January 19, 2004

Why I Weave

Carolyn's post about why she weaves had me thinking about why I enjoy it so much. Although I'm new to weaving - at least relative to how long I've been knitting - I think I like it so much because it encompasses everything I love about fiber. I get to sit down and calculate, in a rather formal way, how much warp I need, what sett do I use, what weave structure, etc. But then I still have to realize that no matter how much I plan there's an uncertainty about how the different yarns will react with the weave structure and with each other. How will the colors blend? Will I like it when it's finished? Add all of that to the feel of the fiber slipping through my fingers as I wind the warp and sley the reed and the rhythm of throwing the shuttle and pulling the beater and I have to wonder ---- how could you NOT want to weave!

I had a relaxing three day weekend. I spent most of my time spinning the silk and finishing up another Wallaby for a baby gift. I also finished Laura's mohair scarf. Now I can get back to finishing my sage mohair cardigan. My game plan for this week is to finish that sweater and plan my next weaving project.

Posted by Charleen at January 19, 2004 05:15 PM
Comments

I like it because it forces me to think and act in a more methodical way than I usually do. I still weave by the seat of my pants, though. . .

Posted by: Carolyn at January 19, 2004 06:55 PM

Well, my "seat of my pants" usually comes in when I'm trying to compensate for some huge error I made. Like the nice wool lap robe I made when I forgot to allow for loom waste when planning a blanket :-)

Posted by: Charleen at January 19, 2004 07:12 PM

Reasons not to weave:

1. Hatred of planning ahead.
2. Hatred of 99% setup, 1% fun.
3. Fear of large mechanized objects.

Hey. Less competition for you to get all the nice looms/yarns/weaving equipment in the world! Yeah!

Posted by: claudia at January 20, 2004 08:33 AM

Isn't it amazing to see the cloth "Appear" before your eyes?

Posted by: Angi at January 21, 2004 09:52 PM

I agree with all you said about weaving, Charleen. I still do much less weaving than knitting, but I now think of myself as a weaver who also knits and spins, as weaving feels like 'me'. Knitting is portable and as I usually don't work from commercial patterns now, it ticks a lot of the same boxes as weaving. Spinning, for me, is relaxation - non-technical, mindless, often social.

Posted by: Jenny at January 25, 2004 12:49 PM