Yahoo!
Ply Magazine, Fall 2021
is out in the world!

If you have a subscription
it should be winging its way to your hands right now.
If you don't, it is also available HERE.

The theme of the magazine is "Consistency"
which makes me giggle whenever I think of it.
Me, consistent?
Well, I can spin a pretty decently even yarn after all these years,
but as you might gather from the snippet  above,
my essay is not so much about spinning consistent yarn
as the consistently inconsistent
(or maybe inconsistently consistent?)
way my work has unfolded over the years.

It's no coincidence that I named this website
a field guide to needlework .

The field, indeed, been a useful metaphor over the years,
for it can include endless bits of the textile landscape--
from things that are new to me
to the unseen areas of techniques I think I know.
Not that I don't often imagine someone asking:
"is she into mending or spinning or tapestry or paper yarn
or wool or barefoot running or comics or....what?"

Yet what can I say?
The ideas keep showing up
on this circuitous path of mine,
many exuding such irresistible pheromones
that I'm instantly distracted from whatever I am doing.
How many times, without really knowing how
have I ended up deep in a rabbit hole
or embroidered into a thicket of blossoms and thorns
 trying to train my hands and mind
to do whatever it is that has captivated (or captured) me.

All of which is to say,
 it is more than a teensy bit delightful
that PLY is coming out right now,
just as my new zine/guide
of coffee filters and rabbit holes.
is also freshly in the world.
Consistent inconsistency, right?

Of course the coffee filter guide
 has instructions on how I turn coffee filters into yarn.
That is part of its point.
But like the Ply essay
  it is also about feeling my way into an idea,
noticing how that idea tastes, smells and interacts with my hands,
and figuring out how to pursue only the aspects
that go straight to my core and refuse to be ignored--
despite good sense, hard evidence
or cultural programming that can lead a gal to believe
(if not act upon)
 the notion that focusing on one thing,
and only one thing,
 is the best.

For long time blog readers
my inability to adhere to this last idea
will come as no surprise.
For even as I am given to pouring
everything I have into the tale of the moment
(generally sure that it'll last forever),
I continue to be taken aback,
(and completely diverted again and again)
by the power of pure delight
as exuded by those mysterious somethings
that shape my life.

That are, indeed,
having their way with me
even as as I type.
For it is time
(and has been for a while even as I've had my fingers in my ears),
to shift things yet again--
to slip away from this blog and off into the forest
where I hope to work quietly on my own for a while
and see what comes my way.

Which means that this is my last post.

Of course given the circular nature
and general relatedness of everything
(not to mention my addiction to parenthetical asides),
another blog with a different focus or structure
might well show up some time in the future.
But lest I start repeating myself once too often here,
or this becomes one of those sad blogs
that, guiltily ignored, slowly grind to a halt,
I'm going to deliberately sling my bindle over my shoulder,
and see what what lies ahead.

 Thank you so very, very much for your company
in this marvelous blogging rabbit hole these many years--
for your support and inspiration,
for your patience with my creative peregrinations,
and for all the rich, delightful, warm and rewarding
ideas and you have shared.

May the fleece be with you.
xoxoxo
Sarah

ps. On the technical side--
For the time being (the next few months anyway)
the store and website will stay live
with the 7 little  PDF Guides in the store available for purchase and download
and all 334 (or does this one make it 335?) blog posts
here for your meandering pleasure.
I'm not sure I want to clutter up the inter-webs forever, however,
so may eventually clear this space for other voices.
We shall see.
For now, however enjoy!

Well hello!
How curious, suddenly,
to be here in the shortening days
of this somewhat odd summer
 (in the Northern Hemisphere at any rate).
Between the super hot bits
and the super smoky bits
and the super dry bits
and all the stuff going on
in our lives
with our friends
and in the world,
every day has been
well -- itself,
and sometimes...a lot.
Yet here we are.

It even rained the day before yesterday--
a few brief hours of delicious thundery damp
after months of being parched.
 I'd just cleared the clogged downspouts, too.
Isn't it amazing
when things work out?

Actually lots of things have worked out--
my collard crop, for instance, is incredible,
the freezer is filled with frozen berries,
and our local farmer's market provides all bounty
I am not enough of a gardener to grow.
I try, of course, and have managed
to have fresh lettuce almost every day
despite the heat.

