End of the Warp – Critter Napkins

Thank you for following along on this lengthy Critter Napkins project. Twelve critter napkins on the combination drawloom. These are hefty napkins with children in mind. Since showing you the roadrunner a few months ago, I have been busy weaving more critters. I have woven the final five, plus three bonus animals…

Texas Longhorn Steer. Longhorn steer, designed from a photo taken by Steve when the steer was passing through our property. You can see the legs of the humorous wild turkey on the cloth beam below.
Texas Spiny Lizard. This is a common lizard in Texas Hill Country.
Ringtail. Colloquially called “ringtail cat,” the ringtail is a completely nocturnal animal. Because of our game camera we know he has visited our back deck.
Raccoon. Mr. Raccoon tries to go unnoticed, but we have seen him taking figs from the fig tree and bird seed from the bird feeder.
Blackbuck Antelope. The beautiful blackbuck antelope is not native to Texas, but we often see these exotic animals in our area.

I have some warp left. I am pretty sure it is enough to weave one or two more napkins. But can I squeeze out three more? Maybe… I want to try. Luna, Toby, and Comet are the family dogs of our three children’s families. Perfect subjects for finishing out this warp.

Weaving the first two dogs, no problem. But as the back tie-on bar moves closer to the front every time I advance the warp, I begin to wonder if I’ve made a big mistake. The shed is decreasing. The children and grandchildren are all expecting their dogs to be woven. I can’t do two dogs, and not the third. Will I have to tie on warp to finish? Will I have to use a shed stick to open each shed? Or, use a stick shuttle to finish?

It is a true blessing from the Lord to be given a skill to develop, and to be able to use that skill. When I face a challenge in weaving, I know there is a way through it, and I have the skill to work it out. God made a way for each of us to finish well all the way to the end of our life, not through our own skill, but through faith in Jesus Christ. Our warp will be cut from the loom at just the right time. When that time comes, those who are in Jesus Christ will enjoy what we’ve been made for–to be with our Master Weaver forever. I imagine He will handle each woven cloth with delight as it comes off the loom, as a weaver does who has invested everything into the threads that were woven.

Here are the bonus animals–the family dog of each of our three children’s families. I asked the oldest child in the family to write the dog’s name, which I then converted into weaveable letters. I placed the dog’s name frontwards and backwards, so it can be read from either side of the cloth. I was able to reach the end of weaveable warp without using any extreme measures. Joy!

Luna is the fun-loving dog of our daughter Melody’s family. You can see the raccoon wrapping around the cloth beam.
Watch out for Toby’s tail. This happy dog belongs to our son Daniel’s family.
Our son Samuel’s family added cute little Comet to their home just a couple days before Christmas.
Narrow shed at the end, with a view of black dog Toby.

Please watch for my February 1st post. I will give you a complete rundown on all the finished and hemmed critter napkins.

~ February 1st will be the last scheduled blog post for Warped for Good. ~

I am still weaving, so I intend to share what’s going on with my looms here on Warped for Good, but in a spontaneous manner instead of a scheduled post on each first day of the month.

Grateful to have you here,
Karen

New Handwoven Band Is Just Right

I have an ample stash of handwoven bands. Still, I am making a new handwoven band that is “just right” for the strap on a simple shoulder bag I am making from a rag rug remnant. I pull several near-empty tubes of 12/6 cotton rug warp from the shelves to wind a five-meter warp. I enjoy finding bits of rug warp that can work together—all left over from various rag rug projects.

Using 12/6 cotton rug warp to thread the heddles on the Glimåkra two-treadle band loom.

I warp the band loom and start weaving. Ah, what a pleasure to make a specific strap for a specific bag! And all of it from what I have on hand. It’s a picture of the way love takes odds and ends like you and me, and finds a way to make us fit together.

Band for handbag strap is about 4.2cm wide. The warp is long enough for a handbag strap, plus a few meters extra. 🙂
Blue 12/6 cotton weft makes the selvedges look good, since it is the same blue as the outer threads on both sides of the band.
Band-loom weaving is rhythmic and relaxing. Some unevenness in the warp is evidenced by the slight curve at the fell line. I’m not worried. It will straighten itself out as I keep weaving.

It’s like preparing a simple meal for family. You figure out what you have, you scrape together what you can, and you spend time in the kitchen to put it all together. It’s not fancy, nor is it perfect. But it’s good. Love, after all, is the primary ingredient for a good family meal. Love is the primary ingredient for a lot of good things, isn’t it?

May your family meals be really good.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Handwoven Napkins for Real People

I have never woven napkins because napkins that are used get soiled. Why spend time weaving something you have to be so careful about? That is about to change. I am dressing the drawloom for napkins!

