Win Currie, Weaver

During the design/presentation weekend, I stayed in the beautiful home of weaver Win Currie. I was billeted with Win back in 2001 when I came out as a weaver and attended my first weaving workshop. Since then, every workshop I've attended in Blenheim Win has attended also and we've come to automatically occupy seats or desks next to each other.

Win is one of the founder members of the Marlborough Guild, but she couldn't tell me what year that was!

She's been very active in Marlborough Tapestry Weavers for a few years now. Though she's worked on abstract group projects as well, for her own projects she likes fine pictorial pieces, often with seabird bird theme. These are about the size of a postcard.

But really, Win is known for her apparently open-weave scarves in fine merino, alpaca and silk. Featherlight, soft and tearfully elegant, her pieces appear loosely woven, but they are designed intelligently and finished heartily, so one need not worry about pilling. These are the shots from her Black and Gold series, something of a trademark and a series Win is rightly proud of.

Next is from a new series of lovely small, casual, unisex scarves. Win has lots of silks, and I got to play with her spools and we selected colors for future warps in this series, so there will be heaps more of these lovely gems.

Win sometimes turns her scarves (and I can't remember what she called them) fluffy and scrunchy. This is one Ben and I fell in love with during the February Weavers' meeting; interesting considering I normally prefer flat textiles. Anyway, need I say more? This now lives in my closet.

The only dilemma I have is this: another of Win's trademarks is the long and elegant fringes. If I shorten and combine the fringes, this scarf can easily be unisex. I have discussed this with Win, so she knows, and I might just do it so Ben and I can share the scarf.

Win Currie Contact