Where it all began:
 |
| Spider Rock |
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Odyssey's End
We finished weaving Wednesday afternoon and began the return
trip.
 |
| My piece |
We spent the night
in Gallup, New Mexico and in the morning headed to Toadlena Trading Post. Once again we were treated to a
magnificent display of historic textiles (as well as a magnificeng lunch).
Then it was on to Durango and our last scheduled event, a
reception at the Toh-Atin Gallery and more great rugs. On Friday we went our separate ways.
When I began this account I decided not to mention the name
of the tour, in case it should turn out to be unsuccessful and my discussion an
embarrassment. It was, in fact, a
great success, and the company is Loomdancer Weaving Odysseys. It is a small company run by Cari
Malver and her husband, and Cari is the one leading the tours. A weaver herself, she is dynamic and
resourceful and has a knack for opening doors, feeding her hungry charges, and
solving the inevitable problems.
The group consisted of fourteen during the weaving, slightly less before
and after, all but one women. We
were a diverse group in terms of age, geography and weaving experience but all
were intelligent and enthusiastic and eager to make everything work. For anyone interested, Cari’s tours are
focused on weaving, on learning and doing, and on the history and social role
of a certain weaving type. There is
a useful web site (loomdancerodysseys.com) with more information.
Monday, April 27, 2015
Weaving
On Sunday we set up our looms on tables in the canyon. We had been provided with worsted weight wool -- we chose our own colors and we each developed our own pattern.
The loom as can be seen was already warped. The gray thread on all four sides is the selvage, and our weaving would fit inside of it. The two thin dowel rods, "male" and "female," created the space to place the weft thread. The "male" dowel was threaded through alternate warp threads. A batten slid alongside it and then turned sideways created one of the two sheds for the plain weave fabric. The "female" dowel was lashed to the alternate warp threads. By pulling it forward (which I found very difficult) the opposing shed was created. The weaving, all interlocking of different colors and and all pattern shifts begin in the "female" shed, with the yarn extended from right to left, while the weft's return from left to right in the "male" shed simply laid down the yarn as already defined by the "female."
For most of the piece we used no shuttle, but placed the yarn by hand. The first few rows were woven over and under two warp threads (we were not using the "male" and "female" system"); then, once a stable base had been laid down we shifted to the one/one plain weave described above.
For practice with the system we began with simple stripes in the colors we had chosen; only as we approached the middle of the piece did we introduce the pattern.
This was the first time I had woven a rug (a small one!), and so I was struck by how firmly we beat down the weft with the fork that was provided. And after we had beaten it Lynda or Barbara came along and banged it down another quarter to half inch. However, other weavers pointed out that rugs are generally beaten very firmly.
As the piece grew the warp became much tighter, and as it did we changed tools. First we switched from the wider batten to the narrow one. Then we were provided with shuttles -- umbrella ribs with a loom of thread through a hole drilled through one end to use as an eye, and eventually needles. I confess I did not do this; I had fallen behind to the point that our instructors did most of the work on the second half of the piece.
Lynda Pete working on my piece.
The loom as can be seen was already warped. The gray thread on all four sides is the selvage, and our weaving would fit inside of it. The two thin dowel rods, "male" and "female," created the space to place the weft thread. The "male" dowel was threaded through alternate warp threads. A batten slid alongside it and then turned sideways created one of the two sheds for the plain weave fabric. The "female" dowel was lashed to the alternate warp threads. By pulling it forward (which I found very difficult) the opposing shed was created. The weaving, all interlocking of different colors and and all pattern shifts begin in the "female" shed, with the yarn extended from right to left, while the weft's return from left to right in the "male" shed simply laid down the yarn as already defined by the "female."
For most of the piece we used no shuttle, but placed the yarn by hand. The first few rows were woven over and under two warp threads (we were not using the "male" and "female" system"); then, once a stable base had been laid down we shifted to the one/one plain weave described above.
For practice with the system we began with simple stripes in the colors we had chosen; only as we approached the middle of the piece did we introduce the pattern.
This was the first time I had woven a rug (a small one!), and so I was struck by how firmly we beat down the weft with the fork that was provided. And after we had beaten it Lynda or Barbara came along and banged it down another quarter to half inch. However, other weavers pointed out that rugs are generally beaten very firmly.
As the piece grew the warp became much tighter, and as it did we changed tools. First we switched from the wider batten to the narrow one. Then we were provided with shuttles -- umbrella ribs with a loom of thread through a hole drilled through one end to use as an eye, and eventually needles. I confess I did not do this; I had fallen behind to the point that our instructors did most of the work on the second half of the piece.
Lynda Pete working on my piece.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Friday, April 24, 2015
April 24: Denver airport
I've been awfully busy these last few days. Will try to catch up a bit.
On Sunday we moved out to the canyon. We were accommodated for two days in each of two locations. Outsiders can enter the Canyon only with A Navajo escort, and only in vehicles approved by the Park service. A good thing, too. There are no real roads on the canyon floor; in our three suburbans we rocketed over sand and mud, waded through the wash, and climbed up and down muddy slides from dry land to water and back. Our drivers were spectacularly skillful, and won our admiratio.
The route we traveled by is visible in a view from the Canyon's rim:
A few views from Sunday and Monday:
I've been awfully busy these last few days. Will try to catch up a bit.
On Sunday we moved out to the canyon. We were accommodated for two days in each of two locations. Outsiders can enter the Canyon only with A Navajo escort, and only in vehicles approved by the Park service. A good thing, too. There are no real roads on the canyon floor; in our three suburbans we rocketed over sand and mud, waded through the wash, and climbed up and down muddy slides from dry land to water and back. Our drivers were spectacularly skillful, and won our admiratio.
The route we traveled by is visible in a view from the Canyon's rim:
A few views from Sunday and Monday:
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