The whole part of setting up the loom is the Universe.
What’s in the Universe?
Life.
What makes Life?
How does Life live?
Every living plant on Earth lives for a reason.
Forward, backward living is Future.
What’s in Life is all up to you, once you learn your Right and Wrong.”
Interview with Navajo Weaver Winnie Henry”
One of the great teachings of my life… weaving
“Ariadne’s Thread.”
Some of the greatest teachings of my life have come from my study of Navajo weaving and the culture of Navajo women weavers. When in the Southwest I longed to stay and study with real Navajo weavers, but alas I have had to study reading many books, watching videos, doing endless research, and by trial and error. What I have done is not Navajo weaving, but it is imbued with the spiritual aspects of Diné weaving, best expressed in my favorite book on the subject, Navajo Weaving Way, by Noel Bennett and Tiana Bighorse. (I would also like to say that I receive no remuneration from any of the links in my posts. I simply add them so that you may find them if you are so inclined.) There is also a lovely website on Diné women weavers which you may visit by clicking the above link.
As I have written, two weeks ago today I took a bad fall and cut my hand up pretty badly. Fortunately it is healing very well, the stitches are now out and while it will be quite awhile before the hand is back to normal, and it is very tender, I can, carefully, use it a little, with my left hand still carrying the bulk of the weight of the work at hand. And wanting badly to get my etsy store re-opened in early June, even though I will miss my June 1 deadline, I went into my studio on Friday and started pulling out fibers of all sorts and the many and varied elements that I use in making my batts. (For those of you who are not fiber-inclined, batts are used by spinners to spin into yarn. While this is not necessary and yarn can be spun simply using fiber itself, batting creates lofty fibers much easier to spin, and adding many varying elements creates beautiful effects one doesn’t get using just plain fiber.)
The first batt that I made I made for my dear friend to use in a project she is working on. It was a good way to “get my feet wet” and regain my confidence, not to mention overcoming my fear about using my right hand at all. Once into it I was swooning with the over-the-moon love I have with making batts and simply working with fiber at all. Here is a picture of the batt I made on Friday…
* Corriedale, Cotswold, Targhee, Coopworth, Rambouillet, and Romney
* Silk Noil
* Angelina and Flash in 4 different colors spread throughout the layers of the fibers. These give the batts incredible sparkle and iridescence
I’m so happy you’re feeling better and your hand is healing.
What a lovely colours. I can see the sparkling, it’s wonderful.
Please pray for our family, especially tuesday. That those who come to review our case, as it’s said, will see with warmth in their hearts and an open soul and mind.
Thanks for your wonderful post.
Great news that you have started to work again. What an interesting process. I also can see the sparkling. Love the quote!
On the right of my screen an object randomly appears. It is black and it looks like legs of an insect or maybe a spider. Is this part of your site or am I seeing things???
hi thats good article, i like it. .
hi from mas radent
You’re post, the poem and pics as well as the story, is all a great piece of art – thanks for sharing!
Dear Maitri,
your hearty post are the seeders of the peace. Thank you for the warmth that always fills my heart as I see your works and hear so calm yet inspiring greatly words.
That is great Maitri that your doing better. I hope your able to use your hand much better. I will still pray for you to heal. I don’t like to hear when such wonderful friends of mine are sick or just not themselves.
I wanted to also ask you did you do the project that is pictured here? Because I absolutely love that, it is so pretty. You are sooooo talented Maitri, you really are. I will pray that you will be able to get your esty shop up soon.
And I see Samson and Harvey love to help you out. When I see them it makes me miss my Digit so much. She was such a good Pug, they are so loveable you know? I miss her so.
Well I hope you have a blessed Sunday and give them Puggies a big hug for me, lol!