Weave Past the Mid Mark
- By Karen
- May 22, 2018
- 8 Comments
“Mid” marks the halfway point on every pre-measured tape I make. I like to know when I’m starting the second half of something. It’s a target before I reach it, and a passing milestone after I cross that line.
Pre-measured twill tape has a line at the halfway point, marked “Mid.” Tail from a spliced warp end will be trimmed in the finishing process.
As I’m weaving this throw, my thoughts jump ahead. I will have a few skipped threads to fix, and spliced warp ends to clip. I think about how I will hem the piece, and wash and dry it. In what special manner shall I present the finished throw to my beloved daughter-in-law? And, my mind goes to the twelve-shaft double weave towels for my daughter that are up next, with the flowery threads beckoning me from the shelves.
Double weave with eight shafts. 8/2 cotton.
Do you see the aqua, poppy, marigold, and orchid cottolin threads that are ready to jump off the shelves and be woven into hand towels?
I’d like to know where I am in the span of my life. There is no “Mid” mark, though, is there? I’m not in charge of that measured tape. Faith in Christ, love, and perseverance—these form a foundation. A solid foundation is security for life. In this security, I think about what I need to repair and resolve and finish. And how to leave intangible gifts that outlive me. And I think about the glory that awaits. Imagine fabric of unbridled creativity in colors only heaven knows!
May your second half be better than your first.
With you,
Karen
8 Comments
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Almost Like Weaving Outdoors
- By Karen
- May 15, 2018
- 8 Comments
I am practically outdoors in the middle of trees when I’m weaving. It’s refreshing to weave between corner windows. That’s how it is with the little loom at our Texas hill country home. I have windows beside my other looms, too. But this is different. Here, I have windows beside me and in front of me.
Corner windows for weaving pleasure. Color-and-weave plain weave placemats on the little loom.
Nature is resplendent with ornamentation and flourishes that influence my weaving. Colors, patterns, shading, and playful surprises. They work their way into my thinking and planning. Aren’t the Creator’s designs amazing?! So, to be surrounded by all that inspiration while weaving raises the enjoyment at the loom all the more.
Colors.
Patterns.
Shading.
Playful surprises.
Color – variation, pattern – color and weave, shading – two-pick stripes, playful surprise – offset warp stripes.
It is refreshing to experience the enjoyment of nature. We need that. Our minds need refreshing, too. Our minds can be freshened up. When we grow in the knowledge of God—who he is, what he is like, and what he wants—our minds are refreshed and renewed. It’s a breath of fresh air for our thinking. Like weaving out in the middle of the trees.
May you be refreshed.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
8 Comments
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Joyce Lowder says:
I am glad you see the wonders that Christ provides; they are reminders of His presence and you add to His creation when you weave with His inspirations! Thanks for sharing your faith from God! Happy weaving! Blessed weaving! 🙂
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Hi Joyce, I’m thankful the Lord gives us daily reminders of His nearness!
Blessings,
Karen
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Beth Mullins says:
Such beautiful inspiration! You are indeed fortunate.
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Annie says:
I enjoyed seeing the photos of nature through your eyes. It gave me a fresh perspective. As do your thoughts on our Heavenly Father. I always enjoy your posts and learn from them.
Do you move your loom from place to place, Karen?
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Hi Annie, This little loom stays in that spot by the corner windows. Steve built the loom for me specifically for our Texas hill country home, so I could have a loom to weave on when we go there. I have two other larger looms that stay in place in our Houston home.
Blessings,
Karen
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Thank you for including photos of Texas Hill country. It is beautiful and inspirational.
The triad of purple / orange / green blessed by God.
Thank you and may God continue to bless.
Nannette
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Hi Nannette, The purple / orange / green triad in nature always seems stunning to me! Texas hill country has many visual delights!
Blessings to you,
Karen
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Four-Shaft Tapestry Adventure
- By Karen
- May 1, 2018
- 7 Comments
Most of my preparation for this project has been separate from the loom itself. The loom is dressed and ready. That’s the easy part. The lion’s share of the work is in developing the cartoon. This project is my first four-shaft tapestry. My usual tapestry work is on a small portable tapestry frame. This is BIG in comparison. 93 centimeters (36 1/2 inches) in the reed.
Linen warp is tied on. Treadles are tied up. Sheds are clean. This Glimåkra Ideal is ready and waiting for the weaver.
