Tuesday, April 22, 2008

It is all in the SHARING

Last night, I made a presentation to the Eastside Weaving Guild. It was about combining knitting with woven cloth. I weave a little, and knit a lot, so combining the two seemed only natural. I had the opportunity to travel to San Miguel, Mexico, last spring to make a sweater that combined the two techniques. The trip was wonderful, the class was great, but the ideas that came springing forth in my brain were the best!

I find that workshops and classes are so valuable. No matter how much I know, or think that Iknow, there are always new ideas and techniques and manners of working that open my mind to new possibilities. This workshop did that for me, so that was what I shared.

The audience knits, and weaves and dyes...and essentially does everything fiber. That is what I like about belonging to the guild. It was equally valuable to me to hear the comments and suggestions of what inspired them while we talked! So, the workshop that was intended to give me a way to do one thing became the inspiration for doing more and the presentation added further to the experience! Wow! I can't wait to see the new work that might come from one kernel of sharing.

It will be especially exciting, since much of what we weave is sampling for larger pieces or yardage that is beautiful, but not enough for, say, a jacket. The renewed use of beautiful fiber in all forms helps to revive the work and interest in our stash. One suggestion was using felted wool in combination with knitting, or even crochet!

All of those creative minds on one room, with all of that experience. It is pretty powerful, and it is ALL in the sharing.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

You gave a great talk on Knitting with Weaving - I am certain that many members of the Eastside Handweaversf will try to take this idea one step further. Thanks for presenting it to the guild.