President’s Message
I was thinking again about the benefits of being a member of the Skagit guild. We have another great speaker for our April program to further our learning. Our annual fundraising auction takes place at our May meeting time. From what I am hearing, there are many great donations that will help us fill gaps in our personal weaving and spinning equipment and yarn stashes.
I am also grateful for the inspiration and knowledge provided by our community members. I had the pleasure of talking with member Lisa Jansson recently to learn more about her fiber arts journey. I have admired her weaving (remember that cozy robe she showed us?) and wanted to know more.
You might say Lisa was an early enthusiast of hand crafted fiber arts, learning to knit in kindergarten and determined to knit a blanket for her horse a few years later. When that didn’t work out so well, she and her mom creatively fashioned one from old blankets and webbing straps. By 20 years of age, Lisa was sewing most of her own clothes, doing bobbin lace and tatting for fun! Because of her reputation for being “crafty,” she was gifted a sheep fleece and jumped at the chance to learn something new. She got Paula Simmons’ book - Spinning and Weaving with Wool- and a “big old heavy wooden drop spindle” and, using a full bag of wool, figured out how to make yarn!
Her learning continued, this time about spinning wheels. The improvement over the drop spindle amazed her and she was hooked and joined the Kitsap Spinning and Weaving Guild to engage in more learning. So what to do with all that handspun yarn, Lisa pondered? Never daunted she borrowed a loom, took a few lessons, and off she went on her inspired weaving journey. Because this was in 1979 before the internet, Lisa says she is largely self-taught through many books and guild programs.
Lisa’s first loom was a Rasmussen, still used today for sampling. Shortly after that she bought her most favorite loom – a Glimakra Standard. Like many of us, her loom collection grew over time, knowing each has something they are particularly good for. She has another Glimakra – medium size – a band loom that will hold many yards of warp, and a now a 16-shaft table loom she needed to solve a fun challenge that took her years to figure out.
The challenge Lisa speaks, and of which was most impactful on her weaving career, was reverse engineering an old towel her Grandmother wove in Sweden back in the 1950’s. After a couple years of looking through a magnifying glass and searching for a pattern for this complicated twill of fine threads, the breakthrough came when Lisa discovered a digital microscope that allowed a view of the threads on her computer screen. She drew the threads on graph paper, requiring an amazing 25 sheets to show ONE repeat of the pattern. From there, she was able to work out threading, tie up, and treadling and realized this was a 12 shaft pattern. She wondered how her Gramma had a 12 shaft loom. Lisa bought her 16 shaft table loom to give the pattern a try and it worked! It was a heartwarming to hear that Lisa was able to give each of her relatives one of those handwoven towels the last time she was in Sweden.
For the future, Lisa plans to focus on fabric for garments. She is moving to Florida and will no doubt skillfully meet the next challenge of weaving suitable cloth for something to wear in Florida weather. While we won’t get to see Lisa in person once she has moved we look forward to seeing her on ZOOM. Best of luck with your move Lisa!
Wanda Johanson
President and Librarian