Dakini Dreams Has Moved

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I will be leaving this blog online indefinitely but this will be my final post here.

Social Market for a Mirrix

This is a LandSat image of Dragon Lake, Siberia and the design for the tapestry I'm preparing to start this evening.

I came across NASA's LandSat website, started looking through their image gallery, and was immediately hooked. Some of the images are really amazing and will make beautiful abstracts so I downloaded a number of them for possible use as tapestry designs. I'm starting with one of the simpler images and if I'm happy with the results of the first weaving, it might make for the beginning of a interesting series.

The loom is warped for the new piece which will be 10 inches wide and 8 inches high and you can see the printout of the design behind the warp threads.

Using Adobe Photoshop, I applied a filter to the original image and stripped out some of the detail in order to make the pattern easier to follow as I'm weaving.

I'll be using Tahki Cotton Classic yarn for this piece and these are the colors I've selected. This is a 100% mercerized cotton yarn that comes in a huge range of colors (125 colors) and has a bit of a shine to it. It reminds me a lot of the Pearl Cotton that I use in my smaller pieces. It also has a nice smooth texture to it so it's quick and easy to weave with.

I feel like I've had so many false starts and am just now beginning to develop a good working relationship with the new loom. It was a bit of an adjustment getting used to using the shedding device since I was used to using treadles. I never realize how much I work on auto-pilot until I started working with the new loom.

Disclosure: October 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, I'm participating in Mirrix Loom's "Social Market for a Mirrix" campaign. In exchange for receiving a free 16" Mirrix Loom, I have agreed to provide the following each week detailing my experiences with the loom: a minimum of 2 blog posts (DakiniDreams.blogspot.com, DakiniDreams.com, MirrixMarketing.blogspot.com), 1 YouTube video, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.

Words of Wisdom from the Daily Om

Progressive Thinking

"You may find yourself in a mind-set today that seems quite progressive, even avant-garde. This forward-thinking attitude comes with the understanding that the future is full of infinite possibilities, so thinking outside the box is as much an act of creation as it is a step toward innovation. You may be imagining ways to move your personal life closer to that of your dreams or to make your business more deeply meaningful as well as successful. You may be seeking educating and enlightening ways to enjoy time with your family or creative ways to give back to your community. Free your thinking from all boundaries today as you create your life and potentially change the world.

As we imagine ways in which to manifest our goals and dreams, we may realize that the possibilities are far more than we can envision. We can move forward in many directions at once, while also leaving doors open for the universe to bring us something unexpected. As we reflect on the underlying values of our goals, we may see the ways in which the universe has already created them for us in avant-garde ways, bringing us more specifically and beautifully what we need. We may then choose to refine our goals. The source of progressiveness truly is the universe itself, and as we align ourselves with its energy we create our dreams. Today let your forward thinking be the first steps in the full manifestation of your goals and desires." - Daily Om

Social Market for a Mirrix

I've tried to think of a positive way to spin this but the reality is...

The Southwest landscape weaving is now residing in the wastebasket beside my work table. I just wasn't happy with it and the more I worked on it, the more frustrated I became. It was the sky and the valley area that was causing the problems for me. I just couldn't get that illusion of depth and distance that I was looking for. When I found myself starting to dread going into the studio to weave, I decided life's too short to spend time working on something that wasn't making me happy and it came off the loom. No, there are no more pictures, it was that bad.

On a more positive note, someone contacted me Monday evening about commissioning a small tapestry so that will likely be the next project. But, while I'm working out the details for that project, I decided to work on a quickie project and use up some of the remnants of yarn, fiber, and ribbon I've been collecting.

For this piece, I warped the loom using regular bulky yarn instead of C-Lon cord then used the same yarn for the weft, incorporating the scraps as I worked. The piece is about 10 inches wide and 12 inches high. I'm thinking about attaching a handmade mask in the middle of the weaving then mounting the piece on a black background and framing it.

