Tag: joy

Three Out of Four

Karen

I mark “mid” on my measuring ribbon. The ribbon is held in place on the fabric with two flat-head pins that I leap-frog up the ribbon as the warp advances. Imagine my surprise when the mid mark touched the exact halfway point of the table square being woven! The linen halvdräll pattern has a specific number of repeats for each of two blocks, with the halfway point of the table square at the center of the middle block II. How did I get that kind of precision for three of the four table squares on this warp? Honestly, it surprised me each time. I think it is the loom. Maybe I am finally learning to weave without interfering with the streamline functioning of this Swedish loom. (To see the one table square that didn’t make the mid-mark precision, look carefully at the first photo in Embedded with Elegance.)

Precisely hitting the midway mark!
Center of the block II pattern hits the mid mark with precision.
Middle of the table square hits the mark!
Second time to hit the mid mark on the dot!
Midway exactly! Halvdräll with linen pattern threads.
Halfway on the measuring ribbon. The border and hem are marked at the end of the ribbon.

A promise fulfilled is like a treasure unearthed. You hope for it, and might even expect it; but it’s a joyful thing when you experience it. We wait for a promise like we wait to see the “mid” mark on the ribbon. The Lord’s promise is a vast treasure. It’s a treasure worth watching for.

May you unearth splendid treasures in the new year.

Happy year end,
Karen

Pass the Test with Black and White Weft

Karen

Who knew you could do so much with black and white? The pattern for this third black and white towel differs from the first two. Each new towel is an opportunity to create a new pattern.

Cottolin towels (thick & thin) on the loom.
Two red picks mark the end of towel #2. I always use red for the cutting line between pieces to prevent accidentally cutting at the wrong spot.

For the first four towels I am putting myself to the test, using only black and white weft. The color restriction turns out to be a designer’s advantage. It forces me to consider possibilities that I might have overlooked if I had allowed myself to include other colors. I get excited when I see ideas turn into cloth on the loom. It is still as delightful as it was the very first time I threw a shuttle. If you are a weaver, you know what I mean.

Here is an amazing thought: You can bring delight to God. It brings delight to the Lord when we trust in him completely. He knows the right plans, and knows when to stick with black and white, and when to throw in a splash of color. Think of his delight when we go along with his ideas, and the resulting woven cloth of our lives brings a smile to his face.

May your ideas turn into delightful cloth.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Smiles and Linen Band Weaving

Karen

This is linen singles; so, yes, I did have a few broken warp ends. Despite that, I think linen makes the very best band weaving experience. Linen holds its shape. Linen feels good in the hand. Linen looks good. The finished band looks good. That makes me glad.

Linen band woven on band loom.
Band loom creation of 16/1 linen in unbleached, golden bleached, and pure blue. Unbleached 16/1 linen weft. Photo credit: Steve Isenhower
Linen band from linen singles.
Photo credit: Steve Isenhower

Real joy lasts through broken warp ends and all, and is not deterred by temporary heartaches and setbacks. To tell the truth, I wasn’t happy when warp ends broke. Especially the one that broke two times in a row. If I look for that spot now, I may be able to find it, but I doubt you could. I think joy is the thing that takes a bigger look at what is happening, and is able to see the finished version. If I can step into that insight when I am in the middle of a problem, I am better off.

Band loom woven band. Karen Isenhower
Photo credit: Steve Isenhower
Woven on Glimakra band loom. Linen singles. Karen Isenhower
Photo credit: Steve Isenhower

Live joyously. That is my goal. The Lord makes me glad in His presence. That is the joy that sustains us through big occasions and little mishaps. There is joy where the Lord is. That is where I want to be. I am eager to start another linen band, if only to practice repairing broken warp ends…with a smile.

Linen singles woven band.
Photo credit: Steve Isenhower

(This linen band is my contribution to the “Way Out West Weavers” basket that will be up for bid at Warp Speed Ahead! Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Convention in Austin this summer. If you are the highest bidder on our basket, this band, as well as other very fine items, will be yours.)

May your face be a picture of gladness.

With Joy,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Unroll the Cloth Beam

Karen

If you are a weaver, you know this thrill. I weave the very last pick, and then I hold my breath as the finished cloth is unrolled from the cloth beam. All ten meters / eleven yards of it! I don’t usually have an audience for the unrolling, but this time I want to share the experience with you, my friends.

If you stay to the end, you will see the cap I made from the sample pieces at the beginning and end of the warp.

And, one more thing, I added a little 3 1/2-minute time-lapse video at the very end. I hope it makes you smile.

Just finished weaving 10 meter warp.
Final pick in place.
Release warp tension before cutting off the warp.
Release ratchets on cloth and warp beams to loosen warp tension.
Cutting off the finished cloth.
Get out the big Gingher shears and start cutting.
Cutting the fabric from the loom.
First good view of the last towel on the warp. The last shall be first…
Unrolling the towels...
The Nine Color Towel.
Unrolling more towels...
Keep unrolling.
More towels...
Still more to come..
Red striped towel coming off the loom.
Each one is different.
Now for the brown towels...
Seeing brown now, so we know we are getting near the end/beginning.
Now we see the beginning of the warp!
Finally, we made it to the tie-on bar!
Slats on the floor after unrolling the cloth beam.
I love the final sound–warping slats falling to the floor as the last round of cloth is pulled from the cloth beam.
Empty cloth beam. Love it!
There it is. Now I want to get something else on the loom so I can do this all over again!
Goose eye towels just off the loom. Karen Isenhower
Ta da!

Cap made from handwoven pieces of goose eye twill.

 

And now I invite you to join me as I weave the Nine Color Towel. Remember that this is time lapse–I really do not weave this fast.

May you be filled with joy.

Very Happy Weaving,
Karen

Goose Eyes

Karen

Do you see a goose looking at you? This goose-eye twill is aptly named, as seen in the diamond motif that is woven in the fabric. You can see the motif best where the warp and weft are in contrasting colors. But even where there is little or no contrast, the goose-eye is still there. It’s in the structure.

Cotton towels in goose-eye twill on four shafts.
Beginning of the third towel on this warp. The hem is woven in a smaller goose-eye pattern in a stone color. A narrow gold stripe within a wide brown stripe begins an overall checked design for this towel.

I find it fascinating that one simple repeated geometric shape can set the tone for the whole cloth. It reminds me of what the great classical composers could do with a single musical motif. Think of what Beethoven did with just four notes in his famous Fifth Symphony! Bah-bah-bah Baahm... Joy is that kind of repeated motif that sets the tone for our days.

Joy is the urge to sing on the inside. And it shows up in your countenance on the outside. God loves to see a glad, singing heart. He knows that joy is good for your soul. Sometimes the motif is less visible because of the threads that are crossing your life at the moment. But abiding joy in your structure keeps the melody line alive.

May joy be woven in your fabric.

With love,
Karen