But this summer I've been more cartoonist
than gardener or weaver,
which to my astonishment means that
another thing that has worked out is
this new comic zine/guide thingy:
of coffee filters and rabbit holes
and I like it!

The project has been
  a great companion these many months--
the process of bringing it to you
as beguiling as the coffee filter yarn itself.
How lucky can I get?

Luckier still, of course,
is that I also truly enjoy revising--
 drawing, re-drawing,
getting feedback,
thinking of a new approach,
writing and re-writing--
just as I adore transforming the filters themselves
into tapestries and sweater and baskets and imaginary future garments.

Not that I am doing any of the latter.
My arm/hand stuff is massively better
thanks to endless stretches and exercises and support
and rest from all those beloved activities--
but I remain careful and cautious.
I mean, why risk a relapse?

And truly,
drawing and writing and thinking about making things
is pretty darned satisfying in itself--
especially once the arm/hand/neck issues
improved enough
to hold  pencils and pens
for longish periods of time.

One of the interesting things about creating this guide
has been that even as it describes the process of making a particular yarn,
it also draws on all sorts of other ideas I've explored in the past--
indeed, it reminds me how very many rabbit holes
have enveloped me over the years--
far more than could possibly fit into one reasonably sized comic--
and for a time that felt like a bit of a problem.

"If I say that, I've got to explain how to do it!"

My solution was to add at the end
a four page Glossary/Resources section.
And what a blast that was!
Naturally it could have been far longer than it is
(who knew glossaries were addictive?)
but I think it will still provide a few pointers
in case you want to brush up on some technique,
or are yourself beguiled by the odd side passage
in this paper yarn making rabbit hole...

And if perchance you're newish to this blog and my work
and want to see/read more about
how this coffee filter yarn thing unfolded,
check out my Tapestry Archive for 2019, 2020, and 2021,
or click the coffee filter yarn button in the side bar,
or type coffee filter yarn into the search bar at the top of the page.

So here it is:
of coffee filters and rabbit holes
a 40 page black and white PDF
 now in the webstore ready for you to download.

Note on downloading the PDF
(in case it isn't clear from the website )
Once the transaction is complete
you will get an email receipt with your download link.
Click on that and it should go onto whatever device you are using.
The downloads are not limited to one device,
so you can use that same link on several if you want
(also, in case one thingy works better than another).
If you have trouble, please let me know by replying to the receipt email.

I think that's about it,
other than to note that one great thing about hot dry weather
is that laundry dries really really fast,
and the grass (actually mostly yarrow, dandelion, and bindweed truth to tell)
grows really really slowly.

Oh-- actually one MORE thing before I go--
well, maybe two--

One:
Tapestry Design: Basics and Beyond by Tommye McClure Scanlin 
a beautiful, helpful and inspiring book
is now out in the world filled with tapestry goodness and support.
There are even instructions on how to build
one of my favorite portable tapestry looms --
the tiny Archie Brennan style galvanized pipe loom.
I'm also lucky enough have a tapestry included in its pages.
Truly, a lovely supportive book --
with a spiral binding no less so that like
Jean Pierre  and Yadin LaRochette's wonderful Anatomy of a Tapestry
it will stay open on the page you are reading.
So very thoughtful.
Here is a review by the ever amazing Rebecca Mezoff,

What a time this is for tapestry books
and, indeed, full on tapestry immersion. 
Tommye's other book, The Nature Of Things
Rebecca Mezoff's  The Art of Tapestry Weaving
and Micala Sidore's The Art is the Cloth
and online classes galore.
Time to warp those looms.

 Two:
 I wanted to share a link to this
delightful and soothing video
that my son Henry made,
showing the re-skinning of (and then fishing from),
a little coracle that I helped him make
with willow wands about ten years ago,
a wee craft he has since used hard enough
that this is its third cloth covering!

The first one we built when he was 10 or 11 years old
and not surprisingly, it ended up
in a couple of tapestries,
and an egg tempera painting.

Life is so weird and curious sometimes, isn't it?

And speaking of weird
(cuz who knew I'd ever make coracles
much less weave  and knit with coffee filters)
I should probably to put another link
here at the bottom:

So friends, I give you...
 of coffee filters and rabbit holes!

Since it'll probably be a whole week
till I next have a chance
​ to go on and on about Milkweed
(a whole week!!),
​what better way to begin
talking about  a few of
​the books I've been reading
than with ​a photo of cordage in progress
shading the pages---

especially since
one of the many great things
about making cordage
​(vs other methods of bast fiber yarn construction),
is that I can twist and read
at the same time.

