Objectives for the next year

Someone on a weaving list asked recently what our objectives for the next year were, weaving-wise.  Here’s what I said:

• Understand network drafting and echo weave – Bonnie has been helping me with this and it’s becoming much more comprehensible now.  I have my first network drafted project on the loom now and hope to follow it up with something in echo weave.
• Understand the rules for interleaving threadings.
• Understand profile drafts and block substitution.  I’m sure it’s relatively simple, but I’ve read through a couple of books and I still don’t feel I have a good grasp of it.
• Sew with my handwoven, so I can make garments instead of an endless procession of shawls and scarves.  🙂
• Play with painted warps.
• Try working with finer threads – I’ve been weaving with fairly fine yarns like 30/2 silk and cashmere (~7,000-8,000 ypp), but would like to try my hand at 60/2 silk or finer.

Towards that, I think my next project will be either echo weave or a painted warp, in 30/2 tencel (which is about 13,000 ypp).  I’m not sure what I’d do with the echo weave project yet, but the painted-warp project would go into an AIDS Lifecycle outfit for sure, thus taking care of some of the sewing objectives.  A nice balance – something which is essentially throwaway (I only wear the outfits once!) but which will give me experience in weaving with handwoven fabric.  I haven’t yet decided whether to make it from the 30/2 tencel or 20/2 cotton yarn – either would be fun.

On a less weaving-related note, my objectives for the next year are:

• Study weaving, sewing, and fashion design
• Ride AIDS Lifecycle 7, which will very likely be my last AIDS Lifecycle (I’m starting to burn out on cycling)
• Get a stable job that I will enjoy and can stay in for several years
• Work (again) on organizing my finances
• Spend more time doing things with Mike
• Start saving up for an AVL 24-shaft Workshop Dobby Loom
• Start saving for a new car

I think that’s it for now, though I’ll probably add stuff later.

Merry Xmas, everyone!