Dream Weave and Slow Reveal
- By Karen
- April 24, 2018
- 10 Comments
This project is a slow reveal. I am showing what I am doing now, but I am waiting to tell what this will become. There is a flurry of preparation behind the scenes. In time, you will see what develops on the loom. You and I both will find out if I am jumping in over my head. Or, if I can, in fact, pull this off.
Warping reel with 16/2 line linen for a new warp.
Linen shows itself to be a beautiful mess.
This is a gorgeous linen warp, with three shades of 16/2 linen: sable, northsea blue, and persian blue. I am dressing my Ideal loom to almost full weaving width: 93 centimeters. The sett is 3 ends per centimeter in a 30/10 metric reed (equivalent to 7.6 ends per inch). I am intensely eager and cautiously optimistic regarding this weaving adventure.
Linen. Sable, northsea blue, and persian blue. Bockens linen comes with color numbers only. It is interesting to see the names given to the colors by different suppliers. These creative color names are from Vävstuga.
Pre-sley reed is in the beater. It’s time to grab some warping slats, slide the lease sticks forward, and beam the warp.
Love is like a hidden dream in your heart, awaiting expression. Love goes with you. It is a treasure you get to bestow on others. In some cases, your treasure may be their only hope. The God of love with us weaves the love of God in us, as his faithfulness is revealed over a lifetime. If we could see the end result the Grand Weaver has in mind, most certainly it would make us smile.
May the God of love and the love of God be with you.
Secretly,
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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Simpler Warp Stripes
- By Karen
- February 2, 2018
- 12 Comments
Narrow stripes on the warp beam are stunning. But to wind a warp like that means frequently cutting threads and tying knots. Right? …not necessarily! You don’t have to wind a warp with stripes in order to have a striped warp on the loom. I didn’t know that. I thought that tying knots is the price you pay to get warp stripes. Winding this warp was a breeze! The secret? A separate warp chain and set of lease sticks for each color. I combined the threads, keeping them in proper order, as I put them on the back tie-on bar. That part was a little tricky, but will only get easier with practice.
Unbleached and golden bleached linen pair up for this striped warp.
Knowledge. Knowledge gives us freedom to do things in a new way. This is why prayer is effective. Not praying for so-and-so to change, but asking that they may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. And then, God takes it from there. Your prayer may be what it takes to initiate a new outlook on life for someone else. Much like finding a different way to put stripes on the loom.
May you find a new way to simplify.
Happy weaving,
Karen
12 Comments
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Karen says:
Beautiful!
Question: So…2 warps, one color on each set of lease sticks. You held them and spread the correct number of threads for each stripe? Sliding the remainder of the warp over til the next counted out stripe…and kept them on the 2 setts of lease sticks, but ended up with those lease sticks held together and tied on to the back rod together?Sounds like a lot of good possibility. Thank you!
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Hi Karen, Yes, that’s close to what I did. Alice-Ann’s comment below mentions putting dowels the ends of the warp chains. I did that, except I used warping slats because they were handy.
There is great possibility with this. I am certainly going to explore it more on future projects!
Thanks for starting a conversation,
Karen
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Marcia Cooke says:
I’ve avoided warp stripes like the plague, although I’ve wound them at Vavstuga. Still can’t wrap my brain around your method, though I’ve done it on the rigid heddle. Must ponder 🙂
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Marcia, I’ve done it twice, now, so I think I can do it again with more confidence. I will bring any new insights or procedures here.
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Alice-Ann Ferderber says:
OK, I followed some of that and think I see it the way Karen does. But I think maybe the lease sticks are place in the usual positions, not wound on? Add x amount of one color off the end of the warp chain and slip them on the back bar, get the amount of color #2 from warp chain #2 and slip them off that end of warp and onto the back bar. Correct? I think I might place a dowel in the ends of each chain just to keep them straight instead of having to reach all the way to the lease sticks to get the correct ones. I can see that the stripes would have to be an even number if you don’t want to cut and tie. Very clever, we need a little video!
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Hi Alice-Ann, I am still figuring out specific procedures for doing this, but your description is pretty close to what I did. I moved all the threads to a separate dowel first, 4 from chain #1, and 4 from chain #2, and so on. After that, I moved them to the tie-on bar. That made it a little easier to deal with separations between beam cords.
The stripes do need to be even numbers (pass pairs), but the numbers in each warp chain can vary. On the first project, I had narrow stripes between wider stripes. You have to plan the spacing for spreading the warp, but it wasn’t a problem.
Also, I’d like to attempt putting all the ends on a single set of lease sticks, but I was too chicken to try that this time around.
A video is a great idea! Perhaps on my next stripes project. 🙂
Thanks for your input!
Karen-
Thanks Karen. My brain did not want to cope with taking 4 threads off one warp, then 4 off another and at the same time putting them on the back bar. Doing the stripe size choice before putting it all on the back beam might be a bit more work, but makes perfect sense to me! One could even sit at a table with the two (or more) warps being supported. The balancing act was not working in my head. Not on the first try anyway. I would make a mess even with both sets of lease sticks tied to the loom. I am liking this more and more. I can hardly wait for the video!
