🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) In linear storytelling, we're now up to June 2019. Abby was doing two in-person courses in 2019, one in Texas and one in Prince George, BC, Canada. I flew up to Canada which worked out nicely for making new friends in Prince George, and figuring out a way to weave while traveling. #FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) So interesting note I can add to the last two posts in this thread. Turns out that I did NOT in fact figure out properly the band viewed only over a YouTube Live presentation.

We'll put a pin in this conversation, but the blue/yellow/red band here has more in common with this burgundy/yellow/green motif in center frame. #FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) One of the realities about learning through long-distance lessons was that I had to find ways to weave anywhere, anytime. I would have video conference calls with my teacher (3 time zones and 10,000+ km away, on the other side of the equator) and so I had to get inventive.

I would sometimes drive to work early, park, and set up for a video call. These two pictures are from a lesson morning in May 2019.

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) A small detour from my lessons and chores was instigated when my instructor @abbysyarns was hosting a YouTube live. A weaver there had a band hanging down her back that Abby said was a pattern I've never seen and I should go weave it.

Sure. Just take a screenshot of a YouTube live video and solve for the pattern. On my own. In the US.

(Lifetime band #07: Started May 9, 2019 and completed Sep 4, 2019) #FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) By May 2019, I was getting ready for two big events: (1) Flying to Canada to take my third 3-day intensive from @abbysyarns and (2) preparing to do a small two hr class of "just one pattern" at a weekend retreat.

Abby gave me the "chores" of any young weaver in the courtyard: Set up Tanka Ch'oro for new five-year olds and teach them that.

Sure. Just that.

Here are my first prep warps.

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) Once I finished band #5 on 14-Apr-2019, I started band #6 the very same day. I was finished weaving one day later, 15-Apr-2019.

I played with the main figures typically taught "on four-pairs," making certain I could do them from memory, flip the orientation or color at will, and generally doodling with patterns.

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) Lifetime band #5 was a repeat lesson -- could I weave the standard first 4-pairs patterns that were in band #2?

I started the band on 14-Feb-2019 and finished on 14-Apr-2019. Also during those two months, I spun 4 ounces of khaitu (high twist yarn for weaving) from some breed sampler packs.

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) Comparing my first two bands woven in class with @abbysyarns -- you can easily see how this influenced my color choices in the next bands I wove.

It took me a bit before I started choosing my own color schemes. But the bulky demo band (outside the regular learning path) and my first "I measured this warp myself for me" band sure do resemble those first learning warps.

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) Back in 2018 when I was first adding more twist to commercially available 2-ply wool yarn, friends would ask me to explain further.

Here's a couple photos to show the difference between what the yarn started like (as sold) and what I was transforming it into.

Now four years later, I look at the "finished" yarn I made and think "that could still use more twist."

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) After I made my bulky demo yarns and bulky demo warps (see thread above), I also had to make sure I had weaving stash. My early weaving was done on commercially available 2-ply wool yarn to which I added high-twist on spindles, manually.

Dec 2018, I acquired my first cones and set about adding high plying twist. (Please ignore the old habit of a "flying buttress" anchor on my spindle.)

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) I rarely use "stories" features on platforms, but I did enjoy seeing that four years ago today, I was posting more fun photos of my bulky yarn demo preparation for #AndeanBackstrap weaving samplers.

These are ATYPICAL weaving demo bundles, designed to be easy to see from a distance. I made these in 2018, with no forewarning that they would be useful on Zoom in lockdown. #foreshadowing

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver

🧵 My #Weaving Journey: (continued) While I had only completed two narrow woven bands up to this point, I was committed to my "MAKE SOMETHING BIG ENOUGH TO SEE" idea.

And so my "Duplo Blocks" demo band was born (for weavers that need to be able to see what I'm demonstrating) and this is "Lifetime Band #03" -- wildly off the "normal" learning path (finished in Dec 2018, still in use)

#FranquemontUniversity #StudentWeaver #AndeanBackstrap

Looking at all the #WIPWednesday posts and thinking that maybe this evening I finally get my weaving living room setup in place. Recently I finally took the time to fix the tension issues with this WIP and am looking forward to doing some #weaving again on this #AndeanBackstrap piece in my WIPs. #StudentWeaver #FranqemontUniversity