\nAlthough today was my first day where I was able to focus on my weaving, I didn’t actually get to weave anything.
\nIt always starts with preparation and having all your materials\u00a0ready so that when you do sit down to weave, everything is at hand and you don’t have to stop and make a few more hukahuka or aho.<\/p>\n
![\"ropemachine\"](\"https:\/\/weaving.isprettyawesome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/ropemachine-300x172.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Today I started experimenting with different ways of preparing whenu for the next hieke.
\nI was also trying out different materials including cotton and harakeke.<\/p>\n
With some help, because it needs two people to operate, I tried using a ‘rope making machine’. \u00a0Looking at the illustrations of the threads made for use in macrame , I thought this could give a new twist to preparing cotton whenu. \u00a0My conclusion is that it may, but\u00a0I think it is easier to miro harakeke.<\/p>\n
I am sure I read somewhere in the book ‘Traditional Maori Clothing’ by S.M. Mead published in 1969 \u00a0that no substitute for the traditional method of\u00a0preparing\u00a0the fiber had been found. \u00a0I think the same holds true for today.<\/em><\/p>\n So it was back to the drawing board and another re-think.<\/p>\n I have finally decided that what I want\u00a0to do is construct all\u00a0five hieke\u00a0in the same way.![\"StripperFiber\"](\"https:\/\/weaving.isprettyawesome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/StripperFiber-300x251.jpg\")
I tried to miro some of the\u00a0fiber that I have from the Foxton Flax Stripping Museum<\/a>.
\nThat was a messy process and although it worked ok, the end result was not the look I wanted.<\/p>\n
\nThe difference will be in the hukahuka and embellishments that I use to depict the different elements.<\/p>\n
![\"CottonThread\"](\"https:\/\/weaving.isprettyawesome.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/CottonThread-300x180.jpg\")
<\/p>\n