Author: Karen

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.

Bright Yellow Rug Warp?

Karen

Finally, one bright yellow tube of rug warp is coming off the shelf! Bright yellow is subdued by pairing it with tan, making a creamy neutral warp for my next set of rag rugs. I bought the tube of yellow 12/6 cotton for half price on a clearance sale a few years ago. What was I thinking? I haven’t used yellow in a rug warp before, but it looks like this is going to work.

Winding a warp on the warping reel is my kind of fun. This warp chain is ready to take to the loom.
Warp is brought to the loom in three bouts. This series of rag rugs will be an exploration of Jamtlandsdräll.

Keep an ongoing conversation with the Lord. Sometimes it takes a while for us to understand the direction he has for us. It’s like looking at that yellow tube of thread, until finally you gain the courage to take it off the shelf. Right then, you notice the tan thread. The answer has been there all along.

May you enjoy a good long conversation.

With you,
Karen

Eleventh Broken Twill Placemat

Karen

It’s a temptation to hurry up when I am this close to the end of the warp. There is only one more placemat to weave, plus a little extra warp after that. I remind myself that there is no reason to rush. A steady pace helps me avoid careless errors that I’m prone to when I’m in a hurry. I’ll have all twelve placemats soon enough.

Broken twill in two blocks.
Green 22/2 Cottolin warp, and 8/1 tow linen weft in dark blue, green, teal, and black. Orange “cutting line” between placemats.
Glimåkra Julia, using eight shafts and eight treadles. Cloth beam is filling up nicely.
Eleventh placemat out of twelve. One more to go, plus a little bit of extra warp.

The Lord shows us how to live. He directs us in a way that sets a steady pace for life. No need to hurry. Enjoy each moment as a gift from his hand.

May your days be free from hurry.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Fox on the Drawloom Is Simply Complex

Karen

Gray Fox is showing his stride. That bushy tail is impressive. On the drawloom I get to determine exactly where that tail will swish. Where the tail crosses into the side border, I switch from pulling one pattern shaft draw handle to pulling individual single unit draw cords. That’s where the complexity of the combination drawloom really shines. It gives me extraordinary flexibility for weaving the designs I have in mind.

Hem area is black. Wide gold checked border goes across the bottom and top of the napkin, and up both sides.
Pattern shafts hold the units needed for the horizontal and vertical borders. The vertical border checks are produced with just two pattern shafts. Where the vertical border is interrupted, I am able to choose the single units needed to fill the pattern. (This also means that I use single units directly across on the left border, too.)
Just past midway on this napkin.

In some ways I think of the drawloom as a tool of simplicity. Despite the countless cords and shafts, every piece has a simple purpose. Each single unit draw cord, for example, simply lifts a single unit of 6 threads. That’s all it does. Complexity is a matter of perspective.

May you enjoy the simple things you find in complexity.

All the best,
Karen

Is it a Rug or Is it Art?

Karen

Spaced rep rag rugs are off the loom! Follow the pictures to see how they came out, and the surprising thing I am doing with one of them. (It was Steve’s idea.)

Short piece at end of warp gives opportunity for exploring design ideas. Specifically, I am changing weft colors separately from changes of treadling pattern.
Cloth beam satisfaction.
Reverse side is always seen first.
Fascinated with how new fabric folds like ribbons on the floor, and how the warping slats look like a game of Pick-up Sticks.
Still looking at the reverse side. Loom cleanup begins.
After cutting off, the piece undergoes finishing. First, I tie warp ends into knots, which takes me about 2 hours per rug. Then I hand hem the rug using 12/6 cotton rug warp. And finally, I give the rug a good steam pressing, which helps even things out, shrink things together a bit, and makes the rug lay flat.
One warp, four rugs. First small rug (not seen) went to my friend Nancy at a Christmas gift exchange. Last small rug (from the end of the warp) has an irregular repeating pattern. The two longer rugs have a place in our home. Did I say “rug?”
If you hang a rag rug on the wall it becomes art. If you hang it on the massive stone fireplace it makes a house a home.

Be different in a good way. Be set apart from things that entertain the world. Find your pleasure in things that please the Lord—like creativity, beauty, and love poured into your home.

May you express yourself in positive ways.

God bless your home,
Karen