Taueret

Book Report: Making Polymer Clay Beads

Polymer clay.  huh.  Certainly not something that I would have thought I'd be even a bit interested in, a year ago.  I'm fairly sure that it wasn't until I was looking for media that would be friendly to my women scientists project that I came across it.  One thing led to another, and now I seem to have several books on the subject in my possession.  I'm still not sure it's going to be something I really get into, let alone become proficient with, but it's been interesting learning more about it, and it's always nice to have another way of dragging an idea out of my head.  And when has being proficient ever stopped me?

  

So, when surfing Amazon for reviews of the various basic books on how to do things with polymer clay (the kinds of things I may want to do- not so much with the mermaids and shoes and dolly faces- there are many books out there on these variations), the one book that seemed to be solidly recommended as the "if you could only have one polymer clay book" title of choice was this one: "Making Polymer Clay Beads: step by step techniques for creating beautiful ornamental beads" by Carol Blackburn (Interweave 2007). 

Having ordered it- I can see why it really deserves this reputation.  

Everything is here, materials and workspace lists and explanations of all the techniques I have seen mentioned elsewhere, as well as detailed explanations of many things that hadn't been explained clearly to me before.  Everything from conditioning the clay, creating skinner blends (that's when one colour grades incrementally into another- and it's a diabolically simple and clever method!), making beads of all imaginable shapes and configurations, basic caning and millefiori (not my cup of tea particularly, so I didn't mind that this book only covers the basics of these techniques).

 

While the text primarily deals with the bead making techniques, every 2 page spread has colour photos across the top fifth of both pages, showing gorgeous beaded objects, using variations on the types of beads described on those pages.  It really shows visually so much better than words could do- the endless possibilities of polymer clay- as well as the fact that there really is no such thing as an ugly bead, in the right context.

Now, I don't know what it says about me that I, as a lover of natural materials, am so totally drawn to the "faux" techniques available to the polymer clay artist... but I am!  The rainbow colours of the unabashedly plastic beads are pretty, but I don't think I'd try to make many of them.  However the best thing about this book, to me, is that almost half of it contains detailed recipes for jawdroppingly realistic faux- everything.  Faux leather?  check.  Wood?  yep.  Abalone (?!) yes!!  Mother of pearl!  Turquoise!  AMBER.  The list goes on and on.  While my attempts to replicate the author's success with coral, amber and turquoise has been variable- I think it's an indication of the quality of the instruction that they came out as well as they did.

  

I have to say that plastic or not- I would pay pretty much any price for some beads just like the faux amber ones in the book.  Mine aren't quite as lovely, but it's a first attempt- and they're not bad.  Looking at them now I wonder if they just want a bit more vigorous polishing.

Coral:

 
Not as thrilled with my coral- again, I think it needs more shine, mainly.  I didn't actually buff these at all.

Turquoise:

  

Not too bad for a first try.  I reckon I could use these in some earrings or something, and may well do so, just for fun.

Anyway- this is a fantastic book.  The organisation is excellent, the index well thought out and very useful.  Information in this book is scattered amongst several sections- but the index as well as some clever page footers make it all clear.

"Making Polymer Clay Beads" goes well beyond the beginner-basics, into the realm of reference-book status, and well deserves its reputation as your 'desert island' book on the subject.

Book report: 'Bead on a Wire' and 'Contemporary Copper Jewelry' by Sharilyn Miller (as well as assorted other wire jewelry books)

That sound you may have heard last May could have been the squeal I made as I slipped somehow and fell right down the beads-and-wire rabbit hole.  I haven't hit bottom yet, but in the progress of my slide, I have had time to read several of the books available for the wire jewelry maker. 

I read and enjoyed Bead & Wire Art Jewelry: Techniques & Designs for all Skill Levels by J. Marsha Michler ; Contemporary Bead & Wire Jewelry (Lark Jewelry Book) by Suzanne J. E. Tourtillott and Nathalie Mornu - these were both library books, which I no longer have at my fingertips.  Both nice books, with a variety of projects in different styles.  Each book had only a couple of projects that I really liked, personally- but that's going to be a matter of taste.


