Thursday, January 8, 2015

potholding




I'm amazed to read about the present, sweltering heat in the southern hemisphere, Australia, for instance, while staring into the teeth of this "Alberta Clipper" coming down from, well, the finger points at Alberta.  Thanks, Canada.

A wind accompanies this snow, and below zero temperature, a strong wind that whips up snow dust tornados that whirl up and across the  hay field, catching snow, loose leaves and twigs, sucking them high in a twisting vortex, before vanishing through the fence at the plum row at the top of the field.
Dramatic, but largely an illusion.

So. I am weaving potholders, a throwback to simpler times, days when I began weaving,  a
project of cutting rags and chaining them together, to weave into useful, and cheerful kitchen things.
A potholder like this will not look the same after 2 decades of  hard use,  potholding, but then neither does this (speaking of myself now) potholder look the same.  The rags here are cotton, cut at about an
inch wide,  the warp, 12/6 Swedish rug warp, black.  The sett is 10 epi, but  woven in doublebinding, an interconnected double-face weave, with two layers of rag, with only 1/4 of the warps showing on
each surface.  There are warp threads interwoven between the layers, and no fingers should ever feel heat.  This is a favorite weave of mine, and my brain feels like a big snow whirly of fresh
ideas while I'm at work.  Let us not despair, for we are human, and we each have imagination.
We can create what we can imagine.




7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lovely, cheerful potholding pot holders!

Fran said...

Ha ha!
The clipper never left us; it just expanded!

Fran in Alberta (-18 C)

Susan said...

Fran, I wondered if an Albertan might read this and come forward! It'a a real force of nature, and has us all clustered around our stoves that are devouring our woodpiles. I think it's stayed long enough. I'm ready to send it home

Jenny M said...

love the pops of bright colours you have used in your potholders. Yes, it seems strange that you are experiencing such cold weather and here in Melbourne, Australia, we have had the temp reach 39c twice this week and it has been humid.
Roll on the beautiful days of Autumn!

amanda said...

We're getting that snow here in Ontario too! I keep looking at my apartment's old fireplace longingly - but if I lit it, I imagine the whole building would go up in flame (perhaps a raccoon butt too).

Lovely potholders - I'm not sure I've even heard of doublebinding, I'll have to look through my weaving books.

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

The double-binding on your potholders--not only clever, what absolute pieces of art. I'd hang mine in the kitchen after each use...they are gorgeous.

I'd probably hang one over my sofa, in the studio, near the bed, at my computer too.

Hope some balmy breezes come your way.

Susan said...

Dawn, thank you. They are great pot holders, and they take a surprising amount of time to make. But it's a fun way to weave. Kind of an indulgence.