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Alice-Ann, I am beginning to plan my next projects. I pretty sure I’ll have another set of stripes to work with soon.
Karen
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SM says:
Could you also just wind separate warps and pre-sley them into their stripes? Or am I misunderstanding what’s been said?
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Hi SM, Yes, you can wind separate warp chains and pre-sley them into the pre-sley reed in order. That is what I did, putting a stick through the end loops of each warp after it is pre-sleyed. The tricky part comes after that in getting all the end loops onto the tie-on bar. With one warp chain, you can flip the reed over the lease sticks to get all the end loops to pull out. With two sets of lease sticks, I had to do more “hand picking” and there are more sticks and things poking around to have to manage.
It’s not easy to describe the process in words. I think a video is in order…as soon as I figure it out a little better myself. 😉
Thanks for joining the conversation,
Karen
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Oh! I get it! Sorry about that. For some reason my brain wasn’t registering that you were all talking about the END loops…even though that’s what everyone said. . Yes, now I can see where that would be a factor. Thanks for walking me through this; I would love a video! I just wound a thin-striped warp and it was not fun with all the starting and stopping. Have a great day!
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SM, Don’t worry, it’s confusing to begin with.
I have wound many, many striped warps, and I don’t really mind it that much. But still, this new method will probably be a game changer for me.
All the best,
Karen
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Quiet Friday: Linen Satin Dräll
- By Karen
- January 26, 2018
- 18 Comments
This is one of those weaving projects that puts you on top of the world. Everything about it. Linen, ten shafts, five-shaft satin weave, ten treadles, gorgeous Moberg damask shuttle, single-shuttle rhythm, full-body weaving, magical fabric. I did have more than my share of knots in the warp, and a few skipped threads and selvedge loops. But you will see no evidence of those glitches now. All you will see is the natural beauty of linen, with its characteristic unevenness. And the reflective satin dräll weave, with its light-catching trickery.
The warp is Bockens unbleached 16/2 line linen. Two of the towels use 16/1 golden bleached linen for the weft. At my husband’s request, the remaining three towels have 16/2 linen weft, in ecru. The thicker weft helps make these into robust absorbent handtowels. A table square finishes off the set.
Enjoy the process with me as I reminisce over the start-to-finish pleasure of weaving these towels.
May you find pleasure in what you do.
Happy Weaving,
Karen
18 Comments
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Beth Mullins says:
Exquisite, Karen!
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JAN says:
Nice finishing touch with hand woven hanging tab. Had you ever though of putting another one in the middle of the long edge so the towel can be hung on a hook above the sink?
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Hi JAN, I haven’t done that, but it’s a great idea. I would need to figure out how to attach it, since there is not a hem on the side. These tabs would be a little too thick to fold the ends under, but could certainly do that with tabs made with thinner threads. Have you done it?
Thanks,
Karen
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Janet says:
Beautiful towels and beautifully woven!
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Hi Janet, They were enjoyable to weave. I’m happy that you like them!
Thanks so much,
Karen
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Betsy says:
Wonderful towels! And I’m so impressed that your husband knows enough about yarn to recommend 16/2 over 16/1.
Your little bowl of pegs next to the treadles reminds me of my last project, huck placemats. I could remember the treadling, but not the 18 repeats. So I had a bowl like yours with 18 pegs, and after every repeat I moved one peg to another bowl. And every once in a while I’d crawl around the Julia counting the repeats in case I made a mistake, lol.
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Hi Betsy, Haha, I may have given the wrong impression about my husband. He specified thicker, less dainty towels, and I chose the appropriate size of linen.
What a great way to keep track of repeats. I’m going to remember that!
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Nancy Nordquist says:
These are absolutely beautiful! Than you for sharing so many photos and details of the process.
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Hi Nancy, It’s a delight for me to get to share what I enjoy doing. Thank you for your kind compliment!
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Joanne Hall says:
Yes, this weave is magical and so fun to weave. And thank you for the beauticul photos. Did you use your phone to take these photos?
Joanne-
Hi Joanne, I feel so “at home” weaving something like this. It is satisfying and rewarding.
I use my iPhone 7 for all my photos. Steve has a very nice digital SLR camera, but I do best with the simple little iPhone. And it’s always in my pocket or on the table beside me. I take way too many pictures, and then I whittle them down to my very favorites to share here.
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Barb says:
Beautiful design, beautifully woven. The joy & pleasure you have in weaving shows in every finished project. Each time you use these towels, you will be reminded of your enjoyment of the process of weaving. Thank you for sharing your talents and inspiring other weavers to find that joy!
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Hi Barb, Your thoughtful comments mean so much! If I can inspire another weaver to find a little more joy in this wonderful weaving process, that would be fantastic!
Part of the pleasure of having towels like this in my home is getting to see others enjoy the results, too.Thanks so much,
Karen
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Angela says:
Beautiful and inspirational!
