Last year when I was looking for my new and lasting vocation, I chose weaving for a specific reason - it can be moved. When it came time to choose a loom, people were encouraging me to get a computer controlled dobby. With a passion and aptitude for computers, and over 25 years' programming experience, it made sense. When looking at my long term goals, however, it made no sense at all. I want to go off the grid.
Throughout the entire visioning process, one image has been in my head consistently: me and my loom set up in a yurt in the woods. This vision had its genesis several years ago while spending a few nights in the yurt of my dear friend, Cobb.
The yurt is a beautiful structure, consisting of a few simple parts. The outside is a flexible lattice turned in a circle and attached to a door. It is made rigid by a strong band that wraps around to hold the tension. The structure is supported by the balance between gravity pulling the lattice down/out and the band holding it in.
The roof is in a similar balance. The center ring has holes all around, into which are fitted the rafters, forming a cone. The other end of each rafter connects to the top of the lattice. Again, it's the weight of the roof held in balance by the lattice and the tension band that provides the stability. Most yurts of moderate size contain no internal support structure.
The time has come for me to begin the process of designing one of these for myself. I began, like much research nowadays, with Google. With the amount of information I found, I doubt that any more research will be necessary.
If you're interested, you can see all of the sites I discovered by visiting my Evernote notebook:
http://www.evernote.com/pub/blossommerz/Yurts
One site stands out as a real gem, containing a series of web-based calculators for every aspect of yurt design:
http://simplydifferently.org/Yurt_Notes
There are quite a few steps between me and my dream home in the forest, but if I use my loom as an example, it'll be done before I know it!
1 comment:
I had to laugh when i saw this post - i just discovered your blog and love it! after reading parts ( i need to weave darn it) , i think we'd be akin to kindred spirits. I have thought of a yurt for a studio - i think the appeal for me is to get out of the basement - and the yurts i've seen in pictures seem have soooo much light, and if you were in a circular room, it would be hard to pile stuff in a corner!
Mary
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