Weaving Boot Camp

On June 24 I went to Olds College in lovely south central Alberta for a week – a very special week called Fibre Week.  This event has been going on for over 40 years. 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Alberta, Olds College is an agricultural college that will celebrate its centenary in 2013.  All aspects of agricultural training takes place here from animal husbandry, horticulture, economics, mechanics, to more specialized courses such as meat cutting and fashion merchandising.

http://www.oldscollege.ca/programs/ContinuingEducation/fibreweek/index.htm

The Fashion Merchandising course grew out of a Home Ec based course on clothing which, at one time, included weaving.  In the 1980’s, when I first was attending Fibre Week, there were a great many looms and lots of weaving equipment available.  At that time weaving was ‘trendy’ and spinning was just coming into its own, with a budding Master Spinner class being offered.

After a few years in the 1990’s, when Fibre Week suffered from low attendance and almost disappeared, Fibre Week is now experiencing a resurgencein popularity.  It is being led by the Master Spinner course of study, which has become a credit and diploma granting program.  We are following it with a Master Weaver Program which is currently in a state of development, using materials which were developed in the 1990’s for Olds College and were kept current by the Alberta Handweavers Spinners and Dyers until a few years ago, when the college agreed to administer the program through Continuing Education.  For this course of study, there are four levels of study in weaving, each building on the one before. After receiving credit for all four, the student will attain the "Artisan" designation.  A weaver who has completed this course will be an independent weaver, capable of using the tools and materials of weaving to design original cloth, and be able to teach others how to weave. Following the Artisan level, one can go on to an in-depth study, which is preapproved, to achieve the designation of Master Weaver. The momentum is building for this program, just as the Master Spinner is growing in popularity, so we have great hope for the future of the weaving and spinning arts.

Well, enough history…..This year I was at Olds College from June 24 to July 1^st.  I had 6 people in my Level I class and one person, who had completed Level I,who was working independently on her Level II. 

Level I is a difficult class to describe.   It is NOT a beginner class.  I think I will describe it as ‘boot camp’ for weavers.  The whole class is about equipment and materials and how to manipulate them. It is physically and intellectually demanding.  I find it exhausting, and I am supposed to know the material.  (I must say that, as with most experiences, I ALWAYS learn something new in these classes too.)

One of the participants, on the last day, said that she didn’t think that she had woven that much in her WHOLE life before! I think she must have been referring to intensity.

At home, we walk away from our looms when we get frustrated.  The time factor in this class requires you to stay at it!  Problem solving - an important element in gaining control of equipment and materials. 

I think it was great to have our Level II person working alongside.  First of all, everyone is inspired by the next level where they get to weave double weave, lots of twill patterns and overshot.  Getting to the fun stuff.  And when they get there, they will know how to warp their loom efficiently and how to throw the shuttle and they won’t be afraid to re-sley and tie on again, or to draft out the pattern ahead of time to be sure it works correctly.

But only with practice in between.  Adult learners are interesting.  We all feel that if we can just intellectually understand something, it should be easy.  That may be true for strictly intellectual pursuits, but for anything activity that involves mind/body memory, like playing a musical instrument, sports, or weaving, for example, “practice makes perfect”.  We actually talked about this in class, because it seemed that the students were starting to be too hard on themselves. We warped the loom from back to front using a raddle.  That was a new experience for all of them.  After doing it once, with supervision, suddenly there was great stress that the second time wasn’t going smoothly. 

If we can relate that activity to playing the B flat major scale with both hands, for two octaves, up and down with proper fingering as required by the Toronto Conservatory of Music………?  Was that activity perfect the second time? Or the third? Or the thirty-third?  Or if you are not a musician, then fill in your favourite sports actvity.

We, of the class of 2011 Fibre Week, all are charged with weaving over the course of the next year – and I am included in this challenge .  I am currently forcing myself to put a warp on my loom – it is ready to sley today – in and around all the farm work and catch up activity of my ‘other life’ that seems to pop up to change my plans.  

My dear husband always says, ‘weavers are tool using creatures’.  And he is right.  We need tools to weave – seems like lots of them.  When I ask a weaver how much she/he has woven, I often get a list of tools.
  "I have (brand) loom with (#) harnesses and (xxxyyy) computer weaving program and a….. And I just got a……."  
 But, when asked how much weaving has occurred, often it is little to none.  I have been just as guilty of this syndrome, so I can understand.  The equipment seems to be key.  You can’t weave unless you have the equipment.  That is what we are told.  We are seduced by all the ads in the weaving magazines.  The question, ‘what is the perfect loom for me?’ comes up.  Articles about how to choose equipment are written for us every few years as the technology changes.

 But one just has to look at the textiles that are produced in Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and India, under conditions and with equipment that we consider primitive, and we can’t help but understand that it isn’t the tools, but the skill with which they are employed that makes all the difference.

I am energized and inspired by 7 wonderful women who challenged me and challenged themselves at Fibre Week 2011.  

