End of one year and the beginning of the next

 

This post is about my ongoing tapestry diary process, something I've done each year since 2009. The idea for an ongoing daily tapestry started with one month in 2008. I've written about that in earlier blogs and most (maybe all) of the other tapestry diaries since then. And so it seems the thing to make note of here as my last post of 2023/first post of 2024.

So you won't have to read earlier posts about this curious process here's the gist of it. Each day I make a selection of color to weave for a few inches, usually spending from a couple of minutes to 10-15 minutes with that. Well, I say I make a selection of the color but it's really a toss of a die to make the choice. I've assigned colors for each spot on the die and so it I roll 1, for instance, I'll be using red since that's my assigned color for that. I have several versions of red—bright, dull, light, dark—so each time red shows up as the days progress I have variety by what I pick to use.

I usually weave simple shapes, ones that I'd call "weaverly" in that they pay attention to the grid of warp and weft. For most of the diaries through the years the daily shapes have been squares or rectangles of varying sizes. I don't plan ahead for what size but fill in the empty warps as each day comes. 

In 2015 I decided to incorporate a monthly image among the days. Much of my tapestry design is based on nature and I decided to use that concept for the monthly parts. There was one year when I did more than twelve images in the month and a couple of years when I've only done eleven. The sizes of the monthly components vary and aren't all the same from month to month with the years.

You can see all of my past tapestry diaries at my website, all except the one I cut off the loom yesterday. I'll finish the ends of it before having it professionally photographed. I'll work on that off and on for the next month until it's complete. But here's a preview as I cut it off the loom and then held it up afterwards.

After taking a few minutes to look at the piece I started preparing the loom with next year's warp. I'd wound the warp (10/3 linen) last week so after I unrolled the remains of the past warps (there were four I'd tied onto over the years!) I tied on and beamed the new warp.

New warp is tied onto the old. I use a simple overhand knot to tie and then help the knots through the reed and heddles.

 

 

Weights to beam with—orange juice bottles filled about 3/4 full of water.

I did that yesterday. Today I spent a couple of hours tying the new warp onto the cloth beam, evening out the spacing, weaving a header, putting in half-hitches and finally a row of twining before doing the weaving for January 1, 2024.

Warp is tied on to the cloth beam and a couple of flat sticks woven in to give space above the knots.

I take time to even out the warp spacing above the sticks before putting the header in.

The header is woven in the same linen as the warp. It will be unraveled when the tapestry comes off the loom at the end of the year but it helps to keep the spacing right as I begin.

Half-hitches to secure the tapestry.

 

After the half-hitches I put in a row of twining. I don't need this but I like the look of it at the end finishing since I use a method that lets the linen show a little.

Finally, I wove the first for the new year—a single yellow bar surrounded by green (those were the two colors the roll of the die gave me!)

I'm not sure yet what my monthly images will be. I've had a couple of ideas but those might change before I begin. I'll see what happens!

Happy New Year! May it be full of health, happiness, success, and all good things you could want for you and your family & friends.