tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43624893920106028522024-03-13T07:52:07.915-07:00WeaveWrightAnne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-19509681338796520062011-12-17T15:36:00.000-08:002011-12-17T15:36:43.610-08:00Steady Work Is Good<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is Saturday. My studio is Open to the Public, as it has been on Saturdays for the last month. Signs out on the street, and at the top of the path down to my door. This place is off the beaten path of the village of Freeland, so folks don't just automatically pass by; I have to entice them. A few have come today, but no buyers. Still, they're interested by the process, and attracted to the product. They won't forget . . . .</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The series of photos below shows the beginning of the "Merlot" scarves. A deep wine 100% bamboo, shown first on the cone, then measured out as a nine-yard warp on the warping board, enough for four scarves, each with a different weft and pattern. Related, but nowhere near identical -- the story of my weaving life. </span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p_9_MsMP3wO3MO9uU0kTHSVQyP_490oMQ8T7yNlMcn6Lzz8YsluLPO5w7xgkSGRxDRFY7_MOROzhyphenhyphenaoHcsAp0StImHZmp81f2CQk6qMZBMmVNqT0hDUM99RlUbF4iK_AtvO5Y-Sthwk/s1600/P1000358.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0p_9_MsMP3wO3MO9uU0kTHSVQyP_490oMQ8T7yNlMcn6Lzz8YsluLPO5w7xgkSGRxDRFY7_MOROzhyphenhyphenaoHcsAp0StImHZmp81f2CQk6qMZBMmVNqT0hDUM99RlUbF4iK_AtvO5Y-Sthwk/s320/P1000358.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGK8F_i_IK6il5dbG7Mm8q4P1u61OMvpnb-dudz0sG_tZqkqde3OOffZ-pThl8gr2Eu0dXF-Ig2YNWhvBjrMDgjeuRgpPRshsMo7WM11Tjah3upSi_aU0eZh8YmHiUpjAskAodIy1GK8/s1600/P1000360.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGK8F_i_IK6il5dbG7Mm8q4P1u61OMvpnb-dudz0sG_tZqkqde3OOffZ-pThl8gr2Eu0dXF-Ig2YNWhvBjrMDgjeuRgpPRshsMo7WM11Tjah3upSi_aU0eZh8YmHiUpjAskAodIy1GK8/s320/P1000360.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Looking at the threaded and tensioned warp from the back of the loom -- an interesting perspective on threads and heddles, which gives a wee hint of the curvature of the threading sequence.</span></span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83s0pb1nKM3j8NDUhMW7DX4P3nhBf-0rwuTTzM7Pt-_JBd3Q_o629PPG098hWRgdKJaqKYYPrkf9SDt9IIGSz5R1NJ_2JNFwVynhCCNbJ4kQ9AS7uWGQWZghk3_59EIhWtnf3Lj_qay8/s1600/P1000362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh83s0pb1nKM3j8NDUhMW7DX4P3nhBf-0rwuTTzM7Pt-_JBd3Q_o629PPG098hWRgdKJaqKYYPrkf9SDt9IIGSz5R1NJ_2JNFwVynhCCNbJ4kQ9AS7uWGQWZghk3_59EIhWtnf3Lj_qay8/s320/P1000362.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Contrast that with this, the backside view of the "Summer Nights" series, now nearly finished:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnG80EZIH8WqDiqfWtzYV6u84ujM4OSbyotK_Xm5x23YCoZJac2zMrguaGnIv6RvQqmWQVMvrKpuqcWqdg3m6Qn459WweK0XiVgXA6qEaiFlSrHZ7BF30AIcWbvmDme9iEy-CEAOOegM/s1600/P1000364.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrnG80EZIH8WqDiqfWtzYV6u84ujM4OSbyotK_Xm5x23YCoZJac2zMrguaGnIv6RvQqmWQVMvrKpuqcWqdg3m6Qn459WweK0XiVgXA6qEaiFlSrHZ7BF30AIcWbvmDme9iEy-CEAOOegM/s320/P1000364.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's a simple 12-shaft point twill threading, on which I've been weaving quite complex advancing twill treadlings, to make long motifs that interlock both horizontally and vertically. Hard to see on all that color and texture, but it all peeks out when the light hits it just right.</span></span> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxvcDMAW8o6PySthFHPwWTSO6dHs0ewk337Gm5M8_rXAQf59mxfZMlex4d3kp-M1zDbjXkFoILptdo21xed0soRof7NvvwwiUqajAIla2TWfiuCTV63nm4hakltKAd5L3Vy5JXWBjQdM/s1600/P1000366.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxvcDMAW8o6PySthFHPwWTSO6dHs0ewk337Gm5M8_rXAQf59mxfZMlex4d3kp-M1zDbjXkFoILptdo21xed0soRof7NvvwwiUqajAIla2TWfiuCTV63nm4hakltKAd5L3Vy5JXWBjQdM/s320/P1000366.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's the second of the three scarves, as it moves along its trajectory to the cloth beam at the back of the loom,</span></span> <br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">and this is the third (and last) one, still in process, with the pattern partially visible and the high-tech measuring device at the left edge.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">The Summer Nights series will be done Monday, and off the loom for washing and detailing (as I call the rest of the process of getting them ready to be sold). The Merlot series will certainly be done before the end of the year, and probably well before at the rate it's going. The next warps for both looms are all planned and the patterns designed, so that the empty-loom time will be minimal. I'm on a roll these days now that all the seasonal shows are done, and life in general seems to be slowing down -- in keeping with the season -- and I'm going to ride this wave while it's still carrying me so splendidly. Time later on for some goofing off, which will allow me to catch up on a hefty backlog of reading. </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-58511855155801266392011-12-09T15:40:00.000-08:002011-12-09T15:40:47.210-08:00Slowing Down At Last<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">For the past several weeks, my pace has been faster and more relentless than I would have chosen. Lots of good things going on -- shows, family here for Thanksgiving, the needs of an increasingly incapacitated husband, and spending time at the looms to Make Stuff. With the exception of one more gig on the 17th -- a local (Freeland area) artists' open studio day -- my public events are over with. And a good thing too, as I've had enough, and am tired of being ON while longing for long stretches of quiet attentive time at my work. Lots of new ideas beginning to swarm in my mind, and several commissions to work on during the winter.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjNY2KO5unSorNf-hoZ9Rjx9blD2nxMY_uXYoS3-PUnYxoj4XVPeVoRQod-9Dg_0Bw_UhnMb-1WPiJtoOs9d5fkR2N2eHhuBvhD841BUzWmVnQX3-gMRvagYHoaG13IujjPXau9gIfO4/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjNY2KO5unSorNf-hoZ9Rjx9blD2nxMY_uXYoS3-PUnYxoj4XVPeVoRQod-9Dg_0Bw_UhnMb-1WPiJtoOs9d5fkR2N2eHhuBvhD841BUzWmVnQX3-gMRvagYHoaG13IujjPXau9gIfO4/s320/010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcwWuf24-RRMsIG9u6AnGHQQn4-nHsKDtrD-uc7XGjXa1e-cKoAua1Mt4luNmLBT2QFgoPPvjF4WmPHxrkvsf2XrF7uiTyQ7iMzpMj7ebdP78-oE31SXUycXJt6Zm7Ymr_ebq9sW2VDs/s1600/P1000327.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMcwWuf24-RRMsIG9u6AnGHQQn4-nHsKDtrD-uc7XGjXa1e-cKoAua1Mt4luNmLBT2QFgoPPvjF4WmPHxrkvsf2XrF7uiTyQ7iMzpMj7ebdP78-oE31SXUycXJt6Zm7Ymr_ebq9sW2VDs/s320/P1000327.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuealGZHfCcMvDP_2590rzlT4m84zhckRWCddMdpbX2aOFftJ4ZFplcd1tLXBCjKwTn3u3yWXx6l1C_uoW5auMxDdqlyvSwNWrYXYsXPlLZs0jn70AM3AtKjwFTinhZ2cIijJki0Wfq8/s1600/P1000331.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMuealGZHfCcMvDP_2590rzlT4m84zhckRWCddMdpbX2aOFftJ4ZFplcd1tLXBCjKwTn3u3yWXx6l1C_uoW5auMxDdqlyvSwNWrYXYsXPlLZs0jn70AM3AtKjwFTinhZ2cIijJki0Wfq8/s320/P1000331.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Above are some shots of work on the "Hot Stuff" series -- first, the seven yards on the warping board (three scarves worth), then the width of the warp as it came off the warp beam at the back of the loom, and finally a portion of #1 in the series in process, woven with a turquoise bamboo. #2 was woven with a red-purple tencel, and #3 with a dusty orange tencel. They were snapped up at the Anne X 2 studio sale on Thanksgiving weekend.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6KoaWLtAKZ8LXSZtlkAx_3tIm3Q2-WOQZ2kZbOks2L9uSuKjCmcb296tUcMPLRi5axhz-hq-mGB0P26H0_6CRpNo7K4i7DuWPgTukxK5MGRFVGgMnzRrFxqBIkUUs_VkB27RpKj_pDk/s1600/P1000336.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE6KoaWLtAKZ8LXSZtlkAx_3tIm3Q2-WOQZ2kZbOks2L9uSuKjCmcb296tUcMPLRi5axhz-hq-mGB0P26H0_6CRpNo7K4i7DuWPgTukxK5MGRFVGgMnzRrFxqBIkUUs_VkB27RpKj_pDk/s320/P1000336.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Above is "Summer Nights" on the warping board; again seven yards, enough for three scarves. And just below is the same warp, up close and personal so as to see the lovely bumpies in the yarn.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0DL4KvqUYLwm3AH6-bLN-gjVZTcQuNoYVKVT7nltn4V52IJzhi0jKzy1V5rqMkCty9_PE0Z1E0fW28itFHzsiuP4rlXc5sGqkTQl85zJX8XdJe4tavhSgHG5BlsBPd9Us2oX1LxPuW0/s1600/P1000334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0DL4KvqUYLwm3AH6-bLN-gjVZTcQuNoYVKVT7nltn4V52IJzhi0jKzy1V5rqMkCty9_PE0Z1E0fW28itFHzsiuP4rlXc5sGqkTQl85zJX8XdJe4tavhSgHG5BlsBPd9Us2oX1LxPuW0/s320/P1000334.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWARknoe90UzuzEime_bTqnvSkQ7baeIayK7p-5aiKiWKLcz1g2cRGDde_L3qll0NYV2QkmQnep9krmQiSjp6mbIsfJdoacLoecvbYuXXjmn1YWgokDRajdxT8aNj1EIfX6fxzFcjeYY/s1600/P1000339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWARknoe90UzuzEime_bTqnvSkQ7baeIayK7p-5aiKiWKLcz1g2cRGDde_L3qll0NYV2QkmQnep9krmQiSjp6mbIsfJdoacLoecvbYuXXjmn1YWgokDRajdxT8aNj1EIfX6fxzFcjeYY/s320/P1000339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Summer Nights coming off the warp beam, under tension, all threaded with tension adjusted and ready to weave up front. Below is the first scarf as it wends its way toward the cloth beam. The warp is a hand-dyed rayon/cotton with wonderful slubs; the weft for this first piece is a deep purple pearl cotton.