Complicated Simplicity

Ocean Spray - we have some in out solar dye kitchen!

Lily's loom is now quiet - her wedding fabric is finished.

This is my second attempt at writing this blog - the first was inadvertantly posted by my dear husband after pointing out my obscure fragment thoughts and spelling mistakes......well, I deleted it and am beginning anew.
So complicated simplicity is my ramble for the last couple of weeks. There are so many beautiful simple weavings happening, but with some complicated twists. From a 3/1 straight twill in fine mercerized cotton from Peru and becoming a wedding dress, to a plain weave linen warp being woven with simple but a complicated pattern inlay. And then a little variation on plain weave called shadow weave, a colour and weave effect that although simple drives us crazy at times. So how to celebrate the complicated simplicity. For me I am always thinking in terms of layers - not so that there are layers such as double or quadruple weaving, which I am always facinated with, but with layers of colour, on top of layers of texture to the 'layered' weaving. That can be as simple as a straight twill threading interspersed with a variation of twill threaded in 'stripes' - so another layer appears as the weft changes in those stripes. And then the kicker - everyone is facinated by my 3/1 twill broken which ends up with two sides, a weft face and a warp face - which my Cherryville loom loves to weave - one of the most simple simple weaves, but often confuses even the more experienced weaver...........

Alberta is almost finished her 'simple' project that is quite simple, but time consuming and concentration is needed - the champagne is on ice as of this moment, there is about 3 inches left to do. There will be much celebration what with the HV project completed and the wedding dress of Lily's also done.

The shadow weave is deceptively complicated by its simplicity - two colours, two blocks, dark and light (the mohair loop is just a bit of a added layer. A blanket in wool and the weft is mohair. Ann and I have been weaving it and we blame our eyes which makes it more complicated!! We can hardly wait for the blankets to be fulled and brushed.........

And then a little technique that is very simple....

A simple way to tie the warp to the breast beam stick that takes less warp and less time than re-tying - seemingly complicated it is very quick - under 10 minutes, no fuss, no muss. Before cutting your finished project (towels in this case sold right off the loom), weave an inch or so, insert a strong stick or rod, weave another inch or so and then cut your finished project off, then lash the stick to the beam stick - continue to weave. There are other methods, but I haven't had any tension problems with this method - be brave.

The community rag rugs are very popular. I have my Diva Weavers who just want to weave and nothing more - a pleasure to have in the studio - never touched a loom and already two rag rugs each, a couple of handtowels and a shawl - and coming back for more. I plan on having tiaras ready for them - they love weaving.

A rag rug in progress - they really do look great and what a perfect recycling project. Now this is really simple and the only complication is choosing rags. The warps are bright and fun, so the success rate is 100%!! Everyone, whether new or experienced can come in and weave a rug in one day and experience the joy of creating in a working and teaching environment.

One of the many leaf prints made in the studio by my young students - another way of dyeing, hammering the leaf into cotton and a taste of spring is forever captured on cloth. It is good to dip the cloth in alum to fix it. This was just plain simple fun!

Now this is simple, something anyone can do - heal with textiles! I recently had surgery and had to spend time in the hospital which for me I had to psych myself up to going to the 'spa'! I had a lovely pedicure the day before, and brought my medicine bag, a picture of my girls, a picture of my wonderful Kootenay mountains, flowers from home (Treasure Trove roses), a linen tablecloth for my table, my knitting, paper,colours and my camera, a handwoven blanket especially made by my friend Ann and some great tea. I forgot my handwoven linen towel which bothered me no end! This is a simple way of healing which I learned when I had to spend time with my Mom in hospital. It sped the healing time up for her and accomplished some healing for those around us. It benefits all, for those who visit and are worried, your roommates and the lovely angel nurses. All I can say is that the Cowichan District Hospital is the best. Textiles make things so much easier.

And now I am on my way to have a little holiday before our new August expansion! Yes, another space to be added - we are very excited and we will now have a bigger retail space for all the lovely weaving and spinning that is being produced. Come for a visit and enjoy the courtyard at Whippletree.

