Speaking through Spinning
Editing Spin-Off combines two of my favorite things: words and yarn. But no matter how carefully I work with the text of our articles, no one I've seen combined these two loves more completely and thoughtfully than Jeannine Glaves has in her woven bands. Beginning with luxurious blends of wool, silk, and yak, Jeannine spun enough yarn to weave 56 yards in seven-yard increments. The spinning and weaving is splendid, but it's the words woven in that make one smile in recognition, chuckle (or even guffaw), and wipe away a tear. For Jeannine, this project was not just a labor of love—she was literally moved by voices. Here's what she says about her bands:
About ten years ago, sayings started showing up in my life, words that spoke to me about my life or just made me laugh when I needed it. I started weaving them into inkle bands, and those bands became my Vest of Voices.
I had been weaving shorter bands and series of bands with sayings that made me laugh, touched my heart, or made me think. The shorter bands were first and as time went by I found that more sayings were finding their way into my life and then the bands became longer. More voices were speaking to me, and a few times I just couldn't stop weaving. I loved the sayings and wanted to share them with my friends.
The vest is because everyone thought I should 'do something' with the bands, and the voices just kept talking to me—a lot.
A selection of the sayings from the bands, along with photographs of the vest it became, closes the Summer 2014 issue of Spin-Off. In 56 yards, there were more words than we could fit, so we've shared the complete text of Jeannine's bands.
When you're spinning, knitting, felting, weaving, or all of the above, what do you keep in mind (or try to)? Are there sayings that seem to get stuck in your head? We promise not to look at you funny if you too hear voices.
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