Same goes for
spinning well prepared wool
with a familiar, lightweight spindle.

Indeed, 
reading and yarn making
are inextricably linked
in my odd little world.
Reading/knitting too,
though I don't seem to have  any photos
of that blissful activity--
even if I  have (and wear),
a great number
of  the not-very-complicated
but perfect-to-knit-while-not-looking
 garments, that result. 

How lovely, then,
to dive into Milkweed
with someone who has spent
far more time than I 
(at least so far),
exploring its mysteries. 
Aimee Lee's
Making Milkweed Paper
is actually a reference I've had for ages,
her work an unending inspiration.
Click the link with her name
and check out all her work.
The knitted books! The icons!
The Hanji dresses.
OH, be still my heart. 

And to slip from those
ethereal garments,
to Kate Fletcher's thoughtful 
and curious essays
 in Wild Dress--
is a mighty thing indeed.
Even better to be making a garment
while turning the pages.

Then again, 
if we're going to bring everything
back to the integral role
of woman the maker,
who can resist the engaging prose
of The Invisible Sex,
or ignore the pleasure
of wrapping my mind
around the elemental--
nay the central role--
of first cordage makers in pre-history--
probably female and mostly ignored by (male) archaeologists--
while ​physically twisting fibers myself.
Cuz some ways of being a human female
never change at all.
​I could hardly put it down.

I mean -- actual woven illustrations,
 exquisite drawings,
 wide ranging understanding,
rock solid information,
irresistible charm, and deep knowledge--
I am beyond proud
to know them
and really really glad
​to have this book.
The sections on preservation, conservation
and restoration are a gold mine indeed,
and I anticipate a few--
--erm--adjustments--
to the way I've been storing my work.
I love them so much.

Real Reviews!
Rebecca Mezoff
Elizabeth Buckley

When I've needed
to take a brief step back
from textiles
(hard to believe, but sometimes true),
I've been re-delighted
with the imaginary,
decidedly un-sentimental--
even pointy-- elven worlds
created by Sylvia Townsend Warner--
one of my all time favorite authors.
I'm so very happy
that some of her
hard-to-find work
has been recently republished
​by Hand Held Press.
​
Given half a chance,
I'd probably order
half a dozen other books
from this small publisher.
Indeed, I bet I eventually will.

But back to tapestry --
because seemingly
somehow
everything  eventually
returns to tapestry 
in some form other--
if only as  metaphor--
though not in this instance--
there is one more book
I want to mention --
at least one more that I now have
in my physical possession:
the magnificent
The Art Is The Cloth 
by Micala Sidore

Well, now I've almost worn out my mouse batteries
putting links into this post
so it must be time to quit.
Except that while I'm in the mode
 I want to add a short list
of wondrous  and soon-to-be-released
Tapestry/Textile books you can pre-order.
Once they are physically in my world
getting milkweed, coffee filters
​ and wool fibers caught between their pages
I'll talk about each one again,
but in case you like to do
​a big old book order all at once,
and then have them trickle in
like little unexpected treats
​for your future self,
here are a few you'll want to have on your list.



Books to Pre-Order:

​The Long Thread Special Issue  by Linda Ligon
(lucky me to be in this one too--and I can hardly WAIT to see the rest of it)
The Art of Tapestry Weaving by Rebecca Mezoff 
(This book -- I've had the privilege of reading early drafts -- a thorough and glorious resource--
just wait till I have more room to talk about this book!!!!!)
How To Weave A Navajo Rug and Other Lessons from Spider Woman 
by Lynda Teller Pete and Barbara Teller Ornelas.
(Two fifth generation Navajo weavers writing about their work and generously sharing techniques and family stories with us all--THE people from whom to learn stories, techniques and understanding.)

Books Mentioned in the Blog Post:
​
Wild Dress by Kate Fletcher
Making Milkweed Paper by Aimee Lee
The Invisible Sex by J.M. Adovasio, Olga Soffer & Jake Page
Anatomy Of A Tapestry by Jean Pierre Larochette and Yadin Larochette
Earth Materials by Sue Lawty​ 
Of Cats and Elfins and Kingdoms of Elfin by Sylvia Townsend Warner
The Art Is The Cloth  by Micala Sidore

That about says it all, doesn't it?

