And now for something a little bit different…

Since I finished off a couple of scarves recently, I decided that it was time to try something a little bit different.

I’m going to work on a small tapestry. Talk about different!

Typically I tend to work on more balanced weave structures. A balanced weave is one where the warp and weft show about the same amount. The scarves that I have done recently are good examples.

Now, tapestry is very different. It is usually entirely weft faced, which means that the weft yarns completely cover up the warp yarns. If you do it right, you will only see warp yarns as fringe (assuming you don’t cut that off too).

Another big difference is that tapestry is all about building shapes in the piece, where my other weaving is just about building a fabric texture. This is going to be a challenge for me to think in shapes rather than treadle patterns.

Finally, I have decided that I’m going to try a “zen” mode of weaving this tapestry. I’m not going to try to create any specific pictures or pattern, but instead I will try to let the yarns speak to me and see what I create. As someone who tends to be a planner, this is going to be a stretch for me.

I really hope that this winds up being as much fun as I imagine it to be. Last summer I took a course in both English tapestry and Southwestern Navajo style tapestry. They were both a blast, and now I want to try to stretch myself a bit and do a bit more work in tapestry. I was highly inspired by some of the zen rugs that I saw at Weaving Southwest, and now I want to see what I can create.

So, last night I set up my little home-made tapestry loom. Here’s a photo of that setup.