warping – Page 6 – Warped for Good

Transferring Warp Ends Takes Courage

March 6, 2018March 5, 2018 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

Quiet Friday: Linen Satin Dräll

January 26, 2018January 25, 2018 Karen

This is one of those weaving projects that puts you on top of the world. Everything about it. Linen, ten shafts, five-shaft satin weave, ten treadles, gorgeous Moberg damask shuttle, single-shuttle rhythm, full-body weaving, magical fabric. I did have more than my share of knots in the warp, and a few skipped threads and selvedge loops. But you will see no evidence of those glitches now. All you will see is the natural beauty of linen, with its characteristic unevenness. And the reflective satin dräll weave, with its light-catching trickery.

The warp is Bockens unbleached 16/2 line linen. Two of the towels use 16/1 golden bleached linen for the weft. At my husband’s request, the remaining three towels have 16/2 linen weft, in ecru. The thicker weft helps make these into robust absorbent handtowels. A table square finishes off the set.

Enjoy the process with me as I reminisce over the start-to-finish pleasure of weaving these towels.

May you find pleasure in what you do.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Anticipation Is Looming!

January 19, 2018January 18, 2018 Karen

Everything starts on paper and in my mind. And then the action begins! Warps are ready now to dress two more looms. One in linen, and one in cotton. Linen for chair-seat upholstery, and cotton for kitchen towels.

Counting linen warp ends on the warping reel. — Counting thread goes over and under groups of warp ends (in this case, 40 ends) to help me keep track of the number of ends being wound on the warping reel. 8/2 linen, unbleached.

Cotton thread is measured out on the warping reel. — Solid color cotton is wound (measured out) on the warping reel.

These are part of the coordinating textiles I’ve been designing for our Texas hill country home. (See Awaken the Empty Looms) I am looking forward to the moment these fabrics become visible! The anticipation is electric! I will know the success of my plans when I can see and feel the fabric. Every step, including getting these threads ready for the loom, gives me a preview glimpse of the actual fabric to come.

Two linen warp chains, ready for dressing the loom. — Two warp chains are prepared. This is a striped warp, and the chains will be spread separately, each with its own set of lease sticks.

Three warp chains of 8/2 cotton, ready to dress the loom! — Nothing like big, soft warp chains of 8/2 cotton!

Visible. Actual love is visible. It’s much more than kind thoughts and intentions. It is threads of kind thoughts that become touchable fabric in someone else’s life. Jesus Christ is the love of God made visible, in that God sent His Son so that we could fully live. How appropriate for us to make such a fabric visible for each other.

May you get a glimpse of the fabric to come.

Love,
Karen

Awaken the Empty Looms

January 16, 2018January 15, 2018 Karen

The transformation of looms has begun! One by one, three empty looms are awakened from their rest. Two of three warps have been wound, and I have started dressing one of the looms. Soon, all three looms will be active as I weave coordinating textiles for our Texas hill country home.

Cotton and linen for planned coordinating textiles. — Cotton and linen threads for the planned coordinating textiles.

Stripes on the warp beam. So inviting! — Warp beam is clothed with a narrow-striped warp. A separate warp chain for each color and two sets of lease sticks make the beaming process a little tricky.

This loom at our hill country home has a warp designated for placemats. Color-and-weave effects will take the simple two-treadle plain weave up a notch, starting with the warp stripes. Is there anything as inviting as stripes on the warp beam? The loom that was bare now holds great promise.

Threading the loom in the best spot in the house! — Threading the loom happens in the brightest corner of the house.

Warp stripes form the base of interesting color-and-weave effects.

Love transforms people. Someone who feels empty is given purpose and hope when they are loved. A reason for being. A start toward something meaningful. Real love is extreme. Love is defined by the ultimate giving up of self-centered motives, as demonstrated by Jesus Christ. This is the extreme love that we have been given, and have been called to give. We’ve known the joy of stripes on the warp beam becoming handwoven fabric before our eyes. And we relish the thought of sharing that joy with someone else.

May you awaken empty looms.

Happy weaving,
Karen

What a Web We Weave

November 3, 2017November 2, 2017 Karen

Threading errors happen. But you can reduce their occurrence. After beaming a warp, I count the warp ends into threading groups before I start threading. Always. This is the first step in reducing threading errors.

Beamed linen warp. Tied into threading groups. — Beamed linen warp. Ends are counted into threading groups, and tied in loose slip knots.

The second step in nearly eliminating threading errors is to check every threaded group right after it’s threaded, thread by thread. These intentional steps expose mistakes early in the process. I would rather find an error now than later.

Threading ten shafts. — After a group of warp ends is threaded I check every thread to make sure it is on the correct shaft.

Threading ten shafts. How to avoid errors. — View from the back beam. Every thread is now in its proper place. Two ends had ended up on wrong shafts, so threads were taken back out and corrections made. Threading ten shafts can get confusing, so it is critical that I check my work.

Did the spider check for threading errors before weaving her intricate pattern? Did she know her invisible web could be seen on a dew-rich foggy morning?

Napping spider on her almost invisible web.

Spider's web in dew-rich foggy morning. — Early morning dew reveals the outlines of the spider’s web. Not wanting to be seen, the spider quickly climbs away to hide when I come close to her woven threads.

Our world tells us to make enemies, and hate haters. To grip what is mine, and demand my rights. It’s in my human nature to be that way. But love is different. Love your enemy, do good instead of hate, pray for those who mistreat you. Is that possible? Yes, if you know the love of God firsthand. Love makes you different. It changes you, making you want to take account of your attitudes, and check your motives. Count threading groups, and check the threading. There will be errors as you weave, but they are learning experiences, not fights. Remember, the invisible web we weave may not be as invisible as we think.

May you be different.

With love,
Karen