</span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizzaZIrBiwKouBJmxnyWYjPb_-zx88dpGzeMVyf7sZ51vqo_F9IgKp7QRGiotVrcSDLgSZELDtUBtzAzwmJ-HDs-zmU_aDH6gfLDH1OfhgNo1rE53YI6OI8RKKXzu5sHNHKLPNpbdcAsE/s1600/P1000350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizzaZIrBiwKouBJmxnyWYjPb_-zx88dpGzeMVyf7sZ51vqo_F9IgKp7QRGiotVrcSDLgSZELDtUBtzAzwmJ-HDs-zmU_aDH6gfLDH1OfhgNo1rE53YI6OI8RKKXzu5sHNHKLPNpbdcAsE/s320/P1000350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> The second scarf in the series is begun, but no photos taken yet. That'll be tomorrow, I think, and yes I promise to share. Right now I'm going to go play with some new patterns I've been developing in my mind, see if I can make them work in the design software.</span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-28101316071292262222011-11-15T14:48:00.000-08:002011-11-15T14:48:49.814-08:00Show's Over<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This has been the most stunningly colorful Autumn we've had in many years, due to the relative dryness of October and early November, coupled with mild days and cool nights. For example:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQboMmf8Z8z0_dbQy4n6vRXPqPJPdCljTDWpiYaT-ucZziNkaBueierECktHsFxxhADhGmaxFJjfI4nOMeFY5DsC43_ktBag5aPOecbX0w-IrRYmue0SBgpqJZUvXEdRDfUqQbGMo5ZZU/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQboMmf8Z8z0_dbQy4n6vRXPqPJPdCljTDWpiYaT-ucZziNkaBueierECktHsFxxhADhGmaxFJjfI4nOMeFY5DsC43_ktBag5aPOecbX0w-IrRYmue0SBgpqJZUvXEdRDfUqQbGMo5ZZU/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's the kind of color that makes me glad to be alive. I've always been unable to comprehend why people don't like Autumn. They say it's because it's the harbinger of Winter -- even my sister says that. Hanh??!!?? Of course Autumn comes before Winter, and prepares the way. But how could one let that "concern" over-ride awareness and appreciation of this:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSNizBqMHzHH2grQzFs4_IgpJA0GdcFT_H0R5eG7znrDq8kadPXD1PqCOq06RYaugyhqb04qfQbbqWBYe8cp_297s1W3AoigTJCt2v-fgYPOC01_HVZ03rSVX0LCCxInEZG0jaPXRaDw/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNSNizBqMHzHH2grQzFs4_IgpJA0GdcFT_H0R5eG7znrDq8kadPXD1PqCOq06RYaugyhqb04qfQbbqWBYe8cp_297s1W3AoigTJCt2v-fgYPOC01_HVZ03rSVX0LCCxInEZG0jaPXRaDw/s320/002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Or this:</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ib-sJNZb4qlrZGhJYNy62mV129UHFQxHeONadYv4NZEnVPOTBLBabEwI28r1WLof1_X2OdKnT56Wxp7auZMdnmmcfih0fDurD9oBGRMG9VzYUx_cRLTHmHKB0fLG-mLhOAoVh5NvLPo/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ib-sJNZb4qlrZGhJYNy62mV129UHFQxHeONadYv4NZEnVPOTBLBabEwI28r1WLof1_X2OdKnT56Wxp7auZMdnmmcfih0fDurD9oBGRMG9VzYUx_cRLTHmHKB0fLG-mLhOAoVh5NvLPo/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Glorious. And our garden has been full of this kind of thing for weeks. The big windstorm a few nights ago flung lots of the color onto the ground, but these Japanese Maples don't all follow the same schedule, so many are still heart-lifters. And in the sometimes grey light of an overcast day, the glow of golds and blaze of burgundy and scarlet are reason enough to love this quirky season.</span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-70910538935447642052011-11-04T14:09:00.000-07:002011-11-04T14:09:35.875-07:00Starting Hot Stuff<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Yesterday I delivered some new work to Raven Rocks Gallery -- two "Summer Flowers" scarves and one "Lava Flow" shawl. With Lynne's help, we got them well displayed on my rack there, and I dutifully did the inventory paperwork. It was a gorgeous late Autumn afternoon, so I drove home by a roundabout route, following only side roads and dawdling happily along.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjlbo8wtpa-tOWQ6IJjtRhhjHIH4QVwnaey7fDoGnPGW9cl_9Vh8oggBSmC-dxLHCLMAfN20sHZCr_47RHuUzJegBZIepEb50MR7zmBoNZII4j2fz4tsuqSKqfRKkr61B5jE2lD695YI/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhjlbo8wtpa-tOWQ6IJjtRhhjHIH4QVwnaey7fDoGnPGW9cl_9Vh8oggBSmC-dxLHCLMAfN20sHZCr_47RHuUzJegBZIepEb50MR7zmBoNZII4j2fz4tsuqSKqfRKkr61B5jE2lD695YI/s320/009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV18hIs9JvxC7qqYZYSrquTcKp3Wa-gdQzZU_P_xMvsyoq0JdHihhwpdfyfnveUxQdVyq86BKZMb0qVsohZLAlorfoiGTxw-iHxRXYR5LQkSufltAwIvxJ_rLhOGqrHFjeFB5P9I-CAMQ/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Today the next round of new work begins. This is "Hot Stuff" on the warping board -- seven yards of it. It's a hand-dyed cotton/rayon I've had for years that I've been reluctant to use because it's pretty strong. But now, with a long grey wet winter approaching, it seems like just the ticket for me and for prospective purchasers. And here it is all nicely choke-tied and chained up, ready to put on the loom</span></span>:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV18hIs9JvxC7qqYZYSrquTcKp3Wa-gdQzZU_P_xMvsyoq0JdHihhwpdfyfnveUxQdVyq86BKZMb0qVsohZLAlorfoiGTxw-iHxRXYR5LQkSufltAwIvxJ_rLhOGqrHFjeFB5P9I-CAMQ/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV18hIs9JvxC7qqYZYSrquTcKp3Wa-gdQzZU_P_xMvsyoq0JdHihhwpdfyfnveUxQdVyq86BKZMb0qVsohZLAlorfoiGTxw-iHxRXYR5LQkSufltAwIvxJ_rLhOGqrHFjeFB5P9I-CAMQ/s320/013.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">It doesn't look as intense on my computer screen as it does in the flesh, but I assure you that it's lively indeed. This warp will produce three scarves, each woven with a different weft yarn (I think they'll all be tencel or bamboo) and each with a different pattern. In thirty years of weaving, I've never done the same thing twice; every item is unique. This practice ensures that I don't get bored with my work . . . .</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-89496681894449067082011-10-27T15:02:00.000-07:002011-10-27T15:02:25.305-07:00Catching up with myself<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's been a long time since I visited here. Too long. Summer is always busy, focusing on producing plenty of new work for my Autumn shows, and this year also to keep providing Raven Rocks Gallery with new work each month. All of which has been complicated this year by the deterioration in health and functioning of my husband, and the consequent need on my part to do far more on the homefront as well as to orchestrate and coordinate visits to medical professionals primarily on the mainland. And now, either I'm getting used to the complexity or things have slowed down a little. Not sure which. Maybe both.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhL9hHKrKtvgK2u1fyxmIgaAI3_eKPYJQp5wyladFrKiAG3SnRqAbh5M-0NKkhwGwg-vPMdy6RTDyc-Tst7VhJhAbFbSQHhxeqjVS5YB7J7y-KhMOwg2iKVbI7nmqs6euxxGSxbOv-Vw/s320/P1000253.JPG" width="320" /></div> The Salt Water Taffy series of scarves<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKddN599Tx46ZQAB96s5Nuh28nT0Te5kX89reWCb3yujblXNJDe-BhsWPYCaXOOzhGxhb6CEm0sYFYf7LspVs_ARzgoi1aP1hp5rmjJBgXhZDDsNmbLSjXrwg0k0rfIssDVUMaMC6PD_k/s1600/P1000271.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKddN599Tx46ZQAB96s5Nuh28nT0Te5kX89reWCb3yujblXNJDe-BhsWPYCaXOOzhGxhb6CEm0sYFYf7LspVs_ARzgoi1aP1hp5rmjJBgXhZDDsNmbLSjXrwg0k0rfIssDVUMaMC6PD_k/s320/P1000271.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Doing the beaded hemstitching on one of the Flame series of scarves.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCKf2j7z-x06iKQWnu8iovN5T-8sI99rfAaTL3V-Ft2IlH2At9S_5YVk8SMlbMHdlpDJUZjrztaoaZ2ibTpebBvdC4dPy1iPooZDOuD4EVi0YnPKcjT0PWCk5dPrJlUIQhIghffWFsZ0/s1600/P1000283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvCKf2j7z-x06iKQWnu8iovN5T-8sI99rfAaTL3V-Ft2IlH2At9S_5YVk8SMlbMHdlpDJUZjrztaoaZ2ibTpebBvdC4dPy1iPooZDOuD4EVi0YnPKcjT0PWCk5dPrJlUIQhIghffWFsZ0/s320/P1000283.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Close-up of two of the Vanilla Creme series of scarves.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">I'll put up some more photos in a few days, as I get into the habit of taking them regularly, and as I establish a practice of writing down things here.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> Upcoming events -- The Anne X 2 studio show & sale November 25 and 26</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Friends of Freeland Arts & Crafts show in early December</div><div style="text-align: left;"> Further information to be found here soon.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">And, of course, my work is available here in my studio, as well as at Raven Rocks Gallery at Greenbank Farm here on Whidbey Island.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-34268510913547199752011-06-04T13:59:00.000-07:002011-06-04T13:59:35.089-07:00Sequencing<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Today seems like the real, honest-to-gawd First Day of Spring here on Whidbey Island -- clear and sunny with a nice breeze, temperature around 70 degrees. Tomorrow will be much the same, they say. I've got both windows wide open, the shades partway down so the sunlight doesn't bleach the finished items hanging near the window, and the door propped half open with a spare large flowerpot. I'm wearing a short-sleeved t-shirt for the first time since early last Fall. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">New work has been moving forward at a good pace lately, and I took four new scarves up to Raven Rocks Gallery on Thursday, where I learned that a previous scarf -- from the Tropical Waters series -- had been sold a few days before. Makes a weaver's heart glad. The following pictures (well, snapshots really) show some of the most recent output.