Tag: grace

You Can Prevent Threading Errors

Karen

Today I am in my little playhouse in the Glimåkra Standard, threading heddles for halvdräll. This draft requires my strict attention. No multitasking. I have one thing in mind: thread the heddles. Threading errors are rare for me. And I’d like to keep it that way. 

In my Glimakra "playhouse" threading heddles!
Cozy spot for threading heddles. With the threading draft in plain sight, good lighting, and plenty of time, I’m ready to go!

There are several things I do to prevent threading errors, or at least to catch them early while they are easy to correct.

Tutorial for Preventing Threading Errors – (Watch the accompanying video below)

  • Count the warp ends at the lease sticks into logical groupings, and bundle the grouped ends together with a loose overhand knot. (In this case, the groups are: 4 selvedge, 18 right side, 27 block I, 57 block II, repeat the 2 blocks 5 times, 18 left side, 4 selvedge.) I ended up with 2 extra ends at the left selvedge, so I worked my way back, re-counting each grouping until I found the spot where I had mis-counted, almost all the way back to the right selvedge ends. If that happens, re-count and re-tie each grouping until it all adds up correctly.
  • Tape or hang your threading draft where it can be easily seen.
  • Take one bundle of ends at a time, starting on the right-hand side, and thread those ends into their heddles, following the threading draft. It helps me to say the threading order out loud as I do the threading.
  • Check your work. Hold the just-threaded ends taut with your left hand, and with your right hand check every end, one by one, to see that it is going through the correct heddle. Make threading corrections, if needed, by pulling out errant ends and re-threading them. Tie that completed grouping with a loose slip knot. Again, I say the threading order out loud as I check the threading.
  • Repeat steps 4 and 5 until threading is complete.
  • Know when to take a break. Five minutes away from the loom every now and then serves to refresh my ability to concentrate. If I do a nonstop marathon, I’m prone to make errors.

Now, what about a tutorial for living? Grace means that we have been given a free tutorial for purposeful living. Jesus brought the grace of God to us. Christmas reminds us of that. It’s the grace of God that instructs us for living. It’s as if we have an ancient weaving draft; and we’ve been given the grace, the tutorial, that shows how to understand the draft to make meaning in the fabric of our lives.

May you catch all your threading errors while they are easy to fix.

Threading Heddles from Warped for Good on Vimeo.

Be sure to drop by on Friday. I can’t wait to show you what I’ve done with the warp-printed fabric from Warp Stamping Is Over!

On purpose,
Karen

When a New Rag Rug Is Unrolled

Karen

Despite the fact that I have been looking at the thing all the while I am weaving it, no matter how well I have planned, or how many hours spent warping and weaving, there is always an element of surprise when the woven thing is cut from the loom! When first rolled off, you only see the back side… But what about the front? How will the rug look on the floor? Did the colors work out? Are there any weaving mistakes that show?

Rag rug unrolled from the loom. Karen Isenhower
Rag rug is unrolled from the cloth beam, giving the first complete view of the underside of the weaving.

My first reaction is usually, “Wow! This is fantastic! I made that??!” My later reaction is often, “Oh, that looks stupid unrefined. I’m embarrassed to show this to anyone.” Do you ever go through this? I finally end up with a more rational view, valuing the accomplishment and fixing any errors that are fixable. All the while, making note of what to do or not do the next time. (Similarly, don’t measure the rug until it has been on the floor for a couple days. You won’t get a true reading until the threads have relaxed.)

Willpower, good intentions, and positive thinking can only go so far in giving me a realistic view of what I can accomplish, and how to face failures. I need grace. God’s grace enables me to have a truthful view of reality, and the requisite humility and courage to express it.

May all your surprises be better than you expect.

To see the front of this finished double binding rag rug, “Forest at Dawn,” visit my Etsy Shop. (A special discount as my Thank You to my blog friends: Use coupon code friend615 to receive 20% off this rug, or any other item in the shop during the month of June.)