The Slocan Valley - my solace

I leave you with a little picture of a wonderful woven Monk's Belt and Dukagang from Sweden that hangs in the studio - it is my favourite piece that I found in a little curio shop in Stockholm years ago. Alberta has been eyeing it and I may have to hide it!!! See you in August.



HO VAY!

My tapestry bobbins work well in this weaving technique

The new greeting in the studio this past couple of weeks is Ho Vay! And it feels great to say it and it is also a wonderful technique that Alberta jumped into with an enthusiasm that has us all inspired and excited.....now a bit of background. The H.V. Technik is named after the handcraft school in Stockholm, Handarbetets Vanner -  a school that I had the opportunity of attending during a personal weaving sabbatical. It is an inlay technique that piggy backs in the same shed as the tabby foundation or background shed - another name being a 'half tapestry'. Alberta was  moved to weave using this finger manipulated weave, after seeing a vintage piece of weaving from Sweden that I was given years ago by my friend Ann, back from a yearly visit with her family in Sweden. Alberta is 'reflecting' the older piece with a newer one, using a linen warp (yes spray the warp with water as the linen delights in a moist atmosphere!) and her beautifully grown Shetland wool, hand grown, hand dyed in the fleece and then handspun......we all watch the progress with anticipation.

The new 'expansion' is keeping me busy and there has been a lot of weaving, spinning and other textile art happening in both studios. We are on our second community rag rug warp and we are setting up a community blanket warp and handtowel/runner warp. If you are interested in spending a day in a working studio and weaving, let me know. It is an inspiring and exciting place to be.

Jenna is weaving a rag rug and practicing her clasped weft weaving for a future project, although rugs are in the offing as well. Especially after we opened up an amazing box.........!

Gay, our Navajo Sheep Shepherdess, brought a few fleeces round in case were interested.........it literally was one of the most beautiful fleeces I have every seen and one of the biggest, a ram and as clean as can be. It literally was like a fleece of silver as it glinted in the sun - a truly spiritual moment somehow.
 The dye kitchen is steaming almost every day! Our newly designed dyepot is here, with four compartments with separate spigots for draining - awesome!



My friend Heidi oversees my booth.....



And then we all drove up to the 100 Mile Fleece and Fibre Fair in Parksville/Coombs.... We had a great time, all of us and the reception from the organizers was beyond superb. It was so much fun. Thank you Women of the Fleece!

So there we all are from the Cowichan Valley, Leola's Studio had Eastwin Farm Mohair, Sandy with felted West Coast mammals and sheep, my Cowichan sister, Liz with her beautiful handspun, handknit wares, Becky with Shetland fleece, Jenna with Pacific Sun Alpacas, Jan and Meghan with beautiful Romney fleece from Dunedin Farm and Devon from Hummingbee Farm with alpaca and mohair - we were all within the 100 mile zone! The Loom was also there with equipment, book and hand dyed fleece.

So again we are always amazed by the connected threads that make up our daily lives and the generosity of opportunity we are presented. This past month, Lily, a student of mine came back from Peru where she was visiting family and brought back some very beautiful cotton. She booked in for a consult on her second project. A wedding dress! I believed she had mentioned it to me at one point, but I filed it away. So we planned it out and found that she might not have enough for both warp and weft. I said that I had a huge spool of fine cotton that someone had given me and it came from the Dominican Republic. Lily was overjoyed as that is where her future husband, Emerson and she met! So there was a little belt on a table loom in the same weight of cotton, so we re-sleyed it and everything was perfect. Now what loom......I had been rummaging around my old studio at home and discovered a loom that had belonged to Lily Bolin, a well known Victoria weaving teacher .......well yes, you can imagine the perfection of this tale. Peruvian Lily is small and so is this little loom - although 36 inches, it is just right for our Peruvian Lily - and it is already set up ready to go. Emerson has had to assist in making some extra pieces, but we are all loving this story and hopefully we will all get to go to the wedding - we all feel so involved with this story. It is 30 epi and a straight twill - Lily wants to weave it 3 against 1.The loom is an old Glimakra. Lily tied all new heddles for the project - what a weaver. Lily has gone from being a scientist to an artist and will be attending the Kootenay School of Fine Arts studing the fabric arts - wow!



