When the world outside seems too real and too worrisome, when daily caregiving realities seem overwhelming and interfere with research and writing, my loom feels like an escape. It’s a grounding place where I can solve the puzzle of thread placement, pass by pass.
To experiment with a skein of Crown Colony 2-ply yarn as warp, I designed rows of flowers, Andy Warhol-ish, with some Frida Hansen roses. I set it up in our TV room, to weave during the run of the Olympics.
There were other experiments with this weaving. At the bottom I began with a row of twining, two rows of plain weave border, and then added a row of extra fringe with rya knots around each two warp threads. I finished with four shots of light green for the border. I think this two-toned fringe was successful. It didn’t become too bulky, and adds a bit of weight to the transparency.
Here is a tip for weaving transparencies on a portable tapestry loom. If it is possible, warp your loom with the continuous method, meaning around both bars in a circular method, so there is warp on the front and back of the loom. That way you can begin weaving right at the bottom of the loom. If you have only one layer, and have to leave space at the bottom of the loom for fringe, you will soon be weaving higher up on the warp, with your arms stretched upward, which won’t be comfortable or ergonomically sound.
The pink and yellow yarn of the flowers were an antidote to the ice outside, and ICE.
I liked the bands of flowers, and it was going fairly quickly (probably because there was so much news to avoid; ICE, my mother’s broken nose, economic fallout of the surge on downtown Minneapolis, etc. and now WAR), so I added a band to my cartoon.
Sometimes when a transparency comes off the loom, it feels done; other times, I feel a good steaming is in order. This one needed pressing. Steaming not only adds to the loveliness of the surface, it also helps the wool warp and weft to join together.
In this imperfect first photo of the completed transparency, note that the fringes will still need some evening out! I might fix the top a little, too.
