Tag: mess

Glimåkra Standard by the Front Door

Karen

When guests come through our front door, this stately 120cm Glimåkra Standard Countermarch loom is the first thing they see. Many folks have never seen a weaving loom. “That looks so complicated,” they say.

Welcome to my weaving studio, which doubles as our home.

The appeal of a Swedish countermarch loom is its simplicity. Pieces of wood, held together with a few wedges, form the frame for an efficient system of synchronized moving parts. “Step on a treadle and see what happens,” I tell them. When you move one part, something else moves, which then causes other parts to move. Now you can send a shuttle through an opening in the threads and weave cloth. “Wow! That’s amazing,” they say. I smile and think, “Yes, it is.” It may be complex, but it’s not complicated.

Glimåkra Standard has a prominent position in our home, with a view of our front yard from the loom bench.
Spaced rep rag rug on the loom. This one will be a long runner.

The world looks complicated. What does God in heaven see when he looks on us? Does he see a complicated mess? God sees us through his eyes of love. We’ve all gone our own messy ways. He loved us anyway and gave his son Jesus to save us from our selfish ways. He appeals to us with this simplicity: say yes to Jesus and no to self. This one move sets things in motion and changes everything! God’s world may be complex, but it doesn’t need to be complicated.

May you be drawn to simplicity.

Happy weaving,
Karen

Transferring Warp Ends Takes Courage

Karen

There are four pairs of overlapping warp chains, with stripes to line up. I created a mess. A few options to consider: 1. Give up. 2. Weave it as is, destroying the design. 3. Use two sets of lease sticks, and expect problems with threading (2,064 ends). 4. Transfer all ends to a single set of lease sticks, arranging threads in order for each stripe.

Eight warp chains...to correct a huge winding error.
Each of four warp chains were duplicated when I realized I had wound only half the correct number of ends in each chain.

Option 4 seems the riskiest. If I lose the cross while transferring threads, I have an even bigger mess. It’s all or nothing. Go for it! Fortunately, my apprentice, Juliana, arrives in the nick of time to give me a hand.

Transferring color stripes to one set of lease sticks.
Lease cross is tied separately for each color “partial” stripe.

Transferring two warp chains to a single set of lease sticks.
Stripes from the two warp chains are transferred to a single set of lease sticks. Now the stripe colors are at their full correct width.

Preparing to transfer warp ends.
For the four center warp chains, each section of color is separated and tied at the cross. It takes an extra set of hands to transfer them in order to the primary set of lease sticks.

Delicate transfer of warp ends accomplished!
All warp ends are now successfully transferred to a single set of lease sticks. Let the loom dressing begin!

It worked! All the threads are successfully transferred to one pair of lease sticks. What a relief! I can beam the warp knowing that all is well. A beautiful double weave throw is imminent.

Pre-sleying the reed at the loom.
Warp is pre-sleyed at the loom. So far, so good.

Double weave warp ready to beam!
Ready to beam! Looking forward to this dressing and weaving experience.

We all have made a mess of our lives, and we know it. We hear of options to fix things, but one seems the riskiest: Transfer everything to God. But what if I mess that up, too? There’s good news. God transfers us. When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, God transfers us from our messy state to his good order. And the result is a weaving that showcases his workmanship—a beautiful you.

May you take a worthy risk.

With you,
Karen

Wild Linen Rya

Karen

Rya knots and loops of threads look chaotic at first. These linen rya knots will never be tame, but that’s to be expected. Linen butterflies have created a swath of wild rya “flowers” planted in a smooth linen “lawn.”

Making rya knots with a bundle of linen threads.
Continuous weft bundle forms loops between rya knots.

Linen rya knots.
Loops are clipped. Green butterfly is for the background plain weave weft.

Each section of rya starts with a butterfly made of several strands of linen in assorted weights and colors. I tie each rya knot on a pair of warp ends, leaving a loop between knots. There are two to three passes of plain weave between each row of knots. When I finish a butterfly, I go back and clip all the loops. After the loops are cut, I trim the tops of the threads to even out the rya “flower garden.”

Linen rya knots on a linen weft-faced background.
Tops of the rya threads are trimmed. I intentionally leave a few shorter and longer threads, for interest.

Linen rya knots on a weft-faced linen background. Tapestry/inlay sampler.
Linen rya knots on a weft-faced linen background. Wild linen “flowers” growing out of a smooth linen “lawn.”

When things around us look a mess and don’t make sense, full of knots and loops, there is one thing we must do. Keep holding on to faith. Fight to keep your faith strong. Faith in Christ Jesus will carry you through uncertainty and will reveal the first ray of hope. The loops will be clipped, the threads will be trimmed. A garden of color will emerge. Faith waits for that.

May your faith be strong.

All the best,
Karen

Small Tapestry Front and Back

Karen

My small tapestries are a mess of threads on the back. I weave from the back, so I get used to seeing the mess. I admire the tapestry weavers who sew all the weft tails in. Front and back, the tapestry is finished and clean. So, I am sewing in the weft tails on this little Lucia patch.

Back of tapestry, sewing in weft tails.
Sewing in weft tails, one thread at a time. Threaded on a needle, weft tail is sewn through the back of an adjacent ridge, and then the tail is clipped off close to the surface of the weaving.

Back of small tapestry, stitching in weft tails.
When completed, the back is as finished as the front.

Lucia, woven with my youngest granddaughter in mind.
Lucia, our youngest grandchild, is the reason for this small tapestry. I may need to weave the names of the other four…

Sometimes we hit a patch in life that is filled with a mess of troubles. Take troubles to the Lord. He hears when we call. The Lord answers every little prayer. Each little trouble is taken care of, step by step. When the finished tapestry is revealed, we see that He knows our name. And a bit of every one of the messy threads is woven into our back story. Front and back, the tapestry is finished and clean.

May you be known by name.

Yours truly,
Karen

Plain Weave in a Fancy Mess

Karen

Plain weave has never been this interesting! I am painting and stamping the warp on the loom. Imagine applying colors onto the warp between the shafts and the beater! Weaving on the printed warp produces lovely subdued woven images. And, I had forgotten how fast two treadles and one shuttle can be. After having slowly woven many rag rugs, plain weave feels like a speedboat ride now.

Stamped warp between shafts and beater.
Stamped warp between shafts and the beater, waiting to dry.

The only problem is, I don’t like the mess. Paint is messy, and I am not fond of getting my hands dirty. Yes, I wear gloves when painting, but there’s the sink, the carpet, and the loom to think about, too. No, I don’t like the mess.

Painting and stamping warp on the loom.
Tarps and drop cloths cover the carpet and some of the loom in case of paint spills. Paper towels stand ready for emergencies.

Stamped warp being woven.
When dry, the printed area comes through the beater as the warp is advanced.

Weaving a warp that is painted on the loom.
Stamped shapes become subdued as the weft goes across.

Have you ever been in a mess in life? I have. Others see the pretty fabric you produce, but never see the mess behind the scenes. Appeal to the one who can help. There is one who sees the mess, but loves us anyway. When we appeal to God as Shepherd, we acknowledge our need, and that we want him to lead us–even through the mess. Then, the fabric that is produced has beauty that is truly woven in.

May you enjoy creating beauty, despite the mess.

In process,
Karen