keep the weaving simple and use beautiful yarn and colours that I haven't ventured towards before now. It is all a little bit of an experiment. My next project will be to give my pin board a lick of paint. It's looking a tad rustic, but for now I'm off to bake delicious lemon treats. Stay warm. 

Little ideas

I love woven samples almost as much as the end product. These samples that didn't make it onto boards are little ideas that were then worked into proper samples of the right size. No one really gets to see them. They end up languishing in neatly filed notebooks with details about warp and weft. Here are some of my favourites. A range of upholstery samples all woven on a grey linen warp using simple weave structures. I called the range Ode to Olivetti, after the Italian typewriter manufacturer and named each of my samples after subsequent typewriter models. I have wanted a Olivetti Valentine since I saw an exhibition of Ettore Sottsass's work at the Design Museum in London quite a few years ago. I am yet to own one but perhaps one will turn up for sale in the coming months.

Samples

I'm in the process of putting together photographs of my work for a graduate show catalogue. There is something to be said for getting a friend to take the photographs, especially when they have great digital camera and don't mind cake as payment. Thanks Gus!

Luna jacquard. Cotton and viscose.

Handwoven scarf in paper. Silk and cotton.

Small brooch samples in twill and rya knot techniques. Silk and cotton.