Good Morning.
October has arrived. It is the shining month of the New England autumn season.
A great deal has been happening here. Last weekend,
I had my first lesson on the loom. It was a private lesson, offered by a dear
friend, who has taught weaving much of her adult life. It proved to be a day
full of surprises.
My teacher arrived bright and early on Saturday
morning. I thought she would stay for about an hour and a half, but she had
another plan. She ended up staying until 5:30. She began with an introduction
to the loom. She reviewed the parts and their functions. The language of
weaving was foreign and a bit muddling at times. It was hard to envision how
the pieces fit together during the weaving process.
What she did next, worked wonders toward
demystifying the process. She suggested that we take a field trip to the
Harrisville Designs in Harrisville, NH. Harrisville is recognized as the only
18th century textile village in America that survives in its original form.
Harrisville Designs continues to make natural wool in the historic mill
building. Walking in the front door, I felt as though I was entering a whole
new world. I knew immediately that this was to be a part of my future. It was a
delight for the senses. The colors, textures, and smell of the yarn were
overwhelming. Throughout the shop there were looms demonstrating weaving
projects in progress. It really helped me to see how the parts work and fit
together toward creating a finished piece.
My teacher had shown me how to calculate the amount
of yarn needed for the project. My task was to choose three colors of yarn that
will work well together. It was fun playing with the colors and imagining the
finished project. She taught me to twist together the yarns to get a sense of
how they will look after they have been woven together. It was interesting to
see how the colors changed when they were in a tangle. The gorgeous periwinkle
I had chosen turned to a dull gray and the adobe red turned into a muddy brown.
The way in which the different colored yarns work together to create the design
may prove to be my greatest challenge. It was also what I found to be most
interesting. Colors that seemed to be an odd mix turned out to work together in
unexpected ways.
After the choices were made, we drove back over the
mountain with the spectacle of autumn color to view. Back at the loom, I
learned to use the warping wheel. The yarn was slowly wound around the wheel in
an extremely ordered manner. It is a very methodical process. She left me with
some homework and the plan to return the following day to teach me how to place
the yarn on the loom.
I could hardly wait.
October 3, 2014
