The Spring 1999 issue of Shuttle Spindle & Dyepot displays a beautiful but foreboding basket on the cover. The "Porcupine Basket" by JoAnne Russo, constructed from black ash, pine needles and quills, is one of the "Reflections of the Soul," Russo's "visually arresting and meticulously created" works.

The News & Information column is full of wonderful-sounding exhibits and festivals. If you are going to travel in the next few months, check it out first. The Books & Videos column is captivating as well. Four pages of "must-have" books and videos are reviewed.

It is hoped that every weaver reads "Right from the Start" in each edition. Here Marcy Patrini gives a cogent explanation of grouped weave structures.

The always interesting Gallery shows six weavings, half from the Galleries of Digital Weaving. The other three are a mixed media doll, a basket and--check out that chair!

Some very appealing trips and classes are listed in the Travel & Workshop column. Ads on those pages enhance the listing.

HGA Award winners for 1998 are offered congratulations, and rightly so. The pieces shown are all magnificent.

You can see what international weavers are producing in "Norbert Zawisza: The Triennale of Tapestry and the Central Museum of Textiles." Since the Lausanne Biennale no longer exists, this exhibition in a huge space that used to be a textile factory in Lodz, Poland, shows what is going on.

The HGA Update is really interesting.The online boutique sounds important, the video, slide and textile kit rentals sound helpful, and so on. AND they're already touting Convergence 2000 Cincinnati, complete with Website.

For a story about a very unusual woman who researched the natural dyestuffs and methods of her country and revived them, read "Kim Ji-Hee and the Renaissance of Natural Dyeing in Korea," by Karen Searle.

From Korea one travels "Slowly Down the Mekong: Lao Textiles." Estelle Carlson was able to make her dream trip and find that the textile arts were still flourishing in Laos. Carlson writes of American-born Carol Cassidy, who has been a truly great force in this weaving and dyeing.

Are you ready to make your first stab at four shaft double weave? Make dolls! Alice Schlein offers "Dolled Up with Double Weave." I made a five-foot tall doll this way many years ago. She wore size three clothes. Schlein usually works on 16- to 24-shaft computer-assisted looms, so it's fun to read this article. It works!

Doramay Keasbey next edifies the reader on "The COE: A Peek Behind the Scenes." The Certificate of Excellence is available in four categories: Handweaving, Handspinning, Dyeing, and Basketweaving. Go for it! A volunteer Mentor is provided for each specialty to help in answering questions and clarifying requirements.

Tapestry weavers alert! Read Susan Martin Maffei's "Experimenting with Slits." The process is quite simple and logical, yet offers excellent delineation to areas of tapestries.

The article on "Napoleon Bonaparte, Bees, and Embroidery," by Julianna Mahley, tells how Napoleon and Josephine visited Lyon to demonstrate their interest in the silk industry. The bee motif abounded, and some still exist. Tonie Evans gives complete instructions for a "Metallic Embroidered Bee." It might be used to enhance a weaving.

In "And She Survived: The Story of Myrtle Mitchell Wagers," by Jude Daurelle, one learns how hard life could be at the beginning of the century. Still, there was beauty and creativity. Daurelle gives complete instructions for a "Vine and Flower Edging in Filet Crochet" inspired by a piece of Myrtle Wagers' filet crochet.

While this publication does not have a lot for weavers and spinners, the adjunct arts are well presented. Many weavers explore other crafts, and they would do well to read this magazine.

For the simplest of all weaving with a beautiful result, consult Katherine Cranston's "Spaced-warp Scarf." Here is a plainweave project which uses spaces in both warp and weft to accomplish a lovely pattern. A similar idea follows in Shirley Medsker's "Crammed-Warp Scarf," in which some of the warps are bunched together for an interesting outcome.

A slightly more complicated project follows, "Scarf in Twill Damask," by Martha Schaefer. This 3/1, 1/3 twill produces colors that differ on both sides, one a warp color, the other the weft color. It actually has the sheen of a damask weave.

"Turned M's and O's: Safe or Saucy," by Alice Schlein, offers a familiar 4-shaft weave that makes a delightful texture. Turning a draft means that it can be woven with one shuttle, and this makes a fascinating scarf despite that easy process.

For a new idea for many weavers, Ann Richards offers "Designing with Crepons." Here the difference is made with yarns of various twists, materials and setts. This produces crepes and seersuckers.

In "Raindrop Ikat" by Kim Yost Merck, a dip-dyed warp creates the background, while a separate resist warp is threaded in narrow stripes. This produces unusual and very beautiful fabrics. Dyeing instructions are given, as well as plans for 4, 8, or 16 shafts.