During the time I had those books, I also purchased

Bead on a Wire: Making Handcrafted Wire and Beaded Jewelry by Sharilyn Miller (2005);

 

All Wired Up: Wire Techniques for the Beadworker and Jewelry Maker (Beadwork How-To series) by Mark Lareau (2000) and

Moods in Wire : An Extended Guide to the Fine Art of Wirewrapping (2nd Ed) by Ellsworth Sinclair ( 2000).  While I let the library books go back, and actually returned "All Wired Up" for a refund, I kept "Bead on a Wire" and "Moods in Wire"- and I love "Bead on a Wire"- it's the one book that covered every technique all the other books did, with really beautiful, funky projects to try your new skills out on.

"All Wired Up' is a perfectly nice book- and in fact I think for a child or young teen, it might be a good choice, based on the tone of the writing and the simplicity of the projects.  The projects simply didn't appeal to me aesthetically, and the style of wrapping that the author uses isn't one that grabs me.  It was simply a pragmatic decision to keep the one book that made the others redundant.

but you kept two- I hear you say!

Well, yes, I did.  But mainly because I wrote my name in 'Moods in Wire' before I really looked at it, and I couldn't exchange it then!  'Moods' is an extremely comprehensive guide to wrapping just about anything lapidary that you can think of in wire.  Rings, earrings, pendants and more- this is a reference book, a technical manual rather than a book of eye candy or inspiration- there are many line drawings to illustrate techniques, but few photos.  And frankly, the projects pictured aren't my kind of thing- but that's okay.  Check the book out online a bit before you decide whether it's for you, is my advice.  Looking at it tonight, 'Moods' seems to have more potential now than it did when I purchased it- simply as a reference to various ways of wire wrapping.  If you have your own ideas and know what you want to make- this could be a great book for you.  Having little idea of the potential of wire jewelry- frankly "Moods" didn't inspire me- but to someone else it may be just the thing.

Back to 'Bead on a Wire'!  This would be my "if you could only have one book on wire wrapping" choice.  Sharilyn Miller, in the book's first section, takes the reader through the techniques to do every basic thing you need to be able to do in wire, to make beautiful jewelry- there was no technique covered in any of the other books that is not covered here, I am pretty sure.  My biggest gripe about "Moods in Wire" and "All Wired Up" compared to Sharilyn Miller's books is that the techniques and projects in those books look to me like they are made from wire.  Nothing *wrong* with that- but I love how Miller's designs don't look "homemade"- and although she uses no soldering or heat in her methods- her designs don't even look to me like they're made from wire!  Hammering, coiling and general cleverness transforms wire into something more.

In the second section, she offers  21 projects, making use of the techniques covered in the first part of the book.   There are necklaces, chokers, chains, fibulae (that's a kind of brooch), earrings, bracelets- mostly things I would love to make and wear or receive as a gift.  The projects have a certain signature style to them- yet they  cover a range of looks, from "arty" and primitive, to glitsy and girly, to ornate and Victorian.  Sharilyn Miller also shows how one project can have different looks by changing a few things around- giving the reader confidence to try  easing into making their own designs. 

Additionally, several of the designs are 'convertible'- from choker to bracelet and so on- encouraging flexibility and confidence in the learner.

Only a few weeks ago, Sharilyn Miller's new book came out- and you bet I had it on preorder!

Contemporary Copper Jewelry: Step-by-Step Techniques and Projects by Sharilyn Miller (2009) has 22 projects, designed specifically for copper wire (of course, no reason you couldn't use any kind of suitable gauge wire for the projects in the book).  Many of the projects also have suggestions for using other metals, and even mixing metals.  The first 20 pages cover basic wire wrapping techniques, so "Bead on a Wire' is not a necessary prerequisite- however it does go into more detail on the techniques than "Contemporary Copper Jewelry' which is mainly about the projects!  Sharilyn Miller has had other artists contribute projects to this book- and that's both good and bad.  Bad if like me, you  prefer Sharilyn's design sense over most others.  Good if you want to see a variety of projects across a broader spectrum of designs.  I do like the book, and I'm glad I purchased it- however while there are projects that do inspire me, the book as a whole doesn't get me as excited as 'Bead on a Wire', which *still* makes me want to pick up my pliers as soon as I flip through its pages.