Happy Weaving,
Karen

I Forgot the Weft

Karen

How should I arrange eleven colors of wool for the warp of a double-width blanket? By “intuition?” Why not pull yarn snippets out of a hat in a random sequence? I do have resources on color theory I could consult. Best yet, I like the idea of viewing snapshots to compare various arrangements. This is play!

Eleven colors of wool to weave a blanket.
Eleven colors of Borgs 6/2 Tuna Wool. Trying out different color arrangements for a woven blanket. Back to front – option 1 and option 2.
Possible color arrangements for eleven-color wool blanket.
Two more possible arrangements of color. Adjacent colors will be blended together where they touch, to make smooth transitions across the warp. Back to front – option 3 and option 4.

You could make any arrangement work since the colors will be blended from one to the next across the warp. The color that makes the biggest difference, however, is the weft color. Just now, as I write this, I realize that I forgot to purchase yarn for weft. Oops! How did I miss that?

Grace and truth give us a fresh start. Grace gives me choices, and makes something beautiful, even if I get colors in the “wrong” order. Truth kindly shows me what I am missing, and what I need. Grace and truth are brought into our lives through Jesus Christ, and become a framework for life’s fabric. Grace brings forgiveness. And truth brings freedom to begin.

Of the four arrangements of yarn colors pictured, which one do you prefer? I would love to hear what you think. Leave your “vote” for option 1, 2, 3, or 4 (back to front) in the comments.

May your mistakes be met with grace and truth.

Yours Truly,
Karen

Rya Over Linen This Time

Karen

Slow and deliberate, rya knot tying is a satisfying exercise of patience. This background cloth feels like coarse canvas. You can imagine how robust the fabric is, with a hefty 8/2 linen warp, and the same, doubled, for weft. Threaded in a point twill, the cloth is simple, but texturally vibrant. The yarn pile, called rya, is made with combined threads of thick Åsborya wool, fine Mora wool, and fine 16/1 linen. (You can see my previous rya project in the post, Are You in a Pretty Mess? And if you want to see exactly how to make rya knots, check out this post –  Quiet Friday: Making Rya Knots.)

Forming rya knots in coarse linen fabric.
Rya knots are formed one at a time by wrapping around, under, and through each pair of raised warp ends. The background is woven between rows of rya knots with doubled linen weft, using a double bobbin shuttle.

I simply step on the “pile” treadle, which raises only shaft four, and tie rya knots around pairs of the raised ends. This process works because the fabric was planned and designed to have rya knots inserted on its surface. In a similar fashion, people are designed to receive God’s helping hand.

God wants to give us the ability to flourish in life. That’s his grace. We are made for that, and it happens when we offer “humble” threads. We must wear the cloth of humility as we interact with each other, revealing our coarse, simple, honest self. This is where God inserts his grace. In this process of his, he patiently makes us his work of art.

May you flourish in the things that matter.

Respectfully yours,
Karen

Serve the Best Color

Karen

It is surprising how much difference this cream color makes. If I use the same gold color for the weft that is in the warp, as I had planned, the gold weft looks harsh across the gold warp. Switching to a weft in a lighter shade tones down the gold in the warp and gives the cloth a softer appearance. It makes sense to use weft colors that enhance the warp, even when it means changing my plans.

Goose-eye handtowels on the loom. Choosing the lighter shade weft.
Goose-eye handtowels. This is the beginning of a 10-meter / 11-yard warp.

You have the opportunity to create the best outcome for others by adjusting to meet their needs. We get to serve others through the gifts God gives us. You are gifted. Maybe in speaking encouraging words, or in hands-on helping. Whatever your gifts, when you use them to serve others, you are the hands of God’s grace. And that grace may be the color someone else needs to soften their circumstances.

Loving one another means serving, giving God’s grace to each other. That is when relationships flourish, when we adjust our plans to the other person’s advantage. In other words, I choose the weft that makes you look good.

May your gifts bring the best color to your relationships.

Happy Weaving,
Karen