Much more fun to draw my butt--

Because wearable, these are.
​I think I made three
before Shelley of The Yarn Underground
and The Palouse Yarn Company
nudged me to write up the pattern 
so others could enjoy it too--
and then she hosted it on her Ravelry page
until I got around to making my own a few weeks ago.

After that I knit another three or four more
in different yarns/gauges
and these (eventually) led to the changes in this revision --
but not before I'd thoroughly tested each one.
(note: these are my clothes you're looking at,
not pattern samples
​ so please pardon their imperfections).

And really, what is not to love
about a lightweight wool  shirt?
Cool when warm, warm when cool,
hypoallergenic, carbon-positive,
renewable, non-stinky, 
and endlessly stretchy without 
the saggy spots of dead lycra --
such a garment is
(unless you are vegan),
a freakin miracle.

Indeed, apparently a bunch of big outdoor companies
have finally figured this out and are using it for lots of stuff.
Wool is the technical fabric of the future!
Who knew?

Well  they they act like they just invented it if they have to,
as long as they keep working with it.

In the meantime,
we can go ahead and make
whatever we want for ourselves.
Because we already know how.
And living as we do
​on the cutting edge of technical achievement,
the right garment has always been a thing. 
Nothing says focus and physical accomplishment
 like weaving, spinning, knitting, reading
​and hanging out with dogs,

But gosh,
for all my messing about
with paper and linen,
I don't need to extoll
the virtues of wool to you.
What I really want to do
is  go on and on
about one of the most important features of this garment
which is that (assuming you are so inclined),
since most of it is knit in stockinette in the round,
the literarily-inclined knitter
can scale the heights
 of two of these massively important activities
at the same time. 

And no commercially made garment
will ever provide a pleasure
to equal that. 

Oh yes --OOPS.
One more thing.
The Pattern for the magic medium pullover 
can be found both on my Ravelry site
and my web store 
depending on your preference.
​
(Alas, the two are not linked, so the choice is up to you
but if you have already downloaded the pattern
from The Palouse Yarn Company site on Ravelry,
​you should, by now, have already received the pattern revision
so need to worry about any of it).

Now, what was I doing?

Or officially:
Small Tapestry Media Week:
a 'media tour' on Instagram.
hosted by 
 ATA (the American Tapestry Alliance)
in anticipation of their 13th annual
unjuried, small format exhibition, Renditions.

Six weavers (with Instagram accounts) each get a day
to share an aspect of weaving small tapestries
that particularly appeals to them--
(or rather, us).,
​ and if you comment on any or all of the posts
you stand a chance to win a prize.

Rebecca Mezoff devoted yesterday
to talking about looms
(totally worth checking out all of her Instagram posts
as well as the accompanying blog post)
and today is the day for me
to crow about this fabulous form. 


NOTE: I think you have to have an Instagram account to comment but if you do not, you can still look and read-- just  click on the word Instagram and you'll get to my page, then click on the photo on the top left and there you can find the list of artists and links to all of their pages

Finally I just started a list,
and while that was certainly helpful for me
I still couldn't choose just one
so decided to share the whole thing--
but by then it was too long
 for Instagram's format
(such a surprise).
So instead of cutting it down
or breaking it up into pieces
I am putting it here instead.
It is Tuesday (blog day) after all
and hopefully those of you who have hopped over
via the link on Instagram,
will enjoy the ride.

So here goes:
​
​Tiny Tapestries ARE:

​—Portable: they can, and do, go everywhere --
pocket, purse, backpack, glove box, suitcase.
The one pictured below lives permanently in my billfold
and whenever I have to pay for something,
I catch a glimpse and give it a little pat.
Not only is this emotionally pleasing
(I wouldn't carry it around if I didn't like it)
but it also serves as a reminder about priorities:
"Do I like/need this thing I'm about to buy
as much as I like/need time at the loom?"
Sometimes there is no choice.
But sometimes there is.

​—Ripe for experiments: when the warp
is only a few square inches
 why not try
-that smidgn of iris cordage,
-a foot of milkweed yarn,
-this bit of shiny fiber from the Canadian thistle stem,
-a few yards of kami-ito
spun from variable annuity semi-annual report
dyed with indigo? 
-a little embroidery?
Or, I know — a tiny house. 
​(No need to do that more than once).

—Economical (budget): no need to buy or store pounds of yarn
when a few ounces or grams will do.
And with the the four selvedge warping technique
there are not even thrums to compost.