Sharilyn Miller also has a blog, and a Yahoo! group, where discussion can be had about her designs and books (and dvds and teaching dates- which I would love to see one day!). 

So- that's my experience with a few of the wire books out there.  Additionally there are quite a few  online resources, which I'll blog about soon.  Please leave a comment and let us all  know which books/dvds/etc have helped you most.

Book report: Weaving Un-loomed

It's been a long time since I did a book report here!  Since I have a HUGE backlog of crafty books that I would like to write a little something about, eventually, I had better make a start.  Let's try for one a week (ha, remember last time I said that?).  Remember that I deliberately do not refer to these little articles as "reviews"- mainly because I will only talk about a book or other resource if I like it.  Too many good things out there to waste time talking about the so-so.  I have no desire to offer critiques (generally), but to let you know of some cool resources that I have enjoyed.

Because I have been obsessed with metalwork recently, it only seems natural that the first book I should tell you about is on weaving (! ok, ok.  I still love weaving- I just haven't been doing any lately.).

Weaving Un-Loomed (subtitled "simple ways to weave cool things") by Diane Gilleland aka Sister Diane of Craftypod (@SisterDiane on Twitter) is an ebook (pdf format) for those of us who love to weave but have something on all our looms, yet also have the burning desire to start (and complete) a fun, small project.  It is for those of us with kids, bored in a house full of craft supplies, yet with "nothing to do".  For those with yarn (or paper, or ribbon, or...) and the itch to make something unconventional with it.  For those with gift lists to fill.  With clothing (or linen, or...) to embellish- you get the picture. There is something for everyone here.

_{magazine page jewelry...}

 If you already weave, this ebook will delight you with its fresh, original approach to your craft.  If you like the look of handwoven fabric but are intimidated by the unfamiliarity and seeming complexity of  looms, Sister Diane will introduce you painlessly to the terminology of weaving, and by the time you have completed a project or two from the options in this book, you will be thoroughly inducted into the deceptively simple magic of warp and weft, ready to go in any direction your heart desires with it.

_{clear introduction to the arcana of weaving terminology}

Readers who are familiar with Sister Diane's blog and podcast already know that she always presents projects that are simple enough for anyone to accomplish- but at the same time her own meticulous attention to finishing and detail show how spectacular these "simple" projects can be in their finished form, when executed with a good eye and care.

Projects in the ebook include placemats, jewelry, a cushion, and a fabulous tote.  The jewelry and the tote are my favourites, closely followed by the ADORABLE applique weaving (why did I not think of that??) which my girls clamour for every time they see it on my computer screen.

_{applique hearts... woven right onto the garment.}

In addition to clear, step-by-step instructions for each project, with many beautiful and well-chosen photographs and diagrams, each project has a single-page, printer-friendly summary sheet (a "recipe", if you like) to print out and carry in around with you while working on your weaving. Genius!

If you would like to check out Sister Diane's style of writing and presentation and try a free sample project, head over here.  The ebook itself is in pdf format, and is 60 pages long.  It contains 5 projects (not including the free sample project- so 6 in all).  The editorial and production standards of this ebook are as high as or higher than those of conventionally-published craft books, it is a pleasure to read, look at and take inspiration from.

10,000 hours

I've been listening to an unabridged audiobook version of Malcolm Gladwell's most recent book "Outliers".  Super, super interesting, and he has a way of explaining things that even I can follow.  If you have Audible credits to spend, I highly recommend it.  One major point he makes early in the book (in a nutshell) is that to become good at something- really good, virtuoso good, you "only" have to spend 10,000 hours practicing it.  Talent or IQ matters little, above a certain modest threshold.  What counts is the amount of time spent in pursuit.  Whether it's music (he uses the Beatles and Mozart as examples and explains each), sport, technology- whatever- it's that 10,000 hours that matters.  That boils down to 3-4 hours a day for about 10 years.  So you know- as that applies to weaving... huh!  Interesting eh.  What do you virtuoso weavers think of the 10,000 hour thing?  Does your experience bear it out?  I feel a bit better since I imagine I am still at the 50-100 hour mark, so shouldn't expect too much.  There is loads of other fascinating, eye opening stuff in this book and I really recommend it, the 10,000 hour thing is just one nugget.

