I have a single skein of colorful cotton/bamboo sock yarn that a sweet friend gave to me. I’m not a knitter. What can I do with a mere 50 grams of silky-soft yarn? My 13.5” Glimåkra Emilia rigid-heddle loom is perfect for the task. When I’m at home I weave on floor looms. When I travel I like to take Emilia along.
This is called “Make Do” warping while away from home.Emilia is beamed and the heddle is threaded. Ready to tie on and start weaving.Now, a trip to visit some wonders of creation in Texas. Time to bring Emilia along. Weaving in “La Perlita,” our Casita Travel Trailer.Weaving outside the Casita in the shade of a tree is a relaxing way to spend the afternoon.Two shades of bamboo thread are used for the weft–hot pink and coral–woven in alternating blocks of color.Santa Elena Canyon in Big Bend National Park. Poppies in the foreground provide color inspiration for more weaving projects.Hemstitching at the end of the scarf, easiest to do while still on the loom.
One skein of this yarn yields just enough to make the warp for a short scarf with fringe. I am using Xie Bamboo thread for the weft, left from the huck lace shawl I wove for myself to wear to my daughter’s wedding six years ago (See Quiet Friday: Coral Shawl for a Memorable Occasion). This thinner weft gives me a loose weave, and the color blends in a way that allows the changing color of the warp to take center stage.
Back home again, doing the finishing. Fringe is trimmed to an even length.Trimmed.Twisting fringe. (For more on twisting fringe, see Tools Day: Fringe Twister.)Fringe twisted.Before hand washing.Scarf has been air dried, and the fringe knots have been trimmed. This soft short scarf is just right to wear with a light jacket in the Texas autumn air.
Now that this scarf is finished, the only thing left to do is make sure I have a new warp ready for Emilia in time for our next travel adventure.
My intention is to weave fabric for a couple of cushy throw pillows. But after just one pattern repeat, I realize that this cloth on my brand new Glimåkra Julia is something I would like to wear! No pillows this time. Instead, here is my new autumn/winter shoulder wrap, embellished with frisky swinging fringes. Miss Julia has proven her worth on four-shaftJämtlandsdräll (crackle) in 6/2 Tuna wool. Her next adventure will be something that explores all eight shafts. (See My New Glimåkra Julia Loom.)
Finished wrap. Ready for cool weather!
This project starts with the draft for the Jämtlandsdräll Blanket on p.59 of Simple Weaves, by Birgitta Bengtsson Björk and Tina Ignell. Tuna yarn samples, along with Fiberworks Silver for Mac, help me jazz up the color. I settle on three colors for the warp, with burnt orange as the anchor. Six different colors are used for the pattern weft, plus dark teal for the tabby.
Paint chips, Tuna yarn samples, and Fiberworks Silver for Mac aid my planning process.Colors! Let’s see how they work together on the loom.Beaming the warp.Daylight, plus colorful yarn. As summer is warming up outside, Julia is dressed warmly inside.There is something about weaving with a double-bobbin shuttle that I especially enjoy.Some color gradation in the pattern.Miss Julia, filling up her cloth beam.Ending with a few picks of plain weave.Thrums at the end of the warp will serve as fringe.Cutting off, giving a view of the back side of the cloth. Front and back have reverse images.Jämtlandsdräll, just off the loom.Much to my pleasant surprise, after removing (unweaving) my short sample weaving at the beginning, and untying the front tie-on knots, I had the EXACT same length of fringe–to the centimeter–on both ends of the woven wrap. Overhand knots secure the weft. Two groups of four warp strands each form each chunky fringe. Now, this wrap is ready for wet-finishing.
This is one of those times when the weaving is so satisfying that I truly don’t want the warp to come to an end. (…except that I’m excited to start on Julia’s second adventure!)
You could say I finished these scarves too late. Winter in Texas has come and gone. But I prefer to think of it as considerably early. When cool weather comes back around in a few months, I’ll be ready. I began with the draft for the lovely Stardust scarf, designed by Mona Nielsen, published in Happy Weaving, from VävMagasinet, p.74. I simply substituted the yarn and colors in the book with what I had on hand.
Warp is mostly 6/2 Tuna wool, with some 7.5/2 Brage wool included.Made with yarn on hand. This means that additional stripes have been added to the plan.Weaving by the fire in the middle of winter. Mora 20/2, a fine wool, is used for weft.Two scarves coming off the loom.Fringes are cut and twisted.
The scarves are delightful, but the icing on the cake is the addition of fluffy, furry pompoms, an embellishment with youthful flair. And that is exactly what I will put on at the first sign of autumn chill.
Some of the thrums are used in making pompoms.With the Pom and Tassel Maker by Red Heart I can make seven pompoms at a time. I wrapped the yarn around 100 times, making full and thick pompoms.Each furry ball is shaped and trimmed. I used 8/2 cotton for the 12″ tie around the center of the pompoms.Each pompom is stitched to 3 – 4 twisted fringes. Seven pompoms at each end of the scarf.Now, the scarves are ready for wet finishing. Notice how you can see the separate strands of yarn in the pompoms before they are washed.Scarves have been washed by hand in warm water in a large sink, with Eucalan delicate wash. I purposely gave them as much agitation as I could by hand. They are hanging to dry. Notice how the pompoms have slightly felted, making them even more soft and furry.Winter scarf amid spring bluebonnets in Texas hill country.
Some things are certain. The sun will rise tomorrow. The seasons will follow their schedule. The faithfulness of the Lord our God will never end.
Everything starts with an idea. And some of those ideas become tangible expressions of dreams come true. Who knew that a simple idea in 2012 would lead to a seven-year exploration of weaving through The Big Book of Weaving? (See Weaving through The Big Book.) Who knew that weaving on a drawloom in 2016 at Homestead Fiber Crafts would plant the idea of weaving on a drawloom of my own? (see Quiet Friday: Day at the Drawloom.) And who knew that an idea in 2013 to write about my weaving journey, calling it Warped for Good, would bring friends like you to come and enjoy the journey with me? For these things and so much more, I am truly grateful.
Siblings Tapestry is three centimeters away from completion.Single-unit drawloom rag rug is ten centimeters into testing everything–draw cords, sheds, shuttles. After a few more adjustments the actual rag rug weaving will commence.
Your ideas are priceless. That’s because you are priceless. You were made in God’s image, with the ability to imagine wonderful intricacies through creative thinking. In fact, you began as God’s idea. As we walk with him, we become the tangible expression of his dream come true.
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and sit here with me to reminisce over the past weaving year.
Merry Christmas Eve to you. Looms are quietly waiting to resume their rhythm. Meanwhile, songs of joy and hope fill the air because the Savior of the world is born.
1. The Standard Pictorial tapestry, with only 6 centimeters of the cartoon remaining.2. The Ideal Second rosepath rag rug completed. Two short rugs yet to be woven on this warp.3. The Little Loom First of two scarves is started. I am using the Stardustdraft by Mona Nielsen, published in Happy Weaving, from Vävmagasinet, but with yarn and colors of my choosing.4. The Drawloom Warp is threaded and tied-on. Single-unit draw cords have been prepared. Next step: Attaching draw cords to pattern units. And then, tie uptreadles and start weaving!
May your night be silent and holy, calm and bright.