NOTE: if I absolutely had to pick one aspect of tiny tapestry weaving I couldn't live without, it would be four selvedge warping. Indeed, without it, I probably would still be weaving big.
Or perhaps not weaving at all.
Though luckily, I don't have to do that experiment.
Anyway, if you've read this blog for any length of time
you probably know how I feel already. 
If you  haven't though, or weren't aware of my passion for this technique, here is a link to FRINGELESS, the class that Rebecca Mezoff and I teach -- because I think it, the technique, is sooooo freaking important and cool. 

—Economical (materials): the perfect way to celebrate
that unrepeatable six inches
of bright, warm yarn
spun from a coffee filter
colored by ten grams of orange ochre
gathered at a road cut
near Bearmouth, Montana
and pounded into pigment by Jodi Gear.

—Economical (space): easy to store tapestries/ looms/tools;
 in even the tiniest of dwellings.

Note: Every tapestry in this post was woven on a 1/4" or 1/2" galvanized pipe loom-- easy to make and when not in use (whenever that might be), the whole thing can be unscrewed and stored in a shoe box (with room for bobbins).
For more on tapestry looms, again check out Rebecca Mezoff's Media Tour posts
HERE on her blog  and 
HERE on Instagram

—Economical (shipping/transport ): pure bliss in this department--
and a total piece of cake
to get your new wee tapestry 
to the American Tapestry Alliance
unjuried small format exhibition.
or any place else that suits your fancy.

—Economical (angst): hard to get or stay worked up.
If  things don’t turn out as I hope,
 it is a matter of minutes
​to put on another warp and try again. ​

—Life Changing: mine, anyway.
Never, in my days of weaving wall-filling mural tapestries,
would I have believed the bliss
of sinking into the vast and unknowable space
to be found within each tiny form--
the very constraints of size
throwing open windows of possibility
to  realms I'd ​never before imagined. ​

And there you have it --
my  list as it stands today.
Tomorrow, and the day after
and the day after that, and the day after that
and  last but not least on Sunday
I'll probably have ten more.
And what's not to love about that? 
Thank you ATA, for helping us Celebrate.

The thing about my inner Luminist,

is that she knows what she likes.

It drives my Storymaker 
crazy.

For her  (said Storymaker),
the repetition necessary
for a deep dive
​ into a particular
idea,
 color, 
material,
​​technique,
​function,
kind of imagery
(or lack therof),
or means of display--

​can be a teensy bit
​ hard to sustain.
The desire to put everything in context
or make it useful,
or somehow important,
or at least talk (blog?) about it,
is almost irresistible.

ps. and speaking of getting in touch
with your inner Luminist
(or whatever you might call her or him),
 if you're interested in a deep dive
and could also use some support
(you know, oxygen tanks and such),
check out Rebecca Mezoff's new class
Design Solutions For The Artist Weaver

She is doing a free Webinar about it
tomorrow, January 16th
so check it out while you can. 

pps. Full disclosure --  Rebecca includes extended interviews with different tapestry artists every month during the Design Season, and I am the person for January. 
We did the interview at the end of filming all the videos for Fringeless, our four selvedge tapestry class, and I was so excited by it all that I fear I waxed enthusiastic the entire time. 
Then again, do I ever not?
And isn't tapestry worth it?
​
Speaking of which...
Next week, ​the American Tapestry Alliance (ATA) 
will present  a media tour on Instagram.
There are prizes and everything.
More info below.

This year's theme: Weaving Small.
​In anticipation of ATA's 13th international, unjuried, small format exhibition, follow seven weavers on Instagram for ATA's 3rd Tapestry Media Tour, as they share their approach to weaving small format tapestries. Participate in the tour and win one of 22 prizes like Rebecca Mezoff's Little Looms online course, a three-month membership to the online textile School of Sweet Georgia, one of five Hello Looms and more.

