You May Be Looking at the Under Side

This is not reversible cloth. The colors on the back look pretty, but the design is only on the top. Sometimes we judge our circumstances from the underneath side, not realizing there is a dazzling scene being formed above us.

Bound Rosepath, the pattern is being designed at the loom.
Each row of the design takes four picks, producing a weft-faced cloth. Each shuttle carries a different color; so, at times, there are five shuttles going across for one row. Instead of following a diagram, this time I am designing the pattern as I weave.

The bound rosepath (rosengång) cloth develops slowly. My pace is about 35 millimeters (1.4 inches) per hour. I pay attention to every detail. Five shuttles, many color changes, careful turns at the selvedges. I get up to wind quills, to advance the warp, to repair broken linen warp ends, and to stand back for an overview. You cannot know all of the weaver’s work by looking at the reverse side. It is messy underneath.

We may not have a clear view of what our master weaver is doing, but we can see his consistency. And we have seen his masterful work in the past. Are you in a season that feels confusing? That is precisely when it makes sense to trust someone greater. Be one of the few in our day who sees the goodness of God with the eyes of trust. The finished cloth, the underside of which we see now, will one day be displayed by the maker, and all will be amazed!

May your fears fall away and your trust increase when you face uncertain times.

Believing is seeing,
Karen

Do You See What I See?

Thanksgiving 2013 is over and the house is quieter now. I am back to weaving bound rosepath (rosengång). This piece will be a table mat for next year’s Thanksgiving dinner, with the turkey pilgrims facing one side of the table. (Click HERE to see more about weaving the turkey pilgrims.) It makes sense, then, to have pilgrim men facing the other side. This means weaving the pilgrim men upside down. As I am weaving, it is difficult to determine if the upside down image is forming properly. I courageously weave on, hoping I am correctly interpreting the diagram. Faith takes courage like that.

Bound Rosepath Pilgrims on Thanksgiving table mat
A small hand mirror gives an upright view of the woven pilgrim men that are facing away from the orange pilgrim turkeys.

I used Numbers on my iPad to design the bound rosepath pilgrim motif. The image is only seven squares across the graph sheet, and must be entirely symmetrical from side to side. This mere-seven-pixel-wide picture is a design challenge because of its narrow limit.

Bound Rosepath Diagram using iPad Numbers app
iPad screen shot of pilgrim diagram in Numbers (spreadsheet) app.

Putting our faith into action when we don’t know all the answers takes courage. It is like following the diagram when the picture doesn’t make sense. I imagine that kind of faith courage pleases our creator. It was only after I finished weaving the row of pilgrims that I thought of holding up a mirror to see the upright image. Don’t take the easy way out. Don’t shrink back. When you press into the picture with faith, your life becomes a positive reflection of your maker’s skillful design.

May you live with courageous faith.

Peace,
Karen

Just What I Need

Yay! Another Swedish-style rag rug completed. Oh, there is nothing like the satisfaction of completion and the pleasure of seeing finished work being used. I am almost out of floor space, though. The handwoven rugs are taking over all the floors in my house. How much is enough? How do you know when you have crossed the line into excess?

Handwoven rosepath rag rug for Christmas.
A few of my favorite things: Rosepath, rag rug, little red rocking chair, Christmas pinecone. The rug is 24.5 x 45.5 inches (62 x 116 cm).

Between the extremes of poverty and wealth there is a middle ground of having just enough. That is where I want to be. With riches, we are in danger of patting ourselves on the back and saying, Who needs God? With poverty, it is hard to see any way out; and some say, Where is God?

Rosepath Rag Rug detail
Characteristic rosepath design sets off the simple colors of the rug. Single black stripe outlines blue areas for depth.

Between lack and excess, there is a sweet spot of perfect trust in our creator. Hungry enough to want his food, and satisfied enough to have a grateful heart. Give me just what I need, please–no more, no less.

(I am pondering opening an Etsy shop to sell my handwoven goods. This rug would be one of the first items. Do you have experience with Etsy, as a seller or as a buyer? I’d love to hear about your experience, and any advice you have to offer.)

May you find your sweet spot.

Your friend,
Karen

When Things Are Unraveling

I love weaving rag rugs, especially Swedish-style rugs. Even though I have a design in mind when I start, I often work out details at the loom. Each rug needs a header–a few inches of weaving that secures the wefts so the rug will stay together when it comes off the loom. The header is woven right before and after the rug, and is removed during rug finishing. It was in the header for this rug that I worked out the treadling and color sequence for the rosepath (rosengång).

Rosepath Rug edge finishing. Ends tied, then trimmed, then hem is folded and stitched.
Ends are pulled from the header and tied, two and two, into square knots to secure the end of the two-inch (5 cm) hem. After all the ends are tied into knots, the threads will be trimmed to 1/2 inch (1 1/2 cm), and the hem will be folded under and stitched.

What do you do when life unravels? Hold what you have and try to fix what is failing? If we could see the whole picture, we might see that the part we want to hold onto is the header before the rug. That header may be where the design of the weaver is formed in us, to be repeated in another setting. The header was necessary, but now it is time to let it go.

When things are falling apart, we must look to the master weaver. Yes, the trouble is immense and we don’t know how to fix it. So, we speak to the one who holds the design. We do not know what to do; but, master weaver, our eyes are on you.

May your eyes see hope on the horizon.

Being woven,
Karen