Thursday 25 August 2016

Bellagio

Yesterday was spent lounging about in the morning and in the afternoon we took a ferry boat from Menaggio to Bellagio by way of Varenna. It was a drive on, drive off car ferry so much bustling about at the ferry ports. 
Later I sat by Bellagio ferry port and there are all sorts and sizes of ferry boats including a hovercraft at speed. Bellagio is noted for its many silk mills and there are shops selling silk scarves and ties. They are all printed designs and definitely in the class of bling. In other words, not for me thank you very much. It was very hot in BEllagio and it is built on a steep hill so has flights of steps in place of streets. I wilted what with the heat and the steps which is why I ended up sitting in the shade of a plane tree watching the ferry boats.

More views of the lake

And a nice house by Bellagio.

Spent the evening with Madi eating out and discussing Universities, LSE and how to choose a degree course. It would help, I pointed out, if she had an ambition for a particular profession. I think she would be better off with a gap year but that is her choice. Things were much easier when I was that age. Mind you I had a burning desire to be a radio astronomer - which I did achieve.  But then discovered in my early thirties that I loathed academia - and academics so morphed into an industrial engineer and loved it until I retired at 74. Mind you the last two years I was bored. I am a problem solver and no one was bringing new problems only old ones I could do easily.

It took me years to realise I was a problem solver - which, I think, is why I am weaver. I see something and think Would that translate into a weave?  I must admit that the most exciting bit of weaving for me is weaving the first 6 to 12 inches when I can see if  I have got it right. After that there is the boring bit of weaving the rest of the five yard warp! It also explains why I hop around from weave type to weave type.

Today is grey and overcast and a bit cooler. Nice!


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About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.