I often forget how mainstream weaving is in the everyday world- it isn't. Lots of people know the difference between a woven cloth and a knit cloth, but they cannot explain, in specific terms, what those differences are. I usually get the blank stare with the smile and a nod when I start to get into detail about weaving. The response is: "I love what you make, but I you lost me at loom." So in order to help explain myself a little more (with pictures!) I have started the visual glossary with some of the very basic terms associated with weaving.

Fridays are the time to rejuvenate, get excited, and start all the awesome things that the weekend allows you! The things that are inspiring me right now is getting stacked up for something awesome in the future. So, they will be in my back pocket for a while before I start letting you in my plans for fiber-awesomeness.

I have many projects in the works right now and I will be winding down soon in order to pack up for the big move. This isn't stopping me from getting the Spring Collection together. I will not tell you what the final outcome will be but I will show you the colors I will be using! I opted to go for a very simple basic woven structure with some beautiful color transitions.

So, this past week has been a little bit crazy. I have been focusing on getting product off the loom and setting up arrangements at work to get ready to move in a couple months. It has been stressful. So to alleviate some of this stress here is an artist who I love. Stephanie Metz.

As a new year opens up in front of me, I sit back and reflect on what I have accomplished in the past year. And I feel like it could have been better spent. So I am developing a new focus for my life which will hopefully produce a greater outcome in the upcoming year.

The past few nights I have been staying up really late in photoshop, meticulously selecting colors from scanned images to create a digital color palette for Harrisville Designs yarn. I am working on developing patterns and colors for my Spring collection of scarves and shawls. So now I am in the research and and inspiration stage. I thought to share some images and textures that are going to inspire my next collection of weavings.

The holidays are coming to a close, and I starting a project for the blog that will aid you and myself in learning more about the craft of weaving. I am going to be developing a photographic glossary of terms that can be referred at any time when reading the blog. In the next few weeks you will be learning about warp, weft, shuttles, the parts of the looms and some nifty techniques that I use while I am working.

Deep down, I think I want to be Scottish and live by the sea weaving away as the winds howl. Following in deep traditions and using wool only dyed from plants and lichens, blended together to create fabric that not only unites Scotland, but the love of tradition and fine craftsmanship.

So a couple of weeks ago I stayed up very late and decided to create warp, without really planning. Just winding it unto to the warping board as I see fit. I wound on about 36 yards of warp (three different warp chains) in two late evenings. And what I learned is that not all late night decisions are good ones, but they could be fixed.

This book is a written catalogue of contemporary artists and designers who use weaving as their primary medium of expression. The author surveys different aspects of art in which weaving permeates: thread, light, motion, sound, emotion and community (these categories are also the corresponding chapters in the book.) The artist's profiled in this book use new technologies with traditional techniques to create beautiful woven creations that can be useful or thought provoking.

So for Fiber Friday I am going to post a bunch of links from some of my favorite tumblr pages. I am a very visual person so I enjoy looking at amazing historical and contemporary works of textiles to get my creative noggin jumpstarted, so here are a few of my favorite "jump starters"

One of my favorite stages in the weaving process- cutting the weaving off the loom. I do not have a specific way I complete this process, I just take my favorite fabric scissors and carefully cut the warp threads and then unroll the glory of the almost final product.

I began submitting my fine art / fiber art pieces when I was a second semester Freshman in Undergraduate School. What I learned from the experience of being a developing artist submitting to established exhibitions is that you can't always cater to the jurors in the exhibition. It is better to create artwork that you are confident in then trying to make your own artwork fit into the mold of the prospectus.

A resource that I use frequently are images that I have that were taken on trips and outings. One extremely influential trip in my life was to Ullapool, Scotland. I went a couple years ago when I had received an Undergraduate Summer Research Grant through Buffalo State College for my project "Felting as a Sustainable Media". With the grant I received I traveled to Scotland to take a workshop on creating felt and learning about natural dye processes.

This is a weaving book that is geared towards inspiration. There isn't necessarily projects spelt out, but there are suggestions for what the textiles could be used for. This book is definitely geared towards those who want to take their ideas and woven works to a new level.

I am done with Undergraduate School. I am still very passionate about my craft and my work. I want to advance in my career and do something that in the end will feel like a great personal achievement. So, why I am not pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in my field?

I work in retail for my day job. Which means I had to work Thanksgiving night and again Friday afternoon into the evening. Seeing so many people clamoring for the "great sales" made me appreciate what I do for my other job. As a weaver, I get to make something out of nothing and then either sell it to someone or give it to someone I love and I get to see the expression of joy on their faces.

There are so many focuses in the Fiber/Textile world that it would seem that there would be a clear deliniation between them all- so when you looked at something you say "That is design. That is art. And there is technology." But textiles have a way of blurring the boundaries of these worlds (much like other craft arenas).

Typically, when I design a project, I look up the manufacturer's suggested sett for the yarn AND I also measure it. This current set of scarves that I have on the loom is made with a yarn that I have never used before. Thinking that I had it under control I just measured it myself and didn't look up the suggested sett.

So, it is the end of the week- time for something to kick start the weekend with something inspiring! This morning I tweeted about a website called Those Who Make. This website has so many inspiring videos about crafters and what they do.