Experiments in eight shafts

I had a little warp left before the beginning of the black-warp section, and I had been considering entering the Handwoven Garment Contest with a silk scarf, so I decided to experiment a bit with eight-shaft turned S&W drafts on the same threading. I did one block design, which I didn’t much like, and one design based on an advancing tied threading, which I liked a little bit more:

Neither of these stuns me with their attractiveness, though, so I will probably use my scarlet-and-yellow scarf warp for phoenixes instead. Just as well, anyway – I have 72″ of black warp to weave off before I can get to the scarlet-and-yellow section, meaning I’d have to weave like a maniac to get an entry woven in time. (Deadline for this year’s Handwoven Garment Challenge is March 15.)

I also went to an excellent photography workshop on Saturday afternoon. I had never fully understood the variables in photography before, despite various people’s attempts to explain, but Lieven (a Caltech buddy of mine who was teaching the workshop) simplified things quite nicely, and I think I now have a basic understanding of how to swap settings around on my camera. Lieven and I are working on scheduling a second session with just him and me, to see if we can figure out how to shoot garments as well as smaller stuff like scarves and shawls. I think that will be priceless. And I’ve found a place near me that sells cheap photography equipment (light stands, etc.) – it’s probably not top quality, but since my interest in photography is purely occasional, I think that will do fine. Once I’ve had a chance to learn a bit more, and work out a basic set-up for the shooting I do, I’ll know roughly what I want.

Off to work on the book! I’m dreadfully behind schedule, meaning I’m actually writing blog posts just before my publication deadlines. My goal for today is to get two weeks ahead, which sounds like a lot but only means writing six blog posts. I’ve already outlined them, which means that the writing should go quickly. (It helps that I type at 90 words per minute! so I can type almost as fast as I can figure out what to say.)