Can you guess what this is?


This is an old metal ceiling tile I use as a lid for my dye pots - very rusted and paint peeled, but I had dumped out some dye and it settled into the pattern and well, it just has to go into the inspiration book - isn't it beautiful?

And last but not least - I have a hundred other things to write, but already this is too long. In the last blog, it was so long, one had to realize that there was a 'read more' sign at the end of the first couple of paragraphs in order to read the whole thing. So much happens in the studio, that I feel remiss in not telling you everything.

Again my young students give me great pleasure. I have a home school family that is delightful - ages 5, 7 and 12 and they are all weaving, sewing, and printing with natural plants. Brandon and Aiden's first weaving is great.

Other projects to have come off the looms

Sax Point Blankets by Jewel

And Mary's handtowels - a sampling

Until next time..........

EPI, LOL, PSSO, PPI, and other acronmyms that further tangle our minds!

In this day of texting and abbreviated thinking, it leads me to a place of some comfort in some ways - I love my Iphone touch, it is handy, it is fun and efficient. I can be in the Loom and communicate with my students in the studio  - epi? lol ttyl - basically, what's the sett laugh out loud, talk to you later....not really, but having my handheld  computer phone allows me to be connected in yet another text-tile way. We have been 'texting' for years with our knitting patterns and the like - that really puts us ahead of the times! The only difference is that we basically were communicating with ourselves and our knitting needles - now the world is at our fingertips in yet another digital way - at least our fingers are active with communication of some kind I suppose.....my friend and I spent a morning laughing at the acronyms new and old and we agreed that SNAFU was one of our favourites - from the second world war I believe (situation normal all fouled up - although another word is used for fouled!!!! LOL!)

A spring collection of texture and colour to add to the bulging inspiraton book! Can you guess what they are?

So the month was full and inspiring - not a day goes by that I am not exhilerated beyond my wildest dreams (I am sure that there may be some eye rolling at this statement, but it is true, it really doesn't take much to excite me or give my brain yet another combination to think about, or a problem to solve - trouble shooting is one of my all time favourite excitements - how to best make something work.....). We had an exceptionally lovely warp come off the loom in the new studio - have I mentioned the new studio??? I will elaborate a little in a bit....but ah yes troubleshooting - it is my middle name and I love a challenge big and small. This one wasn't a mistake, but more of 'pushing light into dark'. A dark warp that needed some light without compromising the dark. That is when you manipulate the sley - don't you just love that - you could call it MTS! So one can add subtle stripes by adjusting the sleying of the reed and in this case added an undulation as well when using a lighter weft. The warp being black alpaca and a black handspun alpaca/wool blend. By reversing the twill threading on one third of the warp, it added yet another element to the piece giving yet another 'colour' -  these subtle manipulations contribute to a more unique and as I call it layered design. Another great MTS will give you added width as well, if you somehow miscalculated which never ever happens to weavers!!!

The weft is Berroco Lustra that was overdyed from ivory to charcoal grey - the sheen is quite lovely.

The beautiful Shetland/alpaca blend was exceptional and the photo just doesn't do it justice - the first warp off in the new studio classroom.

And the next projects off were the rag rugs - the community rag rug warp is available to all - bring your rags and weave.....these are particularly beautiful.

The warp weaves to about 28 inches and we are allowing about 45 inches long for each. The warp is a cotton blend and threaded to a straight twill. Depending on your skill level, it should just take you a day to weave in a very magical and creative place.



