scenes from a quick trip to stavanger

had a quick work trip to stavanger this week. it's such a lovely, charming, creative, artsy town. and the light was amazing. i had a chance to stroll around a bit, spotting street art at every turn. and there was even time for a get-together with miss buckle from the old bloggy days! we ate a great burger and had a few laughs!

progress

i've made progress on the first tea towel. the "pattern" i gave myself may result in one that's a bit short after i wash it, but that's how you live and learn. i'm too far now to turn back, so i'll just go a little bit longer on the next one. it goes faster than you think. even husband was suprised. and check out the difference the color you weave in with makes to the overall color. this is exactly what i wanted to learn. 

every single thread

we had an unexpected (for me, i've been busy lately, what can i say) day off midweek this week. i needed it more than i even knew. so i asked emmy if she had time to come and help me dress the loom (yes, i looked that up - i've learned weaving in danish, so i know none of the terminology in english). 

i'm really happy with the colors and the way this turned out. i can't wait to see what weaving in with different colors does to the whole. i'm hoping to learn a lot about how the colors affect one another.

some of the palette i've chosen for the weft. these colors are all in the warp itself. i have so much to learn.

i don't think i meant for this to be quite such a rainbow - i was playing with the color and the transitions between them and the process of moving from one side of the spectrum to the other. 

the threads are in such order, behaving themselves. there's so much potential for chaos within them (just two minutes with mazikeen the demon cat), but here, they are behaving and in order. and i can really see the color transition go from blue to yellow to red. there's some purple in both ends for balance. 

and now, i'm pulling the threads through (no idea what that's called), but this is essential to connecting them to the pedals and making a pattern. i have so much to learn. but what i love right now about this process is that i have to work with and develop a relationship with every single thread. i have to ensure that they are in the correct spot, checking and rechecking. i have to get to know them, to tame them. yes, they're going to be tea towels - an everyday object that gets used and isn't really noticed. but i will have noticed every single thread in them. that feels profound somehow. and it's so nice to be making something tangible, that i can touch and sense and feel and notice and ultimately use. and that isn't made up underneath it all of 0s and 1s.