No Hurry at the Little Loom
- By Karen
- September 25, 2018
- 6 Comments
I hope you haven’t forgotten about this sweet little loom at our Texas hill country home. It is refreshing to be able to start right back up and weave another placemat. This is a breeze, even with two double-bobbin shuttles. Color and weave brings plenty of design play. Over the weekend I was able to squeeze in enough weaving time to finish one more placemat.

New placemat begins. Two red picks will become the cutting line that separates placemats.
There is no hurry or urgency with this project. Other events, transitions, and necessities have taken precedence the last few months. It’s nice to have a ready loom that doesn’t hold a deadline. Simple two-treadle plain weave during a transitional season is a welcome respite.

Two doubled-weft picks of dark coral make a line of contrast in the color-and-weave cotton placemat.
Faith is trust. It’s the simple framework we long for when life gets complicated. Trusting the Lord is like knowing what to expect when you throw the shuttles, yet still being pleasantly surprised as you see the fabric form in front of you. His grace removes the hurry and the worry. We find his grace through faith. And isn’t that exactly the respite we need?
May you have a break from hurry and worry.
Happy weaving,
Karen
6 Comments
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Weaving Deadline
- By Karen
- September 4, 2018
- 14 Comments
I had a deadline for weaving these towels. Eight days. I finished dressing the loom at our Texas hill country home on Monday afternoon, and wove in long and short increments throughout the week. Mostly short increments. After all, I had little grandchildren to enjoy at the same time. And sweet interactions with my daughter and her husband. I finished weaving the four towels on Saturday evening, and cut them off on Sunday morning, just in time to bring them back with me to Houston to do the finishing work.

Cloth beam fills up with double weave towels.

Four towels woven. Time for cutting off!

Ready for finishing. This week I will be mending errors, wet finishing, hemming, and sewing on labels.
I was highly motivated. I knew this may be my only chance to finish these towels for Melody before she and her precious family move to Chile in the near future. Now, she will be able to take a woven piece of my love with her. Know your roots. Where are you rooted? When your life takes root in good soil it will grow. Rooted in love, your life will blossom to bless others. And those are roots you can plant anywhere in the world.
May you bloom where you are planted.
With love,
Karen
14 Comments
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Very Beautiful, the towels and your advice. At times, I wonder, “Why am I doing this project?”, especially when I have been challenged with warping or broken threads…but when it comes off the loom and you think of the person you will share it with, love IS the answer! The Greatest of These is Love!
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They’re so pretty and the colors perfect for Chile! Melody is very lucky. You are very kind. Can’t wait to see them finished.
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More information on mending errors please.
As a beginner I have many 🙂 -
The towels are beautiful. What technique are you using? Is it double weave? You weave so many beautiful projects and you have such nice messages.
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Quickly becoming a decade ago I set up my almost forgotten 4 harness loom on the 3 season porch to provide something to occupy my time during the never ending treatment of DCIS. The result was a stack of small rag rugs the size used in front of a kitchen sink. They were gifted to sibs and nieces and nephews Christmas 2010.
Faded from use but with years of wear left. The rugs are used in bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, kitchens and the outside stoop of my daughters house. I am amazed at how the work of my hands is a part of the lives of so many people I love.
May the people you love and those you do not know enjoy the work of your hands.
Nannette
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I was wondering…what do you do with your thrums/loom waste? The colors of this warp are so luscious it would be a shame to throw away any of it!
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My Loom Is a Pipe Organ
- By Karen
- August 31, 2018
- 6 Comments
Threading twelve shafts in three blocks is like having three four-shaft looms all in one. The three simple block patterns can be arranged in various ways, giving me infinite design options for these towels. There will be no two alike. Double weave gives us crisp lines between colors, producing amazing cloth! This is another instance where weaving on this Glimåkra Standard feels like sitting at a big pipe organ, where glorious color patterns are the music of the loom.

As the first towel wraps around the cloth beam, the second towel nears its hem.
Faith. Faith in the powerful working of God is like exploring the possibilities of handweaving. You know the systems are in place for something amazing, but you find it takes a lifetime to discover all the glorious wonders. Double weave is just a glimpse of that glory. I have faith that there is Oh so much more. Likewise, our faith in God is an ongoing discovery of his works and his ways. With every glimpse of his glory and goodness, we know there is Oh so much more. Eternity won’t be long enough… And maybe heaven will be filled with music that explodes in color.
May you know the thrill of discovery.
With faith,
Karen
6 Comments
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Those are works of art! I’d be thinking of framing one.
And you had me looking at the Glimakra price list, wondering how much it would take to expand my Standard to 12 shafts. 🙂
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Love these colors, Karen! And the variety of the patterns is amazing! I can’t wait to learn Doubleweave. Your daughter will treasure these and I expect everyone in Chile will want a pair as well.
I am looking forward to seeing you on the 6th.
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Karen, These towels look amazing! Did you pre-plan the patterning for each towel, or are you “winging it” as you weave?
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Guest Weavers
- By Karen
- May 29, 2018
- 6 Comments
We finished another placemat over the weekend. We, meaning a few guest weavers – and me. I had a small tribe of eager weavers, aged eleven to seventeen. I didn’t give beginner work to these beginners. We did what was required for this color-and-weave project on the loom—double-bobbin shuttles, two (and sometimes three) shuttles at a time, two-pick stripes, advancing the warp, placing the temple, and more. Another placemat completed, with only one broken warp end along the way. I call that a win!

Quietly watching me, and taking in the details, this young weaver grasped the essentials, and began weaving in a graceful manner. After just a few minutes, Madison told me she could do this all day. That sounds like a budding weaver to me!

Sean is an attentive listener, closely following every instruction. He happily donned the weaving apron. And the Gingher snips on a woven band were hanging around his neck, ever ready to be used.

Ashley is someone who takes initiative. She enjoyed the challenge of learning something new, and quickly was weaving with very little assistance.
Isn’t it delightful to share what you enjoy, and then see the spark of delight and accomplishment on a young person’s face? This is another good reason to make and keep family friends.
May you share your delights.
Love,
Karen
6 Comments
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It is always fun to see the eyes of new weavers light up when experiencing for the first time the magic of making cloth! I’m curious about the weaving apron – can you speak about it some more?
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You’re making such a positive impact in their young lives. I’m also curious about the weaving apron. Does it hold magic? 😉
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I volunteered to demonstrate moderately hands-on weaving on an antique rug loom at a local history museum to school classes a couple of years ago. We get kiddoes from kindergarten through fifth grade. Before the first group I had some doubts about how it was going to go. Wow! Fantastic! I think more budding weavers are on their way and I’m excited for school to start in the autumn.
That was just the message I needed to hear today!
Thanks!
Hi Lynette, I write about things I need to hear. So you and I have this in common. The Lord is so good to meet us where we are.
Love,
Karen
There is beauty in the simple to do and the complex. In the cottage pudding and the gingerbread construction. In the purity of the weave in the dish towel and in the detail of color and stitch in the lizard tapestry. The building of a submarine and the weeding of a bean patch.
I think being able to see the beauty in our daily work is a gift from God. Of course, the occasional WOW!!! is welcome.
Blessings,
Nannette
Hi Nannette, Thanks for the reminder to see beauty in the simple to the complex. I agree, it’s a gift from God to see it.
All the best,
Karen
Love this – beautiful weaving and beautiful words!
Hi Kelly, I’m glad you found it meaningful!
Thanks so much,
Karen