My attention has been on the other loom for a couple weeks, but I have managed to sneak in to the big loom and add a little bit to this monksbelt project. I would like to have more to show, but this is it. What a contrast between the fast plain weave baby wrap (see Quiet Friday: Woven Baby Wrap) and this very slow two-shuttle monksbelt. I enjoy weaving both. There’s a time for fast; and there’s a time for slow.
White on white puts dramatic space between sections of color.
Each type of weaving produces a specific type of cloth. Very different textures. Very different purposes. Each beautiful in its own way. This reminds me of people, fashioned by the Lord. Individuals suited to specific tasks with purpose and meaning. This is our life discovery, to live the way our maker had in mind when he fashioned us with his hands.
Experience builds on experience. The more I practice the classic Swedish weave structures, the more freedom I have in the process. Dice weave, halvdräll, and, now, this monksbelt, are all related. These are variations of overshot. I am putting what I know into practice, even though this is the first time I have woven monksbelt on my own loom. (My prior experience with monksbelt was first in a workshop with Joanne Hall, and then, under Becky Ashenden’s tutelage at Vävstuga Swedish Classics.)
Colorful Fårö wool is used for the monksbelt pattern weft.
Plan projects from start to finish, dress the loom single-handedly, use complex threading and complicated treadling, and weave with multiple shuttles. Do you relish these challenges? It is possible to weave things that don’t require as much training or practice. You can find a pattern on Pinterest or in a magazine, and do what “everybody” is doing. Not much is required of “everybody” in the crowd.
Classic monksbelt patterning is repeated with different color variations.Swedish overshot, such as monksbelt, uses two shuttles–one for fine thread, and one for the thicker pattern weft. Warp is 16/2 cotton. Ground weave weft is 16/2 cotton. Pattern weft is 6/1 Fårö wool. Sett is 22 1/2 ends per inch. Weft density is 30 pattern picks per inch, with 2 tabby picks in between.
But some people strive to learn, and practice what they learn, building on previous experience. Consider truth. You are responsible for the truth you know. The more you are taught, the more that is required of you. And as you practice the truth you know, you discover the freedom that comes along in the process.
Let there be light! I now have exceptional lighting at my weaving looms. Steve installed a snake arm lamp on both of my Glimåkra looms. This wonderful illumination gives me greatly improved visibility, especially when working with fine threads. These lamps meet my lighting needs much better than the floor lamps I had been using. Good riddance, floor lamps!
Wood block, sized to fit on loom (mine is installed on the countermarch frame; 8 1/2″ x 2 3/4″ x 3/4″ for the Glimåkra Standard 8-shaft loom; 6 1/2″ x 2 3/4″ x 3/4″ for the Glimåkra Ideal 6-shaft loom)
Electric drill and pilot bit
2 drywall screws
Short three-prong extension cord
Steps
Prepare wood block by drilling screw holes (screw threads slip through the holes without biting)
Position prepared wood block on loom, mark loom for screw placement
Drill pilot holes
Screw wood block in place
Block of wood is screwed into place on the Glimåkra Ideal loom countermarch frame for mounting the loom lamp.
Position lamp and clamp into place
Lamp is positioned on the mounting that is attached to the Glimåkra Standard countermarch frame.Snake arm gives flexibility for directing the light onto the weaving surface, or over the area of work; e.g., threading, sleying the reed, etc.Lamp is clamped onto the mounting. Project notes hang for easy referral while weaving. The back of the sheet shows yarn snippets used in the project.
Plug lamp cord into extension cord; plug extension cord into outlet
Simple on/off switch controls the lamp. Monksbeltpicks are easier to count with the new loom light turned on.
Illuminate!
Lamp cord runs along the frame of the loom and down to the floor, where an extension cord continues to a wall outlet.
I think of monksbelt as a grid. The grid, created in the threading, has blocks that I get to fill in with color. The only thing I have to do is follow the treadlingdraft and keep the two shuttles in their proper order. The rest is play. It is amazing what you can do with nine pattern colors, several background colors, and a simple grid.
Swedish monksbelt has two blocks in the pattern. Ground weave and pattern colors are changed in irregular intervals, giving a modern look to a classic weave structure.
A grid is a framework, a structure, that gives boundaries to the space. We need a grid for coloring our decisions, for outlining our beliefs, and for drawing our convictions. Our hearts can be fooled, so don’t trust your heart to tell you what is right. What seems right may be wrong. We need a higher standard for forming the patterns of our life. It makes sense to stay with the grid that the Grand Weaver, our Maker, planned when he dressed the loom. Then, filling in the blocks with color is pure joy.
For the most part, I am designing this monksbelt at the loom. Even so, I have guidelines regarding color order, sequence of tabby and pattern colors, and treadling order. Each time I remove the temple, I make mental notes for the upcoming segment. When I advance the warp, I step back to get a better idea of where I’ve been, and where I want to go.
Two tabbypicks of blue 16/2 cotton are between each Fårö wool pattern pick. Purple wool weft is carried up the selvedge a short distance under the blue wool weft .
The challenging part is the weftrep tabby. I make a high arch with the tabby weft, and change sheds before beating the weft in. Inconsistency shows up as streaks, especially with darker weft, like the blue tabby I’m on now. When it seems like too much effort to get it right, I have to remember that I am not just making yardage; I am developing skills and habits for successful weaving.
The intensity of saturated colors provide high contrast. Lavendar wool appears gray when deep purple and dark blue are introduced.
It takes planning and caring to build a home. It takes wisdom. Homes are built with wisdom. It’s like designing at the loom. We can’t see into the future, but we can set guidelines that help us make a good design. There is always a challenging part, in every stage. All the more reason for consistency in our convictions. Home is not just a place. Home is where we learn to love.
