Handweaving Dilemma

I am making great progress on my drawloom rag rug, closing in on the final segment. And then, I take a picture and the camera reveals something I had failed to see. A mistake! Here is the dilemma that I’m sure other weavers face, too. It’s an internal dialogue. I can live with the error. Or, can I? No one will notice. Well, I certainly will notice. But I am sooo close to the end. I really don’t want to undo the last forty minutes of weaving. What would you do?

Drawloom rag rug.
Error in the rug escapes my notice.
Mistake in the weaving, exposed by taking a photo.
Photo reveals my mistake.

Back it up. Using the chart that I follow for pulling draw cords, unit by unit, I work my way back until I get to the error. On reflection, doing the task is easier than thinking about doing it.

Removing weft to fix an error.
Backing up.
Single-unit drawloom.
One single unit draw cord makes all the difference. This cord should have been drawn in the affected rows.
Rag weft is taken out to correct an error.
Undone. Weft is removed. The mistake has been taken out.
Drawloom rag rug. Correcting an error.
Ready to start fresh from here.

My feelings can fool me. I don’t feel like going back and correcting my mistake. This is the time to pause and listen. Wisdom is at the door. Wisdom requires thinking, and listening, and time. Time is my friend, if I refrain from hurry. Wisdom is much like the skill of an experienced craftsman—one who understands precision and artistic expression and do-overs. Wisdom knows that patience is powerful. The easiest way to do something often forfeits the greatest rewards.

May you keep your ear at wisdom’s door.

Peace,
Karen

14 thoughts on “Handweaving Dilemma

  1. Such a wonderfully wise decision and if anyone can do it – make that small mistake go away and result in a perfect weave – you can and DID! I am always so inspired by your work, and follow along with great joy! Thanks for sharing – inspiring as always!
    Will you tell me what the blue cloth is? So beautifully bold and it looks like a hand dye or print. I am a fairly new weaver and love experimenting and making rag rugs.

    1. Hi Bethany, One of the best things about making rag rugs is getting to play with beautiful fabrics. There are two different blue fabrics here. They alternate. One is a solid blue with some variance in color, and the other is a small bright floral print. Both are 100% cotton quilting fabrics that I have left over from other rag rug weaving projects. Combining the two fabrics makes the blue very rich.

      Thanks for your kind words!
      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  2. Wisdom and patience and un-weaving prevailed. 40 minutes of weaving taken out. Wise! You would have spent the lifetime of the rug with your eye going to the mistake. Wisdom…a wonderful gift to us! He perfects us only a daily basis, if we allow. Always, I seek His wisdom and ask that He bless the work of my hands. This oftentimes means…un-weaving due to my mistake. I began weaving my sheep, late yesterday. When I removed the temple, I realized one had only 3 legs. You know the rest of my story….

    1. Hi Charlotte, Yes, if I had kept going (and I came so close to doing that), I would always have seen that one spot on the rug.

      Oh, yes, I know the rest of your story. Another lesson learned.

      Love,
      Karen

  3. I just faced the same dilemma. Something didn’t look right after several inches of weaving a project from Handwoven. So I stopped and googled “Handwoven corrections 2019” and sure enough there was a correction to the draft. I had to walk away and let it all sink in before I could unweave and then decide how to proceed. As I always tell myself, it’s only time.

    1. Hi Donns, Wise words – “it’s only time.” Time is something we all have. I’m glad you caught the mistake while you could still do something about it.

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  4. Wisdom…. A blessing to take another look before proceeding. I’ve learned so much from walking away to clear my head… Then when I return, the mistake is obvious.

    Is wisdom what happens between finishing and enjoying the journey?

    Blessings upon your journey.

  5. Isn’t that always the way? It’s soooo difficult in our minds, but easy once we actually do it. Happens over and over to me.

    Can’t wait to see this off the loom!

    1. Hi Betsy, I don’t know why I have to learn the same lesson over and over. Oh, for wisdom and patience to sink in.

      It will be a few more days, now, but I’m near the end of the rug.

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

    1. Hi Allison, Next time, maybe I will just do it instead of thinking about not wanting to do it. It sounds like you’ve been there, too.

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  6. Well I would just take a large darning needle anf go over the mistake and hide the ends. You will be more careful from now on Im sure. Ha ha. Who hasn’t done something like this?

    1. Hi Yvonne, Trust me, I considered doing just that. And I will probably need to darn other mistakes that I’ve missed. But I’m glad I went back to fix the error now. Easier, really, than covering it up later.

      I think we’ll all done something like this, haven’t we?

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

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