Thanks for your intro, Weavers.

Today I thought to ask you what else, besides, weaving you do, mainly in the fibre/textile, but in the general creative endevours.  I think I am an anomaly who just weave.  I used to embroider and crochet but don't.  I learned to spin and own a wheel but don't, and I've been declaring I need to learn to dye, and bought dyes, but haven't. I felted just once, but I'm sorry, felting has never done much for/to me.  I tried to learn to knit once, and swore never again.    

I used to play the piano and sax but don't. I have two ukuleles that so far just sat pretty in the stash room closet.  I used to want to be a writer of plays and short fiction, but have put that on the back burner.  I grew up with dogs, but haven't had one in a long time.  Oh, I think there is a squash racket somewhere in the house, too. 

About the only thing I do is take figure/life drawing lessons, which I started a year ago.  My friend, an ex-weaving teacher, teaches it, and when she told me she taught "figure drawing" I didn't even know what it was.  But she'd been giving me hints and pointers for a decade so last year I thought it's high time I paid her for her kindness, so I joined.  

I can't even draw a map to help you out of a brown bag, so it was very hard and totally embarassing, and I'm still not a good drawer, but it's gives me 2.5 hours every Friday morning to live in the moment and forget everything else, which has been a real blessing.  In particular, when I was working with 2/60 cottons at 140EPI, I drew on big A4 papers using long conte and charcoal sideways, making big fat marks, which was a perfect antidote to "work". 

After about three terms, partially because I am really bad at proportion and shapes/contours, I've become very interested in composition.  Having trying to crop my photos to make my blog interesting must be realted to this interest as well. 

I do take photos, but that's not as much a serious hobby as it is a necessity and something I do with Husband.  And I bake bread, the more labour intensive, the better.

I was curious as to how other creative endevours enhanced/assisted your weaving.  I also understand there are a lot of scientist/mathmaticians who weave?

Look forward to reading your thoughts.

Meg

Comments

Caroline (not verified)

hi Meg, I'm a spinner, who only knits under protest, sometimes crochets, and has tried felting. I've also dabbled, like you, in many other crafty and creative things, but in the end its the spinning and weaving that gets me in. I enjoy freeform, so this is tending to spill over into what I enjoy doing on a loom.

I used to enjoy hand-making bread, its good for working out frustrations, but I now use a machine. Nor am I a mathematician or scientist;  counting shafts and heddles leaves me cold. I've gravitated towards smaller simpler looms; my 4 shaft is grossly neglected with a half woven project on it, while my RH and frame looms are all warped up and ready to go.

I'm sure that everything we do and experience comes out in our crafts, and that the other craft skills we learn are reflected in our weaving.  Some people like the discipline weaving can require, others prefer the freedom offered by Saori, and probably most of us are somewhere in between, like myself at the moment. 140 epi! My eyes wouldn't cope, nor would my body (said she enviously!), but that doesn't really matter, as there is plenty room in the craft for both of us, and the more diverse our interests and experience, the more we can learn from each other.

If all the politicians in the world were taught to weave and join a Guild, wouldn't it be a better place!

chocolatetrudi

I come from a very crafty family, and if you name a craft there's a good chance someone has done it. For me, the main ones have been pottery, calligraphy, sewing, silk painting, knitting and now weaving (the last two the only ones I currently do). I also paint and draw, though haven't been doing much of that since I joined a camera club a few years ago. I used to be an illustrator and designer, but now I write for a living. I really wish I'd stop spoiling hobbies by turning them into work.

I love music, but I was never much good at playing anything and I can't sing to save my life. I have absolutely no ear for other languages, either. And I've never been co-ordinated enough for any kind of sport - I'm even a clutz at swimming! But I do okay on the dance floor thanks to my dad's ballroom dancing genes.

People are much too impressed by the variety of creative things I do, but to me it's like an athlete who runs, swims and rides, and plays a little tennis on the side. They're all part of the same thing.

cedar51 (not verified)

I am a weaver on sabbatical in that arena...however I do a lot of spinning and dyeing...

I spin at least 4 evenings a week during the Semester for pure relaxation. At moment I'm creating different coloured rolags from Merino 23 micron which is multi coloured in the end.