I have been reminiscing quite a lot since the second studio has opened. When I learned to weave, I learned in a barn and was surrounded by other women all with the passion of learning something new and wonderful. The last few years I have been leading quite a solitary weaving life and it wasn't until opening the first half of my studio did I realize that it felt so much more 'right' to be in a group of women. Banff was the same -  all day we would weave and breathe the world of weaving and only in the evenings did we chance that Mary wouldn't be by, and put some music on. Sweden was the same - no music. Cherryville was musical enough with horses poking their noses in, cats lying about, the goats checking in and folk singers often outside serenading us. Music is pretty important to me I have to say - and poetry. With my young students they will indulge me my Ting Tings, Lucinda Williams, Joni Mitchell and Christina Aguilara, but my 'older' students also have a liking for diverse music, so the mix is great... and the music of the looms is exceptional - there is nothing like the beat of a beater against a rag rug and the sigh of beat against a soft warp - never mind the creaking of each loom each a distinct sound of its own......ahhh, the magic of weaving lives together, eh? Speaking of reminiscing............I was telling my  friend Ann about my pillowcase - which I hadn't seen for a couple of years and then found it on the ground outside my old Benz - my husband cleaning it out of old mildewed fabric etc........and there she was, lying on the ground stained and ripped........all 1700 threads - 64 epi, all 25 yards that I myself warped in the heat of the hot Okanagan summer, and threaded  - the life of an apprentice...........but I lovingly washed her - my little pillowcase that I first slept on when on my honeymoon..............



The pillowcase is under the cat and a student's scarf. It was a cotton warp with a linen weft threaded in rosepath....

Yes, one needs their spectacles to see the count. I kind of want to do something like this again - wish my eyes were young!  Perhaps another community project - anyone game?

And my new favourite poetry at the moment is an Interweave publication - the Very Stuff by Stephen Beal: Poems on color, thread, and the habits of women - does that not just pique your interest..... 3047 (a straw colour) is my current favourite:

This color is calling out to me.
It is calling, "Do not let me go unnoticed, unrecognized, unsung.
I am humble, I am useful,
....."I am of the stuff that helps you make it through:

and I just wonder if that is why I am weaving the above - just realized it now - natural and  solar dyed ( bracken and  St. John's Wart) Eastwin Farm mohair and a commercial silk and mohair and silk and linen blend - a 6 harness huck variation.

In a time warp...

Driving the highway to the studio often leaves me in a 'time warp' - my brain is already working towards a creative project of some kind and sometimes when I tune into my direct surroundings I find I am literally trapped........case in point, the other morning after checking the state of the lovely willows that I gaze at waiting at the stop light, I continued on, passing Dougan's Lake checking to see if there were any swans and then I was trapped!!!! It could be that I was thinking in terms of neutral combinations for a warp, or it was an awareness 'thing' - I was trapped by grey - grey highway, all the cars around me were silver or grey, the median was dirty grey, the sky was grey. Hmmmmm, where will this take me I wonder....

Later........I saw a beautiful hawk today and last week I made a warp that is very neutral for me - I feel less trapped now, especially when I witnessed the hawk take flight...........

So, the month went by so very quickly and as usual lots of  'action', projects galore coming into the studio and going out of the studio. New spinners, new weavers, new knitters etc.



But the Unfinished Project Project was a success and now it is finished for this year. 
We met in a lovely space in the courtyard at Whippletree Junction, to finish projects we started or start something new. There were a few things people could explore. Tamari balls and spinning for Providence were very popular. We had a silent auction and grab bags of yarn and the amount totaled about $1500 - all for Somenos Transition House. Every year we hope to make more for the cause, so mark your calendars for next February or March depending on the weather!

Tamari Balls



Belle is making signs for us - we pinned affirmations
on creativity around the room and Belle did too!

Little Miss Belle, my grandie, was the belle of the ball. A three-year-old that was completely at ease with the event and kept us all on track!

She also took a lot of pictures which were quite amazing of course as they were all at her level, so the perspective was quite interesting. Never underestimate a three-year-old's take on the situation. All-in-all, it was a lovely couple of days with many people coming and going.

