Tag: courage

This Takes Effort

Karen

The cloth beam is filling up with rugs. The fuller the cloth beam gets, the more muscle it takes for me to crank up the warp tension. I put all my weight into it. Literally. First, I agressively turn the wheel at the back beam to tighten the ratchet. Then, I grab two spokes of the breast beam‘s wheel, put a knee or foot on another spoke, and pull back with all my might, adding an appropriate grunt!

Simple block design for patterned rag rug. Karen Isenhower
Because of tight warp tension, it is possible to firmly pull the weft around the selvedge ends, creating snug edges on the sides of the rug.

Why keep the tension so extremely tight? Because of the outcome–good rugs. Rugs that are sturdy, have snug selvedges, and lay completely flat. Hopefully, my effort will outlast me, as the rugs continue to serve people long after I’m gone.

It takes tremendous effort to hold on to courage when hope is slipping. After cranking up the tension for so long, the thought of keeping it up becomes overwhelming. One word of en-courage-ment from a friend breaks through hopelessness: God will see you through. Hope is restored, not based on feelings or positive thoughts, but based on believing God.

Keep up your courage. Only a few more turns and you’ll be there. The rugs will be finished; and you will know you did what you were called to do. Keep up your courage, friend.

May your good efforts outlast you.

Pulling for you,
Karen

Brave Enough to Weave

Karen

This is my first double width attempt, and it makes me nervous. Dressing the loom feels intimidating when you are trying something new. Each layer has its own warp chains and its own set of lease sticks. And eleven colors–will they end up in the correct order? My uncertainty makes me feel like a beginner again.

Colorful wool warp beamed using warping trapeze. Karen Isenhower
Colorful wool warp travels over the breast beam, under the foot beam, and over the crossbar of the warping trapeze while it is being beamed onto the warp beam. Each layer of the double weave warp has two bouts. Walking weights hang on the bouts to add resistance for beaming the warp with even tension. Afternoon sun plays along by creating changing designs on the hanging warp.

Stepping through uncertainty takes bravery, and a bit of “Oh well, it is what it is.” Even ordinary weaving is filled with uncertainty. You don’t know if you succeeded in dressing the loom properly until you start weaving. And you don’t totally see how your weaving looks until it comes off the loom. Even then, the fabric has more to reveal when it is wet finished. Weaving is not for cowards.

Beaming complete for wool double-width blanket.
Beaming complete for wool double-width blanket. This view causes me to respect the process that brings me to this point of accomplishment.

Doing the next thing with courage does make a difference. It is like that with prayer. When I face a new difficulty, I struggle to know what to pray. I feel like a beginner again. But I keep coming back to this comforting thought: God always listens to the heart as much as to the words. God does not look for a “leader” who prays, he looks for an ordinary person who has faith to hear and obey. This is the person whose prayers reach God’s ears.

May you have courage for the next thing.

Learning,
Karen

Nine Color Towel

Karen

It may look like there is no rhyme or reason, but there is a thoughtful pattern behind this arrangement of weft colors. …Okay, it is somewhat random; and, truthfully, I am making up the pattern as I go. It is refreshing to have the freedom to use up bobbins of color. I consider it a welcome challenge to create a visually vibrant fabric that is not a cluttered cloth.

Nine quills of 16/2 cotton. Colorful towel up next.
Nine quills of 16/2 cotton. Trying out different arrangements of colors.

Our prayers can be like the assorted quills with varying amounts of thread in an array of colors. These are the needs, small and big, that we bring to the Lord. Can he make anything good out of all of this? What can he do about my concerns? Does he even hear me? Do my needs or hopes make a difference to Him? Am I saying my prayers in the “right” way?

Nine-color towel on the loom. Karen Isenhower
Wide, narrow, dark, light. Nine colors are purposefully arranged in this cotton towel. Treadling variations help complete the multi-color composition.

It takes courage to have faith when you pray. In a world where “seeing is believing,” the eye of faith says, “believing is seeing.” Faith is expecting something to happen when you pray. It’s trusting the grand weaver to know how to arrange this assortment of leftover threads and make something good out of it.

May you take courage.

With you,
Karen

~The Etsy coupon on my About Page is good for two more days. It’s my ThankYou to you.~

Relaxed Rosepath Rag Rugs

Karen

As soon as the cloth is cut from the loom, the threads begin to relax. On the loom, the warp width for these rag rugs was 27 inches (68.5 cm). How quickly everything can change! Now, spread out on the floor, the width has already narrowed to 25 inches (63.5 cm). In a week or two, the width will have narrowed by another 1/2 inch (1.25 cm). [How do I know? THIS CHRISTMAS RUG, cut from this same warp a few weeks ago, is now 24 1/2 inches (62.25 cm) wide.] Since all the looming tension is over, these rugs can just lay back and relax. Haha! That’s how I feel whenever a few demanding weeks or months finally come to a close.

Rosepath Rag Rugs just off the loom!
Not yet cut apart, three new rosepath rag rugs await final finishing. Wefts will be secured by tying warp ends into knots; and hems will be pressed and stitched.

We do need the experiences that stretch us, and we need the relaxed times as well. Life will always have its ups and downs, but there is one thing that brings consistency through it all. Faith. Faith looks back and remembers being rescued; and faith looks forward into the unknown with courage. A life of faith is a life that is full. Not full of stuff or projects, but full of meaning.

Love. Belief. Joy. These are the gifts we bring to our rescuer. Our faith in him is rewarded with his own nearness. So, whether stretched or at ease, we know with confidence that we are loved.

May your faith be renewed.

Love,
Karen

You Can Start Over

Karen

New beginnings. Same warp, but a new rosepath rag rug. This one may be better than the last. We won’t know until the rugs are all unrolled from the cloth beam at the end. I varied the colors, the treadling, and the hems for the rugs on this warp. I wanted to start over with each new rug. A fresh start means a chance to make fewer mistakes, and it’s an opportunity to do something different.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom. Karen Isenhower
Fourth rosepath rug on this warp. The stripes are created by alternating two weft colors in plain weave. The rosepath strip is created by alternating two weft colors in a rosepath treadling pattern.

Are you getting a fresh start for this new year? A new start gives us the courage to break out of a rut, or to walk away from bad habits. Who doesn’t have unstoppable optimism with new resolutions? As we are pressed by time and real life, though, our hope and enthusiasm wear away much too soon. A successful new beginning requires a new outlook; otherwise, the discouragement is even greater when we find ourselves on the old familiar path that was leading nowhere.

Our grand weaver’s perspective transcends human time. He sees the end as clearly as the beginning. Thankfully, the new beginning that he offers brings us a hope-filled outlook that makes corrective change possible. He opens our eyes to see the threads he is faithfully weaving that bring our new beginnings into his story.

(Thank you for coming into my *virtual* weaving studio for a friendly chat. Warped for Good still feels like a new endeavor to me after these nine months of getting started. I deeply appreciate all the encouragement you have given me!)

Here are the three posts that were the most popular in 2013: Quiet Friday: Rag Rugs, Conversation with Becky Ashenden, and Quiet Friday (Rosepath Band)

May your best accomplishments outlast you!

Happy Weaving,
Karen