To increase your chances of winning one of 22 prizes follow ATA's Instagram @americantapestryalliance #TapestryMediaTour between January 20th-26th and comment on each of the 7 stops, i.e., daily posts, featuring each of the weavers below:

• Jan 20th: Rebecca Mezoff @rebeccamezoff
• Jan 21st: Sarah Swett @sarahcswett
• Jan 22nd: Briget Cetera @brigetcetera
• Jan 23rd: Patti Kirch @pattikart
• Jan 24th: Claudia Chase @mirrixlooms
• Jan 25th: Kathe Todd Hooker @kathetoddhooker
• Jan 26th: Janna Vallee @everleayarn

Prizes include:

• One of five mini Hello Looms
• Rebecca Mezoff’s online Mini Looms course
• A three-month subscription to the online textile school School Of Sweet Georgia
• One of five Hokett Tiny Turned Beaters
• One of five free entries into American Tapestry Alliance’s Renditions 2020, ATA’s 13th international, unjuried, small format exhibition
• One of five free one-year memberships to American Tapestry Alliance

Once upon a time
​when I was young and curious,
I spent many hours
drawing and weaving
my naked self.

Sometimes, of course,
I was also able to draw my friends. 
Vicki (the one with the long blonde hair
in the tapestry above),
was great about whipping off her clothes,
and holding still in an awkward position
​while I plied my pencil.
But given that I was a full time stay-at-home mum
(I spun miles of yarn while hanging out with Henry),
as well a full time tapestry weaver
working madly on my drawing skills,
the live model at hand when my son was napping
was usually me. 
Besides, most of stories I wove
were autobiographical
 (assuming you are willing
to accept that my friends and I
really did ride through the night sky
on high-whorl spindles),
so it was both practical and necessary
to render my own thighs.

Back in those pre-digital-camera days
it was also more sensible, time-wise,
to set up a couple of mirrors
and spend a few hours
drawing my backside
than to try to take photos of said rear end,
send them to the photo place,
, wait while they were turned into prints,
(hoping all the while that  the position I'd photographed
was the one I actually wanted),
​and then draw from that.

Time factors aside,
I'd end up spending a lot of time
looking at my body either way,
and if I was going to be judgmental,
better the real thing seen only by me
than photos that could hang out for decades.

What amazed me then though,
and delights me now,
is what a great help
 judgement-wise,
all that drawing proved to be.
That fleshy form
those motherly thighs,
the smiling C-section scar
with its the little pooch above,
 slowly ceased
to be objects of angst,
and became instead a collection
​ of truly lovely shapes that,
​ if only I squinted just right,
​and did a lot of erasing and unweaving,
I could somehow maybe capture 
with graphite and yarn.
​
Also, it always has been hard to decide what to wear.

 A few weeks ago
as a break from holiday madness,
my now adult son
(boatbuilder and sometimes spindle maker
because fruit and trees and all that),
was rummaging in the basement
for what he thought were carefully stored
mementos of his youth and found,
not the outdated and now non-canon
Star Wars memorabilia he was hoping for,
but rather one last and forgotten box
of these notecard--
my own reminders of a time long gone.

It wasn't a huge box,
but there were enough inside
 to put together some sets
and they are now in my web store
for as long as they last.

It's been surprisingly lovely
to spend time with these images --
 to think about the incredible joy of that time:
of drawing and weaving,
 studying color and shape,
 honing tapestry techniques, 
 practically bathing in natural dyes
(see the tapestry Indigo Bath on this page),
and of giving in to the freedom
of being interested in the dailyness of life
 and of rendering those days in wool,
a pick at a time, 
even as they unfolded.

Looking at the note cards today 
I see that in the years since I wove them
things have not changed all that much.
There are fewer nudes to be sure--
seemingly, it is more compelling
to draw the skirt I just wove
or sweater I recently knit
than my lovely soft and sagging flesh--
even if it is still hard
to decide which of them to wear.

But the joy of rendering the days,
 of learning to work with new (to me) materials,
of recording  the ways
in which different aspects of  life
overlap, influence and interact with one another,
and of transforming some
of those impressions into tapestry,
is as entrancing as ever. 

And if the way I go about it has changed--
 the tapestries more focused
the narrative less voluptuous--
well, I put it down to the emergence
of the my inner Luminist,
an aspect of my creative psyche
which (or maybe who),
​ after decades of contentedly hanging out
and quietly observing
​the heretofore unchallenged Storymaker,
now insists on a fair share
of creative control.

These days, indeed, it might be said
that their very differences 
​now drive my creative life.

(FYI, it is me, the Storymaker who is responsible for this blog.
Just saying).

(And if I didn't take pleasure where I find it,
the Storymaker would have nothing to work with).

Anyway--
if you're interested in reading more
of this nonsense--
or about a body of work
created by their disagreements, 
hard copies of Backstrap Dialogues
are also once again in the web store
along with the PDFs.
I've  even stocked up on envelopes,
so if you want one -- now's the time.