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyncsE89rANkyX0S8ORsOFVlfrE7dn7mgFnuq1si9cPRl6-0Da3ng0kzZSqo0sf1adBeSExCMlHelyE6jFyV0ieBrq3LDtQOd07l0o6wGcjU4EKmv45d8WS53Aj6BlB9GYOfpr3k24D14/s1600/P1000277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyncsE89rANkyX0S8ORsOFVlfrE7dn7mgFnuq1si9cPRl6-0Da3ng0kzZSqo0sf1adBeSExCMlHelyE6jFyV0ieBrq3LDtQOd07l0o6wGcjU4EKmv45d8WS53Aj6BlB9GYOfpr3k24D14/s320/P1000277.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">That's Vanilla Creme Series #1, headed for the cloth beam. Bamboo warp, slubby rayon weft.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2U_dmnkacoFhG0isykWWJdb7VqYfmD2m37tNTffmSccnD3COSRNlV1Fo9cw1DSLH_B1X_XPEDa0qijAzv5Sf4a54L0YsWaKlT9aUNB7ROhMvqjT4hnUl6R1Bj3MhadwIYcMeV7OwXXSs/s1600/P1000280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2U_dmnkacoFhG0isykWWJdb7VqYfmD2m37tNTffmSccnD3COSRNlV1Fo9cw1DSLH_B1X_XPEDa0qijAzv5Sf4a54L0YsWaKlT9aUNB7ROhMvqjT4hnUl6R1Bj3MhadwIYcMeV7OwXXSs/s320/P1000280.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">And this one's Vanilla Creme Series #2 still in process. Again, bamboo warp, but this time with a natural linen/cotton weft. Both these are now done and in the gallery.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJR4IFqWMy_9JKmYcWgjPMNqTwgLHpJaKMp6DoYpgbmWDd1TzNB8jK_BYakeX5X7nx3_exu0ixM5cKrjLRSJLvuw2a5u9ZMANjjmKJsfn5xFPDN0S95aNEu01zHMhnqsxDDPI2jWhH9w/s1600/P1000285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJR4IFqWMy_9JKmYcWgjPMNqTwgLHpJaKMp6DoYpgbmWDd1TzNB8jK_BYakeX5X7nx3_exu0ixM5cKrjLRSJLvuw2a5u9ZMANjjmKJsfn5xFPDN0S95aNEu01zHMhnqsxDDPI2jWhH9w/s320/P1000285.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">These are Flame Series #3 and #4 -- hand-dyed silk noil warp. The weft for #3 is a fine black wool wrapped with a red metallic, so it glitters when the light hits it right. #4's weft is a ruby-red tencel, and while the complex pattern doesn't show up really well, it does a nice job of playing peek-a-boo. These two also are now in the gallery, and look terrific under the bright, angled gallery lighting.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">I'm off to the Library to pick up some books and then home for the rest of the weekend. My vegetable garden will get a hunk of my time tomorrow -- my special tomato plants arrived yesterday, and need to get into their big black plastic pots situated against the south wall of the house. That's the closest I can get to having optimal conditions for them here in this (relatively) cool maritime climate. </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-57067852670512436912011-05-23T15:22:00.000-07:002011-05-23T15:22:30.015-07:00The End<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2MFvTqFd-huu0qimRMPlSY8p6BNzXYtWvxN4loHanwAtUR52LyrW8QqT8rbXnF3EXbTiMwdiWTqORjoknNXfAdSciUxPm8TXLv0NpBni5TdJkJ3rZ-H-BvilGXlc8Hk0pjXAN5YVnaA/s1600/P1000274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl2MFvTqFd-huu0qimRMPlSY8p6BNzXYtWvxN4loHanwAtUR52LyrW8QqT8rbXnF3EXbTiMwdiWTqORjoknNXfAdSciUxPm8TXLv0NpBni5TdJkJ3rZ-H-BvilGXlc8Hk0pjXAN5YVnaA/s320/P1000274.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Finally! The Flame warp is finished. You can see from this photo that I didn't have much choice but to end it, and as it is, the last scarf is four inches shorter than my standard 72 inches woven. I don't like having so little left behind the heddles, but since I cut the first two scarves off and tied the warp back on, I lost at least six inches of available warp. I plan my warp lengths pretty tightly, leaving little extra, so as not to waste much of a beautiful hand-dyed yarn. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tomorrow I'll do the beaded hemstitching, then cut these last two pieces off the loom, clean off the loom and the floor around it. I drop all snippets and schniddles onto the floor as I'm working, and pick it all up at the very end. Seems more efficient. </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrcC08jWYRDcooBHt6TQ9DbLTIMmm08I6CSZdYJDCtCvBqJd4tGZbnNCm8rVLg8cI_ptKYLk1Ew57ktPzu9y_VR5pcdJizmT6sacdXBWdN_AxQpPY1_9AHAjwIehewXAofDUTBI7kjSU/s1600/P1000276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRrcC08jWYRDcooBHt6TQ9DbLTIMmm08I6CSZdYJDCtCvBqJd4tGZbnNCm8rVLg8cI_ptKYLk1Ew57ktPzu9y_VR5pcdJizmT6sacdXBWdN_AxQpPY1_9AHAjwIehewXAofDUTBI7kjSU/s320/P1000276.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The yellow cord divides the twill pattern of the overall scarf from the plain weave ending which serves as the base for the hemstitching. As I work across (right to left), I gradually pull the cord to the left, leaving a neat space between the twill and the tabby so I can easily see where I need to place my stitches. I don't remember if someone showed me this trick, or I figured it out long ago, but it makes the whole hemstitching-at-the-end process go smoothly.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The next warp for this loom is ready to go on, and the warping process will begin tomorrow. It's a pale ecru 100% bamboo yarn, very smooth and lustrous, and will be the foundation for a series of four "pale neutral" scarves, appropriate for the warmer part of the year. All four weft yarns will be just slightly lighter or darker than the warp, with complex twill patterning, so the overall effect will be tone on tone. Very subtle. I do a series along these lines once or twice a year, always a stretch for me, as I much prefer working with lots of color. However, as an occasional venture, this kind of scheme is rather restful. </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-26494454304539278532011-05-11T13:49:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:47:21.061-07:00In the Homestretch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpBQKbWP9WynggyvNBALrhhpfXRtSE3uhaqXWEf_gmaemWVLh2SaHdPHtcJ-GQrbsrHTIshlAsyulMK75dA9z17WqvJ1-6XPRTsl-XGqVIXWJnJikSHk8kcr_iP8bVVBBfRoiUyySH1Q/s1600/P1000269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPpBQKbWP9WynggyvNBALrhhpfXRtSE3uhaqXWEf_gmaemWVLh2SaHdPHtcJ-GQrbsrHTIshlAsyulMK75dA9z17WqvJ1-6XPRTsl-XGqVIXWJnJikSHk8kcr_iP8bVVBBfRoiUyySH1Q/s320/P1000269.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">Today I'm finishing off Flame #3 -- the weaving is done, and while the patterning is more subtle than I had anticipated, the subtle sparkle of the metallic red component is entirely pleasing. It'll look lots more sparkly after it's washed and firmly ironed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;">The picture above shows how I finish off all my scarves and shawls -- the beginning end is started with a band of Italian hemstitching; the finishing end gets the same but with the addition of beads worked in with the stitching. This procedure anchors and firmly holds the warp threads so nothing pulls out or gets wonky; the beads provide a little surprise when the light hits them just right. The whole treatment has become my signature on many of my woven pieces. It's time-consuming and fiddly, but effective.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif;"> </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-10550355214063227532011-05-07T14:09:00.000-07:002011-05-07T14:09:21.756-07:00Flaming<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The pace of production that I've wanted for a long time to achieve appears finally to be close at hand. Turns out it depends on a number of factors meshing cooperatively and steadily; not sure why I'm feeling so surprised about that, and I'm certainly aware of a place in my mind that reminds me more than I like that it could all go to hell in a handbasket at any moment. I try -- mostly successfully -- to pay no attention to that dismal outlook.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On Thursday I delivered to Raven Rocks Gallery at Greenbank Farm two new scarves -- the first of four in the "Flame" series.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70V0pVBybf4gfYNR_Ly0rJ5h7A3N8rhAozph_RaBHmgjbCBbPEZ5hBNviNek5-mY7R7Y5tLukKkdUWX_oCfr2w08mAZvWOwaJ_8U5Ku9TrAgSefLIQENZBYR-GGWwBYrlN7yF7N0pzS0/s1600/P1000262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj70V0pVBybf4gfYNR_Ly0rJ5h7A3N8rhAozph_RaBHmgjbCBbPEZ5hBNviNek5-mY7R7Y5tLukKkdUWX_oCfr2w08mAZvWOwaJ_8U5Ku9TrAgSefLIQENZBYR-GGWwBYrlN7yF7N0pzS0/s320/P1000262.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The warp is a rough, earthy hand-dyed silk noil; the one on the left (#1) is woven with a doubled strand of very fine hand-dyed silk noil and has a crunchy substantive hand. The weft for the righthand one (#2) is a fine tencel, so the pattern, when the light hits it just right, shimmers in and out of view. I like that. Last evening I went to the First Friday gallery walk at the Farm, and enjoyed seeing people's reaction to them. Also enjoyed seeing how the colors glow under the strong, angled gallery lighting. I took the above picture in my studio with my digital camera; I'm hoping to get Michael Stadler to shoot these and some other recent work before long.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Here's the warp and the next scarf in process -- it's already about two-thirds done. The weft is a fine black wool wrapped with an even finer red metallic strand. The pattern is quite subtle, and the glitter of the metallic will help to accentuate it. I think.