Tag: warping

Stop Threading Heddles the Boring Way

Karen

Practice makes perfect. Do you believe that? If that were true, wouldn’t some of us be perfect by now? Threading heddles is a repetitive activity, but intentional awareness makes it a thoughtful learning experience instead of boring repetition. This deliberate thinking produces the kind of practice that brings improvement. You mentally zoom in to see what it takes to become efficient and effective. Like practicing a musical instrument, you constantly consider how to produce the best sound (fabric) from this instrument (loom).

Heddles threaded with doubled threads of 20/2 cotton.
Heddles, threaded with two 20/2 cotton threads each, stand ready on four shafts, like orchestra members tuning up while waiting for the conductor to come to the podium.

I learned to thread heddles from Leigh, and then from Joanne, and then from Becky. They each have their own approach. Their methods vary, but what they teach in common is accuracy, efficiency, and enjoyment of the process. When I thread heddles, the wealth of experience from these teachers benefits me, even as I find my own style emerging. They taught me awareness, problem-solving, and enjoyment of learning. What a gift!

Learn from the best, and then practice what you learn. Gain foundational truth. Walking in the truth is the best way to give back to your teachers. In your quest for truth, practice what you learn.

May your practice make perfect sense.

Still learning,
Karen

Band Loom Gets Dressed

Karen

My band loom has been sitting idle for a few weeks. Instead of continuing to walk wistfully by, I decided to do something about it. On a whim, I pulled colors of cottolin thread off the shelf. Within an hour the band loom was dressed and I was happily weaving. Finally! Why did I wait so long to put a warp on this loom? Do you ever avoid something, and then later realize the task is easier than you thought it would be?

Glimakra two-treadle band loom with cottolin warp. Hand-carved shuttle. Karen Isenhower
Two-treadle Glimakra band loom with cottolin (cotton/linen) warp. Green thread on the hand-carved shuttle makes little green weft dots on the brown selvedge threads.

I used my warping reel to wind the five-yard warp. After tying the lease cross, and adding a few choke ties to secure the warp, I took it to the band loom and wound it on. Easy! Sitting at the band loom, sending the little shuttle back and forth, beating with the band knife to the rhythm of the treadles… it’s music; and it’s serene. Voicing our needs to our maker is something we think we do not have time for. We avoid this one simple connection that makes a difference.

Heartfelt prayer is our vital connection with God. He hears our prayer of need. Let us not fool ourselves to think it takes too much time or effort for this connection. The reward is too great to miss.

May your needs be heard.

With serenity,
Karen

If you are interested in band loom weaving, here are three posts you might enjoy:
A Different Kind of Band Music; How to Fix a Listening Problem; More than Meets the Eye.

I Wonder Which Wefts Will Work

Karen

You see the bare warp. How will the finished towels look? We won’t know until the weft is chosen. I will hold an audition for colors and fibers in my stash, and find the most worthy candidates. Questioning and testing in this way, by sampling, helps me discover the best possible options, before committing to the whole 7 1/2 yards (6.8 meters).

Glimakra Ideal being dressed with cotton warp for towels.
Cotton warp as it is being beamed. The threads come over the back beam, and down to the warp beam, as viewed from the back of the Glimakra Ideal loom.

Apparently, human beings are hard-wired for discovery. We like to search things out, understand, and discover hidden treasures of insight and knowledge. Why is that? Why is a weaver interested in figuring out which weft color will show off a warp to its best advantage? We all seem to be made with built-in questions…

We are created to find our maker, to discover who he is and what he is about. Surely, this accounts for our endless quest for answers about everything. In searching for the answers to the deepest questions, we feel our way toward our creator. And we find him waiting for us with open arms. He’s been near all along.

And the winner is… Drum roll, please… Color wrapping #5, will you please stand up! (Click HERE to see what the commotion is about. Be sure to scroll down to read the comments.)
Thank you for your vote. It made me feel good that my first choice received the most votes; and my second choice, #3, received important votes, as well. My husband’s first choice, #2, also received a vote. So, we all win! Yay! (It is not too late for you to leave your opinion. We’d love to know what you think.)

May your questions lead you to joyful discoveries.

With you,
Karen

Tension! Who Needs It?

Karen

A warp that has not been properly wound on at the start will be full of problems every inch of the way, compromising the quality of the finished cloth. One thing that helps ensure an evenly wound warp is tension. I lay warp chains on the floor in front of the loom, weighted down with bricks and walking weights. The weights provide resistance for winding the warp over the back beam onto the warp beam, giving tight and even tension. People need tension, too.

Glmakra Ideal with striped cottolin warp for classic Swedish towels.
Looking toward the warp beam at the back of the loom, from under the tightly wound Cottolin warp.

Given a choice, I would like no tension, thank you. Just give me some slack. Do you know that the tension you and I would rather avoid could be the very thing that makes us shine?

Tension is uncomfortable, stretches our limits, and can bring out the worst in us. It tests us. But testing has positive results. Our maker knows that. His testing of our hearts reveals our true identity by confirming our deeply held convictions. Any loose or broken threads hidden in the warp become apparent, so they can be repaired or replaced. And we are made ready for the rest of the weaving.

May you find gold and silver threads shining in your warp as you become refined through testing.

Your friend,
Karen

Have you ever been refined through tension?

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Quiet Friday: Making Linen Fabric

Karen

There are some things more important than weaving and blogging. Family, for instance. We had a special family member capture all our attention this week. The last picture shows what I’m talking about. If the captions seem brief this time… that’s why. Enjoy!

Linen singles warp.
Linen warp is beamed.
Linen singles warp is threaded in the heddles.
Heddles are threaded with 16/1 linen ends.
Linen ends are sleyed through the reed.
Ends are sleyed through the reed.
Linen warp is tied on to front bar, with leveling cord in place.
Warp is tied on to front tie-on bar, with leveling cord in place.
Measuring picks per inch.
Measuring picks per inch to get the correct weft density.
Adding beads to a linen thread for weaving.
Adding beads to the weaving.
Linen fabric, change of weft color. Beads added.
Green weft, followed by magenta weft.
Eye level view of linen cloth on loom.
Eye level view.
Linen fabric on the loom.
Linen fabric on the loom.
Elias Luke made his entrance this week. He is our second grandchild, and our first grandson. We are delighted!
Elias Luke made his entrance this week. He is our second grandchild, and our first grandson. We are delighted!

May your family bring you delight this week.

Lovingly,

Karen aka Lola (my grandmother name)