 Not to do the hard sell thing
but alas, like the Note Cards,
 hard copies of Backstrap Dialogues
are in limited supply,
and it is unlikely that I'll reprint.
Cuz you know --
more ideas to try--
​inner arguments to have--
 things to make--
approach ever changing
and always
somehow
happily
the same.

Last night I cast off the last stitches
of my fourth Somewhat Slanted Sweater.

This morning I gave it a good bath.
I mean.
White fleece?
Spinning, plying and knitting as I go?
For months?
Lots of time on the road?
Talk about a grime magnet.
And who is going to wash her hands
every time she picks up
spindles or needles?
Well, maybe you.
Alas, not me. 

Anyway, it should be dry by tomorrow
so I can try it on all clean and blocked.
​
For some reason,
these somewhat slanted sweaters
fit quite differently before
and after
blocking --
esp the sleeves
which  have a tendency
to
lengthen-- 
(knitter beware...)
so there is not much point in taking photos
until it has finished this growth spurt. 

Sleeve increase aside,
I'm amazed at how individual
each version is--
as individual, indeed, 
as those that I've seen
made by other people.

For there have, by now,
been a fair few made
and I'm super excited
​because the Somewhat Slanted pattern
 and the Sarah-Dippity Skirt
now have their own Ravelry Pages.
so other versions can be linked.

Getting this Ravelry page up
is a thing I've been meaning to do for ages
and can't thank Vicki enough
for helping me make it happen--
and also the wonderful Ravelry team
for linking these two patterns 
to patterns I've produced over the years
 (for other publications).

Because Ravelry is a knitting site, however,
my two weaving PDFs can't go there
(at least as far as I know),
and it may be because of this
that instead of process photos
of the new sweater,
this blog post has been taken over
by a wool and paper conspiracy:

It is a bit  high-handed--
though as you may have noticed 
my materials have no compunctions
about bossing me around,
and a four selvedge warp
can reduce me to a state
of worshipful acquiescence
every time.
But really,
who could resist being seduced
by such yarnish loveliness?

 And if, in the meantime,
you too want to feel
the four selvedge magic,
​(and are willing to take the risk of life take-overs)
Rebecca Mezoff and I
are having an unprecedented one day sale
on our online four selvedge warping class FRINGELESS.
The class will be 25% off on Monday, December 2nd, 2019.
The code is: AllFourSides
(fyi- Rebecca's other amazing classes are  15% off that day only
with the codeword: FyberMonday).

ps -- AND LOOK!
It's now Tuesday,
the sweater got dry,
and amidst all the things that I thought would keep me from blogging today
(why I wrote most of this yesterday),
I had time for a quick snap!

Mock Turtle Somewhat Slanted
+ a sliver of (one of my many)  Sarah-Dippity skirts
= a  warm and comfy outfit
for a busy day.
Yum.

Last winter I wrote an article
for the Autumn issue of Ply Magazine

And now,
it is out in the world --
Hurrah!
​
As often happens,
while writing words,
I was also pursuing
(or following -- never quite sure),
an elusive idea
​that was ever dancing
just out of reach.

Reader of this blog that you are,
there is a good chance
that now, months later,
you will put two and two together,
and give the name linsey-woolsey
to the un-namable and mysterious idea 
 flitting ahead back then.
But of course the path winds ever on
(to paraphrase Bilbo),
and on the heels of my
post-article June and July
Linsey-woolsey weaving
and an August experiment 
with striped L-W yardage pictured above,
a Four Selvedge Linsey Woolsey tapestry
has begun growing on my loom.

(note: the utterly heavenly shuttle in the photo above
is from Bluster Bay Woodworks,
I found it at Blue Flag HandWeaving  in Sandpoint Idaho --
sometimes a tool is so utterly pleasurable
that it's impossible not to share...) 

Luckily,
just as I began to think
(as I often do)
that all these ideas
and permutations of ideas
were JUST TOO MUCH
I found
upon opening my copy of Ply
 an article  by the magnificent Judith MacKenzie
on the astonishing William Morris.
(yes, adjectives galore -- and well deserved, both).