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE2_eV9ZAaw8aU-W73BiGaFGU1MjSd09d_e6smGC3r-NUUS81AvkhyIgq_ajS7E9G9jdE0CA7WnGoPLkbmdDrzwA9zp_fnmaqmvANW4oyBmWsbMOIwHlpGUEo1Iuw9HqlS8f3vBvuix4/s1600/P1000265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCE2_eV9ZAaw8aU-W73BiGaFGU1MjSd09d_e6smGC3r-NUUS81AvkhyIgq_ajS7E9G9jdE0CA7WnGoPLkbmdDrzwA9zp_fnmaqmvANW4oyBmWsbMOIwHlpGUEo1Iuw9HqlS8f3vBvuix4/s320/P1000265.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, it's hard to see the pattern; trust me, it's there. One repeat stretches for eleven inches, so the 72-inch (approximately) scarf won't have many iterations. The fourth and final one will be woven with a bright red tencel -- I'm looking forward to seeing the end of this warp. The next one will be a break from my norm -- a creamy bamboo warp which will be woven with a tone-on-tone series of weft yarns. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Off to the house to make a dessert for dinner with friends. Tomorrow, if it quits raining, I'll work in my vegetable garden and spend some time (rain or not) on the couch with a cat and a book. Bliss indeed. </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-70955415485902617522011-05-02T16:57:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:57:13.981-07:00Forging ahead<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A rainy breezy day, after two days of mostly sun and mild temperatures. Got very wet this morning taking the dogs for a walk in the woods. They got wet also, but didn't seem to mind it. With the temperature in the mid-40's and a warm (but not waterproof) jacket, I didn't either. Dropped them off for their monthly bath, and went to a local nursery for some soil amendments for my vegetable garden, where I'd done substantial planting yesterday. And more to come. I need to find a bunch of earthworms who'd like to have a new home -- there are few in my raised beds, and the soil gets too easily compacted. Worms would help a lot.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXKFz0GEYDzKX-SFtrnFd1feSwYuoqwikTjt2IG7RxyUwcDCUyKed2qrKOGjwWqMtlFvWu5Tz0Wwa81V6OLSzPEp0CdNGobYN0oAjJgL67UhnCRGEYNn-Iust_zle0yf39HrtJfjDqSc/s1600/P1000195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSXKFz0GEYDzKX-SFtrnFd1feSwYuoqwikTjt2IG7RxyUwcDCUyKed2qrKOGjwWqMtlFvWu5Tz0Wwa81V6OLSzPEp0CdNGobYN0oAjJgL67UhnCRGEYNn-Iust_zle0yf39HrtJfjDqSc/s320/P1000195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlgojE9f71DjFQT_tBos49J0EVFqtUZ9Ezr-Zxi61X-xyScKj0C0ypLhYzbFirJyYZIfOpOnVcfY6UvCspA7xRf22OOyq9wrws-PXCQ6BkxBaxx9M6_dBgOptcYfkQVDRjiAFRW8fTY0/s1600/P1000231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRlgojE9f71DjFQT_tBos49J0EVFqtUZ9Ezr-Zxi61X-xyScKj0C0ypLhYzbFirJyYZIfOpOnVcfY6UvCspA7xRf22OOyq9wrws-PXCQ6BkxBaxx9M6_dBgOptcYfkQVDRjiAFRW8fTY0/s320/P1000231.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Above is a close-up of a recent fabric I wove -- it's a mixed warp, with several different yarns randomly sleyed across the width, mostly hand-dyed rayon and cotton. The weft is tencel, so the finished fabric is shimmery and drapes beautifully. To the right is the vest which was made from it, with silver buttons and a black rayon lining. The woman who commissioned it was exceedingly pleased.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today I've been weaving on the "Flame" warp -- a run of four scarves on a hand-dyed rough silk warp, with elaborate patterning and a nice rough texture. The first two will be cut off this week so I can wash and iron them, then take them on Thursday to Raven Rocks Gallery north of me at Greenbank Farm. I'll bring home a few items that have been there for several months, and begin to build up an inventory here in my studio/showroom for my expected summertime tourist visitors. Having two places where folks can find my work and try things on maximizes the possibility of sales. And people love coming into my workspace to see how it all happens. </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-50300697038109861022011-04-30T12:50:00.000-07:002011-04-30T12:50:40.156-07:00Back again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnir199FRfS7btJPAJVr63Q90bQkpdsAxRXfR4D9QxepjjLZtF02D1urVG3Cuh9DjfWzjphRL3n-M-L3m_r5_B4Y_fq68Z28H1LfrPLFq_m0FyU-gctem9_alnBSGkRClUMUnrT4xCns/s1600/P1000219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfnir199FRfS7btJPAJVr63Q90bQkpdsAxRXfR4D9QxepjjLZtF02D1urVG3Cuh9DjfWzjphRL3n-M-L3m_r5_B4Y_fq68Z28H1LfrPLFq_m0FyU-gctem9_alnBSGkRClUMUnrT4xCns/s320/P1000219.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That's my pretty girls, giving you the eye. Pohaku, on the left, is a seal lynx-point Balinese; Lehua, on the right, is an Oriental shorthair whose coloring is called something like "ebony silver-tipped tabby patch". Also known as Lehua The Witch-Cat. Ages 18 and 16, respectively, in good health and pretty agile still. An integral part of my life.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">It's been a long, wet, chilly Winter and Spring, and Spring isn't anywhere near over. Today is sunny and clear, but started out cool. Rain will be back on Monday. Spring in the Maritime Northwest is a chancy thing, and every time (often several times in the same day) you think it's in full flower (as it were) it turns around and gets unpleasant again with rain and wind and raw temperatures. The silver lining to all these clouds is that the flowering shrubs and trees, the daffodils and tulips, stay in bloom a long time, so there's plenty of time to admire and enjoy them as they provide their welcome antidote to the cruddy weather.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">My work goes well, and I've settled into a steady production mode. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zIgQTst7Wrr-slbaTecOoiOsHprafLOQfEAtEEB5Goq2GJzFFCs22KUym_HSBBrRSyX3h8vANLCXvUFyYKSNFYeLwKkESS55-yPE2tZq-DCaseeH765aF8zfM5lZSnDnaTyExgZ1QKw/s1600/P1000253.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1zIgQTst7Wrr-slbaTecOoiOsHprafLOQfEAtEEB5Goq2GJzFFCs22KUym_HSBBrRSyX3h8vANLCXvUFyYKSNFYeLwKkESS55-yPE2tZq-DCaseeH765aF8zfM5lZSnDnaTyExgZ1QKw/s400/P1000253.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This is the African Savannah series, recently finished. Hand-dyed rayon and cotton warp, wefts mostly tencel, though the second from left has a hand-dyed rayon/cotton slub that I dyed years ago in a long-discarded idea of becoming a Real Dyer. Never happened, never going to happen. These scarves are exceptionally lustrous and drapey. Very elegant.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Some elements of catastrophe, most notably a burglary and theft in my studio, resulting in the loss of both laptop computers (which are needed to run my looms) and some cash which I'd hidden in a file drawer. A bad blow, the most painful part of which was that I'd not backed up my files and so all the designs I'd created in the past several years were gone. Not to be retrieved. Some of them were really terrific -- complex, interesting, original. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Silver lining again -- once I got new computers, I realized that I know a LOT more now than I did a couple years ago, and could get things up and running more quickly and with greater ease than I'd imagined. Also, I've been able to generate new designs at a good pace, including ones that are quite complex. I'm backing everything up now on Dropbox -- easy and quick, and therefore it gets done consistently.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">This week I figured out that my reluctance to write here frequently seems to be generated by a concern that I have to do it "right". Decided to ignore that silliness from now on, and just write whatever I want. Long or short, it doesn't matter. Coherent or not, it doesn't matter. And it doesn't have to be about my work and nothing else, so I'm going to be throwing in bits of my life that surrounds this work and in some ways feeds it. This quiet studio is often a respite from other things, and I need that. It's also the essential core of my life, which is in its entirety full, rich, interesting, challenging. It's all of a piece.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUZlynyx2noIg2vSGoxlP6ebAR7Vw2Lr2lA4AWRJ8FBb_gD2mf_cYa9N-lJb7fBK7zuji_IB81u3TUTMmebOQUGFPgiZAvGZSRMULUFDbZy9reGtiGEAnHqUGYGM0dC0WBe8uwMCNF1c/s1600/P1000237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTUZlynyx2noIg2vSGoxlP6ebAR7Vw2Lr2lA4AWRJ8FBb_gD2mf_cYa9N-lJb7fBK7zuji_IB81u3TUTMmebOQUGFPgiZAvGZSRMULUFDbZy9reGtiGEAnHqUGYGM0dC0WBe8uwMCNF1c/s320/P1000237.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-68135474462484489642011-01-19T13:38:00.000-08:002011-01-19T13:38:52.224-08:00Talking with friends<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlOTSPgj8-zpLdNCejv1NanoSkKnVtJ7kbG4W-rexrxZHZWxyrbOyG40GMisYw1NmPA6zxda91A5MUTePPZ4zdMspNw4pyI9YDDD4ycmD4gpg8F-CuKbhmQ1RC79vD2U-zdRi6HpmaJk/s1600/IMG_8933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" n4="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSlOTSPgj8-zpLdNCejv1NanoSkKnVtJ7kbG4W-rexrxZHZWxyrbOyG40GMisYw1NmPA6zxda91A5MUTePPZ4zdMspNw4pyI9YDDD4ycmD4gpg8F-CuKbhmQ1RC79vD2U-zdRi6HpmaJk/s320/IMG_8933.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>This morning, I had breakfast and a good visit with my long-time friend Susan, a writer of some note. We try to do this every couple of weeks except when she's away on a teaching tour or in Colorado helping her elderly parents navigate ill health and the challenges of their eighth decade of life. Susan and I always have a lot to talk about, mull over together, and kvetch about. She's a poet and natural-history writer, I'm a weaver, quilter and knitter. I'm also an eclectic reader, with academic training in literary criticism and philosophy. We make a great pair.<br />
