Of Road Trips, Dancing, and a New Loom*

*or two





'Vortex (Storm in a Tea Cup)' at the end of yesterday's studio day. I have run out of copper wire (again) having gone a bit profligate with supplementary warps; I am glad it is something we stock in the shop at WD. It has been a lot of fun bimbling down various weaving rabbit holes :-)

Two weekends ago I helped some dear friends move from London to Edinburgh; driving a transit van through two cities (rush hour in one, Fringe events in t'other) was such a delight that we did it twice in 48hours. To anyone contemplating such a trip, my sage advice is this: use the A1 rather than the M6. The A1 really is the Great North Road; interesting stopping places, good scenery, and The Angel of the North.

I managed to get to the National Gallery to see the Dovecot / Chris Ofili tapestry before it left for Clothworker's Hall; beautiful, stunning, exquisite..... Photos were allowed too, so I have some detail shots on my phone for future reference. They are on my Instagram feed, morrisloulou. I also made time to nip to Handweavers Studio to look at the 'Last Hokett Loom in London' (as yet untried, so waiting for a future post), only to be seduced by this:




A teeny tiny loom (with yarn provided)! It fits in my drawing case! I took it to the Isle of Wight with me last weekend and made a couple of quick sketch tapestries with found objects:







I found the copper washers in an old-fashioned chandlers in Bembridge; yet to be verdigrised. I am delighted with my minute loom. I am off to a boatyard on Hayling Island later, and shall forage for more rusty, ropey stuff and do some more sketches.

And so to dancing; last night I went to the Hall Barn Bash - a charity gig (Help for Heroes) organised by my brother and his wife in Beaconsfield. He plays bass in a brilliant band called Friday Night Konspiracy, and they were on top form! I joined them (unplanned) to sing 'Smoke on the Water' with bro. My rock chick days revisited :-D

Tomorrow a quiet studio day......

Location:The Loom Room