Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Turned Twill Scarf - Early steps

Step 1 ~~ Get to the studio. Last week I began a new practice, getting to my studio first thing in the morning. This practice came about from a laser coaching session from Jane Pollak, 2009 Woman of Distinction, at the NEWBO Quest Awards. I'm now getting up at 5 am, quick face wash, breakfast and into the studio with tea by 5:30. Spend two hours or so and spend the rest of the day happy and productive on work and the rest of my life. Step 1? Begin my day with my art.

Day 1: Winding off the skeins into manageable balls ~~ One of my early loom lessons, back in Y2K, was that you don't warp from skeins, unless you want a tangled mess to deal with. Here are my twelve yarns, mostly rayon/linen and two cotton/rayon (in back, left) that will be my turned twill scarf. These are hand-dyed, from my friend Jean Theurkauf's fiber studio, Thread Gardens.
Days 2 and 3: Sampling via wraps ~~ I usually avoid this step, but I'm pleased that I took the time. I feel like I explored some options, got more familiar with the colors I'm working with, came up with some more complete designs for the warp. I'm conscious of why I'm making design choices, having spent the time wrapping and laying out the warp in this fashion. Here are the wraps, in the sequence I did them, bottom to top. The top wrap represents about two-thirds of the warp I'm now winding.