(You may be aware that some ISPs in the USA are talking about introducing bandwidth caps for your home broadband.  You’d be cut off or “shaped” (slowed down) after you hit the cap.  The caps I have heard bandied about are like 250 G.  Here, in Australia, we are all capped.  We pay for “unlimited bandwidth” but guess how much that means?  A Massive 25 G.  Yes 25.   This month we have exceeded our cap and we are choked currently down to slower-than-dialup speed.  3G on my iphone is faster!  So the photo content in this post may be small).

Anywhoo, I did get a warp onto my floor loom that didn't go *horribly* awry.  It's not super fine weaving yarn and it's only as long as my project but hey.

 

I spun this yarn last year (?) and really love it.  I started to knit with it and was unsure if I’d have enough for a wrap, which is what I want, so I decided to weave instead using it as weft.  I am loving this- I know it wouldn't be to everyone’s taste but it is to mine and it makes me happy.  I’m using a simple 4 shaft waffle weave (same as for the towels I made a while back on the table loom).  I think the texture will barely show in the highly textured yarn but I thought it might give the wrap a kind of cushyness.  We’ll see! 

 

I am looking forward to receiving the present that I suspect may be coming my way- look what was in the post the other day! 

So my back to front warping woes may soon be at an end.  After I spend that crucial 10,000 hours practicing of course.

all about the GIMP.

So I've had a migraine for like... I dunno, the last 10 days?  It'll be over soon and I'll return to my normal "I'll never have another headache" state of mind until the next one.  Meanwhile, I have been weaving off my latest disappointing warp (I need to find a human to teach me to do this!!), and trying to teach myself GIMP. 

While I love my Macbook, I miss Windows Paint!  I downloaded GIMP (Gnu Image Manipulation Program)- a free, Open Source program that has much of the functionality of high-end software like Photoshop.  I've had the GIMP for a while, but the interface is not intuitive (to me) and even simple tasks like cropping and rotating photos was driving me crazy.  So, I bought a book!  There are a few out there, I wanted one that would start from the beginning, and this one ("Beginning GIMP, from Novice to Professional" by Akkana Peck) does.  I am not dumb, but I *hate* assumed knowledge in beginners' how-to books.  This book is great like that- the author doesn't talk down, but she starts at the beginning and thoroughly explains every bit of this very full featured software.  I've worked my way from the beginning to Chapter 4 and have enough understanding of basic photo editing/retouching and drawing to fulfill my needs up til now.  I'm going to keep going though, then you'll be able to call me the GIMPmaster.  If you're looking for a book to get you started on GIMP, consider this one,so far so good.  I got mine from the Book Depository- with the free shipping and the shocking exchange rate at the moment it came in way cheaper than Amazon, but YMMV.

Newsflash! Nestle still Bastards, but not all is bad news!

Knowing, as do we all, that Nestle is a company utterly without ethics, I was still surprised to see that the "Fair Trade" logo was all over the Nestle products on the supermarket shelves.  Wow.  Intrigued, I looked closer only to realise that it's *not* the 'fair trade' logo- just so damn similar that at a glance, you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference.  Both the 'Natural coffee antioxidants' logo and the lower 'steaming cup' logo resemble the Fair Trade logo so strongly...especially when you see the two at the same time.  I'm not sure what this "tactic" is called but geez.  I have been googling to see who to complain to but with no luck so far.

In GOOD (but still kind of Fair Trade related ;-) ) news, 'Twist Collective" is finally here, and it's awesome.

Speaking of awesome, I have been listening to a new podcast "Books on the Nightstand"... people seem to ask me for reading recommendations fairly often- and this is where I'm getting mine at the moment!  Give it a try!

If having books was the same as having knowledge...

Well, you know the rest. I've always been prey to the delusion that having a book on a subject somehow is the same as having assimilated whatever information is *in that book*.  Silly huh? 

