Tapestry Reveals Lizard Toes
- By Karen
- June 8, 2018
- 8 Comments
I fully intended to weave a floral image for my first four-shaft tapestry. Flowers have interesting and beautiful colors and shapes. However, while I am taking pictures for that very purpose at the garden center near our Texas hill country home, a bright green lizard catches my eye. Stunning in color and detail!
Bright green lizard stops to pose for the camera at the garden center. He strikes a different pose for the image I am using for my tapestry.
This cute little fellow, technically a green anole, is my tapestry subject! With every wool butterfly and placement of weft, I am hoping for a fruitful outcome—a 3’ x 4’ tapestry of a (recognizable) bright green lizard on a wooden post.
Five lizard toes to weave.
Tapestry woven from the side, meaning the selvedge seen here will be the upper edge of the tapestry when it is hung.
Nearing completion of the first twenty centimeters.
Fruitful. We want to know that the things we say and do have lasting value. We want to live in a way that bears the fruit of positive outcomes, don’t we? When results are slow in coming, or not readily seen, it can be discouraging. It’s time to trust the Lord. Don’t be disheartened. Instead, think of long-term cultivation. What looks uncertain now will be a distinct part of the image when you look back. Any mistakes woven in are proof of our humanness. And that proof reminds all of us that we need a Savior. Keep weaving.
May you see the good fruits from your labor.
Happy weaving,
Karen
8 Comments
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Double Weave Throw – Take Two
- By Karen
- April 17, 2018
- 10 Comments
Nothing about the original draft is incorrect, but when I wrote it in pencil on my planning sheet, I transposed one. little. thing. The threading key. “X = plum; black square = other colors.” Exact opposite of what is written in the draft from The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell. (See When You Misread the Threading Draft, where I discover my dilemma.)
Blind to my own mistake, even as I double check my handwritten draft.
Thanks to Fiberworks weaving software I am working out a solution. I adjusted the tie-up, so the treadle tie-ups on the first, third, fifth, and seventh shafts trade places with the tie-ups on the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth shafts. It works. And now, the one little threading error that is clearly visible seems like a breeze to correct!
Tie-up adjustments bring the correct warp ends to the surface. Solid stripes of color are set to produce the desired design when woven.
One blue warp end stands out like a sore thumb. I’m glad to find this one threading error at this stage in the process.
There are times when my whole perspective needs an adjustment. It’s time for love. Love adjusts our view. At the heart level, love brings about changes in us. It re-sets our attention and motivations. Because God loved us, we can love, too. We don’t see, understand, or know everything now, which shows how incomplete we humans are. But the love that heaven knows is something we get to participate in here and now. Our cloth is far from perfected, but our love adjustments give us a glimpse of cloth from another realm.
May you make necessary adjustments.
Love,
Karen
10 Comments
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Beth says:
I admire your patience!
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Linda Cornell says:
Beautiful colors and beautiful reflections.
Thank you.
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Hi Linda, I expect the colors will really sing when we see the weft go across. Soon, I hope!
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Hi Nannette, I’m so glad most things at the loom are fixable! I’m eager to see this progress, too!
All the best,
Karen
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Jill says:
Great lesson on working through frustration! Be still and know….
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Jill, There’s always room to grow. Things like this are only a catastrophe if we treat it like one.
Your quiet friend,
Karen
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I find that this type of mistake occurs now and then as I have gotten older. It appeared first in my typing, when I transpose the fingers from one hand to the other, like the i and the e. I just chuckle a little when it happens and move on. Now, I know to double check everything before I start to thread heddles. Thanks,
Joanne-
Hi Joanne, It’s funny how our eyes and hands can play tricks on us. You’re right, double check everything!
Happy weaving,
Karen
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When You Misread the Threading Draft
- By Karen
- April 13, 2018
- 6 Comments
What if you finish tying up the loom, eight shafts and eight treadles, having beamed, threaded, and sleyed 2,064 ends, and the first thing you see when you step on the treadles is… that you misunderstood the threading draft? Do you undo everything and re-thread? Not likely, if it took you eleven-and-a-half hours to do the threading in the first place. I am taking a deep breath. Time to walk away and think. Maybe I can adjust the tie-up, or maybe I can use it as is—a serendipitous design. Should I laugh or cry? My idea to serve my loved ones with handwoven gifts (See Weaving a Gift) is getting off to a rough start.
Lamms are connected. Treadle cords are positioned. Treadles are tied up. Eight shafts and eight treadles.
This view should show solid dark plum all the way across.
