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Perhaps a Linux scarf isn't quite your thing, but it's a very nice example of an illusion scarf. The instructions explain how the illusion works and how to create your own.
Linux illusion scarf — Dabne Tecnologías de la Información (via MAKE: Blog)
Woven Shibori by Catharine Ellis was recently reviewed by Prue Hill.
I had a lovely time at Kay Faulkner's workshop earlier this year. Under her guidance I wove some wonderful samples of loom controlled shibori. Several months later, still thoroughly inspired, I warped my loom with a prewound silk warp that I had bought in the past. It has one ply of shiny white silk and the other ply is a tussah type silk making it a pretty, beige striped yarn.
I found the local fishing shop and bought a large reel of pale pink fishing line, which was quite visible on the reel, but when mixed with the silk warp it disappeared. For weft I chose a slubby silk I had bought quite cheaply so was pleased to have a chance to use some of it. A fishing warp would occasionally sag and snap as it snagged the passing shuttle. There was no way of knotting the ends of the monofilament together so I pinned the loose ends to be pulled up short later. Undaunted I wove 5 yards.
Pulling up the fishing line was complicated by the short ends and the fact that if I pulled too hard it would snap. But I managed to compress my 5 yards to 12 inches of tight pleats and proceeded to paint it with the dyes I knew plus a new yellow dye that was a different brand. I was aiming for a grey-green cloth with brown earthy patterns moving across it like a forest floor. I spent the 24-hour curing time in a happy haze. When I unpicked the cloth it looked dreadful — like a psychedelic nightmare. Too many colours, too few shibori lines. Ugh.
I threw it into the washing machine with lots of detergent and washed away most of the colours to be left with a blotchy yellow mess. So I quickly mixed up a blue die pot and cooked it up hoping for a green cloth. Out it came looking very unlevel and completely blue. Back into the washing machine for more punishment. My poor cloth emerged green and grey blue still with yellow stripes resembling a murky underwater scene.
If only I had read Catharine Ellis' book first. She sets out her and other weavers' experiments with shibori on the loom in a logical, reproducible manner. Chapter by chapter you are introduced to the possibilities of simple threadings to more complex threadings. There are inspiring photos of the results of each step which demonstrate that less of often better than more.
She gives simple directions for dyeing with various classes of dyes and FAQ section (frequently asked questions) points out all the places where I went wrong. There is a chapter which describes the cutting edge of loom woven shibori (including shibori devoré which will interest Anne Field) which will tempt me to dive straight back into it instead of proceeding with caution by following her advice to Place some limitations on your exploration ... Too many variables can become confusing, making refinement more difficult.
This is an interweave Press publication in the new series The Weaver's Studio
focused on artists sharing their know-how and designs
. Another in the series is Rep Weave and Beyond by Joanne Tallarovic which we should perhaps buy so I can revisit the rep place mats that are wearing out after 10 years of daily use.
Prue Hill
Rest assurred under normal conditions Bogon moths are not a risk to our cloth items. The moths which pose a risk to our collection include the following: case-bearing clothes moths, and the common webbing clothes moths.
Casemaking Clothes Moth (Tinea pellionella)
Biology: 3/8 to 1/2 inch from wing tip to wing tip. Wings are long and narrow. Hind wings are trimmed with long hairs. Colour is buff with a brown touch and 3 dark dots on each front wing. Eyes are wider than the space between them. Larvae are a pale yellow colour. Eggs are creamy white when first laid then turn red.
Distribution and Habits: Larva spins a silk case interweaving some of the fibres it feeds on. When the larva moves, it drags the silk case along. If larvae becomes separated from the silk case, it will die. Larvae pupate in protected areas. Males are active flyers, but the females do not fly at all. Adults live only 4-6 days.
Webbing Clothes Moth (Tineola bisselliella)
Biology: Wings are buff or putty in colour and unspotted. The adult body is covered with shiny golden scales. Reddish hair can be found on the top of the head. Antennae are darker than the body. Length of folded wings is 1/4 to 1/3 inches. Hind wing margins are trimmed with long hairs.
