Gudrun Polak is a 20 year veteran weaver who became interested in card weaving in 1999. Her main interest is pattern design. She developed software that allows one to create a card woven design, including color, threading direction, and card turning direction. She publishes articles and designs both on her web site, The Loomy Bin and in print.
Her recent public presentations include two seminars in May 2006 at the Conference of Northern California Handweavers, "Possibilities in Card Weaving" and "Cross-pollination in Fiber Arts." She also publishes articles in TWIST, the journal of “Tablet Weaver’s International Studies & Techniques.”
Her most recent workshop was at Berkeley’s Lacis Museum of Lace and Textiles in Oct. 2005.
Two of her silk scarves, using combinations of two patterns, are featured in "Handwoven's Design Collection 19" by Interweave Press: Scarves and Shawls for All Seasons - Lavender Shadows Scarves.
For non card weavers, she also developed design software, A Handweaver's Studio, to help plan projects for multi-harness looms. It includes a pattern library and yarn calculator. Her shadow weave patterns, for which she wrote a special program, are published there.
She is also a member of the Blacksheep Handweavers Guild in Los Altos, CA. and a regular contributor to the Society of Creative Anachronism Yahoo group http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SCA-Card-Weaving/ where I “met” her.