This view should show stripes of solid colors, not two-color stripes, with solid bands of dark plum in between.
Serve. I want to offer my best, especially when I’m making a gift for someone dear to me. It helps to look beyond the person, though, and realize my true service is to the Lord. Heart, soul, mind, and hands. I bring my misunderstandings and missteps of the heart to my Master Weaver, who has taken it on himself to make things right. And I’m reminded that as I serve someone with my weaving hands, the true gift is love. This double weave throw will be a reminder of that.
May you recover from your mistakes.
Humbly,
Karen
UPDATE: I have had a chance to put the draft on Fiberworks weaving software and work with it to adjust the tie-up. I think I found a solution. Stay tuned!
6 Comments
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Joann says:
Karen
Thank you for your words of encouragement on weaving and on life. It is true about the mis-steps we make. It is also true how Jesus is always willing to help us through these times.
Joann -
Good morning Karen,
My son has gifts in the kitchen second to none. His food on the buffet always wows and amaze. The ONE cake we all remember and recount with much love is the tender, chocolate layer cake that fell apart in the refrigerator before it was served. He scraped the pieces into a large mixing bowl and served it in a bowl with ice cream. It was not his plan for the cake, but it was more memorable than had it been served exactly as he planned it.
God amazes me by how things do not always turn out exactly as planned. Often they turn out better after the dust (or chocolate) clears.
Nannette-
Hi Nannette, So true! When I looked at the mis-threaded version on my software, it did look interesting. Even more so, the back side of the fabric is very pretty. I haven’t quite decided whether to correct my error by changing the tie-up, or not. Or maybe settle with a version that is a combination of the two.
Thanks for sharing your story. Our family has a similar fond memory with a cake my mother-in-law made. It became known as “Flop Cake,” and has been intentionally repeated as a favorite.
All the best,
Karen
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Ruth says:
Oh Karen, what a blow! But how quickly you are recovering and you didn’t take the scissors to your project showing wonderful restraint. This throw when finished will have good memories and an important story to tell. I’m looking forward to seeing your progress and learning of the changes you make. Onward with prayerful consideration.
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Hi Ruth, Yes, it is a blow when you are excited about throwing the shuttle, and you get stopped in your tracks. But no, taking scissors to it never crossed my mind. One thing I enjoy about weaving is that there are always solutions! It may not come out as planned, but there is a way around this obstacle. That I know.
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words!
All the best,
Karen
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Transferring Warp Ends Takes Courage
- By Karen
- March 6, 2018
- 8 Comments
There are four pairs of overlapping warp chains, with stripes to line up. I created a mess. A few options to consider: 1. Give up. 2. Weave it as is, destroying the design. 3. Use two sets of lease sticks, and expect problems with threading (2,064 ends). 4. Transfer all ends to a single set of lease sticks, arranging threads in order for each stripe.
Each of four warp chains were duplicated when I realized I had wound only half the correct number of ends in each chain.
Option 4 seems the riskiest. If I lose the cross while transferring threads, I have an even bigger mess. It’s all or nothing. Go for it! Fortunately, my apprentice, Juliana, arrives in the nick of time to give me a hand.
Lease cross is tied separately for each color “partial” stripe.
Stripes from the two warp chains are transferred to a single set of lease sticks. Now the stripe colors are at their full correct width.
For the four center warp chains, each section of color is separated and tied at the cross. It takes an extra set of hands to transfer them in order to the primary set of lease sticks.
All warp ends are now successfully transferred to a single set of lease sticks. Let the loom dressing begin!
It worked! All the threads are successfully transferred to one pair of lease sticks. What a relief! I can beam the warp knowing that all is well. A beautiful double weave throw is imminent.
Warp is pre-sleyed at the loom. So far, so good.
Ready to beam! Looking forward to this dressing and weaving experience.
We all have made a mess of our lives, and we know it. We hear of options to fix things, but one seems the riskiest: Transfer everything to God. But what if I mess that up, too? There’s good news. God transfers us. When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, God transfers us from our messy state to his good order. And the result is a weaving that showcases his workmanship—a beautiful you.
May you take a worthy risk.
With you,
Karen
8 Comments
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Joyce Lowder says:
Glad this worked! Even more happy that God works messes out for us! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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Hi Joyce, It is a relief when we see things begin to work out! And what a relief it is to trust our great Lord with the most important things in life.
All the best,
Karen
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Annie Lancaster says:
I like this thought.
And so glad the mess worked out. But I knew quitting was never an option for you, Karen!
