Almost there

I have hitched off the actual weaving, now I just have to do the finishing off which will involve a couple more hours of weaving (hitching off with sewing thread, then another lot of hitching off for the back, using wool. That gets turned over and not seen.

So I hope to get that done tomorrow. Then I can loosen the warp a little and let it 'relax' overnight before taking it off the loom and tidying it up - which will take another few hours. So - almost there.

There will also be some fixing of mistakes to be done. I 'think' they will be easy enough to fix - I hope so! I am intending to keep the tapestry, so it is only I who will see the mistakes.

Once again, I worked till it was almost dark, so the image has had the exposure  changed. It is not quite that light.

I have enjoyed working on it, especially in this strange time of being socially distant. It has taken hours every day. I was thinking that it has been very calming. Once the design is decided the actual weaving is more of a contemplative thing - you do have to work on the colours and making sure you are keeping to the design but you are not making big creative decisions, that gets done, mainly, before-hand. So I will miss it.

But I have enrolled for a Blackwork embroidery course and am currently up to doing the sampler, learning the various stitches that might be useful once I get to actually making a piece. So, at the moment, that is also rather contemplative - focussing on doing the stitching correctly but not having to be creative. Hopefully that will take the place of the tapestry - and I will get caught up with the course!

Trying to keep interested in things

I'm not sure why, but it has been hard to be doing things today. It started off grey but the sun came out later. I did go for a walk, turned out to be quite a long one as we found a new little path along the Yarra. I was exhausted by the time we got back.

I have been assiduously taking photos on my walks, have quite a big collection. Must do something with them!!
We are supposed to be looking at them and seeing what is interesting us, what makes us stop and take the photo. So I will try to do that soon.

Here are today's selections: a bit of variety, no strong cohesion in them but some relate quite closely to others I have taken. I suppose it isn't that surprising, I keep walking in the local neighbourhood, especially in the parks along the Yarra and the creek.

You may also notice that we are encouraged to make our images square. Fortunately, the iPhone has that option so I don't have to do any cropping later.

Making progress - slowly

I thought I had better post as my blog has been mentioned in a post about the Vision 2020 Textile challenge organised by Brenda Gael Smith.
All the images are now online. Sadly, the exhibitions they were going to be shown at in the near future are cancelled. There are some scheduled for later in the year, in the USA and Australia, so perhaps they will get to be seen 'in the flesh'.
I hope so.

Anyway, I am not going to post about that work - I am still working steadily on my small tapestry. Actually, for me it is a large tapestry but I am in contact with my tapestry teachers on a group that is relatively active at the moment, partly due to social interactions being so necessary.
Anyway, she showed us a series she is working on and she called them small tapestries - the same size as mine!! A3 approximately.

Cresside will be much faster than I as a weaver, however, she has done several in her series. I will be content when I finish this one! So far I have taken about 30 hours and I am about 2/3 of the way through.
I have been slowed down a little by the fact that I got the tree limbs mixed up, had to change my cartoon on the run and am making the colours up as I go. But I am relatively happy with the progress.

I can see something that I would change if it weren't soo far back and would require unpicking most of the tapestry. I will just have to live with it.

So, here is my progress image. (Oops, just saw another thing wrong, going to ignore that too, see if I can fix it when it is finished.)

Small progress.

I think I got in an hour of tapestry work today. Some of it was winding up bobbins with the colours I wanted. That takes time!
I have worked out a new (for me) way of keeping track of my colours. I do the selection as usual, wind it onto the bobbin and then record it in the visual diary, as usual. Now I am sticking a small piece of masking tape with the corresponding number onto the bobbin, it is making redoing the yarn so much easier.

I did start by marking the numbers on the cartoon but, as I am making it up as I go, that hasn't lasted long.

However, it is working for me at the moment.
I got a little weaving in but left it till the afternoon and then went for a walk. The end of daylight saving has meant that I have had to stop a fraction earlier. Hence me being on the computer!

On the walk I saw some interesting fungi. Maybe they will become a design in the not-too-distant- future. Or maybe I will just have some interesting photos.

Working on the tapestry.

Another interesting date (to me, anyway): 5/4/20

We were notified this week that the Bendigo Sheep and Wool Show will not go ahead. Not a surprise. Everything is being cancelled or postponed.

I have decided to go ahead with the tapestry however. It is engrossing to do and is keeping my mind off having to stay home, not seeing family and friends, not being at certain events, etc.

I spend at least an hour each day on it and it is growing. It probably would have grown faster if I had done a proper cartoon but I didn't, so I have to just get over it. And pull out sections from time to time - every day.

As I am doing it sideways, I take photos regularly so I can turn them around and see how it is looking. 

I think I need to tone down the very deep red and purple sections, will experiment with that tomorrow.
I am just using wool that I have, not buying. I think I could get some online (haven't actually checked that) but I don't want to start buying online, that could become an addiction.
I usually buy from the Australian Tapestry Workshop but, of course, it isn't open. I just love going in and seeing all the gorgeous colours!