Knock Castle, Dunscaith Castle and Weaving at Waterloo 10th March

We were up with the alarm early as we had to do our morning chores and then head out the door by 8.00 for our two hour drive down to Sleat. I was so excited as I was having a weaving session with the lovely Sarah (whom we met the other day at Armadale - Museum of the Isles Library) as she is the Sanori Loom Goddess here on Skye (Facebook @woodeweonskye)

When I planned this trip I had hoped to learn how to use a Spinning Wheel, and how to weave as obviously I’d need to do something with all my beautiful wool and my knitting it too tight and my crochet too loose - so weaving seemed a great option. My only prior experience is when I was 16 doing fine art for my Matriculation in high school one of my fibre projects for display was a bicycle wheel rim which I threaded up and used raw handspun (by someone else) fibres through it to create a wall hanging (it got left in Darwin somewhere not sure who I gave it to when I moved to Perth). Other than that I have done the very odd bit of paper weaving for my Scrapbooking projects. However, coming in the off-season to Skye meant all the usual places who run courses were closed, and even my enquiries to have a private lesson were politely rebutted. I now of course know why - the Universe was blocking it until I met Sarah! It was from her I was to learn the joy of weaving creatively.

Vince was planning to take the drone and cameras out to Knock Castle and Dunscaith Castle on Slate, not far from where he needed to drop me at Sarah’s place in Waterloo just south of Broadford, Isle of Skye.

After a hug and a catch up for a cuppa, Vince was off for the day and Sarah and I soon got into things. Bless her she even provided me with the gift of a pair of Weaving Slippers - so comfy! She had refused to take any money when I asked her previously about costs but I know she is a “Gintastic Girl” like myself (we are actually alike in so many ways I think we were sisters in another life here on Skye) so I gifted her a bottle of her favourite (and mine) Misty Isle Gin.

To be honest I had no real idea of what would be in store never having used a loom before and never having heard of Saori Weaving either (even though it has been around since 1969), but I just knew it was all going to be as it should be. Sarah showed me her beautiful portable Saori Loom and explained how it basically worked. She had already set the Warp (which takes about 4 hours) so we could get as much actual weaving done as possible. She suggested a cushion project, but I felt I wanted to make a wall hanging that captured my experiences of Skye.

We then went out to her storage garage out the back which was absolutely stacked with all sorts of wool and interesting fibres - I was in heaven. Which so much choice I had to centre and ask for energetic guidance as to what to put into my artwork. With a basket full of earthy colours and gorgeous wool from different breeds (Cashmere, Merino, Shetland, Hebridean, Blue Faced Leicester and Herdwick), along with some sari silk strips and the fabulous Wesleydale “locks” I just absolutely fell in love with.

Then it was back into the house and on with it. Sarah showed me examples of her work with a variety of techniques and then I tentatively got on with it, trying to do it “perfect”, but I soon got into the swing of it with her encouragement and coaching and before you knew it I was integrating things like feathers and sticks - YES you heard me - Sticks! There are no rights or wrongs with this style of weaving - you just go with the flow which is what I was doing, no real idea of how it would turn out, just incorporating whatever felt right to come next.

With only a brief stop for lunch of delicious bacon and tomato sandwiches (to die for!) it was back on the loom and on with it.

During the session Sarahs daughter, Sophie, popped in with her 4 month old son - just too cute, although with all the Corona Virus stuff I didn’t hold him or touch him as I would not want to take any risks - even though I am perfectly well. Skye has been a real healing time for me and I am the healthiest I have been in several years.

Sarah’s two dogs, Loo Loo (white wired terrier of some kind maybe a Jack Russel) and Oscar (Border Collie) joined in to help me with my weaving amongst my balls of wool on the floor. Sarah commented that she was surprised that Oscar came to me, as he is usually not wanting to get so close to people - so I must be a good soul as he practically had his head on my lap whilst I weaved. Animals do generally like me, so I was pleased.

Before I knew it Vince was banging on the door back from his adventures and it was 3.00pm. He watched me weave for a while and we managed to get the piece completely finished by 4.00pm when Sarah had to leave to pick up her son, Jim.

I give you the "Essence of Winter Skye" which incorporates the colours and feeling of Skye - from the greens, browns, rust, beige and purple of the moors to the blue green sea and the sunrise and sunsets against the grey blue sky. It also embodies the ever-present shaggy sheep and the amazing clouds of Skye in Winter. I love it.

It was quite late when we got home and I got straight into making “Tea” (dinner) of you guessed it, Pot Luck Pie - Vince’s favourite he just can’t get enough of it. It takes a few hours in the oven so whilst it was cooking I did what is in my nature to do - I researched to learn more about Saori weaving!

Saori is very different to traditional hand-waving, where regularity and cleanness is prized and there are mistakes of flaws if something is irregular. Saori is “unprogrammed” and all about free expression because human’s are not machines and you are free yourself, which some people can find a bit of a challenge. No two people are alike, so logically and naturally no two weavers will be alike, we all have unique personalities, so every single cloth will be different and beautiful in its own right. Irregular selvage or the accidental skip of a thread adds to the beauty and individuality of the piece that is created with a lack of intention and natural creativity. Right up my ally! It’s no accident that Sarah and I were to meet, this is the style of weaving that I was to enjoy and embrace.

There are 4 basic principles 1. Consider the differences between a machine and a human being. 2. Be bold and adventurous. 3 Look out through eyes that shine. 4. Inspire one another and everyone in the group.

It is of Japanese origin and this sits nicely within me from my Judo in my youth. The founder, Misao Jo, at 57 built herself a loom and started weaving as a hobby. As she wove an “Obi” (Japanese belt for a Kimon or Judogi) she found a missing warp thread but she thought it made a nice effect and unintentional pattern. People at the local weaving factory told her it was flawed and worthless as a commercial product but she knew the value of making “flawed” cloth. So she started skipping some blades of the reed when she warped her loom and found more interesting effect.

One of her “Obi” became highly prized by the owner of an “Obi” Shop in Sinsaibashi Street, and expensive shopping street in Osaka, Japan. Misao believed that the aesthetic value of the cloth came from something hidden inside herself, her own self-expression and staying faithful to her true self when weaving. She built a new loom with her 3rd son, Kenzo, to put her philosophy and ideas into practice. She wove many items and gifted them to people who were very grateful and soon wanted to learn her “Saori” technique, so she became a weaving teacher. Her classes were not in the conventional way of teaching practiced in traditional lessons such as “Ikebana” (flower arrangement) or doll making which had forced the students to follow the teacher’s instructions or copy a sample so some students initially found it challenging to actually be free and express themselves. I have to say I took to it like a duck to water!

Vince has very generously offered to buy me my own loom for my upcoming birthday - I would much rather that than the diamond he was planning on. So I looked on the web to see if there were any distributers in Australia. Unfortunately, there are no studios in Perth but several over east that can supply to me. So now its just deciding exactly what I want and with the Scottish in me - getting it at the best price possible!

Registered Saori Weaving Studios in Australia

SAORI Curiousweaver

Old Bar, NSW

Kaz Madigan

website

Art Weaver SAORI Studio Box Hill, Victoria

Heather Walters

website

Dyeing to Weave: SAORI Weaving and Natural Dye Studio Clunes, Victoria

Prue Simmons

website