A boat shuttle is clearly the best way to send weft thread across a 45-inch (114 cm) warp. The pleasing rhythm of weaving is possible because of this very simple tool. Even so, the shuttle is merely a vehicle for the thread. Music is another kind of vehicle.
Plain weave, with evenly-spaced lace weave squares. The alpaca/Tencel yarn is soft, yet very easy to work with.
I doubt there is a more effective vehicle for carrying a message than music. Surely you have noticed how ideas spread across the culture via songs, and how easily we retain words that are attached to a tune. Boat shuttles were invented because handweavers needed a way to send weft thread across a distance. Maybe music was invented because we needed a way to send messages that matter.
I would like to send a message across time and space. I’ll wrap the words around a quill, and insert it in the boat shuttle. And then, momentarily holding the shuttle just so, I’ll release the song with a flick of my wrist, sending the message to the one who means the most to me. A joyful pronouncement of my creator’s goodness and love, set to musical expression. Brings a smile from heaven, don’t you think? And as that shuttle continues, in the rhythm of the weaving, the thread of the simple song ends up leaving a pattern in the cloth.
The weaving width of my Glimåkra Standard loom is 47 inches (120 cm). This alpaca/Tencel throw is 45 inches (114 cm) wide in the reed. I am using my loom’s width to its full capacity! That’s exciting and frightening at the same time. This big reach is a stellar accomplishment for a 5′ 1″ (155 cm) gal like me. In more substantial matters, I would rather play it safe than face something too big to handle. You, too?
675 ends of alpaca/Tencel yarn, with 15 EPI (ends per inch), tied in one-inch increments to the front tie-on bar. The leveling string makes it possible to begin weaving the sample with the very first pick.
It is easy to fail when throwing a shuttle across a wide warp. The shuttle stops short, takes a nosedive in the middle, or flies to the floor on the other side. But persistence wins in the end. Have you seen how an offense creates a gap between people? Forgiveness bridges that gap. The widest gaps are the hardest ones to face, but forgiveness is still the bridge. It is worth the risk, and it is worth the failed attempts. Your hand must let go of the shuttle–therein is the risk and the reward.
Forgiveness, widely extended, enables us to live at our full capacity. Be brave and face something bigger than yourself. With perseverance, you’ll see the shuttle make it all the way across.
When yarn comes on tubes or cones I can use it as is for weaving, but when the yarn comes in skeins I need to do some prep before I can use it for weaving. (HERE is how these skeins looked when I got them.) I use my Beka Yarn Swift and Royal Ball Winder to convert skeins of yarn into balls that I can use for winding my next warp. Most of my weaving friends use an umbrella yarn swift, but I like my Beka swift that I have had for thirty years. (If I do get an umbrella swift someday, I will get one like THIS.)
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Weaving tools: Yarn Swift and Ball Winder
Yarn swift on the white table turns quietly and effortlessly as the yarn is wound onto the ball winder clamped to a wooden barstool placed near the table.
How to use a yarn swift and ball winder:
Carefully open out the skein of yarn, and notice how it is tied.
Place your two arms through the center of the ring of yarn. Sharply pull your arms apart, so the skein is fully outstretched. Turn the circle of yarn about a half-turn, and sharply pull your arms apart again. This will help even out the skein and make it unwind smoothly.
Carefully place the opened skein over the yarn swift.
Loosen or clip the threads (often tied in a figure-eight) that are tied around the skein; be sure to hold onto the two loose ends of the skein, the beginning and end tails.
Take the beginning tail and feed it to the ball winder.
Turn the ball winder handle with one hand, and allow the yarn to loosely glide through your other hand to help maintain an even tension as you wind.
When all the yarn has been wound onto the ball winder, remove ball of yarn by carefully pulling it up and off. (If you want a center-pull ball, which I don’t, be sure to grasp the beginning tail so it is not lost inside the ball.)
Neatly wrap the outer end around the outside of the ball so it is ready to be used.
If it weren’t for these tools, I would need a very patient helper to hold the skein of yarn between their hands just so, while I would take the end and gradually wind the yarn into a ball. I’m thankful for tools! (Steve is, too.)
Wisdom tools: Work and Thinking Ahead
Work means doing what needs to be done. If I’m a slacker about winding skeins into balls, I’ll have nothing to weave, and no woven handiwork to show.
Ready to wind the warp for the next project on my Glimåkra Standard–an alpaca-tencel shawl with a lace weave.
Solomon had this to say –
The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
What about other areas in life? What needs to be done now to ensure fruit in the next season?
Next up on the big loom (Glimåkra Standard): Alpaca and tencel blend yarn, golden brown, to be woven in lace and plain weave to make a shawl. Wear faith and love as a protection for your heart, as you would wrap yourself with a handwoven shawl for comfort and warmth. Be prepared for the cool days of autumn and winter.
Alpaca 65% Tencel 35%, approximately 2400 yards per pound. This very fine, lightweight yarn should be perfect for a lacy shawl.
I am thankful our creator has given us security in the shawl of faith and love he has woven for us.
May you stay warm and secure as the days get cool.
