Karen – Page 151 – Warped for Good

Thanks Giving

November 26, 2013November 25, 2013 Karen

Loved ones are filling my home this week, so why not include them in weaving endeavors? My son Daniel took the challenge to create a Thanksgiving image on graph paper that I could weave in Bound Rosepath. A turkey pilgrim!

Bound Rosepath turkey pilgrims with black hats. — Five shuttles carry the colors of Brage wool yarn for this bound rosepath weave on a 16/3 linen warp. Look at the orange to see the turkey pilgrims with black hats.

Give thanks. Pilgrims, turkeys, families, generations of freedom. The American story handed down through the ages.

Give thanks for the food.
Give thanks for the blessings.
Give thanks for your family coming together from near and far.
Give thanks to your family.
Give thanks to your friends.

But above all, oh, give thanks to our creator, for he is good; for his love goes on and on and on without end.

May your thankful heart ring with joy.

Thankful,
Karen

The Secret to Making Lattice Fringe

November 22, 2013October 9, 2014 Karen

First, a short tutorial for tying ~~perfect~~ lattice fringe, and then some thoughts about keeping our eyes open to reality. I decided to tie three rows of knots with this fringe for a pretty lattice effect, knowing the results are worth the time it takes.

How to Tie Lattice Fringe – Step-by-Step Tutorial

Supplies:

7/8″ (2 cm) blue rigid foam insulation (mine is Dow Styrofoam Residential Sheathing Insulation, found at The Home Depot or Lowes), cut to 32 x 36″ (81 x 91 cm) (This great idea came from Thrums, one of my favorite weaving blogs.)
16 straight pins
7/8″ (2 cm) warping slat (or template of desired width)

1. The first row of overhand knots has been tied. (More detail HERE.) Lay the fabric over the foam board, with the fringe laying toward you at the front of the board.

2. Place a straight pin through the top thread of each of several knots in a row, into the foam board under the fabric.

3. Use warping slat (or other template) as as spacing guide for the second row of knots. Lay warping slat flat, and place it flush against the row of pins. Using the width of the warping slat as a spacer, place a pin in the second row just below the slat, at the point where the knot will be formed.

4. Remove warping slat. Loosely tie an overhand knot below the just-placed pin in the second row, leaving the center of the knot wide open.

5. Insert another pin through the center of the knot just a fraction below the point of the first pin.

6. Slowly pull the knot to cinch it up to the point of the second pin.

7. Holding the knot firmly between the fingers of one hand, with your other hand gently tug each strand of the knot to its full length.

8. Continue tying knots across the entire row.

9. Repeat the process to add another row of knots.

My confidence in my ability to tie these knots can drift into careless thinking. Maybe I’m good enough at this that I can leave out some steps. Do I really need that guide stick for spacing the rows? I think I can eyeball it. Pulling each strand to close the knot takes too much time. Why don’t I just skip that part? And soon, I am blind to the haphazard results I am creating. Pride is like that. In relationships and in life circumstances, though, the consequences are more severe than in fringe-tying.

Pride keeps me from seeing my own vulnerabilities. Pride puts me in harm’s way because it blinds me to the reality of my own shortcomings, and makes me think I’m above it all. I want to keep my eyes open to my need to learn and grow. Who wants to drift into haphazard results in life? Not I. Not you, either?

May you never be blind to the things that matter.

Feeling vulnerable,
Karen

You Thought You Were Finished?

November 19, 2013October 9, 2014 Karen

Tying the fringe into careful overhand knots is taking longer than the time it took to weave the three-yard-plus length of fabric. I would rather just do the weaving part. But without clearly defining the edges of the woven cloth by securing the ends, the whole fabric is at risk of unravelling. (To view this alpaca/Tencel throw on the loom, click HERE and HERE.) We form distinct edges on our life’s fabric through the interactions we have with people around us.

Tying fringe on handwoven lace weave alpaca shawl. — Each knot of six warp ends were carefully tied around a straight pin, snuggling the knot right up to the edge of the fabric. As the knot is tied, I gentle pull each strand individually, which secures the knot and gives an even finish.

With relationships, it is tempting to take the easy way out. Quicker, painless, and less stressful. But it is the challenges from other people that help define who we are. Without the clarity of knowing what we stand for, we are at risk of falling for anything. Don’t avoid the often tedious work of making sure all your ends are secure.

Our challenges to each other sharpen us, finishing us for a greater purpose. Like iron sharpening iron, it is the abrasion that sharpens us, defines our edges, and brings the point of our lives into focus. All those loose ends tied into knots–ahh, the process is worth it.

May your finishing edges be as beautiful as you are.

With a few more loose ends,
Karen

The Best Kind of Thankfulness

November 15, 2013November 14, 2013 Karen

Rosepath (Rosengång) is a motif that shows up frequently in Scandinavian textiles. I love seeing rosepath in any setting, but rosepath is at its best, arguably, when it is used for borders and accents on otherwise ordinary cloth. This four-shaft rosepath is well-suited for rag rugs, giving delightful visual results. Because it uses two ski shuttles and fancy footwork on the treadles, I must be deliberately attentive. (Click HERE to view my other Rosepath projects.) If there is to be a positive motif in the fabric of our lives, we must be deliberate about that, as well.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. — The characteristic dot in the rosepath motif is clearly visible in the high-contrast red/tan accent. The dot is still visible, but not as obvious in the lower-contrast mottled green/tan accent.

People want to be remembered. Stop for a minute and think about the people you are connected with–family members, friends, co-workers, acquaintances. Think about how thankful you are for them. Thankfulness is an outstanding motif. Not just thankful for what people give you or do for you, but simply thankful that they are here.

One of the best ways to love someone is to remember them when you’re talking with the creator, thanking him for putting them in your life. Thinking thankful thoughts is nice, but deliberately thanking the one who makes it possible is even better. That thankfulness shows up as the defining motif in all our interactions with the people we’ve been given to love.

May your thankful heart be the delightful motif that others see.

Thankful for you,
Karen

Tools Day: These 6 Apps Are Great for Weavers!

November 12, 2013November 11, 2013 Karen

I love mixing new technology with the old, passed-down tradition of handweaving. My iPhone has become a regular accessory in my daily routines. Since my iPhone is usually in my back pocket, the ease of using apps as weaving tools makes a lot of sense. (These apps are useful, even if you are not a weaver.)

Here are my favorite apps for weaving and how I use them:

Things gives me a simple way to organize my daily activities and responsibilities. I especially like the way I can break down a weaving project into parts or steps.

Kitchen Calculator makes conversions between metric and imperial units super easy. I use it to convert weight units and length units of thread and yarn.

WolframAlpha is my go-to app for more complicated calculations, such as when I want to convert two numbers in an equation. Some websites list yarn in grams/yards, which makes no sense to me. This app does the heavy-lifting math so my brain can save itself for more creative work.

My Library keeps a list of all the books in my weaving library. This certainly helps keep me from duplicating purchases. The books are organized by category in the app, so I have them arranged the same way on my bookshelf, making it easy to find a particular book.

OfficeTime – Time and Expense Tracking makes it easy to track the time for every phase of a weaving project. I can also set a dollar amount per hour, so I can see the cost of labor at a glance.

Google Translate helps me make sense of my stack of Swedish weaving books. I type Swedish words and it translates back to me in English. Usually the translation is not quite right, but close enough that I can understand what it means.

Have you found apps that are useful for weaving? Please tell about them in the comments!

May you reach a new level of efficiency that makes room for even more creativity.

Thankful,
Karen