Distribution and Habits: Distributed world-wide, most common of the fabric moths in the United States. Eggs are oval in shape, about 1/24 of an inch in length, and ivory in colour. Eggs are often laid in small groups. Eggs are laid among threads of clothing and fastened there by a gummy secretion. Damage to clothing is done by the larvae. Larva is translucent and has 3 pairs of jointed legs and 4 pairs of prolegs. Larva has short antennae, but no eyes. Larvae spin a feeding tunnel of silk. Larvae hatch and sometimes enter a dormant resting stage for no apparent reason that may last up to 24 months. Adults live 15-30 days.
Tineola bisselliella (webbing clothes moth) and Tinea pellionella (casing clothes moth), as well as Tineola walsinghami (plaster bagworm) all feed on proteinaceous materials such as skin, leather, hair, wool, silk, feathers, baleen, and will even feed on non-protein materials such as cotton, linen and paper when there are essential salts present in residues of food, perspiration or processing chemicals.
— Dale Paul Kronkright (1991) Insect traps in conservation surveys
Waac Newsletter Volume 13, Number 1, January pp 21-23.
The October guest speaker was designer, master painter and etcher, Pamela Griffith.
Pamela started her talk by saying that she has great admiration for the beautiful works created by the membership. She believes that there is little encouragement for hand craft now-a-days and so it is great to see a group nurturing and promoting these sorts of activities.
Pamela explained that her mother is a ceramic artist and her husband a weaver, so she sought her own speciality. Pamela is a prolific artist and has been quite active in creating and designing art for many years. Most of us have seen or owned some of her work. One of her most widely used designs is an unlimited edition Waratah used on all drivers licenses in NSW. She has also created a gumleaf and spring flowers collection for Kleenex tissue boxes. She said that she finds it satisfying to know her work is owned by so many.
Pamela brought in three toiles that she has produced. The prints were made from etchings that created a seamless repetitive design. Two were created in 1988 for The Royal Australian Historical Society; one was a Macquarie Toile
and the other a Bicentennial Toile
. And the third was a Commemorative Toile
created for the Trustees of the Sisters of St Joseph in 1992. She made a point that the white spaces in between the repetitive pattern were as important as the design. Pamela then showed us a video made about the preparation and production of her Gymea Lilly
design. Firstly she painted the design in acrylics then produced an etching from it. Of the 20 prints she produced from the etching, 18 have sold.
Pamela spoke about how she approaches design, and gave us some guidelines on how to create an effective design. The elements of an effective design take into consideration; line, direction, shape, size, colour, tone and texture while also keeping in mind dominance, harmony, rhythm, balance and contrast. These guidelines can be applied to any type of design. Pamela ran us through two simple exercises using a pencil and paper to draw an effective design bearing in mind the above elements.
Pamela has published a book called Australia - an artist's journey through the landscape
. It covers 30 years of her artistic journey from the tip of Queensland to Tasmania and Lord Howe to Broome. The book has been given as a gift by the Australian government to several international heads of state, including the Queen of England. It is available from International Artist Publishing (ph 02 9419 6333) and it costs $69.95.
Judy was a Committee member some years ago. Some will remember her from this, and others from her schooldays as a student at Roseville Ladies' College, or as a business partner with Eve Rashleigh in Spindle and Loom, a craft centre they opened during the early 70's. Some will recall her hilarious, but highly efficient, beginning-spinning teaching at Mitchell CAE. live-in winter school each July. Or as a relief tutor at Strathfield School of Textiles and Randwick TAFE. Then, in the late 70's and early 80's, after moving to Grenfell she taught at two western TAFE colleges ~ these could have been Forbes and West Wyalong, I can't remember now which they were, but I certainly DO remember what a hoot she always was - just ask me to relate to you a few of her Judy-isms some time, or ask anyone who ever came in contact with her - I know they will agree!
Sadly, Judy passed away in 1999, and in the following year, a memorial section was added in her honour to the Craft Schedule of the 74th Blackheath Horticulture and Craft Show, and has continued till the present time. For the 80th Show on Sat. 25th and Sun. 26th February next year, the Section is being expanded to include more weaving and felting. There is NO entry fee, and prizes are worthwhile: The Most Successful Exhibitor will be awarded a Certificate, a Ribbon, a Trophy and a cash prize of $100. For the Champion Exhibit there will be a Certificate, a Ribbon and a prize of $30. The Most Successful Novice (one with less than two years' experience), will receive a Certificate, a Ribbon and $10 cash. Further, there will be 1st and 2nd Prize Certificates for each Class, and all 1st prize winners will also receive a $5 cash award. Highly Commended Certificates will be awarded if warranted.
