THE PROJECT

Last Saturday, there was a Kennet Valley Guild weaving class. The improvers are weaving patterns into infinity - and beyond. The 12-shaft loom came back with Shirley's piece cut off and it looks beautiful. I am pleased because I get very nervous about handing out drafts I have created. Anyway Shirley did not run into any trouble and the loom has gone to the next student.

At the coffee break, we discussed THE PROJECT. The Kennet Valley weavers are going to submit a group project to the Association's Exhibition this summer. And even though there was a lot of hand waving and not too many facts to clutter up the mind, 12 out of the 13 weavers said 'Yes, yes'. The 13th explained that she was already doing a Guild project for Berkshire Guild.  So I have to invite a lot of other people. On Sunday, we met up with a few more  weavers and got them all signed up. I am hoping we get 25 people. Each person will have to weave something like a foot square piece using a standard colour warp and any weft they want to. Rosie Price and I are already collecting suitable weft yarn although we shall buy the warp yarn. What, you ask, has the photo of four skeins of mohair got to do with this. Well on Sunday I was at a Braid Society meeting at Aldbourne and there was this mohair  for sale, flecked with multicoioured bits of cotton.    The base colour was pale grey and my reaction was, if I dye that using acid dyes, then the cotton flecks will stay undyed and they did. It shows up best on the yellow and green. So that has occupied a bit of time this week. Note that I am not telling you what THE PROJECT is - I am very wary of the rules about publication and will show photos atfter it has been accepted. 25 times 1 square foot is a large object!!!!

I have got the Megado up and weaving - again no photos because it is a present and I know the recipient sometimes reads this blog. Look nice.

At Bournville last Friday, we did more Procion MX dyeing. I did several pieces of shibori - including this piece in pink and sage green. When I opened it up, Annette, the tutor, said, 'Oh it's a garden with marigolds' and I said, 'It is supposed to be spiders' webs'. Over the weekend, I decided it was neither - it was dandelions. So this is where it has got to today. I did audition some leaves but they were too virulent a green. I could just machine stitch the outlines of some leaves on the sage green bits. But I don't fancy unpicking them if I don't like them. So currently it is pinned up on the wall and I will think about it.

My Thermofaxes for the Omar Khayyam book cover have arrived and I must use them. All in all, a good week.