After finding a subject for the tapestry, I have been drawing the cartoon and a cartoon key. And I have the yarn. Now, I am determining colors, distinguishing values, and arranging my yarn into a workable order. To tell the truth, the cartoon scares me. It shows me how grand a task I’ve signed up for. But there’s no turning back. I’m committed. (I will show you the cartoon when I’m further along…)
Wool, mostly 6/2 Tuna and 6/1 Fårö, with a few other wool yarns thrown in. These are some of the colors going into the planning of the cartoon.
Black and white photo helps distinguish between the different values of the yarn colors. Contrast in values help define the woven image.
The cartoon shows the intent of the tapestry designer. Likewise, heaven shows the Grand Weaver’s perfect plan. Heaven holds the true picture. Heaven and earth, two parallel realms. Jesus came to earth to bring us into that heavenly version of the tapestry. When we put our trust in him, our colorful threads in various hues and values are woven together in the grandest tapestry ever.
May you take a bigger step than you have before.
Courageously (with knees knocking),
Karen
7 Comments
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Betsy Greene says:
Oh wow. You really are in the deep end. Good for you!
I’m not so brave but I will live vicariously through you.
Betsy-
Hi Betsy, It’s a bold move, but if it works out this is going to be a terrific experience!
All the best,
Karen
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Good morning,
Now that Spring has become a verb in SE Wisconsin my weaving goes back one more seat while I try to undo the neglect of the yards here and NE Wisconsin. Yesterday I took out and re-wove ~ 10 rows of rosepath rag rug because I mis-read the pattern. Once done I realized this project is not as scary as I imagined it to be.
Today there is a quiet book to be put together for my granddaughter’s 1st birthday. And… once again I am delaying the work because I have not worked out the details of construction. We all know that in the end the quiet book will be completed and the tapestry will be completed and the rug will be completed and the maybe … just maybe this year I will be able to keep ahead of the weeds. But, boy oh boy… from this side of the project that does not seem possible.
May God bless both our hands with creativity and love.
Nannette -
Michele Dixon says:
I’m a tapestry weaver too. I’m quite interested in seeing what your 4 shaft piece turns into. I have a brand new Glimakra Standard, 4/6 so I am hoping, in the future, to expand my 2 shaft images to 4 shaft. I’ll be watching with great interest.
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Hi Michele, Congrats on your new Glimakra Standard! It’s exciting to try a new way to do tapestry. I’m glad to have you along!
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Thank you, Karen. It’s such a pleasure to read your blog.
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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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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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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 © 2019
What a awesome, beautiful, fantastic piece. And congrats to midway.
Hi Meg, Your enthusiasm is so uplifting!
Thanks!
Karen
Written like the creative soul God created you as.
Midway is hard to place with life on Earth. It is not as ‘tangible’ as your weaving. I often wonder why some people have a very short midpoint and others…. much longer… What have they left behind to continue on through others?
Even so, having been gifted hand woven fabric from another generation, I cannot help but look at your sparkling colors and see the colors they will fade to be with time. Is the softness that time brings to dyes also a softness God gives to our memories left behind.
Blessings,
Nannette
Hi Nannette, The items I have of my grandmother’s handwork is faded, as you say. Her memory lives on in me, and is softly faded to the point I only remember the good things about her.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts,
Karen
Good morning, Karen. At my age, I have no doubt that I have long since passed my mid point although I didn’t really wake up to that fact until I hit fifty. The first half of my life, I believed the tangible was so important; but in the second half, I believe that it is the intangible we leave behind that will be the longest lasting.
After seeing so many beautiful handcrafted items in second hand stores, I realized that what I valued as family heirlooms to be handed down through the generations with stories may not be valued as such by the recipient of my work.
So I just try to concentrate on the enjoyment of creating whatever I make, make what I like and hope that someone else might value it.
Hi Annie, I agree with you that the intangible seems more important now. The values we pass on will outlast the things we hand down.
Blessings,
Karen
Thank you all for your reflections, uncannily, similar to my own recently… the Holy Spirit weaving through our lives. Can you recommend 4 shaft double weave patterns for baby blankets? Though the blankets will probably not last, hopefully the love that weaves them will cover those new little lives.
Hi Linda, The only 4-shaft double weave I’ve done was a double-width throw. The double weave baby blankets I’ve woven were on 8-shafts. Both the double-width and the 8-shaft double weave projects were from The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell.
Your love will definitely have the longest-lasting impact.
All the best,
Karen