A Lot To Learn

  I'm almost finished with the table runner for my niece.  This is a shot I got of it going down to the cloth beam.  You can see the large square where her name will be stitched.
  The lace was so much fun to play with and weave.  I'm on the last six inches of the plain weave part that will be on the table top.  And, wouldn't you know it, the outside threads popped!  Carl suggested that I run plain white sewing thread along with the outside threads, and it worked like a charm.    I'll have a little warp left over....I think I'll do a narrow repeat of the lace to make a table topper for my living room.

    One of my goals for 2013 was to explore some new (to me) weave structures.  I often go to Mary Meigs Atwater for inspiration, and these two books provide LOTS of ideas for me.  But, the more I learn, the more I find I need to learn.  Mrs. Atwater often takes it for granted that you know what you're doing. 
  Also, the more I study her writings, the more I want to read.  This woman was AMAZING!
  I have downloaded a few more of her publications from the archive in Arizona:
http://www.cs.arizona.edu/patterns/weaving/index.html
This link should come with a warning:  you will spend hours there!  It's as bad as doing genealogy research!    (By the way, I found these used books on Amazon a few years back, and I have placed a bunch of sticky notes and markers where I have found little gems along the way.)

  One of the areas I realized I needed help was block weaves.  And, wouldn't you know, Interweave Press had a nice little sale just at the right time.  I have watched the first section, and I printed off my workbook yesterday.  Now, I just need to block off study time to continue on my journey. 
  You can bet that I'll be going back to the Shuttle-craft book (when I get smarter) and play with those Summer and Winter blocks!!!  (And, there are a lot of overshot blocks I want to tweak, too!)
  Too much fun!  A ton to learn!
Happy Weaving (and learning!)
LouAnn