Blast!

The ARM loom is threaded.  Now it's just a waiting game until the control head is ready to cooperate. I wish someone would invent a wi-fi control head to replace the old Patronic system.  The data transfer from computer to loom is like The Jetsons to The Flintstones.  Another year or two and the technology gap will be too big to overcome without a modification to the control head.  So somebody get to work on that.

Above are a couple of drawn joomchi collaborations.  Maybe it'll go somewhere…maybe not.  Worse case scenario, I end up with more samples.  And I do need to replenish my sample supply anyway.  I dropped off a fat stack of joomchi at The Morgan, so if you're curious stop in and give them a fondling.

Above and below are the first successful tests for something really amazing.  I've been prepping for the Nuno felt portion of my felt-making class, and kept thinking about the misleading description of joomchi being "paper felting"(…sorry, Aimee and others…).  The reasons joomchi and felt form are entirely different, but I was convinced that there had to be a way of creating a laminate fabric with wool and paper.  After some experimentation I finally arrived at a method for making a fabric that is both joomchi AND felt!  I'm sure others have wondered about this, and maybe even found a way to do it…but I can't find anything on the Interwebtubes, so until someone corrects me (...and, please, don't hesitate to correct me…), I'm going to be terribly immodest and claim to be the first to do this.  There.  It's done.  I was the first.

For those curious about learning this technique:  There isn't room in the already scheduled itineraries for my upcoming joomchi workshops, but I plan on running it as a backyard workshop in early August.  There will be a proper e-blast before the end of July with the scheduling details, however, I'm willing to compile a tentative enrollment list if anyone is eager to get onboard.

Now, back to the ARM loom.

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UPDATE:  There is now a mechanical failure occurring in the ARM loom's lift system (most likely the solenoid control circuit) that is unrepairable by the likes of me.  So I cut my warp off, and I'll set it up on my small loom at home.  Sometimes the older methods are more reliable.

Brief

Above: more joomchi underway.  Below:  Threading the ARM loom at CIA.

(And a top secret endeavor is officially underway.)

Extra!

The Morgan has posted their workshop schedule! Follow the link, and sign up for a class. (There are two pages of offerings, by the way.)

32-5-5-13 (I like numbers.)

Last week's dye-fest yielded 32 balls of variegated yarns.  It took many hours and one very sore shoulder to convert skeins to balls, but now it is nice and tidy.

Today I carded a bunch of fleece from last week.  I ended up with five batts of navy, five of a navy/turquoise blend, and thirteen of straight turquoise.

22 Skeins

Paper has been arriving.  I have the portions doled out for two of my workshops.  One more shipment is on it's way...and then I can wrap up the third.  I cleaned out some of the stock at Paper Connection.  I really can't say enough nice things about them.  If you're looking for handmade papers, give them a peek.

Aimee's show was great.  Awesome work, awesome textures.

Dyed a monstrous amount of yarn this weekend...raw silk, wool of assorted finishes, even some alpaca.  That should be enough for one weaving.

Wind-up Bird & Hard-boiled Course Prep

Felt-making and Tapestry Weaving are both running at CIA, and they start this week.  The confirmation on Friday caught me a bit off-guard.  The enrollment had stayed far below the required number, so I had moved course prep for those classes to the back burner.  As a result, my weekend was a mad dash of dyeing fleece for demonstrations and gathering up samples, supplies, and other sundries.  I still have a few more odds and ends to straighten out tomorrow.  Between ConEd and my regular teaching duties, I'll be running five classes for the next eight weeks.  I feel that spring winding tighter.

Cold & Glut

It's time to order more paper.  I'm down to my last few sheets of Thai Unryu...unfortunately, my regular source has reduced their color selection and doubled prices...so some of my "go-to" colors are no longer an option.  Plus I need to get paper ordered for the upcoming glut of joomchi workshops.  I ordered late last year in anticipation of only teaching one...but I'm already up to three, and it's only the end of January.  It's a nice problem to have, and I hope to add at least one more.

Doing some advanced prep this weekend for the aforementioned joomchi workshops, I tore down the hanji I got from Paper Connection.  It costs a bit more than the Unryu, so the students will only get a half sheet of each color. Of course, I need to order more of that too.

I took the time on Saturday to rinse the rest of the shibori joomchi (after unbinding too soon in a fog).  Some kept a decent amount of pattern, but most lost the delineation of the bindings.  The surfaces look a little worse for wear too...but I see many of these finding a future home.