Tag: wool

Have enough Colors of Yarn?

Karen

I don’t want to tell you how many different colors I have of wool yarn. Most of it is 6/2 Tuna and 6/1 Fårö, but I have a good collection of other wool yarns, too. If it’s wool, I include it in my tapestry weaving. I have all of it arranged according to a 5-step value scale.

Yarn butterfly is equivalent to about 4 strands of 6/2 Tuna. I’m composing a color in the medium-dark value range.

If I combine the colors of wool just right, I can make the exact color I need for a tapestry detail. This is the challenge on which I thrive. There are never enough colors. Or, so it seems. The truth is, I have more than enough color options. Besides, for tapestry, the exact hue of a color is not nearly as important as the value of a color in relation to the colors around it.

Tapestry in progress. I carefully select yarns, mostly according to color value.
The cart beside the loom holds all the possible colors I may need for this Figs and Coffee small tapestry. I stop frequently to evaluate the colors and the value contrasts in the weaving.

The Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, Creator of color, makes himself known. Take a look outside. Everywhere we look there is more color than we know how to express. So, in our humble attempts to make yarn butterflies in exact colors, we are showing that we are indeed made in our Creator’s image.

May you see all the color around you.

Your friend,
Karen

Enough Time to Weave

Karen

The best things take time. Time (years) to know what you want to learn. Time to study, time to practice, time to put into practice what you’ve studied. By the time you finish a work of art you have invested more hours than most observers will ever realize. If you have ever made anything, you know the most common question you are asked: How long did it take you to make that? Answer: A lifetime, really.

Tapestry progresses row by row.
Cartoon under the warp is held in place with a plastic clip on each side. Center warp end is marked so I can line up the cartoon horizontally. Horizontal marks on the warp and on the cartoon provide for accurate vertical alignment.
Boat shuttle with 6/1 tow linen rests on the side frame. Linen picks are woven between pattern rows of wool colors in this style of tapestry.
As I weave, I pay attention to the cartoon that is visible beneath the warp to see where to make color changes.
At the end of my time at the loom I stand back and look at the progress. And then, I stand up on a stepstool to get a good view from above. And then, I pull out my little monocular and look through the back of it to see what I can see from a distance. What I see: one cut fig and a couple more figs emerging. You will see what I see when this is off the loom and hanging on the wall across the room. All it takes is time.

Time is the greatest gift. We always have enough time. How will we invest it?

May your lifetime reveal the good investments you’ve made.

Happy weaving all the time,
Karen

Image in the Cloth

Karen

I am starting to see a fig. This tapestry is a short story about fresh figs and a cup of coffee. My full attention is on weaving while I’m at the loom. I’m always looking for the moment that a recognizable image forms in the woven wool and linen cloth. Attention flows from desire. And when I am weaving, there is no other place I’d rather be.

When I look through my monocular I get a distinct view of the first part of the fig.
Colors of wool (primarily 6/2 Tuna and 6/1 Fårö) are combined in butterflies to represent color values and hues that will become an image of a cut fig–mostly recognizable from a distance. An exciting challenge!

When our affections are set on the Lord Jesus, there is no other place we’d rather be than sitting in prayerful conversation with him. And, I imagine he is delighted when he sees his own image formed in us.

May you desire the best things.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Grand Canyon Weaver

Karen

I like to come prepared when we travel. Prepared to weave, that is. Our recent camping trip to Grand Canyon National Park, North Rim is no exception. Relaxing after a full morning of hiking? That’s tapestry time. Rainy day? No problem. Time to pull out my small tapestry frame and do some tapestry weaving.

Sitting on a log to do a quick sketch. Widforss Trail on a Sunday morning was a wonderful way to worship our Creator.
Ponderosa Pines fill the North Rim Campground. It is refreshing to sit there for some relaxed tapestry weaving. Weaving from the back, meaning the face of the tapestry is facing away from me.
Weaving outside in the cool afternoon.

To view the incomparable expanse of the Grand Canyon leaves me in awe. It’s as if the glory of our Creator is on full display. Oh, the colors, textures, and breathtaking drama!

Sunset brings a hush over the vast Grand Canyon. Vibrant colors, phenomenal textures, in an unfolding dramatic ending–this is the language of a weaver.
Weaving inside the Casita Travel Trailer until the skies clear up. Messy back of tapestry because I’m not trimming any more than necessary – fewer scraps to keep track of.

Our hearts turn to recognize God’s authority when we view the wonders of his creation. And, in the awe of it all, we pause to consider the vastness of his personal love, such that the Grand Weaver grants us the pleasure of creating something small with colored bits of yarn. Oh, the wonder of it all!

Pondering the deep questions of life.
There is still work to be done. This (second) Rain Girl is not in a hurry. She is ready for me anytime I decide to add more colored bits of yarn.

May you come prepared.

With wonder,
Karen

Dive in – Be Immersed in Color and Yarn

Karen

I started this warp as a place to test some tapestry techniques. I have studied, practiced, and evaluated my own results from techniques used by various tapestry artists. What I have learned is that I prefer the techniques that I am already familiar with, that I learned from my friend Joanne Hall. I am ready to dive in one more time on this warp to refine my own approach to pictorial tapestry weaving.

Tapestry tests and samples are on this warp. My mind is made up. I’m ready to start again.

This little hand-built loom has been sitting idle long enough. It’s time to start again. Starting takes courage. The cartoon is almost ready. Soon, this little loom will be back in action as my favorite place to be immersed in color and yarn.

Piecing pages together to make the cartoon. Only a few more adjustments are needed in the cartoon. The cartoon is being developed from a recent watercolor sketch of morning coffee and fresh figs.

May you start as soon as you can.

Happy Weaving,
Karen