There are Classes for Plain and Fancy Effect Spinning, Dyeing, Weaving (commercial and/or handspun yarn), Knitting/Crochet, Felting and Braids.
So, let's do Judy proud!
Eve Rashleigh
Felting is the art of matting wool. Any kind of knit that you want more durable can be done through felting. The process of felting can sometimes seem intimidating or complicated.
The Handweavers Guild of America has a complete feltmaking process with photos for every step.
The Feltmaking Process — Handweavers Guild of America (via MAKE: Blog)
Prue has found a free online weaving magazine produced by Ralph Griswold.
Webside — (via Weavetech mailing list)
Chemical burns, ruined clothes, eleven years, half a million dollars — it's not easy to improve the world's most popular toy. Yet the success of Tim Kehoe's quest to dye a simple soap bubble may change the way the world uses colour
When Kehoe isn't blowing bubbles for businessmen, he's at home inventing again, coming up with new uses for the disappearing dye, the importance of which is hard to overstate. For decades, the color industry has been focused entirely on color fastness. No one has really thought about the potential of temporary color. That the dye was created for children's bubbles may turn out to be just a footnote, a funny story Sabnis tells at color-chemist conventions.
Among the ideas Kehoe has already mocked up are a finger paint that fades from every surface except a special paper, a hair dye that vanishes in a few hours, and disappearing-graffiti spray paint. There's a toothpaste that would turn kids' mouths a bright color until they had brushed for the requisite 30 seconds, and a soap that would do the same for hand washing.
He's also thinking outside the toy chest, mucking around in the lab on weekends making things like a Swiffer that leaves a momentary trace showing where you've Swiffered and a temporary wall paint that would let you spend a few hours with a color before committing to it. The dye's reach is so great that there are even biotech and industrial uses being discussed.We've got stuff in the works I can't talk about that'll blow bubbles away,he says excitedly. It might take years, but, knowing Tim Kehoe, we'll see them eventually. After all, it's only a little extra work.
The 11-Year Quest to Create Disappearing Colored Bubbles — Popular Science (via Column of the Wolf)
Cast Off, a knitting club based in the UK, staged the very first Knitted Wedding
where knitters were invited to submit handmade items for the knit art ceremony. Everything is knitted — the bride's dress, wedding cake, champagne bottles, flowers, and last but not least, tiny wool confetti. All knitters and friends were invited to attend the festivities. The knitted desserts look yummy enough to eat.
The Knitted Wedding — Cast Off (via MAKE: Blog)
If you'd rather listen to a magazine than read it, then podcasting is for you. Cast-On is a new knitting podcast that joins the wonderful KnitCast.
For more information about podcasts, see our previous article.
Pink haired and heavy-metal lovin' Zach, was an 11 year-old 6th grader last year in Bre Pettis' art class. At the end of every year, Bre gives his students a chance to work on an independent project.
Zach already knew how to knit and brought in some string to knit with and he needed some knitting needles to being his project,
Bre recalls. I remember him saying something like 'I could have used pencils, but this is cooler'.
Zach ended up with a cool looking wristband, originally intended to be a scarf.
I Make Things: Knitting with Paperclips! — Bre Pettis: I Make Things (via MAKE: Blog)
Prue has discovered an excellent resource in Resil Chemicals' online textile dictionary.
Textile Dictionary — Resil Chemicals (via Weavetech mailing list)
In the latest Fall issue of Knitty, the Yorick pattern will show you how to knit a skull scarf and how to felt it afterwards so that it keeps shape.
Yorick — Knitty (via MAKE: Blog)
Sometimes you just need to visualise it to get a better idea. Especially when it comes to mixing and matching colour. Before you start your next scarf or jumper project, check out the Random Stripe Generator. It's a great online tool created by a fellow crafter to help you see it, before you make it. And if you don't like the patterns that are produced, just hit refresh, and you'll get more options.
Random Stripe Generator — kissyourshadow.com (via MAKE: Blog)
Don't throw away your old CDs. Here's a knitting pattern where you can knit coasters for your old CD disks. It only requires a small amount of worsted weight yarn and is a great solution to finish up yarn scraps from past knitting projects. Try using different colours of yarn for every other row and create a stripy spiral.
CD Coaster — Frugal Knitting Haus (via MAKE: Blog)