Dyeing in fits and starts...have plans for a bit of a marathon next week...when new vinyl is being laid in 3 rooms upstairs...I mainly wind up small skeins of yarn sometimes only 30mtres and then dye them - sold at my guild.

I don't do too many other things in life right now other than full time student at University attempting to get a BA!

pacanut (not verified)

I also spin and knit when I want to watch TV or am otherwise on the move. My first creative endeavour was making jewelery which I love but difficult to make any money from it so I just make for myself and friends now. Ihat also developed into copper sculture. The trouble is that my day job keeps demanding time (though not at the minute, one beefit of the recession).

Cath (not verified)

A Mathematician?  Not I!  My background is actually in the performing arts.  I used to be an actress a long while ago and did some singing too.  I do miss it, but am enjoying other creative artsy stuff.  I knit and spin and embroider and draw but am pretty much self taught in all.  My Mum's an artist so I'm hoping that some of it rubbed off.  Last year I finished a screen writing course and am meant to be writing...actually I'm meant to be writing right now!  I think I'm still inthe developing discipline stage!

Caroline (not verified)

hi Meg, I'm a spinner, who only knits under protest, sometimes crochets, and has tried felting. I've also dabbled, like you, in many other crafty and creative things, but in the end its the spinning and weaving that gets me in. I enjoy freeform, so this is tending to spill over into what I enjoy doing on a loom.

I used to enjoy hand-making bread, its good for working out frustrations, but I now use a machine. Nor am I a mathematician or scientist;  counting shafts and heddles leaves me cold. I've gravitated towards smaller simpler looms; my 4 shaft is grossly neglected with a half woven project on it, while my RH and frame looms are all warped up and ready to go.

I'm sure that everything we do and experience comes out in our crafts, and that the other craft skills we learn are reflected in our weaving.  Some people like the discipline weaving can require, others prefer the freedom offered by Saori, and probably most of us are somewhere in between, like myself at the moment. 140 epi! My eyes wouldn't cope, nor would my body (said she enviously!), but that doesn't really matter, as there is plenty room in the craft for both of us, and the more diverse our interests and experience, the more we can learn from each other.

If all the politicians in the world were taught to weave and join a Guild, wouldn't it be a better place!

chocolatetrudi

I come from a very crafty family, and if you name a craft there's a good chance someone has done it. For me, the main ones have been pottery, calligraphy, sewing, silk painting, knitting and now weaving (the last two the only ones I currently do). I also paint and draw, though haven't been doing much of that since I joined a camera club a few years ago. I used to be an illustrator and designer, but now I write for a living. I really wish I'd stop spoiling hobbies by turning them into work.

I love music, but I was never much good at playing anything and I can't sing to save my life. I have absolutely no ear for other languages, either. And I've never been co-ordinated enough for any kind of sport - I'm even a clutz at swimming! But I do okay on the dance floor thanks to my dad's ballroom dancing genes.

People are much too impressed by the variety of creative things I do, but to me it's like an athlete who runs, swims and rides, and plays a little tennis on the side. They're all part of the same thing.

cedar51 (not verified)

I am a weaver on sabbatical in that arena...however I do a lot of spinning and dyeing...

I spin at least 4 evenings a week during the Semester for pure relaxation. At moment I'm creating different coloured rolags from Merino 23 micron which is multi coloured in the end.

Dyeing in fits and starts...have plans for a bit of a marathon next week...when new vinyl is being laid in 3 rooms upstairs...I mainly wind up small skeins of yarn sometimes only 30mtres and then dye them - sold at my guild.

I don't do too many other things in life right now other than full time student at University attempting to get a BA!

pacanut (not verified)

I also spin and knit when I want to watch TV or am otherwise on the move. My first creative endeavour was making jewelery which I love but difficult to make any money from it so I just make for myself and friends now. Ihat also developed into copper sculture. The trouble is that my day job keeps demanding time (though not at the minute, one beefit of the recession).

Cath (not verified)

A Mathematician?  Not I!  My background is actually in the performing arts.  I used to be an actress a long while ago and did some singing too.  I do miss it, but am enjoying other creative artsy stuff.  I knit and spin and embroider and draw but am pretty much self taught in all.  My Mum's an artist so I'm hoping that some of it rubbed off.  Last year I finished a screen writing course and am meant to be writing...actually I'm meant to be writing right now!  I think I'm still inthe developing discipline stage!