Now for some natural dyeing: Tracy Kaestner's "Nature's Beauty" should be read for the dyeing method even if this scarf is not going to be woven. It is quite easy to weave, using four shafts and a combination of basketweave and twill that work beautifully.

The 1998 Index is placed right in the middle of the Randall Darwall article, "Confessions of a Scarf Junkie." Read Darwall for some interesting insights.

A 15-shaft project by Gaye Hansen, "Twill and Satin Scarf," is really for a dobby loom. If you have one, read this for a magnificent African textile method.

Sandra Rude makes a light, airy, soft, Merino scarf that fulls to stabilize the long floats that create this fantastic texture: "Fulled Merino Scarves" These are not for the faint of heart, since they are woven very open and carefully fulled so that the threads stay where they are supposed to.

The "Yarn-Painted Scarf" by Barbara Walker offers a rather intricate design which uses 12 shafts. A suggestion is made for 8-shaft loom weavers. Using tripled rayon sewing thread for the ground warp and 30/2 silk for the pattern warp, one can obtain subtle color changes without painting.

Nancy Rovin combines two different threading orders to produce four unique designs in "Shadow-Weave Scarves." A lot of thought and research went into this weave, like the others in this issue.

Now for another lesson: tieing on. Make a series of scarves tieing on a different warp each time while weaving with the same threading. Georgia Groomes tells how in "Variations on a Theme." Four treadlings make the scarves look less alike.

"No Two Alike," says Diane Kelly. She is referring to a snowflake twill in the warp and advancing twill treadling, sort of like the previous one. However, the scarves look entirely different. A point twill in 16 shafts produces outstanding results.

The next stunning designs are 4-shaft "Every Which Way Scarves" by Kim Bunke. Turned Bronson lace makes wonderful designs. Please note the beaded edges and fringe. Bunke also describes turned lace scarves on 4- and 8-shaft weaves.

For the non-loom-owner Linda Hendrickson offers "Tablet-Woven Gauze Scarves. They are very attractive.

Kay Faulkner has a new twist on "Loom-Controlled Shibori Scarves." Fishing line warp ends are woven into the fabric and pulled after weaving to form the shibori pattern, yielding exquisite results.

Don't miss the excellent book and video reviews--one on Peter Collingwood and one on his son, Jason; one on quilting that starts with weaving; and one on kumihimo. In addition, there is an article on "How to Wear a Scarf" by Julie Claire Reagan, and an additional elegant way to tie a scarf in Merck's article. And--get this! The next issue of Weaver's will have more scarves!

The book reviews are exceptionally well written and make one eager to read the books. Peter Collingwood's The Techniques of Ply-Split Braid sounds like a new direction in weaving. John Guy's Woven Cargoes: Indian Textiles in the East is good for those interested in the history of weaving. Rosalie Neilson's book on Kumihimo is excellent, and Susan Huxley's Serger Secrets:... is very appealing.

All the departments are worth reading: News & Events, Tricks of the Trade, Story Cloth, and Word Weaving, for example.

"Kumihimo the Easy Way," by Shirley Berlin, and "Design Your Own Kumihimo Patterns," by Alison Irwin are wonderful articles on the braiding techniques. They both have an excellent grasp of this Japanese way of making braids and give great instructions.

Another excellent teacher is Ann Brophy, who shows how to extract "Letters from an Inkle Loom." And, speaking of teachers, read "Weaving at Six and Seven," by Carla Moore Buchheit, who shows her love of working with children in a productive way.

Pamela Baker inspires with her "Impressive Hangings Using Andean Techniques." Here is an idea which uses clasped warp, not weft. This is an unusual technique which bears study.

"Ripsmatta" is explained thoroughly by Elizabeth Wiley. Known as rep weave in English, this weave produces wonderful rugs.

For "Boundweave Motifs on Greeting Cards," Emma Yanda shows not only how to weave darling characters for the cards, but also how to cut out the cards.

Kathleen Moore Farling, in "Dreaming Up a Huck Lace Border, gives a complete sampler in three-end huck. This is not just following directions, it is learning to under-stand the weave. The huck baby blanket designed by Linda Ligon is very enticing.

Sharon Alderman is another wonderful teacher. "The Beautiful Floats of Satins and Sateens" offers all a weaver needs to know to weave great satins/sateens.

Be sure to read the interesting tidbits in the Communique edited by Bobbie Irwin. And--don't miss the final page of Unravelings, "Winter of Wind," by Anita Luvera Mayer. Learn what it feels like to have the power cut off by the weather. Imagine, having all that time to weave....

 This is my last REVIEW column for the newsletter. I hope they have inspired some of you to read the magazines and weave the ideas in them.

Judy Piotter will take over, using her very exceptional skills in doing what I have attempted to do for the last three years.