If the Warp Is Good

The start of a new warp takes my breath away. It’s magic, isn’t it? It’s at this beginning point that I often feel the wonder of the whole weaving process. Expectation, anticipation, and wonder. A new warp is a fresh start.

Beginning of cottolin warp, set up for halvdräll.
Warp ends are tied on in 1″|2.5cm sections, with 1/2″|1.3cm going over, and the other 1/2″|1.3cm going under the front tie-on bar. The leveling string then flattens the warp by going over and under the little sections of warp ends, being pulled tight and tied through a hole at each end of the tie-on bar.

The loom is dressed through a series of steps. In the Swedish method of back-to-front warping that I have been taught, the steps are logical and systematic. They make sense. If I simply follow the steps, I can expect to have an evenly-tensioned, ready-to-weave warp. If the warp is good, it means I’m off to a good start.

New cottolin warp, set up for halvdräll table squares.
Side view of new cottolin warp, set up for halvdräll table squares.
Start of halvdräll table squares.
Halvdräll is a Swedish block weave that has weft floats. The tabby weft is white 22/2 cottolin, and the pattern weft is doubled 16/1 linen.

Christmas is about God offering us a new start through Jesus. It isn’t about trying to be good enough. Being good is never good enough. Trust in God’s goodness instead. Jesus is God coming to us in all his goodness. I can never repay the Lord for all the good he has done for me. What I can do is receive what he has given–a fresh start. Then, as the beginning weft appears across the warp, I see my hopes coming to life.

May you enjoy the wonder of it all.

Happy beginning,
Karen

4 thoughts on “If the Warp Is Good

  1. Hint: the pix of the white warp with the red. If you look closley you will see > with a straight line under (red) now as you continue the next center block should contain an EVEN number of shots so the > will be in the same places in the repeat of first block. Most time no one knows, but your work is so perfect I thought you’d like to know. I don’t know what you call this weave in Swedish, but it looks a lot like colonial overshot. happy weaving, linda

    since I don’t know what the warp is and how it fulls this may be rediculous, but here goes. Colonial Overshot is a weft pattern,proud of the white background fabric. In order to make the “red” pattern stand out: doube the material of the weft weight and use the warp weight single for tabby or use an even finer yarn/linen in the same color ….

    1. Linda,
      Thanks so much for your input. I am not as familiar with Colonial Overshot, so it’s good to know a little more about it. The Swedish Dräll weaves are basically overshot patterns. The Halvdräll (half dräll) that I am doing is considered a simplified dräll, or simplified overshot weave.

      I am using 22/2 cottolin warp and tabby weft, and doubled 16/1 linen for pattern weft.

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

    1. Thank you so much, Kris! Your kind wish warms my heart. Advent – preparing for the coming of the Christ-child, and for His coming again.
      Wishing you a Blessed Advent, too.

      All the best,
      Karen

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