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Today Susan was telling me about a series of short essays she's been writing; they began as a consideration of the trials of getting older and experiencing her body getting cranky. (She's facing hip replacement surgery in a couple of weeks.) She described the arc of the first essay as a movement from darkness into a kind of light and renewed wonder, enabled by her consideration of an Emily Dickinson poem. We discussed how the experience of good art (however that's defined) can provide us with a glimpse or jolt of recognition of some truth or vision or insight that lifts our spirits and opens a fresh energy to continue moving forward. <br />
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Because we have been friends for so long, and have talked so many times about her writing and my weaving, we each have a considerable understanding of the other's work process. So when she commented that she didn't see how these individual essays she's writing could work as a book, how they could fit together coherently, I came up with a metaphor from my work that was helpful. Think of one of my warps, I said, long enough to weave several pieces. Each scarf or shawl is unique, with different patterns and different weft yarns in each. In some, the warp is easily seen; in others, it's hardly visible. Yet it's there in all of them, carrying through each the same theme of color and texture. Her collection of essays needs to have such a theme, or central question, or philosophical core, so that -- like each item in my series of woven pieces -- the common element is perceptible. Susan, who is also a visual artist of considerable ability, could visualize and extrapolate from that metaphor an approach to her essays that heretofore had escaped her. It was exciting and energizing for both of us.<br />
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On Friday, I'll get together with another dear friend, who's a sculptor. She and I also often talk about our work in a broad way, and consider elements of process and creative endeavor which fascinate and engage us. I treasure these friends, and many others, with the knowledge that their presence in my life makes me a better artist and a wiser person<br />
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Reading <strong>Dreaming in Chinese </strong>by Deborah Fallows. Among other things.Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-91012862931598025952011-01-02T18:21:00.000-08:002011-01-02T18:33:38.673-08:00Begin as you mean to go on<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_u5da4Ie4Jq9Hp1y5NKlnMyaralTIEX4QWgS6oT15bUx3gAcUiPawcoN7MoEwJ80gFiyNQMJ53U-JrDYpUPPh6xrnPWBccmGXXIAfvm7warm-tILgK56DWaKh28MWhm326gQdeW3SdlQ/s1600/P1000195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_u5da4Ie4Jq9Hp1y5NKlnMyaralTIEX4QWgS6oT15bUx3gAcUiPawcoN7MoEwJ80gFiyNQMJ53U-JrDYpUPPh6xrnPWBccmGXXIAfvm7warm-tILgK56DWaKh28MWhm326gQdeW3SdlQ/s320/P1000195.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDWVXlSv1Uda-IsGX9i4B-zS2jzoT_Xgyj2XMKZfF-4PMhExmucxSpFaVYaeUtrHug2iUewcTOoFqR0HPV-mfIf2knurwkiJ37V6L14xX9oTN5bswnQhES6hk0kgEY4txXy1nDOAWw8A/s1600/P1000198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDWVXlSv1Uda-IsGX9i4B-zS2jzoT_Xgyj2XMKZfF-4PMhExmucxSpFaVYaeUtrHug2iUewcTOoFqR0HPV-mfIf2knurwkiJ37V6L14xX9oTN5bswnQhES6hk0kgEY4txXy1nDOAWw8A/s320/P1000198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">That title is a principle that I came across years ago in something I was reading. At this time of year, when I'm taking stock and setting my sights on the months ahead in this brand spanking new 2011, this principle is foremost in my thoughts. I like the idea of establishing early on a practice, or a new habit, or a fresh attitude toward something. Begin as you mean to go on . . . .</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">So this evening I write about my studio work, even though I've taken two days off over the holiday weekend, in preparation for being tomorrow at work and nose-down in the current projects. I've taken some new pictures, and will try to include a couple in this post if I can figure out the new image-attaching process. (I figured it out -- see above for finished cloth, and the warp.) The fabric for the vest was beautiful, and the finished garment elegant. I'm going to be getting it back temporarily from the happy new owner to do a little taking in of the side seams, as it's a bit roomy for her. When it's back in my hands, I'll photograph it, hopefully being worn. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">Now I'm weaving off the rest of the 9.5 yard warp; this part will be two shawls, each about 7.5 feet long and 22 inches wide. The first of the two is being woven in a fancy plaited twill pattern, with two strands of weft -- one a 10/2 pearl cotton, one an 8/2 tencel -- both black. Very black. The second will be woven with either a grey tencel or a deep blue hand-dyed silk. The weaving is going along well, though I didn't spend a lot of time at it last week as I chose instead to enjoy several get-togethers with friends -- something I don't often do on work days, especially when I'm working against a deadline. This week I have very little in the way of appointments or meetings, so I expect to made substantial progress on this pair of shawls, called the Indigo Bunting series. In fact, I hope to finish them and have them off the loom so the next warp (which is ready to go) can be started. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I'm thinking through my 2011 work plan, and will be getting it written down later this week. This is a practice I've been following for some years, and it continues to be invaluable. Sometime next week, I'll get together with my friend Anne Belov (a painter, printmaker and cartoonist) who also develops a carefully thought-out work plan, and we'll review and discuss both of them. This gives each of us an idea of the other's upcoming year and what accomplishments are envsioned, and we're able as part of our fairly regular conversations and visits to check in with each other on how particular projects or tasks are moving forward, without it ever being somehow artificial or contrived. It's simply part of the ongoing flow of our friendship, and it's enormously helpful and supportive to be both casual and disciplined about the work and the plans. Once I've got mine firmly in hand, I'll put at least some of it in this blog -- one more way to ensure Getting Stuff Done.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Verdana,sans-serif;">I love the beginning of another year -- it gives me the sense that everything is all fresh and new, and any failings or lapses during last year no longer are part of the picture. Clean slate and a clear view ahead.</span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-74027170422769230902010-12-28T17:11:00.000-08:002010-12-28T17:27:04.166-08:00Playing Catch-up<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWqZf3lN9HtpMXRB1ROkhJosDqpf0vpRryA99Jm-Br2NVO9fudwTec4DiiMY2POtGqoTsGfOYqV1KUwk_ISaVU8mvhHy7IekFcm470Jq4j4ToEryMpajQvLgFYEUnPy6ILy9jyKX1su4/s1600/P1000157.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWqZf3lN9HtpMXRB1ROkhJosDqpf0vpRryA99Jm-Br2NVO9fudwTec4DiiMY2POtGqoTsGfOYqV1KUwk_ISaVU8mvhHy7IekFcm470Jq4j4ToEryMpajQvLgFYEUnPy6ILy9jyKX1su4/s320/P1000157.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5555908445049654626" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:lucida grande;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Good grief, it's been a month since last I wrote. I've been busy indeed, almost exclusively with finishing off some under-deadline work, and managed to avoid any holiday preparation and activity. This bit is being written at home, staying out of the blare of the teevee feetsball game, and I'd planned to load in some recent photos I took of work in progress on the loom, and several completed pieces. Managed to get the pictures into the computer, and also managed to obliterate all of them except one. That's Kimo. He's a beauty, and he and his sister Tita often keep me company at work. Tomorrow I'll take more photos of what's in process right now, and try not to make the same mistake again. I'll also write more about what I've been working on lately, and some ideas I'm developing for the coming year.<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-33269552711254415482010-11-29T14:57:00.000-08:002010-11-29T15:18:16.464-08:00Staying InsideIt's a chilly, raw, wet typically November day here in the Pacific Northwest. The meteorological hotshots tell me that the last two weeks of this month have the wettest, nastiest weather of the year. Today is proof positive. Last week was snow and very cold -- uncommonly early but not unprecedented. Just enough white stuff to be beautiful for a day or so and to either keep people tucked in at home or out sliding around on the unplowed though eventually sanded roads. Some folks were without electricity right into Thanksgiving Day, so many celebratory dinners were postponed till the weekend. I love that weather, and am happiest being out in it tromping around. Now if only I had a pair of boots . . . .