Disclosure: October 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, I'm participating in Mirrix Loom's "Social Market for a Mirrix" campaign. In exchange for receiving a free 16" Mirrix Loom, I have agreed to provide the following each week detailing my experiences with the loom: a minimum of 2 blog posts (DakiniDreams.blogspot.com, DakiniDreams.com, MirrixMarketing.blogspot.com), 1 YouTube video, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.

Social Market for a Mirrix Video #5

Disclosure: October 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, I'm participating in Mirrix Loom's "Social Market for a Mirrix" campaign. In exchange for receiving a free 16" Mirrix Loom, I have agreed to provide the following each week detailing my experiences with the loom: a minimum of 2 blog posts (DakiniDreams.blogspot.com, DakiniDreams.com, MirrixMarketing.blogspot.com), 1 YouTube video, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.

Social Market for a Mirrix

Here's where I'm at right now with the Southwestern landscape. There hasn't been a lot of progress since Wednesday's blog post due to the holiday but I'm looking forward to having some dedicated time in the studio over the next few days to get some weaving done.

I cropped and rotated one of the photos to give you an idea of what it will eventually look like when it's finished.

I'm still working out what I'm going to use for the sky. One of the things I love about living in the Southwest is the sunsets but replicating those colors is always a challenge. Nothing that I've tried so far is quite right.

And I may do the next version in 3/2 Pearl Cotton instead of my original plan. The Pearl Cotton has such a beautiful sheen to it and there are so many colors to choose from that you can create incredible nuanced details in weavings.

There have been so many new ideas that I want to try coming up lately that I've started keeping a journal on my work table to make notes of ideas and color combinations. There just aren't enough hours in a day.

For those of you interested in seeing some truly beautiful tapestry work, take a look at the Artist Pages on the American Tapestry Alliance's website.

Disclosure: October 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, I'm participating in Mirrix Loom's "Social Market for a Mirrix" campaign. In exchange for receiving a free 16" Mirrix Loom, I have agreed to provide the following each week detailing my experiences with the loom: a minimum of 2 blog posts (DakiniDreams.blogspot.com, DakiniDreams.com, MirrixMarketing.blogspot.com), 1 YouTube video, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.

Social Market for a Mirrix

Okay, here's where I'm at right now. As you can see, the rock faces that make up what will be the left side of the tapestry are done and I'm working my way up what will eventually be the bottom of the tapestry. I'm not sure I'm completely happy with the way the rocks currently look but I'm reserving final judgment until the piece is completed and off the loom.



Once this piece is finished, I'm planning to do another version using the same yarns but with the cartoon oriented correctly. I think it will be interesting to see the similarities and differences between the two pieces based on the direction of the weaving.

I'm heading to the Needle's Eye this weekend to see if I can find some yarn for the sky that will make me happy. Something variegated with blues and sunset colors.

On another note, I'm loving the recycled silk yarn from India. Such lush vibrant colors. Right now I'm picturing it combined with black yarn in a large wall hanging. Maybe with some gold or bronze metallic fibers. And beads. Lots and lots of beads.

If you have a few minutes, check out Weaving Today's blog post "Of Memory and Hope" and the Centro de Textiles Tradicionales del Cusco, a nonprofit organization working to promote the history and production of traditional Peruvian textiles.

Disclosure: October 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, I'm participating in Mirrix Loom's "Social Market for a Mirrix" campaign. In exchange for receiving a free 16" Mirrix Loom, I have agreed to provide the following each week detailing my experiences with the loom: a minimum of 2 blog posts (DakiniDreams.blogspot.com, DakiniDreams.com, MirrixMarketing.blogspot.com), 1 YouTube video, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.

Social Market for a Mirrix Video #4

Disclosure: October 15, 2010 through February 28, 2011, I'm participating in Mirrix Loom's "Social Market for a Mirrix" campaign. In exchange for receiving a free 16" Mirrix Loom, I have agreed to provide the following each week detailing my experiences with the loom: a minimum of 2 blog posts (DakiniDreams.blogspot.com, DakiniDreams.com, MirrixMarketing.blogspot.com), 1 YouTube video, and postings on Facebook and Twitter.