Tag: purpose

Rosepath Mug Rugs

Karen

Even though I am pleased with the miniature rugs, this project taught me that I would rather weave large rag rugs than tiny ones. After three mini rosepath rag rugs, and now, a few small mug rugs, I am nearly finished. (See Rosepath Miniature and One Mini Rag Rug to see the mini rag rugs.)

Mug rug being woven with string yarn. Customized mini temple.
Mug rug is being woven using string yarn for the weft.

I have a new project I’m excited about. That’s all the motivation I need to get the current project off the loom. The thread for the new project will be here soon. A new warp is celebration time! It means more weaving. But the aim of weaving is always to make cloth. Whether tiny rugs or monksbelt yardage, everything I weave eventually gets cut off. And for a weaver, the cutting off is party time, too! That’s when we get to see and touch the results of our efforts.

Rosepath mug rug. Glimakra Ideal.
Rosepath mug rug, woven with fabric strips. White scrap header is removed during finishing.
Sampler effect, rosepath mug rug, woven with stringyarn.
Sampler effect is made by varying the rosepath treadling on this mug rug.

You and I are here for a purpose. Though not all the same, every person is significant. Heaven knows your name. And when your name is written in heaven’s book, it’s like a new warp, and all the angels have a party! The cutting off party will be grand, too, with Jesus being clearly pleased at the results of his handiwork.

May you make angels sing.

Happy cutting off,
Karen

Another Classic Swedish Weave

Karen

Monksbelt is up next, another classic Swedish weave. I’m thrilled! This time I am weaving yardage, without knowing exactly how the fabric will be used. I planned this project while the rya rag rug was still on the loom; and I’m eager to get started!

Winding warp on Glimåkra warping reel.
Glimåkra warping reel not only accelerates the warp–winding process, it makes it downright fun! This is the first of four bouts of unbleached 16/2 cotton. 760 warp ends in all.

Winding the warp is a rewarding part of the process. When I wind a warp, it goes directly to a ready-and-waiting loom. So, this is a declaration of a new beginning. It is also the anticipation of future rewards. The final reward is long-lasting–a useful length of colorful handwoven fabric.

Look for rewards that will last. We get side-tracked if we look only for immediate satisfaction, or short-term success. The long view brings perspective that cannot be seen in quick snapshots. I don’t have to know exactly how things will look in the future. I can enjoy the stage of the process I am in right now. Ultimately, though, I await the finished cloth. Keeping that reward in mind brings purpose to each step along the way. The eternal reward that heaven holds for us fills each season here with meaning.

May you enjoy many rewarding experiences.

On purpose,
Karen

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

Weave in the Midst of Beautiful

Karen

Thread on a carefully wound quill comes off effortlessly. I love the feel of the boat shuttle chasing back and forth between my hands, with no resistance whatsoever from the unwinding thread. I wind a few quills at a time and drop them in the loom basket that hangs on my bench. Then, when I empty a quill, I simply reach into the basket and quickly replace the thread in my shuttle, and continue weaving. It is satisfying to do something as enjoyable as weaving, and have it end up as lovely cloth.

Stamped warp on the loom.
Freshly-wound quill in the boat shuttle replaces an emptied quill. The new weft thread will overlap the end of the former thread, and be secured with the swing of the beater, and changing of the shed.

I do hope to make beautiful things, but it’s more than that. The weaving procedure, itself, seems beautiful to me. Such strategy. Such alignment of movement and function. There is a deeper satisfaction than merely being pleased with the final results.

Beauty serves a purpose. Beauty points us to our Maker. Yes, purple mountain majesties and intricate iridescent hummingbird feathers do point to a masterful creator. But I am also talking about the beauty of how things work, and how people are responsive to love, and how everything in our solar system fits together. It’s amazing. It’s beautiful. What a Grand Weaver we have!

May you find yourself surrounded with beauty.

With amazement,
Karen

Threads Where They Belong

Karen

Does your mind wander for repetitive tasks? Each of 780 threads must pass through the small eye of a heddle–the correct heddle–to create the cloth that I have in mind. Threading 8/2 cotton in a straight draw, 1-2-3-4, is easy enough that I do it almost without thinking. Precision at this stage, however, is critical.

Threading heddles with Bockens 8/2 cotton.
Each section of 32 threads is tied into an overhand knot after the threading has been double checked for accuracy.

My mind goes in a thousand directions, sometimes, while my fingers continue to place the threads. With my hands on “autopilot,” anything can happen. For this reason, I make it a habit to double check the threading accuracy for each section I finish, thread by thread, saying out loud, “1-2-3-4; 1-2-3-4; …”

Like a thread going through the eye of the correct heddle, I want each of my thoughts to go through the door of truth. Truth is the key to a purposeful life. We get trapped by faulty thinking, but truth brings us to our senses and unlocks the trap. Bringing cohesiveness and clarity to all aspects of life, truth enables us to see the cloth that is being woven. Isn’t it time to stop and double check the threads of our thinking to make sure each thread is going right through the eye of the heddle?

May you fulfill your purpose.

Yours truly,
Karen