I grew up in a house where books were sacred- which is a good thing- kind of.  My parents never threw away a dime store paperback!  Those things were *not* built to last- you pick t up to lend it out ad it falls apart n your hands.  My mum had a friend who used to mail her boxes full of her pre-read detective thrillers and science fiction novels.  I don't know if my parents read them, but I sure did!  I sneakily read practically every book that entered the house from covr to cover.  All the James Bond books (at least all the ones Ruth sent my Mom),  assloads of Azimov, crates of Agatha Christie.  Heaps of Heinlein.  Then when I was 12, we moved to Australia and sold pretty much everything, including those mountains of dusty paperbacks.  When we got here, my parents started again, hoarding books.

My working class parents were not academics or "intellectuals"- although given different circumstances they each could have been, yet this unquestioning respect for BOOKS, generically, was handed down to me.  You Never Deface a Book.  You Never Throw a Book Away.  Books Are Precious.  I guess in the days before the internet, I benefited from this attitude- in that I read their accumulated library, both of fine literature, non fiction, and dime store dreck, as well as my own books.  However, I looked around one day in my 30s- and realised that I needed to carve some new commandments on my own:
Paperbacks Are Mortal.
Defacing a Book is ok if it's yours and it helps you appreciate the content (I am a big highlighter and note-maker).
Owning a Book does not make you Windswept and Interesting.

I realised that my appreciation of books differs from that of my parents, in that having been immersed in teh intarwebs since before the WWW's birth, I appreciate the books as A Medium.  The Content exists as a separate entity- that can be decanted into many forms, and interlinked with Other Content, adding value to both.  That particular paperback is both less and more valuable to me than it was to my 'rents.  So can I mark it, or give it away with a clear conscience.

Since these days I work in a University Library, I know what happens to the donations people give us (in our case they mostly go into the collection, either "leisure reading" or Dewey).  I started a few years ago- bringing those huge Ikea bags of books in and donating them.  I started with the books I inherited from my Mom's late-in-life BA study- history and english literature by the bagful.  I reasoned that I still could read them if I ever got around to it- but so could other people.  Then, I relinquished my own cherished collection of black-spined Penguin Classical History books.  It was nice to see them come through end-processing, and go onto the shelves, many tagged "urgent".  Then I culled my fiction collection- down to the keepers (for now). Into 'leisure reading' they went.  It's been great.  Very liberating.

Interestingly, there is balance!  My collection of fibre books and magazines has grown and grown and grown at the same time as my collection of other subjects has declined.

Maybe I haven't changed- but I think I have at least in that while if I want to read a work of literature, these days I will look for an ebook or audiobook.  Learning to  knit, spin, crochet or weave, however- paper format is kind of a must.  I was thinking about this last night as I sat in bed with Deborah Chandler's "Learning to Weave" open on my lap.  With its many sidebars, illustrations and photographs, laid out just-so, there are some times when paper still is the only medium.

Now all I have to do is remember that owning the book *still* doesn't equal understanding the content, and get to work!

FO! EZ jumper and Betty Davenport's new book is ready!

First, the important news:  Betty Linn Davenport's new edition of "Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom" is almost ready and orders are being taken.

"Soon to be released and taking orders now -                                        

Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom by Betty Linn Davenport
74 pages, 6 color pages, beautiful color cover - $29 plus $3.67 shipping                                      

Originally published in 1980, this book has been out of print for 20 years. Now revised the version has all new photos and new material including Double Weave with 2 rigid heddles. Copies of the original book are still available for $15.                                     

To order individual autographed copies paid by check, contact textures@owt.com
To order by credit card and for wholesale, contact Fine Fiber Press www.finefiberpress.com or 1-541-917-3251"

Obviously an essential item!

Now on to *my* less exciting FO.  I finished the EZ pullover tonight.  Just as I was leaving for work, my boss called to say that there was no electricity so everyone was going home and I had the night off!  Woot.  Luckily this was one of my contract positions, not casual so I get paid anyway.  hoo ha.  So, I knitted and knitted and lo, it is finished.  It fits fine (I am not modelling it- but trust me, as much as any thick knit could look ok on me, it does) and it is as warm. as. toast.  I actually quite like it- I know my friend
E. would say it looks "handcrafted" in that snarky way of hers ;-) but whateverrrr- it is my first adult sized jumper completely from handspun.  Oh, and my own batts too.  I still seem to have about half the brown fleece left too... very odd!

