Tag: thankful

Quiet Friday: Blanket Sample Thanksgiving

Karen

This warp for the double-width wool blanket is taking some down time while I complete a finishing sample. The five-fold purpose of the sample is to 1) check the sett and 2) the weft density, and 3) to examine the fold to see if I need more, or less, weft at the turn, and 4) to test the wet-finishing process, and 5) to see the effect of brushing the finished piece.  I am thankful for family, friends, fellowship, and finishing. (Thankful for blog friend Marie for first suggesting a finish sample.) I hope you, friend, get to have time with the ones you love, and have some down time to enjoy. Happy Thanksgiving!

Just cut off sample for finishing. Wool double weave blanket.
Sample piece is cut from the loom. Warp will be tied back on to the front tie-on bar.
One side of the double weave sample.
One half of the double-width blanket sample. The fold is at the yellow.
Other side of double weave sample.
Other side of the double-width sample. The fold is at the yellow.
Double weave fold revealed in sample piece.
Blanket fold revealed. Weaving double width means you only see one half until it is cut from the loom.
Double width sample washed and air dried.
Wet Finishing. Sample has been washed and dried. Washed on delicate cycle in washing machine for 3 minutes, no spin cycle. Air dried flat.
Double weave fold in sample after wet finishing.
Examining the fold after wet finishing. Also, notice the improved weft density in the final segment (brown weft at the bottom), when I applied a lighter beat.
Double width blanket sample after being washed. Karen Isenhower
Blanket finishing sample.
Blanket sample - brushed.
Blanket sample brushed on one side, using a stiff dog brush.
Comparing brushed and not brushed sides of sample.
Compare the brushed top side on the left to the unbrushed bottom side on the right.
Brushed double weave blanket sample. Karen Isenhower
Brushed double weave finishing sample. Hmm… Could this be my new Christmas tree skirt?

May your family and friends experience your thankfulness.

Thankful for you,
Karen

Can I Cut it Off Now?

Karen

Four rugs woven, with hardly enough warp left to weave anything worthwhile. I am eager to cut off the planned and finished rugs, and move on to the next thing. There is only a short span of warp left, so why waste time weaving a runt-sized rug? It won’t hurt to cut it off now. I am not losing that much of the warp.

Coming to the end of the warp.
When the back tie-on bar comes up over the back beam, you know you are at the end of the warp. I have heard that there is a saying in Sweden that when the end of the warp comes over the back beam you must complete the remainder of the weaving in one sitting.

All I have left are scraps–fabric strips that were cut for previous rug designs. …Wait a minute… Could this be an opportunity in disguise? A chance try out another design idea, using fabric strips that are already cut? If I think of this as a welcome challenge, instead of a waste of time, I start seeing everything differently.

Little square rug on the loom. Karen Isenhower
Design limitations help expand creative ideas. This piece uses only fabric leftovers from previous rugs, and is limited to about 26 inches / 66 cm of warp.

The natural progression of a negative thought goes from bad to worse. Unless something intervenes to stop the progression, it can end in results far worse than cutting off a rug warp too soon. Giving thanks to God breaks the negative progression, and opens us up to an unseen world. A world of beauty and purpose. A place where scraps are used to make new and beautiful things. And where using the rest of the warp is never seen as wasted time.

May your Thanks-giving celebration begin early and continue far beyond the norm.

With gratitude,
Karen

Now What Are You Counting?

Karen

Have you noticed how much counting there is with weaving? I am constantly counting something! This time it’s rya strands. Wrap three threads around a four-inch cardboard template, counting eighteen times around; cut the ends; repeat. Separate into nine groups of three strands each. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine groups. Tie rya knots–one knot, two knots, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine knots; repeat.

Prepared groups of threads for rya knots.
Åsborya wool, Mora wool, and linen are wrapped together around a template, and then cut. The group of threads is held together in a clothespin until ready to use.

I like to count the good things that touch my life. Family, friends, health, beauty in nature, and pleasant adventures, to name a few. These are the things that shine through, even in difficult times. These are the things worth counting.

Separating threads into "triplets" for rya knots.
Group of natural color threads are separated into wool-wool-linen triplets for rya knots.

Thankfulness to God acknowledges that the good things woven into our lives come from his benevolent hand. God is always inviting us to walk with him. Thankfulness steps us into that inspiring walk.

What are some of the good things you’ve been thankful for lately?

May you have more blessings than you can count.

Thankful for you,
Karen

(There is a discount coupon code on my About page just for you, my reader friends, to use in my Etsy Shop during August, 2014.)

Best Kind of Music You Have Ever Seen

Karen

Do you have a melody? Being a musician at heart, it’s fun to think of my weaving loom as a musical instrument. This is an instrument that produces fabric instead of harmonies. Throwing a shuttle takes practiced precision, as does gliding my bow across the strings of my ‘cello. When I step on treadles to change sheds on the loom, I imagine myself on the bench of a majestic pipe organ, playing the low notes with my feet. Every pass of the shuttle brings the formation of a melody in color and pattern. Rosepath is the prettiest melody of all. And rhythm, of course, is felt and heard as I play the loom instrument.

Rosepath rag rug on the loom.
Rosepath rag rugs on the loom. Doing my favorite thing again.

I make textural melodies on my weaving loom. I am certain my maker takes note of the music I make here. Whatever you do with a thankful heart becomes a song. And that song is your gift to your maker. When you turn what you do into an instrument of praise you experience the smile of God.

I have a melody, and I have a Melody, whose birthday is today, and whose wedding is eleven days away. Maybe she needs a new rug as a housewarming gift…

May you sing your melody out loud.

With a thankful heart,
Karen

Quiet Friday: Family, Food, and Fabric

Karen

Thanksgiving. What is a family gathering without food? We have our traditions, like turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie. We also have some recently discovered favorites, like pomegranate seeds and pecan pie. Even for a reluctant cook like me, the hustle and bustle of preparing the Thanksgiving meal with more-than-usual pairs of hands in the kitchen is heart-warming. Making memories with love is a thread that weaves the fabric of our family together. I am grateful.

Steaming dinner rolls wrapped in handwoven cotton towel. Simple plain weave takes on elegance in this color-and-weave effect using thick and thin threads.
Steaming dinner rolls, just out of the oven, are wrapped in a handwoven cotton towel. Thanks to my daughter, Melody, and her cooking timeline, we knew just when to put the rolls in the oven. The towel is simple plain weave that takes on elegance in this color-and-weave effect using thick and thin threads.
Turned rosepath ribbon and classic point twill hand towel for serving pomegranate seeds.
Antique family bowl with pomegranate seeds, on classic cottolin hand towel in point twill, with turned rosepath ribbon at the side.
Eight shaft two block twill Tencel scarf sets off the perfect brined and roasted turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.
Brined and Roasted Turkey, prepared by my daughter-in-law, Lindsay, was one of the best we have ever eaten. Eight-shaft two block twill Tencel scarf completes the presentation.
Decorative band woven on band loom, reinforced weft table runner, and Frozen Cranberry Salad - on our festive table!
Decorative band woven on my band loom playfully dresses up the reinforced weft table runner, which is made with narrow strips of cotton fabric for weft. Frozen Cranberry Salad is a traditional favorite for our family.
Handwoven eight-shaft two block twill cloth holds special Pecan Pie with braided-edged crust. Perfect finale for Thanksgiving dinner.
My other daughter-in-law, Marie, created the braided edge for this pecan pie. Superb! The eight-shaft two block twill cloth matches the Roman shades that hang from my kitchen door, made from the same warp.

May you make memories that feed your soul.

Happy Giving Thanks Day,
Karen