Level I

Here is Patty's work for the week. She deserves to be proud.

Donna's presentation was original and very appealing.

Marilyn was intrigued by what she learned from weaving with paper.

Anaya's work shows a good representation of the woven samples that were completed this week. 

Kathleen was proud of her week's work.  It really showed up great when put up on the board.  She was our 'record keeper'.  All her record sheets were very detailed.

Catherine learned everything she set out to learn, and more.  Her looms at home will be working more now that she understands drafting!  Computer program; here she comes.

Level II

Our Level II student wove a twill sampler in 10/2 cotton and then in the evening finished off the warp with her favourite treadlings to complete a table runner.

Level II again. This little sampler of overshot was also woven with 10/2 cotton.  This is an original hand drafted patter which was woven with every variation of treadling and material that was available.  Very successful learning exercise.  Thanks for sharing, Noor.

So, I finally showed up here!

In the fall of 2010, I designed this blog template, with every intention of following through with writing, regularly.  .......   Time passed and a series of life situations presented themselves, and I just couldn't think of anything "important" to say.
But what is "important" anyway?
I just read a couple of blogs of friends who are strruggling with their own life situations. Presented honestly, I found myself connected and interested in them as part of our whole human experience.  Granted, they are both writers by trade so I could be intimidated by that......
No, I have something to say.
This past week I have been hit over the head by friendship.  Friendship, you say?  What a bizarre weapon!
Well, not really a weapon, but definitely powerful. 
On June 9th, I lost a very good friend to breast cancer.  She finally said, "enough" to the treatments and gently went to her rest. It was a great privilege to have known her.  
Deb and I connected first where she worked - at the bank we deal with.  She worked in "the cage" and handled mostly transactions for businesses.  My first real notice of her was when she returned to work after her first encounter with breast cancer.  It was obvious that she had had chemotherapy.  She had about 3/4 " of hair, sticking out all over her head - all the same length - like a baby bird.  It was something I didn't feel comfortable talking about with a virtual stranger, but I did admire her attitude.  She seemed to be so happy and so proud.
Later, when I got to know her, she told me that she was proud.  After being bald and wearing wigs and hats, she really felt that that little bit of hair was a "do"! And she gave her signature big smile at that!

A year or so later, I was touring a local post secondary institution for a potential event, and was being shown the classrooms and studios.  Low and behold in one of the painting classes, there was Deb, painting at a big easel.  I went over and spoke (as we were acquaintances from the bank) and she told me she took some of her holidays to take painting classes.  From then on, we talked about art and our children (turns out we have daughters who are about the same age), and she teased my son and husband when she waited on them in the bank.

In 2006 I was diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer and began treatment in October.  I had already commited to being interviewed about weaving for the local paper, so when the reporter arrived and I was bald, I proceeded to fill her in on breast cancer screening techniques and how important it was for women to be in touch with their own bodies and follow up with screening.  She wrote the article and a few days later, I got a call from Deb. She indentified herself and said, "I don't want to intrude, but I would like to offer my help and support in any way I can.  I went through this a few years ago and I know it helps to have someone to talk to who understands".  Over the next couple of years of my treatment, we got to know Deb and her husband gradually.  Definitely the shared experience of breast cancer brought us together intitially, but we became fast friends.  We both shared a love of nature and colour and although our artistic mediums were different, we admired each other's work. 
When Deb found out her cancer had metastasized, it was a huge blow.  She underwent numerous treatments with radiation and chemotherapy and surgeries.  When she felt well enough, she continued to paint.  She kept up with her local friends and even managed a trip out to BC to visit her beloved brother's family and spent a couple of days with us. She got two more years.  She got to see her daughter graduated from grad school and back in Canada.
Right up until she was too tired to smile anymore, she smiled. And the smile made it to her eyes.
She got too tired to stay here anymore, but she lives on in the family and friends.
The funeral was on Tuesday and I have to say, I thought I was ready for it.  I had had some wonderful quality time with her.  We said goodbye.  I was able to tell her that I loved her.  The service was positive and reflected her love of family and music and there were indications of her wicked sense of humour popping up occasionally. It was a celebration of a short life well lived. 
So when I got home, I totally lost it and cried for hours.  I was truly shocked.  What was that about?
I do think it was cathartic.  I guess I needed to do that.
The next day I was booked for a massage, so the massage therapist reassured me that it was perfectly normal to feel as if I was run over by a truck and proceeded to make me feel better. 
And then I was able to move on to a lovely visit with a beautiful young mother and her 3 week old baby.  There is nothing like holding a baby to help to understand the circle of life.  I came home tired but much happier thanks to my daughter's friend who shared her gorgeous little boy and told me how happy she was in her life.

Here I am with baby Sean. 
I wish her little family continued happiness
The circle of life.  All in one 24 hour period.  Sadness and joy.  Old and new.
Wow, who knew, when I started writing this I would get here.
Thanks for sharing my thoughts.