I have done a little spinning since we last spoke (including about another 100g to finish the above project!)- I blended up these batts from an assortment of pale pastelly fibre that doesn't really float my boat:

Why would I do that?  Well... I'm trying to screw up the nerve to use some of the fabulous handdyed fibre I have bought in batts, andI wanted to start with one that I didn't LOVE in case I ruined it :-).  Anyway, the resulting yarn is not my utter fave of all time but it's pretty and I will use it!  This is a 2 ply,

I have been spinning a lot of singles lately and felt like a change.  I just would it into a centre pull ball and plied one end against the other.

Finally- I got around to adding the second heddle to my rigid heddle loom.  Following the clear instruction sheet (I have David Xenakis' book and so on but thought I'd be best off to start simple) that Ashford supplies with the kit- I managed to totally balls it up!  Ha!  Remember the World's Greatest Knitter?  Well apparently she has a weaving counterpart.  Sleying the rear heddle was ok, I could follow that.  But the front one?  hahahah.  Reading the "draft" if you can call it that- for a simple PLAIN weave?  Beyond me.  I ended up re-doing it THREE times.  FINALLY the penny dropped- you have three ends in one of the front slots.  If the threads aren't staying pependicular to BOTH reeds, you've cocked up.  CAN SOMEONE PLEASE REMEMBER THAT FOR ME?  anyway.  3 tries later, each taking forever- I managed to weave this:
Pretty polly wolly crappy eh?  Still not right-  I must have doubled up  somewhere.  Not to worry.  Live and learn!  Tomorrow is my kid-free Friday and I have to plan how I am going to use it, so I don't waste a second.

touching base

Public service announcement:  there's a new Weavecast up.  I haven't listened yet but I will take it to work tonight.  Apparently it's all about sewing with your handwoven fabrics.

Haven't much else to say, I have written but not uploaded several posts because after writing them I couldn't imagine anyone wanting to read them!  Had the kind of week that is just humbling.  Striding through life, somewhat confidently?  feeling like a competent adult?  whoops!  bad idea.  Summarised by a tale of two shopping trolleys- went on a road trip with the three kids to visit my dad who is having a rough time ecovering from double knee replacement in a country hopsital. 

Took the littlest kid (20 months) to the supermarket at one point, just to get out of the hote room/hospital.  Trolley contents: 2 barbies, 4 litres of diet coke, some markers, a colouring book, some Cheezels, 3 Lindt chocolate bunnies, a bar of chocolate (15 year old was looking at the mini-bar wistfully when I left- it was way cheaper to do it this way).  Toddler was behaving worse than I think she *ever* has- biting the ears off the bunnies, standing on the milk (I did buy milk!  surely I get some points for that), throwing things out of the trolley (naturally I managed to choose one with no seatbelt so she was standing in the main trolley part).  It was a nightmare, and I know how we looked, the assumptions people would make about a tired, overweight mother of a toddler with nothing but crap in her trolley. 

Couple days later, we're home again.  Toddler and I go shopping.  Trolley has organic meat, organic pasta, blah blah, lots of veggies and fruit etc.  A much more respectable trolley.  I'm thinking that I wish the people in the small town could see me now.  Could I pay for it?  NO.  My *&^*&^* credit card wasn't in my wallet.  I got to hand things back to the checker til it was down to the amount of cash I had in my wallet.

this is the kind of week I have had.

Last week, I put my "nightie" (a disreputable, paint-smeared, stained horrible probably smelly t-shirt that I sleep in) in THE WRONG KID's school bag (the baby likes to take it to preschool and snuggle with it at nap time.  she only goes one day a week and it makes her day nicer.) .  I sent it to school with my 5 year old.  "Mummy, you're so funny, you put your nightie in my bag!".

So last week was kind of humiliating too.   These are just examples- it seems like recently I am having more bad days than good- bad in the sense that I often feel I should be wearing big shoes and a red nose.  Not bad in a serious way.  I do realise that.

I really can laugh at myself.  I do laugh at myself.  I just haven't felt much like blogging is all :-).  But you may as well laugh too.  honk honk.

