Pebble weave and baskets

I am going through the Peruvian pebble weave exercises from Jacquetta Nisbet's video. I'm on the fourth and most difficult pattern in the video workshop.

This type of weaving is just the sort of weaving challenge I have been looking for and I believe I would like to study Andean / South American pebble weaves in depth. Apparently there's a difference between these two as well, in the way that they are warped, but I will figure that out more as I go along. And according to Ms. Nisbet you have to read, read, read and then get busy on the loom! I would also like to get a copy of Laverne Waddington's book as well. And so I have decided not to do the COE at this time. I figure this is enough.


I have been doing my genealogy on Ancestry and I realize how the very mention of this makes most people cringe as if you've just said, "Hey! Want to see the slides from my trip to North Dakota?" (No offense meant to those in N.D.) If you are a craftsman or artist, you could find this a bit interesting.

I must digress...I had this awesome craft teacher in high school, Mr. Prout. He knew how to do everything and we learned everything from lino-block printing to cross-stitch to coil baskets. I loved everything he taught in that class but was especially drawn to weaving and coil baskets. Weaving we learned on frame looms and I guess he could see how much I loved it because he gave me my loom at the end of the year. When my mom saw me weaving on my cherished frame loom at home she said something along the lines of, "you must take after your dad's side". I asked why and she told me that my dad's mother, when describing my grandfather's family, would refer to them as, "...a bunch of hillbilly basket weavers"; this not being said in a very charitable way. I didn't think much of it until recently when I've discovered that, in fact, they were basket weavers or basket makers as they were called, in Poundridge and Wallkill, NY from the 1700's into the early 20th century. Being a weaver, this is some pretty fascinating stuff for me.

So I thought all that is pretty cool and it's funny how my DNA knew I was a weaver even before I did. Fascinating http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFods1KSWsQ

Got to get outside once in a while

We have been doing a bit of gardening lately. Decided to build a combination butterfly/bee and veggie bed next to the back porch.

We'll be adding more pollinator plants, and the back of the bed will be for pole beans and banana peppers.

Looks like someone has already moved in.

Farmer Jerry watering the new bed.

Some random sorghum growing. We had a bird feeder in the back and I have a feeling one of the birds planted this... if you know what I mean.

And lastly, the mint, parsley, etc. is doing well despite the temps in the upper 80's.

Haven't been doing much in the collage realm lately. I've been busy learning a new weaving technique; Andean pebble weave on the inkle loom. And I finally understand it! Woooo hooo!! I've been watching the video, Supplementary Warp Patterning by Jacquetta Nisbet and at first she might as well have been speaking Greek. But it slowly became clear.

This is also a good source for learning this technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox1cD_9MnIk

This past Monday in Messy Art: Friendship bracelets.

Apparently I was the only dinosaur in the room who knew how to do macrame or even knew what macrame even is. The mothers looked at me like I had sprouted another head when I asked them if they had ever made macrame plant hangers. Ok, I'm a relic but the kids loved it once they got the hang of it.

Materials: yarn, bull clips, masking tape and a fun pencil (which the kids got to keep).

You loop the yarn over the pencil like you are casting onto knitting needles like so... two colors:

Then really it's just a series of square knots alternating back and forth. Make a number 4 - over the tail - under the middles - and through the 4. Simple right?

I learned to do this when I was 12 and loved it. The kids of course picked it up quicker than the moms.

Well that's all we have for now, right Levon? ....  Levon? ...

Studio stuff

Help me! I'm being held captive by the slowest artist in the world!

I know, this is bordering on the ridiculous. But I truly am almost finished. Just putting in the finishing touches.

The little oil hummingbird is coming along too.

We're not done with spiders! While bending down to retrieve a fallen shuttle, I found this young lady living under my loom. It's ok, she's little. And doing her job nicely I see. Hopefully those really are dead bugs on the floor and not spider poop.... but I guess you can't have one without the other. 

And on the inkle loom, a black and white checker design band. 

Mr. Levon wants to learn inkle weaving too