Drawloom 22/2 cottolin warp is beamed.

The napkins I have in mind are family-friendly napkins for all ages. They will get soiled, of course. They are made with grandchildren in mind–Cottolin warp and linen weft. I have a fun design for each napkin. And we’ll be ready to wipe any messy mouth. Napkins are made to get soiled.

Next step is to tie ends into threading groups to prepare for threading.

Wisdom is marked by a sense of calm. There is no dread of something ruining the day. If a little (or big) person soils a napkin, so be it. That will just serve to add a bit of history to the cloth. With a little wisdom, I’ll remain undisturbed.

May you listen to wisdom.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Happy New Warp – Year in Review Video

The 2021 cloth is cut from the loom. Let’s unroll the year to see how it looks. I see cherished moments. Treasured memories. New friendships. Family relationships enjoyed. Mistakes made. A few heartbreaks. Sorrow and rejoicing are intertwined at times. Besides the finished fabric, there are a few odd remnants worth keeping in my heart. And, like most thrums, there are some things I am not going to hold on to.

Cloth beam on the Glimakra Julia. Linen dish cloths.
Final project of 2021. Linen dish cloths, with warp made from what was left on several tubes of linen. Glimåkra Julia, using 8 shafts, 8 treadles.
Glimakra Julia - linen dish cloths!
Good-bye, 2021. Nine linen dish cloths, plus one large blue rectangle at the end. Washing dishes has never looked so good!

Three weaving highlights: 1. Eye of the Beholdertapestry of my mom. The Lord used the making and finishing of this woven portrait to reiterate His nearness when I needed it most. 2. Siblings, tapestry from the previous year, earned the HGA (Handweavers Guild of America) Award at the Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference last summer. 3. The yellow huckaback three-tiered skirt, Tiers of Joy, ought to earn an achievement award. However, the real reward is a genuine sense of accomplishment through perseverance.

Rag rugs up next!
First warp of 2022. Glimåkra Ideal. Double-binding rag rugs coming up. Hooray!

Know when to let go. 2022 is a new warp on the loom. Some things from last year don’t belong. We have a fresh start with no room for complaints. Threads on the loom are rich with hope, ready for the intersection of thoughtful wonder and exploration. Look for results of tangible beauty.

Please enjoy looking back at the weaving journey of 2021 with me. I’m grateful to have you here, and look forward to more good times together!

The three highlights: Process Review: Eye of the Beholder, Siblings Tapestry and Process Video, Process Review: Tiers of Joy!

May you know what to hold, and what to let go.

Happy New Warp (Year),
Karen

Process Review: House and Home Towels

House is a structure. Home is an atmosphere—an atmosphere of love. Three young mothers have made their houses into homes. These are the mothers of my grandchildren, and I am giving a personalized towel to each of them. The combination drawloom is my favorite tool for an undertaking like this. (Be sure to watch the video/slideshow below to see the whole process!)

Myrehed Combination Drawloom, with 45 pattern shafts and 148 single units.
Glimåkra 120cm Standard Loom with Myrehed Combination Drawloom, using 45 pattern shafts and 148 single units.

First up is the Peach Jam towel to hang in my house, where all the families come for flavors of home. Next is Melody’s towel, with a whimsical cottage as Home (which can be read from front or back). Marie’s towel copies the cover of one of her favorite books, The Wise Woman. And Lindsay, a homeschool mom, has a towel that shows the wordplay humor that her family enjoys, Home’s Cool. A house is for people; come on in. A home is for family; welcome home.

Weaving personalized towels on the drawloom.
Whimsical house with whimsical flowers makes a whimsical, joyful home! Single units form the flowers under the houses. Pattern shafts hold the thread units that are raised for the three houses and the side border little squares and flowers.
Ceramic bell from my trip to Germany. Whimsical house.
Melody’s towel design is derived from this ceramic bell that I brought home from my trip to Germany. Melody is especially fond of the bell, which hangs in my drawloom studio.
Drawloom - pattern shafts and single units.
Smoke rises from the chimney, and lush trees surround the home. There is evidence of a growing family here. Chances are, Mom and Dad are reading books by the fire. And seeds are being planted that will mature into living trees.
Drawloom - combination pattern shafts and single units.
Bells ring in the towers of the schoolhouses. Single units are used for the numbers and letters on the side borders, and for the words above the pattern-shaft schoolhouses.

Join me in watching the whole process, all the way to the finished towels (several months compressed into a few minutes):

May your house be a welcome home.

With affection,
Karen