My book, Fingerweaving Untangled, has now been translated into French.
I met Lorraine Forbes at Festival one year. She saw me fingerweaving and came over to chat. She had tried unsuccessfully to learn from various books in the library and was pleased to finally meet someone who had cracked the technique. On the way home, she tells me, that her husband encouraged her to take my class, “out of sheer like-mindedness”.
Lorraine is a professional translator, between English and French. She was of great help to me in editing Fingerweaving Untangled. When the requests for a french version started coming in, I solicited her help. Lorraine was indispensable in this venture. I am grateful to Manitoba Culture, Heritage, Tourism, and Sport who subsidized the translation. While the typesetting had to be completely re-done, I took the opportunity to re-do some of the photos and re-arrange some of the pages. The directions on how to measure out, pgs 20 and 21, in my mind were a bit too crowded. The re-organization suggested by my husband is a nice improvement that bi-lingual folks will notice.
I’ve also corrected a few errors.
At the bottom of page 17, the caution should be to count a total of 12 threads, 6 in front and 6 in back (not 12 and 12 … assuming a total of 24).
Midway through the process, I sent out drafts to french-speaking individuals, people from France who expressed an interest in learning the technique. Their comments were most helpful.
I also was able to consult with individuals who teach fingerweaving in Quebec. I learned, for example, that they call the diagonal stripe the ‘half chevron’.
The work was finally completed at the end of June and delivered for printing. I received shipment of Le Fléche Démêlé on July 30.
It sells for the same price as the english version.
Within the first month 200 copies have left my house. I count this a success.
This fall the book will be available through the Quebec bookseller Renaud-Bray.

So, last Winter I kept getting e-mails, requesting submissions to the Canadian Craft Federation, for an international exhibit. I figured, what the hey. The theme was ‘Unity and Diversity’ and this is a thread that frequently works through my weavings.
So I submitted a piece that was a collaborative effort: my son the woodcarver, created a canoe paddle, and I wove a ‘sash’ that wandered through several patterns. I figured the diverse patterns were all related to my personal historical roots, Iroquois in the 1600’s, my husband’s Quebec connection, the Métis culture where I currently live. Sashes are made up of diverse threads, working together they form a unity that is stronger than any single thread.
Anyhow, to make a long story short, in April I received word that my (our) piece had been accepted. It now had to be packaged and sent off so as to be part of the exhibit in Cheongju, Korea. My piece ‘Mixed Heritage Sash’

was off to the Cheongju International Craft Biennale. Canada will be the official guest country to this, the ‘Cannes Film Festival of Craft’.
And then there was the e-mail saying that they were wanting artists to go to Korea to demonstrate their craft. What a wonderful once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn crafts from literally around the world! What an honor to be representing Canada! I am grateful to the support of the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council who have contributed to help pay my way to this amazing event.
I’m off to Korea on Sept 18, and won’t be back until Oct 2. Unfortunately the timing means I return too late for Mississinewa this year. But don’t fret, I do hope to be back to that amazing 1812 event in 2010.

A good friend of mine invited me to come for a visit. How could I refuse. After two weeks of Folklorama I’m always ready for a good rest.
Since it’s rained almost every day in Winnipeg so far this Summer, sunny British Columbia sounded like a lovely idea (the weather is usually reversed, rainy in BC, and sunny in Winnipeg).
I was able to connect with some of the Vancouver Area weavers for their August Dim Sum meeting. Thanks for inviting me! I also visited Maiwa on Granville Island. What a lovely shop.
Taking the ferry to Victoria we saw Orca whales, a whole pod of them. Sorry, I did not have my camera at the ready.
In Victoria we toured around, the Burchart Gardens, of course. We checked in on several yarn stores, and happened on a Social at the Knotty by Nature yarn store. They invited me to give a quick workshop … just the kind of invitation I love.
Off to Salt Spring Island. I’ve ordered lots of silk from Treenway, and just had to see their digs in person. The lovely rainbow display in their showroom is worth the trip.
Afterwards, as we drove back down the road I thought ‘Darn, I should have taken a picture for my blog in there’.
Oh well.
Here’s a picture from the road

In Ganges I happened in on Stitches, another wonderful yarn store.
I did have some quiet time which I spent finishing that piece for the Manitoba Handweavers and Fiber Artists exhibit at the Manitoba Craft Museum and library. It’s a fingerwoven belt or scarf, done in a multiple diamond pattern, or ‘X&O’. Inspired by octapus bags I saw earlier this year, I decided to finish the fringes using a tape loom.

People in British Columbia found it easy to remember my name. Carole James is the representative from Beacon Hill, Victoria, and also the leader of the NDP party there. There were many amusing moments, I came to introduce myself as ‘the other Carol James’.
Many thanks again to Gisele for the invitation.
Now for preparations for my trip to Korea.

I’ve been quite busy, demonstrating fingerweaving at Folklorama, the Métis Pavillion during week 1, and the Pavillon Canadien-Français during week 2.
Thanks to all the former-students who helped out.
In other news, I’ve finally finished that seamless garment dress

As well, I finally finished that wool carpet that’s been on my loom for way too long. Time to get to other weaving projects.

Once again the folks of the Métis Pavilion invited me to promote fingerweaving, the technique used to construct some of the original Métis sashes.
I am grateful to former-students who assisted me.

We encouraged visitors to try their hand at fingerweaving, a do-it-yourself friendship bracelet. Approx 300 bracelets were produced over the week.

Many thanks to Suzanne, Claudette, Lenore, Guy, Jacqueline, Yvonne, Val, and Terry, for their assistance.

Le livre Le Fléché Démêlé est maintenant disponible.
C’est un manuel de 64 pages pour débutants, illustré en couleur comprenant des modèles détaillés et une explication des erreurs les plus fréquentes.

ISBN 978-0-9784695-1-1
Prix $19.95 + livraison
Contacter l’auteur Carol James
carol@sashweaver.ca

Some weavers have asked about the bulls eye. Perhaps a bit more information is required.
Personally I do not start out with a bulls eye. (It was a local weavers group who insisted that the ‘right way’ to weave was to begin with a bulls eye.) I have been making my way through museum collections, looking for old sashes which include a bulls eye. They seem to be quite rare. The only one I have found had the bulls eye done similar to the image attached, in two steps, not four as in the book.
Here’s what I would do:
Begin the sash just like regular.
Weave the first half of the sash (several patterns anyhow, enough to know how much of a ‘fishtail’ (down slanting weft) you sash wants.
At this point it is safe to go back to the starting place, and create enough of a bulls eye to bring the work to a similar ‘fishtail’ shape.

Now, the perfectionists will note the smooth join on the right and the jaggedy join on the left and they will want to fix this. Two solutions, actually:
1. Arrange for an odd number of threads in the central arrow area.
2. Arrange the threads so that the center two threads are either both ‘up’ or both ‘down’.
Either choice will mean that on one side you will ‘change to the front’ and and on the other you will ‘change to the back’.
Hope this information is helpful.