Belle's photography

My husband took me out to Mill Bay Fish & Chips for dinner with gift certificates we bid on at the Silent Auction - a perfect way to end the day - I took a picture for the owner - who weaves beautifully and just bought her first loom! Michelle is the reason I have a teapot garden - she gifted me with a few teapots injured in her chippery - great for plants said she!!!! All history now. And everyone else seems to have foody pictures on their blog - so there. Now if I could only design a warp around the above.....hmmmm and mmmm.

Thank you all for attending and remember the studio is open all the time, so do keep dropping in - and of course there is much to see at The Loom - new wool coming in every day. There is a lot of weaving cottons, linens, bamboo, Tencel etc. now in the studio for your perusal!

A new yarn - linen and cotton lace weight - 400+ yards for $6.99!!!!!!

Attended a Jackson Browne concert - took me back, but what was wonderful I sat next to a knitter who brought her knitting with her - and me, I came without and kicked myself because we went early and I could have done a few rows as we waited for the show to begin - one must always bring knitting to while away sit down time.......

We had our second Spin In for Providence and we spun and chatted and spun and contemplated - it was great. Our next spin in is Monday April 11th - 10 until 2 - bring a lunch and spinning wheel. Wool and refreshments will be provided. Betty is the best hostess and the farm is a fabulous place to spin - just wait until it is warm enough to spin in the gardens - heaven!

I have uploaded my first video - Alberta spinning at Providence.

Our 'hardwork' for the day - wool and wool and alpaca blend

This was an interesting yarn. I spun an alpaca/wool blend z twist, and an s twist alpaca and then plied them together in an s twist and got this very elastic boucle - very cool

This is where the wool comes from - Providence breed!




I had yet another wonderful experience this past month. I attended the Ruth Anstey Memorial Lecture presented by the Victoria Weavers and Spinners Guild. Barbara Heller was the guest speaker and I must admit that is why I went. Barbara is a tapestry artist that has a studio on Granville Island for the past 30 plus years. She is internationally known and her work is superb. I first met her in Medicino at a Tapestry Symposium and was wowed by her weaving and then I had the pleasure of working with her and many other greats, on the Dr. Peter tapestry in Vancouver one summer. All I can say is wow - she is awesome.

It was a lovely evening and I was quite nostalgic. When I was a young weaver of 20 I came to Victoria and was welcomed into the guild and made a fuss over. Edith Niven, Ruth, Miss Marjorie E. Hill, Mickey Jossel, Jeanne Wallace and countless others that fed me, gave me materials to weave with (I was poor to say the least) and supported me in my quest for learning. I in turn helped anyone that needed a warp pulled on or threaded. I have a soft spot for the guild and am eternally grateful for those early days.

The studio has been busy with lots of students both young and 'up there' in age. A great bunch of weavers came through from Sooke which made my day - what a great group of women - thanks for making my day.

 Some warps that are being woven in the studio - they never fail to amaze me with the thoughtfulness and 'stories' that they tell. My students inspire me every day and I am overwhelmed by the heartfelt beauty that they create. I am certainly blessed by the energy of my students and by the visitors I have come through my door. Thank you thank you thank you.....

This one has been on for a while but almost complete - 2/2 Broken

Undulating Twill 

 "On Alder Pond" - a facinating design story by my friend Kate. Handtowels like no other and I can hardly wait to see each one - the pond in all its different lights.

When all done, I may do a whole blog on this warp.

A little meet and separate with pretty ribbon

I have been dyeing both spun yarn and fleece - having a great time. This lot was dyed in the same dye bath in stages - mohair and wool blend and mohair fleece as well as nylon ribbon. Trying to get a 'fix' on a series....I loved the richness of the colours - and of course all of this had a story to begin. Michelle again actually. She needed a weft for her second blanket and we couldn't find anything in the goldy range.......of course I dyed seven skeins and it just didn't really look that great in her blanket. I threw in this big ball of commercial mohair into the dyepot and it was the winner. The mohair wool blend from Eastwin Farm is beautiful and I am knitting some socks with it - they look great.