<br /><br />The weekend's Anne X 2 show and sale went off hitch-free. Decent traffic on Friday, better on Saturday. We had good visits with a number of friends and supporters, but dang few sales. In the ten years we've been doing this event, this was the poorest for income for both of us, a big disappointment. People love the work, are gratifyingly complimentary and admiring, but the wallets and checkbooks remained pocketed. This is hard on two women who work diligently to earn a living, and there's no graceful way to smack folks with the realities of inadequate income. We're both moderately philosophical about it ("well, there's always next year") but of course that doesn't pay the bills or buy the groceries.<br /><br />Today I spent a couple of hours at the Big Loom weaving away on the third (and last) Evening in the Garden shawl; it went along quite well, now that I've adjusted a couple things on the loom as well as the way I push down the left treadle. It's the one that signals the computer to pass along the instructions for the next group of lifted shafts, allowing the shuttle to go through with the weft thread. If the treadle isn't pushed down firmly enough, the signal seems to get garbled and lo and behold I have weaving errors!! Aaaaarrrgghhhhhh.<br /><br />What gets clearer to me is that so much of operating these looms is knowing how they work, and developing techniques in how I move and weave to enable the loom to do what it's supposed to. It's a complex tool, the right tool for me to be using in creating the beautiful cloth I envision, but it does have to be operated properly. I'm still learning that part.Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-83385255371655275112010-11-23T11:05:00.000-08:002010-11-23T11:32:07.616-08:00Snow Days<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_axmeXElyEwaziYYImv6X0hZxOQm3mTzaN8t9MkHf2oFLa6kwGKSCso6k3YY7K8pCLrjE2Jb4IumCFL0T39l4pbwKIKh98c-hN4V5SSzGHv9eE4_fixg-3w79YMOZQedhDp9qQDB4MfY/s1600/IMG_8945.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 213px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542828298452843698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_axmeXElyEwaziYYImv6X0hZxOQm3mTzaN8t9MkHf2oFLa6kwGKSCso6k3YY7K8pCLrjE2Jb4IumCFL0T39l4pbwKIKh98c-hN4V5SSzGHv9eE4_fixg-3w79YMOZQedhDp9qQDB4MfY/s320/IMG_8945.jpg" /></a><br /><div>The average first frost date for this area is November 15. We got past that with no freeze, and then got slammed. Two nights ago, my bird basins froze solid. Yesterday the temperature stayed at or below 32 degrees all day, and it snowed off and on, accumulating by late evening to about two inches. The low last night was about 19 degrees, and the temperature today won't go above 24 even with bright sunlight. I was up briefly in the night to see clear skies, a light wind out of the North, and bright moonlight. Into my sleepy mind popped the line -- "The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow," and I fell back asleep mulling that over. Tonight is predicted to go down to 16 degrees, and tomorrow perhaps to freezing level.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I love cold and snow, love how the world changes, love the feel of the frigid air and the exhilaration of being alive and active and IN this world. I feel adventurous when I go outside and tromp around with clunky footgear and fluffy clothing, and am unfortunately inclined to look a teensy bit scornfully at those who shudder and squeal at the very thought of cold and snow. It's a character flaw, I know, but I'm unable to help myself.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My studio has lots of windows facing west, so before long the winter sun will be pouring in and helping to warm the space. I love working here in comfort while looking out at the snow, watching the birds busily scooping up the birdseed I put out earlier (extra today because of the cold) under a nearby shrubby willow. The California Quail came in en masse, several dozen of them, ate voraciously, and then hunkered down in the sun tucked into the base of the great blackberry jungle -- protected from the wind -- busily grooming and settling all those exquisitely perfect feathers.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>My Anne X 2 show is Friday and Saturday, and with the weather conditions may be sparsely attended. In fact, my Ford mini-van will have trouble getting up the long curvy hill to Annie B's place, so I'll need to get a ride from a friend with a four-wheel drive vehicle. Today's work plan is to make new hang-tags for most of the pieces I'll be showing, and to detail the silk shawl I cut from the loom yesterday and got washed and mostly dry. I'd best get at it, as I plan to leave here by 3:00 to get home before the road surfaces get really slick.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The photo above is of two recent scarves in the "Tapestry" series. </div>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-23807007162776270622010-11-17T13:55:00.000-08:002010-11-17T14:25:12.534-08:00Odds & Ends<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8LgZ-JsHuAfa_8tP7yPQMihD3jClkc2OfgvAoRJ8g48T_14n3_MAGv-a_u8Z__8S13xlwQWq15yT_c_TyozHelsJcUGMoWfH-21dwccN0jZiMr-7Px3iWGFNEePmNCJ6GU6z8Du6hMk/s1600/evening+grosbeak.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 141px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 88px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540648256393170722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL8LgZ-JsHuAfa_8tP7yPQMihD3jClkc2OfgvAoRJ8g48T_14n3_MAGv-a_u8Z__8S13xlwQWq15yT_c_TyozHelsJcUGMoWfH-21dwccN0jZiMr-7Px3iWGFNEePmNCJ6GU6z8Du6hMk/s320/evening+grosbeak.bmp" /></a><br /><div>Shortly before leaving home this morning to come to my studio, I spotted outside one of my favorite birds -- an Evening Grosbeak -- which I've seen none of for several years. On this windy raw November morning, as I stood transfixed and delighted, the gathering grew till there were at least ten, males and females both in winter plumage, working over the Japanese Maples just off the back deck, plundering the clinging samaras with apparent gusto. Utterly beautiful birds, with their dramatic black, brown, gold and white coloring and massive beaks. They were certainly on their way South from nesting grounds farther North, scarfing down gourmet seeds and washing it all down with water from the hand-carved stone basin under the (now leafless) red maple. Since this species of Grosbeak doesn't nest here, this was a rare thrill. The glow remains with me now in the afternoon, on an especially dreary day.<br /><br /><br /><br />Just finished weaving the second of three silk shawls on the current warp on BL before taking a break for lunch. Need to do the beaded hemstitching first thing tomorrow when (I hope) the natural light in here will be stronger, and then can move on to the last one. This is the "Evening in the Garden" series, on a hand-dyed silk warp, each with a different weft and a markedly different pattern. Simple 16-shaft straight twill threading, with complicated tie-ups and treadling sequences in the design, resulting in sinuous curves in the cloth. I'm pleased with how they're looking; one is off the loom (cut it off last week so as to have it ready for our Whidbey Weavers Guild annual sale) and is exceptionally elegant.<br /><br /><br /><br />Next warp onto the BL will be for fabric for a special-order vest plus two shawls, in cobalt blues, indigo, black and grey. Warp yarns specially dyed by The Drop Spindle, and quite glorious indeed. I'll add a couple of stock yarns to pull in additional color and texture, thread a 12-shaft straight twill, and weave the fabric in a lovely swinging undulating twill I've designed.<br /><br /><br /><br />My sprained left ankle and foot -- result of a nasty fall ten days ago -- are finally starting to ease up on the pain quotient, and the swelling is significantly reduced. Sure has slowed down my weaving output, as treadling tends to cause increased pain and swelling if I do too much without elevating and icing the pitiful appendage. I'll be seeing my beloved acupuncturist this afternoon, and anticipate an uptick in healing speed as a result. That'll be a relief.</div>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-39679833683839145762010-11-14T11:23:00.000-08:002010-11-14T12:46:26.926-08:00Back on Board & 2010 Newsletter<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEB8yrBr99VdOeqVXtaO3QRbomEbDHraPLEzMnnTM1dPkeFKxRSaUpY3TSkewxWkjV6PEh1mKaHYV7v6hIEpZr4Mw-d_DzrMd353GLKfLMfbRPR1n2Nc3rvUlOss3664pWme6R_o0-SZY/s1600/P1000137.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEB8yrBr99VdOeqVXtaO3QRbomEbDHraPLEzMnnTM1dPkeFKxRSaUpY3TSkewxWkjV6PEh1mKaHYV7v6hIEpZr4Mw-d_DzrMd353GLKfLMfbRPR1n2Nc3rvUlOss3664pWme6R_o0-SZY/s320/P1000137.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5539508530846896546" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">It's sure been a looooooong time since I wrote anything here, though it's not for lack of thinking about doing it. And as we know, thinking about something and by golly doing it are hardly the same thing with hardly the same results. It's unclear to me why I have such a hard time just sitting down at my studio computer and banging out a bit about what I'm working on, or slapping in a few pictures (I can do that now!), or maundering about the latest scritchy behavior of one of the looms. Partly it's because I get tangled up in the knotty idiocy of wondering if what I have to say Means Anything; partly I feel like I'm "supposed" to write something serious or insightful about what I'm doing. Mainly, I manage not to get around to it, because it seems like it's not Real Work, like sitting at the loom and weaving, or designing a new series of patterns, or putting the next warp on the loom. Still, it's an element of my life as a professional weaver I want incorporated into my workday, so I'll persist in aiming at consistency.