War on Fire, Love for Each Other

This blog post has little to do with weaving, but of course I will find any opportunity I can.

I live in the midst of a current wildfire inferno, brought on by high forest fuel loads from decades of successful fire suppression and augmented by an incredibly dry late spring and early summer. June is typically pretty rainy where I live, at times exasperatingly so, but we had only a few millimetres of rain this June and none yet in July.

On Friday afternoon, dry lightening hit my area and new fires were being reported too quickly to be recorded at first. The local fire centre at the airport was closed because the forest on the other side of the runway was in flames.

And no one's life has been the same since.

I know it's not really war on fire. Wildfire is natural and we humans have become too successful in putting out almost every one of them, to the point that when exceptional conditions permit, a fire burns exceptionally hot and erratically. We can't do much in response until we have significant rain, even though British Columbia has some of the best personnel, expertise, perseverance and equipment anywhere. And everyone out there is working hard and doing their best now, I know that. Thank you from each of us to each of you.

I've met friends who aren't sure whether to evacuate to a distant, safer community or stay put in maybe higher risk but where they know they belong. One dear friend just lost his home, he was told while quite far away. Everyone wants to help each other out, we need that important job to do. We are all on our best behaviour and our best manners because we care for each other and we're being kind and courteous. And loving.

I've said good-bye to my weaving studio and I hope to say hello again, but we'll see. My best blankets and a heavy armload of towels are as safely stored as I can hope for. Until we know more, take care and stay safe, my friends. Love.

Cariboo Handwoven Makes the Top 100 Weaving Blogs

Imagine my surprise to check email first thing one recent morning and find the amazing news that Cariboo Handwoven's blog was chosen as one of the top 100 weaving blogs by Feedspot. There we are at #63. (Or find the website at http://blog.feedspot.com/weaving_blogs/.)

Thank you to Anuj Agarwal, Feedspot founder, and the blog selection panelists. Perusing the list of blogs, I feel honoured to be in such good company.  There's Laura Fry, my neighbour north in Prince George, at #27; Susan Harvey on Vancouver Island - she also does amazing work - at #49; and Dianne Dudfield in New Zealand at #93 - my sister saw her work when traveling in NZ and I've been a big fan of Dianne's since. And there are other good ones that I also subscribe to or check regularly.

The Feedspot list is a goldmine of 99 more weaving blogs that interest me. Thank you for adding me to this esteemed list!

More Cotton Blankets for Summer

This is the time of year to laze in the shade, enjoy the long days with their early mornings and late evenings, and weave with cotton. After my last batch of eight big cotton blankets, I soon warped the loom for more. They are hemmed, can be machine washed and dried, and are useful in summer - both outdoors and in.

Here are six of the latest cotton blankets:

C303 | 100% cotton | 190 cm x 133 cm (75" x 52") | Sold

C304 | 100% cotton | 217 cm x 135 cm (85" x 53") - extra long | Sold

C305 | 100% cotton | 193 cm x 138 cm (76" x 54.5") | Sold

C306 | 100% cotton | 188 cm x 135 cm (74" x 53") | Sold

C307 | 100% cotton | 192 cm x 135 cm (75.5" x 53") | Sold

C310 | 100% cotton | 155 cm x 135 cm (61" x 53") | Sold

Interested in any?  Just let me know.

A New Georgian Bay Blanket

My latest presentation of new wool blankets omitted the last one which was waiting to be fringed and finished, but it is ready to show now. This one depicts the colours and scents of Georgian Bay, a special place for all my family as well as many Canadians and others.

The blanket's design emulates the blue waters with whitecaps, the grey rock with orange lichen, Georgian Bay's windswept white pines, and the deep blue sky and puffy clouds above.

SH187 | 100% wool | 175 cm x 127 cm (69" x 50") | Sold

SH187 Detail | Water and rock in the Georgian Bay blanket design

As with the other six blankets, the blanket's weave structure is lengthwise stripes of plain and advancing twill which give a nice contrast of distinct and wavy lines.