I have been a little obsessed by the Cowichan River these days....I travel by it a couple of times a week and have taken many pictures of the colours of the river and of course the colours around it - I have no idea where this design idea is going, but I love the contemplation. My little still life above is a 'gathering' of objects that remind me of my small exploration. I encourage all of you to collect your ideas and enjoy the journey. It may not result in a project, but the process, the moving forward of your thoughts will result in something. Just remember that we have all these gifts surrounding us encouraging us to be inspired.

I love my young students - some are weaving, some are knitting and some are sewing. My first young student, Hannah is constantly drawing in her 'idea' book and coming up with awesome ideas. Her kite flowers that she designed and then transferred onto fabric embellishing with free motion embroidery has now become a quilt for her sister. We used these wonderful Pentel dye crayons that I just happened to pick up at Opus  - my grandson and I had a great time there - it is almost as good as The Loom.......

I had quite a few weaving and spinning retreat participants come through this last weekend which was so much fun. My friends from Metchosin came through so happy and enthusiastic about their weekend in Nanaimo that it was quite infectious - although they make me happy every time they come through.....and their sheep sweaters were wonderful.....



Well I have saved the good stuff until last!!!!! Leola's Studio is expanding. I will be bringing you up-to-date with all the news as soon as we organize ourselves. But already looms are being loaded into the new space. So now there are two spaces, the original one and the new one around the corner where we had the Unfinished Project - guess the Unfinished Project matured into something else! There will be workshops, rent-a-loom, on going rag rug warp, and lots of ideas being generated daily by all my regular weaving friends. If you are interested or have suggestions or want to teach a workshop, let me know.

Thank you for your continued support. I am so happy to be doing what I am doing.



Design - As you like it....



Set for As You Like It

Just something I need to share. During the Unfinished Project Project, a conversation I had with two wonderful women that came over from Salt Spring Island today, spurred me on to explaining a little bit about myself and how I design......design things other than weaving that is. It is due to weaving that I design.

One of the areas that I like to design for, is theatre. From King Lear, my first set, to Hedda Gabler, Ugly Man, One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, Oliver, Les Belle Soeurs, etc. Lots of wonderful plays that I had an opportunity to work on.  When I design for theatre, I am basically designing a warp - I know no other way. The beauty of it is that you are often using up to 40 feet by 20 feet to design that 'warp'.



Each scene had different lighting which the director, lighting designer and I worked on for hours!



Since 1978 I have been involved in theatre. Finding fear being on the stage, in 1991 I decided I wanted to make the plays pretty, or some such thinking. My first set was spare and dark and I loved it - strangely enough I used mill felt - a textile used in the mill in Crofton and made a 'yurt' as we affectionately called it and we used it for some years. It is hard creative work and one works with not only the director, actors and the other technicians of production, one also works with friends. And this is largely why I am writing - one of my favourite co-designers recently passed away and I am incredibly sad. She was someone that understood the passion of amber lighting; understood the small details like my glueing small bits of mirror into a set piece to capture the light suggesting water droplets - a set piece that was on stage perhaps 3 minutes; understood the depth of the actors and using the exact colour that would enhance the emotion of the scene; she understood that I really really needed to paint the floor in perspective to add depth to a shallow stage of a set and it was the day before the dress - and all the set crew said it would take 6 hours to do - we did it in 2; she understood the shadows that added just one more layer to the landscape......



The mylar stips were about 4-5 feet wide and 12-15 feet high



The day continued in other conversations and oddly enough about theatre. My friend Barbara and I both agreed about the beauty of the set being changed and how some audience miss the subtle change of the set and oh the sigh of light changes. For me, and my theatre buddies will roll their eyes at this,  I live for the pre-set, the holding of the breath, the last time you see the stage full of all that creative work but without the actors - the anticipation of things to come and the music score creeping up to welcome the unfolding story. My friend Sandy understood this.

The set at rest as is my friend Sandy

I will still seek your input my dear friend - I will listen to my heart full of all you have taught me. Thank you.