Handweaver and 'cellist, married to Prince Charming, mother of three superheros and three superhero-in-loves, and Lola to nine little princes and princesses. Life is a handwoven treasure, filled with hidden melodies.
Cotton, linen, wool. Thick, thin, slick, rough, smooth, bumpy. Yarn comes in so many shapes and sizes. But, oh, it’s the colors that draw me in. I love a wall of yarn! I don’t need to have it all, I just want to look at it. Thread on tubes looks spectacular, piled up in cubbies. Yarn in skeins looks inviting. Yarn, thread, fiber… Whatever you want to call it, may I have just a little more, please?
I love the circles of colors and the “O’s” of the tubes! It’s as if they all have their little mouths open.Class time at Vävstuga often means playing with colors.Decisions, decisions… Which linen color would you choose?Dahlia on the Bridge of Flowers, just outside the Vävstuga weaving studio.Cotton, anyone? This is a fun wall of color! It is the backdrop to the table where we wind our quills at Vävstuga.Another Dahlia that caught my attention! I like the raggedy edges. Imagine blending yarn in these colors.Yarn on skeins will be wound into balls to be prepared for weaving.What can I say? I never get tired of seeing the thread color circles!
Please come back next week for the lively conversation I had with Swedish weaving expert and founder of Vävstuga Weaving School, Becky Ashenden, in her living room. Find out what makes her tick!
This Swedish rosepath is a weft-faced structure, which means the warp is covered by the weft. (To see more of what I wove during my week at Vävstuga Classics, click HERE and HERE.) Yes, you can see this linen warp preceding and following the woven wool weft, but if you look at just the patterned area, the warp is not visible. The treadling is simple (weaving on opposites); and because of many possibilities with pattern and color, designing at the loom is incredibly fun! Do you ever think about the warp that lies under the pattern and color of your life?
Warp is 16/3 Line Linen (Bockens) and weft is Brage Wool Yarn (Borgs). Treadle one is paired with treadle three, and treadle two is paired with treadle four. This simple treadling, combined with color choices, provides endless design possibilities.
At times I find myself so involved in my day-to-day activities that I only think about what needs to get done, forgetting the unseen warp that provides the inner strength I need.
Inspired by New England’s autumn foliage, this piece is an attempt to capture the glory on display in creation.
Our creator’s goodness is so constant we can overlook it, forgetting how much we need his goodness to sustain our lives. And it is his unending love that gives meaning and stability to the overlaying patterns and colors that form our days. You do not have to see the warp with your eyes to know it is hidden within the beautiful rosepath weaving. The scenic autumn New England countryside that I enjoyed last week is the creator’s rosepath on display!
(Next week: You don’t want to miss my exclusive conversation with Becky Ashenden, the delightful master weaver of Vävstuga.)
Scheduled days filled with laughter, intense concentration, the pounding sounds of a roomful of weaving looms hard at work, aromas of incredible meals being prepared, camaraderie, tips and tricks from a master weaver, satisfying exhaustion after a full day of learning and weaving. That’s what Vävstuga is like. I am enjoying every minute of it.
May you find something delightful to make with your hands.
I am in Massachusetts this week for Vävstuga Classics–a weaving class. It is a beautiful time of year to be in New England. The foliage is making a show in brilliant colors–a perfect backdrop to inspire weaving. In this class we are studying in depth several classic weave structures commonly found in traditional Swedish handwoven textiles. Old and new friends, common interests, great conversations, a superb teacher. I couldn’t ask for more.
A closer sett(30 epi instead of 24 epi) would have produced a firmer fabric, more suitable for bag-making. But, as Steve would say,
It is what it is.
I did make one very pretty bag, lined with blue satin. But because of the airy weave, I was not enthused about making three more bags. The fabric itself is stunning; it’s just not bag fabric. When things do not turn out the way we envision, it feels confusing and unsettling.
Two-toned beaded linen wrap and beaded linen bag. The fabric is woven with 16/1 linen, warp and weft, in a traditional Swedish three-treadle weave structure.
I invested much time, attention, and resources into this unique iridescent cloth that has little glass beads woven into it (click HERE to see it on the loom)… Now what? In my unsettled thoughts I struggled to find a good solution.
And then…In a playful moment, I threw the cloth over my shoulders and looked in the mirror. Ahhh, pretty! Then I wrapped it around my neck like a scarf. Ohhh, nice! Being 100% linen, it is a little stiff, but putting it through the gentle cycle of the washer has softened it. Wearing it will soften it even more.
In times of uncertainty, we may think we missed the creator’s plan. Be on the lookout, though, for his nearness. The part of the plan that we do not see until we are smack dab in the middle of it is the part where his nearness is revealed.
May you find solutions to your biggest challenges.