There is so much to remark upon
about the wonders of William Morris
that I'm glad I don't have to
as Judith already wrote about him,
so I will confine myself 
to a couple of long sentences, 
about how his open-minded curiosity
and willingness to try just about anything that caught his interest
(often as not teaching himself seemingly archaic skills
as the rest of the Victorian world
went zooming forward on its capitalist,
industrial and mechanized way),
never ceases to thrill and inspire me.
Embroidery, natural dyeing, worker's rights,
block printing, fiction writing, architecture,
stained glass, font design,
socialism, fabric design, book printing,
hand woven tapestry,
the Icelandic language (so he could read the sagas
and then travel there)--
well I'm already breathless--
and there is still more--
but I'll let you find that out for yourself
(assuming you're not already a fan),
while I end this sentence
by saying  that somehow,
when my own curiosity
and the siren song of an idea just ahead 
seem JUST TOO MUCH 
(for heaven's sake Sarah, 
milkweed? A woven recipe? shirts? Comics?),
I think of Morris, 
who, I believe, would have no problem 
with any of it--
and certainly not the combination
of fiction, tapestry, hand spinning and natural dyes,
as happened the Rough Copy series I wove a few years go.

I bring these tapestries up right now
in this breathless and wordy way
 because of William Morris,
because I am once again weaving words,
and also because three of the 13 tapestries in the series:

Numbers  4, 5 and 12 pictured here,

will be in Aptos California
at The Cabrillo College Art Gallery
from 30 September through 25 October 2019,
and I wanted you to know
so that if you're in the area,
(and in the mood),
you could pay them a visit.

 I'll not be able to get there myself,
and the tapestries themselves
tend to be annoyingly close-mouthed
(or perhaps merely bashful)
 when they return from such outings,
(unless someone buys them
in which case I never ever know),
so I rely on the kindness of others
​to hear how it went.

In the meantime,
 it is time for me
to slow down this verbosity
and weave the word
Salt.

​It'll take all afternoon.

Wahoo --
my tapestry post card
made it to New Zealand!!!

After a mere three weeks 
and a giant ocean,
Sue reports that it got there looking good.

I love the postal service so much .

It feels extra great to learn this today
as I want to let you all know
that Rebecca Mezoff and I
are hosting a live webinar
this Saturday, 20 JULY 2019
at 10 AM Pacific time 
(that's 11 AM Mountain, 12 Noon Central, 1 PM Eastern and on from there).

Here is the LINK to register:

It was this Post Card project
and the perfection (if I do say so myself)
of using Four Selvedge Tapestry 
that prompted us to set up the webinar,
though we're open to all tapestry questions
so ask away --
either in the comments of this post
or on Rebecca's facebook 
(which I don't know how to access but assume, 
if you do facebook, you do).
​
I believe Rebecca is in the midst
of weaving her post card right now,
if not one of her marvelous diary tapestries,
so will be utterly in the mood.

As for me --
well, in addition to the joy
of having my post card arrive,
this Four Selvedge technique
 continues to blow me away.
Every time I think 
I've got a handle on what can be done with it
a new idea emerges.

Indeed, as many of you know
I'm a bit nuts about bringing tapestry  
​into my everyday life
not only as post cards
but also as 
books, boxes, bracelets
and other things to wear,
most of which
would not work nearly as well
without this warping/ weaving system.
​
What ideas do you have?
​What are you longing to try?
​Want to talk about it?

Me --I just tried a week at fiddle tunes camp
(with my concertina of course).

It was not exactly tapestry oriented,
but luckily I had my linen shirt with me
so could remain relaxed and relatively cool
as I struggled to learn
several new tunes every day--
by ear--
while 100+ lovely people of all ages
and a variety of instruments,
(mostly fiddles),
were doing the same thing
a few feet away.

Most of us had
three different teachers per day,
each teaching a different fiddle tradition,
with a different teaching style,
(and that is before adding electives).
Switching
from one approach
to the next
 was-- ah--
fascinating.
All three of mine were amazing,
and now and again,
(to my amazement),
I was​ even able to notice
how my brain responded
​ to each approach,
sometimes finding 
that the ones that were the hardest
(aka made me extra grumpy), 
made the most sense later on. 

Indeed, one of the best take-homes
(along with the once overwhelming
and now lovely list of new tunes),
was the joy of allowing myself
to try them all
while also noticing--
now and again--
what worked the best for me--
which often meant
not doing much of anything at all.
(My inner rebellious teenager knows way more 
than anyone gave her credit for ​back in the day).

Now that I am home,
the practice of being kind to myself
seems just as relevant,
so instead of madly warping a loom
to show you something new,

​