My Georgian Bay blankets and towels have been much-appreciated and admired in the time I've been making them. They remind the user of those special fragrances of the sun-warmed granite and white pines, and many carefree summer days.

Shetland Wool Blankets in Browns with Colours

I've lost count of how many Shetland wool blankets I've woven but this latest project is probably somewhere in a batch in the twenties. These are my classic wool blankets and I love designing, weaving and finishing them. This project incorporated wide lengthwise stripes of regular and advancing twills to produce contrasting straight and fuzzy-lined diamonds. After weaving, fringe twisting is a portable activity and two of these blankets accompanied me on some recent local travels.

One blanket of the six below (SH184) was woven with my handspun white wool, making it a little thicker than the others. Any of these blankets would make a really special wedding, grad or retirement gift.

Here they are:

SH183 | 100% wool | 170 cm x 127 cm (67" x 50") | Sold

SH184 | 100% wool with approx. 50% handspun | 175 cm x 138 cm (69" x 54") | Sold

SH185 | 100% wool | 168 cm x 127 cm (66" x 50") | Sold

SH186 | 100% wool | 178 cm x 128 cm (70" x 50.5") | $290 

SH188 | 100% wool | 186 cm x 125 cm (73" x 49") | Sold

SH189 | 100% wool | 199 cm x 125 cm (77" x 49") | Sold

As always ... let me know if you're interested in any of these and would like more information or photos.

New Cotton Blankets for Summer

Eight new cotton blankets are ready to present. These are all large (except for the last one) and meant for lazy summer afternoons and evenings on the hammock or chaise lounge, through the night as light warmth, or year-round for wrapping up in. I love these blankets and so do many owners from what I often hear.

We have five in our household, and I washed them today and dried them on the line.

Sometimes a guest falls in love with one of my blankets and it leaves to a happy owner. That is a huge compliment. However, I can only let mine go that way, no one else's. ;-)

OK, here are the eight. They are all hemmed, and machine wash and dry. They are cozy and soft and last for years.

C295 | 100% cotton | 196 cm x 137 cm (77" x 54") | Sold

C296 | 100% cotton | 183 cm x 137 cm (72" x 54") | Sold

C297 | 100% cotton | 180 cm x 137 cm (71" x 54") | Sold

C298 | 100% cotton | 188 cm x 136 cm (74" x 53.5") | Sold

C299 | 100% cotton | 182 cm x 137 cm (71.5" x 54") | Sold

C300 | 100% cotton | 173 cm x 136 cm (68" x 53.5") | Sold

C301 | 100% cotton | 188 cm x 138 cm (74" x 54") | Sold

C302 | 100% cotton | 132 cm x 132 cm (52" x 52") | Sold

As always, let me know if you're interested in any of these blankets.

Weaving by Trail or Bushwhacking

I've enjoyed different forms of transport over trails and I've also worked in the forest, creating my own path through the woods to take measurements or mark plots. I find a huge mental contrast between following a trail or 'bushwhacking' on my own. Both are nice, but they are just very different. This even applies to weaving.

Taking a trail when I weave means creating a pattern in my mind and then following it to the end of the fabric's length, whether it's a blanket, scarf or towel. I might have a set of colours and weave patterns in mind and then change them as soon as I begin, but it's a trail by the time the design is established, and then I simply follow what I've set for myself. Like this:

In contrast, my artistic blankets and towels are like bushwhacking. I have to create my own path throughout the full length of the fabric. This means having a picture in my mind, such as my Georgian Bay blankets and towels, and needing to loosely plan the proportions of water, rock, trees and sky. Then I must determine what colours to use, how to make possible colour gradations, and how I show wavy water, smooth rock and big sky with the weave patterns I have available.

And - how do I make the current piece a little different from all the others? That's all the bushwhacking part.  It takes more physical and mental energy but it's totally worth it. I just can't do a lot of it.

This concept of trail versus bushwhacking probably has endless other applications - painting or stitching geometric images versus abstract, cooking creatively versus following a recipe (someone else's trail), and much more.

Notice that people may wish you "Happy Trails" but never "Happy Bushwhacking"?