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Gretchen says:
Love these Karen!! So simple and classic… and perfect! Beautiful.
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Hi Gretchen, Yes, certainly classic! There is something to be said for age-old designs.
All the best,
Karen
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Awaken the Empty Looms
- By Karen
- January 16, 2018
- 6 Comments
The transformation of looms has begun! One by one, three empty looms are awakened from their rest. Two of three warps have been wound, and I have started dressing one of the looms. Soon, all three looms will be active as I weave coordinating textiles for our Texas hill country home.
Cotton and linen threads for the planned coordinating textiles.
Warp beam is clothed with a narrow-striped warp. A separate warp chain for each color and two sets of lease sticks make the beaming process a little tricky.
This loom at our hill country home has a warp designated for placemats. Color-and-weave effects will take the simple two-treadle plain weave up a notch, starting with the warp stripes. Is there anything as inviting as stripes on the warp beam? The loom that was bare now holds great promise.
Threading the loom happens in the brightest corner of the house.
Warp stripes form the base of interesting color-and-weave effects.
Love transforms people. Someone who feels empty is given purpose and hope when they are loved. A reason for being. A start toward something meaningful. Real love is extreme. Love is defined by the ultimate giving up of self-centered motives, as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. This is the extreme love that we have been given, and have been called to give. We’ve known the joy of stripes on the warp beam becoming handwoven fabric before our eyes. And we relish the thought of sharing that joy with someone else.
May you awaken empty looms.
Happy weaving,
Karen
6 Comments
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Cindy Bills says:
I’m excited to follow your journey of weaving all the coordinating textiles for your hill country home. Thanks for including us on your way!
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Hi Cindy, I’m excited about it, too! It will be fun to see it unfold.
Happy weaving,
Karen
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Martha says:
One of my favorite things is to open a box of cone yarns, it is like Christmas morning. Looking forward to seeing your new weaving creations.
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Oh Martha, I’m with you! Weaving yarns are so pretty boxed up. And opening a box of them makes me tingle with excitement.
Joyfully,
Karen
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Mary says:
I am getting a malware message from my security software. Have you been hacked somehow?
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Hi Mary, Thank you for bringing this to my attention. My website was hacked a few weeks ago, but that has all been resolved. Warped for Good may have been put on a blacklist by your security software. If you can find that list, you should be able to uncheck Warped for Good. Then, you can safely return to this site, knowing that your security software will warn you if it is a problem again. I’m sorry for the hassle.
Karen
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Copyright © 2018
I’ve no doubt whatsoever that you will be completely successful in this endeavor. You’ve shared a few detours in your weaving, but I’ve yet to see a failure.
Hi Julia, Thank you for your vote of confidence. I appreciate that! Hopefully, I won’t need to detour on this one.
All the best,
Karen
This is fun for me to watch as I’ve never warped with pure linen.
Hi Linda, Linen has a mind of its own. If you handle it appropriately, though, it’s lovely to work with.
Happy weaving,
Karen
I’ve worked with a linen warp before on a rag rug and had issu s with fraying and breaking until I wet the warp while weaving. Will you have to wet this warp to weave without fraying? Gorgeous colors. Whatever this becomes will be beautiful.
Hi Maggie, Oh yes, I know exactly what you’re talking about. I’ve had to do the same at times, putting a little dampness on the selvedge threads. But I’ve also had quite a few experiences with linen that gave me no problems whatsoever. I hope, hope, hope this one will refrain from fraying. We shall see…
Happy weaving,
Karen
I’m looking forward to following this project. You’re using a very open sett. I have an idea but I will keep it to myself and see if I’m right. I like your use of a multi colored warp. It’s going to add some visual interest and depth to the … whatever. I’m quite sure you are not jumping in over your head. You are a very strong swimmer!
Betsy
Hi Betsy, I agree, I think the multi colored warp will add visual interest and depth. I may be able to swim this, but I’m still taking a deep breath as I jump in.
Thanks for your encouraging words!
Karen
Hmmmm..
Monochromatic ‘starry starry night’ blues going on the warp. A visual surprise. I was expecting the high contrast of the plum blanket as I scrolled down the posting, instead of my go-to color pallet. As always the colors are wonderful (and grown up).
~ a yard wide— That width could be used for much. Clothing, drapery, household linens… …. I will have to wait as you share to progress.
You are going full steam ahead with a new challenge.. Oops CHALLENGE. I am dragging my feet getting back to the new warp on my loom set up for rosepath rag rugs. I will be brave and go forward, after I complete the patched baby blanket with lime green and turquoise turtles. 🙂
Nannette
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Hi Nannette, Isn’t this one of the things we like about weaving – the CHALLENGE? Thrill and fright. But there’s no challenge at the loom that can’t be tackled and overcome.
Rosepath rag rugs?? How fun! I’ll trade you… 😉 naw, just kidding. Go for it. You can do it!
Happy weaving,
Karen