<br /><br />For now, my 2010 newsletter (of sorts), as the introduction to the Tenth Anne-ual Anne X 2 Show and Sale, taking place on November 25 and 26 here on Whidbey Island ~<br /><br />After slogging in 2009 through assembling a new (reconditioned) production loom and beginning to weave on it, I thought I was done with loom purchases and learning curves. That confident assumption withered away when late in the year I realized that the 24-inch-wide computer-assisted loom I'd been using for 18 months wasn't really designed for the kind of production I normally do -- warps ten or more yards long, with a series of related but never identical pieces from each warp. The solution to this dilemma was (rubbing hands together gleefully) to buy another loom, this time a 30-inch weaving width AVL Production Dobby Loom. It was another reconditioned loom, a smaller sister to my 48-inch one, also with 16 shafts, allowing for vast possibilities in patterning. Late last winter, another eight large heavy boxes arrived at my studio -- the new loom, ready to assemble.<br /><br />Instead of trying to slog through the process alone, I enlisted the help of my friend Janis Saunders and her husband Dave; we had the loom entirely put together and tested for anomalies in a day and a half. That was fun, so a few weeks later I went up to Coupeville and helped them put together her new (used) 30-inch production loom, a sister to mine with a serial number one digit higher.<br /><br />The 24-inch loom sits in a corner of my studio waiting for someone to purchase it. It was the ideal loom for me to make the giant step from mechanical looms to computer-assisted design and weaving -- anything larger would have scared me into squeaking immobility. Small enough not to be intimidating, it was complex enough to stretch my knowledge and skill to the point where bringing in the production looms was the logical next step.<br /><br />So I've spent the year learning, working, designing and weaving; the new work is increasingly complex as I move further toward the images I have in mind for the work I wish to produce. In the Spring, I took a three-day workshop with Bonnie Inouye (one of my idols) to learn a lot more about designing complicated advancing twill patterns. In the process, I became more at ease with the design software I use, and created a sizable collection of beautiful patterns which I expect to weave over the next year or two.<br /><br />Earlier this year, I applied for and received a study grant from the Whidbey Weavers Guild. I'll use it to travel to Chico, California -- the home of AVL Looms -- this Winter or Spring to take a three-day workshop on all aspects of using, troubleshooting, and maintaining the production dobby looms. It's clear by now that my lack of deep knowledge about the equipment is hampering my progress and my production speed. And I feel certain that knowing a lot more about how my tools work will quite simply make me a better (and probably happier) weaver. It's going to be a thrill to be at the factory and to meet the people I talk with but have yet to meet.<br /><br />Ten days ago, I took a number of new pieces to Michael Stadler, photographer extraordinaire, and we had an enjoyable hour and a half draping and shooting. I don't yet have the final images, but when I do, some will appear here, and before long I'll get my website re-done and they'll be found there as well.<br /><br />The final element of my workplan for the next period of time is beginning to develop a line of handwoven fabrics for clothing and interiors. These will be woven on the Big Loom, which will, by (I think) Spring, be operated by a weaving assistant. I have a marketing plan in mind, and will be willing to take special orders as well as sell finished yardage to interested parties. The Small Loom will for the most part be dedicated to weaving scarves and shawls, with an occasional run of kitchen towels with my signature use of color and pattern.<br /><br />It's going to be a challenging and interesting year.<br /></span></span>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-77347701684628631142010-07-31T12:29:00.000-07:002010-07-31T12:44:43.796-07:00PROGRESS, ALBEIT SLOWClearly, my plan to write twice a week is being honored more in the breach than the observance. Still, this makes twice this month, so perhaps that's progress.<br /><br />However, the forward movement I'm more enthusiastic about today is that I've finally begun threading heddles on Sally, taking a break from awkward posture to hunker over this computer. (I'll need a massage after all this!) It's taken a while to get the suggestions and information I needed to proceed with warping this loom, and Janis Saunders has been cheerfully helpful and encouraging. So earlier this week, I finished sleying the reed, then (after a refresher phone call with Janis) I got the harnesses raised and stabilized so I can thread a sixteen-shaft straight twill, on which I will ring a number of changes, one for each of the five scarves to be woven. I expect to get about half done with the threading today, and should be able to finish on Monday. The rest of the warping is pretty easy sailing, and will probably be finished by the middle of next week, which means that I'll finally begin weaving off this gorgeous series. I've got all the patterns designed, and some of the weft yarns chosen. I'm excited.<br /><br />I'll write again when the threading is completed.Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-35738182236001992772010-07-07T14:39:00.001-07:002010-07-07T14:39:51.094-07:00More progress<p>The OPEN sign is up, the e-mail was sent out last evening (after considerable struggle to Get It Just Right), a few people have stopped in today.  In the end, I decided to have Open Studio both Wednesdays and Saturdays at least through the end of September.   The studio is neat and clean for the time being –- it took considerable discipline to keep nose to grindstone to accomplish it, however --  and I love it like this.  Orderliness may not be virtue, but I feel virtuous, and there’s no question that I function better when the accumulated clutter is removed.</p> <p>The first section of hanging racks was installed two days ago, and there are a number of scarves and shawls hanging up now, looking dang good.  Marcia will be here tomorrow to put up the second section, which will be configured differently from the first.  This will give me the opportunity to rearrange both the racks and what’s on them when and as I wish, which makes me happy.  There are also pegs included in the design, so scarves can be draped over them or garments on hangers can be hung on them.  Lots of possibilities for display!</p> <p>And it’s now time to quit fiddling around and get back to serious and steady production so that I have even more good work to put on these attractive racks.  Beulah (Big Loom) has a dusty teal rayon warp on her, with enough to weave off five scarves six feet long each.  Sally (Small Loom) is getting dressed with an earthy hand-dyed rayon/cotton warp I’m calling African Savannah, which will also produce five scarves.  I’m in the process of designing and planning a run of dish towels (which, in nearly thirty years of weaving, I’ve never done before), striped in about five colors of 8/2 cotton.  I want to have on hand some small, relatively inexpensive items which will still have my characteristic style of color and patterning.</p> <p>It’s quiet here now, and I’m so enjoying it.  The first real Summer day here in the Maritime Northwest is bright and breezy outside my windows.  I’m glad to be alive and working at what I love.</p> Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-34984550324374045232010-06-17T11:44:00.000-07:002010-06-17T12:24:33.830-07:00Things Are Moving<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi_MkL6cgMHmbSzVN7hZ7arecpAUXGRFrhIzyi_pP1bWOO62zTnRRgzhmXIETHpHvuNb0T1a7AyWDaAkPW-fyVgB_bKOiwDovV_xuibgCfairNkZMpCTMpS1PbQWGU8n4e3VWNL5hJtY/s1600/IMG_3085.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5483825061851397810" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPi_MkL6cgMHmbSzVN7hZ7arecpAUXGRFrhIzyi_pP1bWOO62zTnRRgzhmXIETHpHvuNb0T1a7AyWDaAkPW-fyVgB_bKOiwDovV_xuibgCfairNkZMpCTMpS1PbQWGU8n4e3VWNL5hJtY/s320/IMG_3085.jpg" /></a><br /><br />It's yet another in a series of mixed-bag weather-days. I love this time of year for that reason. We get grey clouds, then some light rain, more cloudiness, and oh so slowly a shift as the day progresses to brighter light and by early afternoon or so the sun breaks through, making the last hours of the day a rich spectacle. With the grey light and the cool temperatures (high today will be in the upper 50's), there's a lot of kvetching around these parts (though certainly not in this studio) about all the dang rain and why can't we have summer now that it's June??!! For those who are unfamiliar with the Pacific Northwest, it's important to note that the reason that the predominant color here most of the year is green is because of the soft, grey, quiet rainy days for many months. And for me, those days form the perfect background for the deep and bright colors I prefer to use in my work.