Then and Now

a new style for me… finished size is 21” by 16.75”

I’ve discovered a new way of weaving “for me”.  One that combines my weaving style from the 80’s with what I know today. These early weavings were larger scale (60” by 80”) hangings in the knotted rya technique. Done mostly in thin (roughly 1/2 inch by 3 inch) rectangular blocks of color;  thick bundles with up to 20 different strands of varying thicknesses and content. Whatever I had on hand. I think the sett was 6EPI.

I never worked from a cartoon back then. It never even occurred to me. I had a graph paper notebook that I sketched the basic idea into then broke it down into smaller parts visually as I wove. I didn’t plan colors ahead of time, either. I simply pulled from my yarn selection as I went. It a comfortable and intuitive way of working, and one that I loved. And apparently… have missed.

It was in a presentation that I did earlier this year in which I showed a couple of these earlier weavings that got me thinking about that way of working. Both the idea of not depending on a cartoon- and the remembrance of how natural the process was.

I made mental plans to revisit that technique in my current tapestries. One thing I felt strongly about, though. The scale was essential. I’d need to weave large again.

I have the loom… but it’s currently occupied with another tapestry that’s been struggling to assert itself and find its way.

The more I thought about it and compared what I did then to what I know - and do - now… I decided to come up with a design that I might later do in the knotted technique, but would first try it out in the same style of color blending - only with the more traditional plain weave tapestry- on a smaller scale.

I had a photograph in mind. It’s nothing special as a photograph but it shows the dramatic light on the prairie. 

One day, I very spontaneously grabbed my Inkense watercolor pencils and made this.

I put it in my current journal to come back to along with the photograph. In August of this year I  warped a loom to get it started. I didn’t agonize over colors. I just started mixing.

I did set up a few guidelines for myself to reign in the choices, however.  Most importantly,  that once 4 to 6 combinations had been established, I’d stick with them throughout. 

My sett for this weaving is 8EPi with 12/9 cotton seine twine warp. I couldn’t use 20 threads; I had anywhere from 5 to 9 in a bundle instead.

I gotta say that I loved every minute of weaving this tapestry. It practically wove itself. I started it about a month before I was to leave for my Scotland/UK trip and as it progressed, I began to worry that I’d be leaving it for such a long period of time. Would I be able to pick up where I left off when I got back? 

(I was also pretty involved in the Shannock weaving at the time and having the same thoughts about that one as well).

I planned to get both weavings to a good stopping point, wind multiple bundles to come back to, and set them aside a couple of weeks before I was due to leave. It was a little hard, but it worked!

Once I was finally ready to sit down and weave again, it felt like magic.

I think I might call it “Like Rain Falling on the Prairie.”