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Annie, You are right. Quitting was a thought that flickered for a moment, but I never really considered it an option. You may know me a little to well. 😉
Karen
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D’Anne says:
I know that was frustrating, Karen. Been there, done that, although with a smaller warp. Perseverance pays offf!
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D’Anne, That is so true! Perseverance does pay off! I think that is something that has been a part of me since childhood – quiet perseverance. Thanks for making me stop and reflect on that for a moment.
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Linda says:
God does fix our messes in unexpected ways. …. when we ask. And I thought 398 ends of only two colors were a challenge! Perspective and perseverance are helpful tools.
Thank you for sharing your faith!
Linda
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Hi Linda, It is crucial for us to have the humility to ask God for help out of our messes. Perspective and perseverance are indispensable!
Thanks!
Karen
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Eight Bouts Is Enough
- By Karen
- March 2, 2018
- 4 Comments
A zillion threads—2,064 ends, to be exact. I wound the warp in four bouts. And then, …a sinking feeling! I had wound each bout with exactly half the ends needed. This double weave throw, almost the full weaving width of the loom, needs 1,032 more ends.
One bout.
Two bouts.
Three bouts.
Four bouts. Not enough.
I had counted ends as if there were only one layer. I did all four bouts that way. Yikes! Now I am winding four more identical bouts. I will put the lease sticks through all eight bouts. Somehow. Thoughtful study of the details on my planning sheet would have prevented this major error. But I knew what I was doing, and could remember the important things. Or, so I thought. And I was eager to get started…
Winding more warp bouts.
Eight warp bouts. Ready to begin dressing the loom.
Walk. How we walk through life matters. To walk in a manner pleasing to God we need to know what he wants, and give that our full attention. If I run ahead, eager for the next experience, and neglect to consult the Grand Weaver’s project notes, I’m asking for trouble. The vibrant-colored warp will still get on the loom, but this is called learning the hard way.
May you learn most things the easy way.
Learning,
Karen
4 Comments
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Oh, Karen! That is the hard way! Your perseverance is so admirable!
I can definitely relate to this lesson in life and in weaving. It seems I frequently don’t pay enough attention to the Holy Spirit ‘s direction or pattern directions. One benefit of learning the hard way, though, is same mistakes are rarely made.
I love all the colors I see. I am looking forward to seeing the work in progress.
Have a blessed day, Karen.
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Hi Annie, Sometimes I wish I could go back a little in time and do it correctly from the start. With weaving, fortunately, if something can’t be undone it usually can be fixed. I don’t want all those threads to fail. I have too much invested in it—time and $.
I think I can safely say I will never make this mistake again!
Listening to the Holy Spirit’s directions is one of the most important lessons in life.
Thanks so much for your input!
Karen
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Barb says:
Your post is so timely! Something was wrong with my scarf project, it just didn’t look right. Eager to get going, I started weaving. It soon became apparent that the sett was wrong. Off it came & I re-sleyed. I read your post and thought I should read the draft & instructions again before I started weaving. It was an ‘aha’ moment, I was not treadling correctly either.
Thank you for sharing your insights!
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Hi Barb, These mistakes can happen so easily when we are eager to get started. They are just as easily avoided if we slow down enough to review our own information. Hopefully, we are learning to not make the same mistake again! We can be an encouragement to each other!
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Copyright © 2018
Amen and Amen and Amen, Karen! 🙂
Good morning, Joyce, Have a fruitful day!
Karen
It looks like you have 2 colors in your warp. Which is a great idea to show you are always in the opposite shed.
I love how you weave God’s word and inspiration in your posts!
Hi Alice, Good eye! Actually, there are three colors in the linen warp. The three colors are used together, and threaded as a single end.
Thanks for the kind feedback!
Happy weaving,
Karen
Now that the secret is out and you are progressing I see the toes and the muscles of the leg drawn on the cartoon. Thank you for the reveal. Never, had I considered a lizard portrait.
This last weekend a creature was sited trying to gain entry into the garage. It was later researched to be a skink. It is the ONLY native lizard in Wisconsin, and not the bright green of the Texas anole.
When I think I have seen it all, God adds His ‘ALL’. This week that ALL included lizards. Such diversity providing the continual unexpected.
Nannette
Hi Nannette, I agree, there is much in God’s creation that surprises and delights us.
All the best,
Karen
Hi Karen,
He is so cute, can’t wait to see more toes!
Liberty
Hi Liberty, Yes, the lizard is a cutie. Haha! I’m eager to finish the toes on this foot and see the whole leg fashioned.
Karen