<br /><br /><br /><br />Some of the decisions I've made lately are beginning to appear as done deals. I now have signage for this studio, which is located in the business district of this tiny town but is hidden away off the street. Yesterday Mikie-the-signmaker installed three signs for me which I hope will direct folks here now and again to see my work process and to see and buy finished work which will be on display. I'm calling it RainShadow Textiles, and the signs say there's a showroom. Fancy term, but hopefully intriguing. The signs look great.<br /><br /><br /><br />The next decision was to nail down one day in my work week when I'm officially open to the public; it's going to be Wednesdays from 10:00 to 3:00. I'll also be available for visitation by appointment. My hope is that this will encourage visitors, but discourage frequent unannounced interruptions. If it doesn't work well, I'll change it. I'll send out a notice this weekend to my list of interested supporters, and invite them to come have a look.<br /><br /><br /><br />By next week, Marcia will have the first of the wall racks designed and built. I'm hoping at least one can be installed by the end of the week; it's going to be MUCH nicer than the old clothes-drying rack that I'm using now! After all, if I'm calling this "studio and showroom" I want it to look a bit classy. Keeping it tidy but not messy will be an ongoing challenge, and above all the work at the looms needs to move forward apace.<br />(Image is of Bargello #2. Michael Stadler photograph)Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-36559494007129125952010-06-07T14:19:00.001-07:002010-06-07T14:19:38.959-07:00Best-laid Plans<h6></h6> <p>The day after writing the previous entry, I took a nasty tumble smack on my butt on hard asphalt pavement.  Whacked my head too.  (I’ve had a sore head, not been one.)  Primary result, after a few days of no problem, has been a painful lower back.  It’s taken considerable rest and going easy, and several treatments from my friend Bob-the-chiropractor, to put me back in normal working order, largely pain-free.  This has <em>not</em> been fun.  I’ve managed only abbreviated studio time, and no time at either loom.  My only productive work has been continuing progress on a lace shawl I’ve been knitting for a few weeks.  It’s nearly done.  Today, for the first time in ten days, I felt up to a short beach walk, and am hoping for another tomorrow, but must be watchful about not doing too much too soon. </p> <p>It’s a quiet rainy day, and being here in my studio, mentally revving back up to my normal level of productivity, feels dang good.  Being significantly incapacitated for ten days brought up frustration, discouragement, and sloth.  It’s not pleasant dwelling with those items taking up space in my mind.  Not my natural habitat.</p> <p>Tomorrow I have a couple of long-distance phone calls scheduled, one of them with my creativity coach.  I’ve been working with her for a number of years; those sessions always goose me up to a new level of excitement and purpose about my work.  This one comes at a most opportune moment.  I plan to put in a full day here, and spend part of it at the big loom, just weaving.  Merely throwing the shuttle and beating in the weft.  It should help to settle me. </p> Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-29166342491741664722010-05-22T12:46:00.001-07:002010-05-22T12:46:44.775-07:00Things are looking up<p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial">After several weeks of whining and wimping around about the difficulty of warping the small loom in my usual way, and being partway into the process so I couldn’t back out of it, I talked yesterday with my friend Janis Saunders (The Braider’s Hand) about her technique of getting a warp onto her AVL production looms.  Front to back.</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">(It should be noted here that I’m a self-taught weaver, have always warped my looms FTB because it seems logical to me, and am extraordinarily reluctant – as long as I’m working with a plain, not a sectional, warp beam – to change this practice at which I’m quite proficient.)</font></p> <p><font face="Arial">(It should also be noted that the reason I can’t do the warping in my “normal” way is not because I’ve suddenly become incompetent but because of the structure of the loom itself. <br /></font></p> <p><font face="Arial">Janis gave me a description of how she does the job, and we discussed some further variations, and I laughed a lot and felt more than a little foolish and embarrassed.</font></p> <p>AND ~ now I can see how to do what I want to do, in much the same way I have previously, though I’ll need to make a few adjustments to my technique which is not necessarily A Bad Thing.  Even at this stage of my weaving life (nearly thirty years in), it’s helpful, even sensible, to be flexible about certain elements of the work.</p> <p>So Monday I’m going to blast away on that warp and make substantial progress.  Really. </p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"></font></p> <p><font face="Arial"> </font></p> Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-45432935820021234152010-05-19T12:12:00.000-07:002010-05-19T12:26:07.672-07:00Photo informationIt occurred to me that readers might be curious about those two scarves -- fiber content, process, and the like. So here 'tis ~<br /><br />The warp is a hand-dyed bombyx silk from The Drop Spindle (in California); the warp was 7.5 yards long, enough to produce three scarves each six feet long (plus approximately two inches of fringe at each end) by about ten inches wide. The first scarf above is woven with a fine hand-dyed silk noil, the second with tencel. The patterns are my own design, created using WeavePoint software. The threading is a 16-shaft point twill; the first treadling is a variation on an advancing point twill, as is the second but with a shorter repeat.<br /><br />After the weaving is done, the finished scarves go home with me for washing and partial drying, then back to the studio for "detailing" -- ironing, trimming of threads and fringes, and making hang-tag labels.<br /><br />That's it. Simple.Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4362489392010602852.post-48360682959907378502010-05-18T13:53:00.000-07:002010-05-18T14:28:08.626-07:00Making Progress<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDUv9XXYM06uKCPNMeEkoHnnaevjDxk93RXDtpkCR3PS6CoQU18XcztRTST454d13ItZwoGsVcJvHXZL3Q2NTwFYFF1G_do4DZ48E_4w_nDHYRQsffajfFTC2rVu3yvmrVJCr3i1NiQ8/s1600/IMG_3193.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 214px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472724440053203778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrDUv9XXYM06uKCPNMeEkoHnnaevjDxk93RXDtpkCR3PS6CoQU18XcztRTST454d13ItZwoGsVcJvHXZL3Q2NTwFYFF1G_do4DZ48E_4w_nDHYRQsffajfFTC2rVu3yvmrVJCr3i1NiQ8/s320/IMG_3193.jpg" /></a><br /><div>After a number of warm sunny true-Spring days, today we're back to a quintessential Pacific Northwest pattern of cool, breezy, drippy morning morphing into a windy, sunny afternoon. Two days in one -- it's a good way to enjoy the idea of living twice as long.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Progress on several fronts last week -- with my friend Marcia-the-woodworker I worked out the design and most details of wall-mounted racks here in my studio to hang finished pieces, as well as free-standing, portable ones to take elsewhere for shows. Made the decision to name my business "RainShadow Textiles" instead of merely using my name which says nothing about what's involved or what I do. Now I need to attach that name to my website, and get the site itself updated almost entirely. Beginning that this week, which entails substantial re-writing of text and selection of new images.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Loom work itself seems to be on hold while I complain mightily about probably having to change my warping process for the new loom. Front-to-back isn't going to work, due to the structure of the loom. I've always done it this way, and am feeling whiney and petulant at the likelihood that I'm going to have to learn a whole new process (back-to-front) that seems quite frankly illogical to me. My only hope right now is a friend here on Whidbey who I believe mentioned some time ago a front-to-back method she uses which I vaguely remember was different from mine. I'll phone her tomorrow and find out.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>I'm going to emulate Laura Fry's practice of noting in her blog books she's reading; it's given me interesting things to track down. My hope is that mine will do the same for others.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Right now, I'm either reading or have just finished:</div><br /><div>The World Without Us -- Alan Weisman</div><br /><div>Claiming Ground -- Laura Bell</div><br /><div>Listening Below the Noise -- Anne LeClaire</div><br /><div>Somewhere Towards the End -- Diana Athill</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>The photo is another Peacock series scarf. Both images by Michael Stadler.</div>Anne Niles Davenporthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01492027648696799351noreply@blogger.com0