Book review: Creative Weaving: beautiful fabrics with a simple loom

Book review: Creative Weaving- beautiful fabrics on a simple loom
Sarah Howard and Elizabeth Kendrick
Lark Books 112 pp


Aspiring weavers on the rigid heddle loom have a depressingly limited choice of resources.  There are Betty Linn Davenport’s books and DVD, there’s ‘The Ashford book of Rigid Heddle Weaving’, and I have an out of print book from the early ’80s by Karen Swanson that I like very much.  All of these are full of information about how to use a rigid heddle loom to produce fabrics of varying degrees of complexity.  They include detailed instruction and sampler-style projects to practice on.  What they are light on is eye candy and inspiration!  ‘Creative Weaving’ is, essentially an inspiring eye candy book for the rigid heddle weaver.

To be fair, there is  more here- in fact this book could almost serve as a beginner’s manual.  In fact,  if you can think of any reason at all for a new rigid heddle weaver to struggle with a traditionally wound warp- then it would make a fine ‘first book’ for a new weaver.  However- to present only one way of winding a warp, and to not even mention that the much more simple warping peg method exists seems almost cruel to me (plain English: if you are new to weaving, please know that there is a simpler way to warp a rigid heddle loom than the method with a warping board that is shown in Creative Weaving (and in other books too).  If you buy an Ashford loom, there should be a leaflet explaining this method included with your loom.  Maybe other manufacturers do this too?).  The warping instructions do have the first explanation of sett calculation that I have ever really understood.

Assuming you make it past the unnecessarily arcane warping instructions, this book is an adequate primer.  ‘Creative Weaving’ covers, briefly: using a stick shuttle, how to start a piece of weaving (the method the book gives is to weave a few dummy rows- I usually put a folded piece of paper in and start weaving above that- I think, again, an Ashford method?), how to do plain weave, to change colours,  mending broken warp threads, how to finish a fringe, and wet finishing your fabric.  A few variations are offered- weaving with unspun fibre (I love to do this), ghiordes or Turkish knots (my other books call these Rya), and a mention of creating weft floats by using pickups.  Enough to be going on with, I reckon.  Finally card loom weaving and peg loom weaving are mentioned, as alternatives to buying a commercial loom.

Then, the fun part of the book starts.  Arranged by colour, each chapter suggests three projects (just fabric swatches, really).  Each project explores the colour, as well as a special feature of the weaving.  For example the first project uses a mixture of different yarns, with different fibre compositions and thicknesses.  The next has a similar eclectic mix of yarns, and introduces use of multiple shuttles for a randomly striped effect.  Use of a variegated yarn in warp and weft to achieve what the book calls a ‘cheat check’ comes next.  Next we learn how to weave a simple border around a piece of fabric, and to do a twisted fringe.  Other projects experiment with different setts for fabrics with different finished drapes, grouped weft,  weft floats,  warp-faced floats, toning shades by using different threads in the weft.

There are several projects that encourage the use of recycled or found objects,and everything from synthetic feathery novelty yarn to perfectly austere, beautiful linens and silks in natural colours.  The yarns are described by wpi (wraps per inch)  and fibre content- not brand name- a feature which I LOVE as the yarns used in most books are unavailable to me- and this method is much more empowering in terms of learning to choose yarns for projects, especially if you are a handspinner.

When learning a craft, I often find it takes time to break away from the style of example on which I learned, and start daring to try new things.  It took me probably a year of weaving plain wrap after plain wrap before I felt like I could start trying “unauthorised” things.  Learning to weave with a book like ‘Creative Weaving’ would probably have shortened that cycle for me- but the warping method would have done me in on the first project- so I don’t know if I would have ever gotten past that hurdle, with my loom thrown off the balcony and all. 

The absence of a ‘further reading’ list is frustrating- in a vacuum, a new weaver could get the idea that the entire potential of rigid heddle weaving is encapsulated in this book- which it is not.  However ‘Creative Weaving’ provides a fun, colourful, accessible source of  simple techniques, ideas and inspiration to the rigid heddle weaver. 

  For many handspinners these days, especially those who are creating unusual novelty or ‘art’ yarns, tabby weave can be the ideal showcase for their yarn.  Likewise, handpainted yarn looks especially beautiful in a woven fabric.  Other instructional books move from plain weave directly  to much more complex methods such as finger manipulated lace  without encouraging much exploration of the noble plain tabby weave.  This book fills that niche.