Weaving a scarf full of learning experiences

by Noreen on May 19th, 2008

Earlier in May, I read on my dear friend, Terri’s blog about a virtual scarf project.

I was intrigued, and have been thinking about it since.

I am deep into meeting deadlines (VERY tight ones!) on my new book. I debated about taking time off from the book to weave a scarf for the virtual small scarf project.

Well…. I decided to go for it.

There were a number of odd, but seemingly intertwined threads bobbing to the surface of my life.

A friend and I just did a trade and so an Ashford Knitter’s Loom has just come into my life.

(I didn’t plan on adopting this loom, but, doing so was an opportunity for a little flexibility on my part to make a situation easier for a friend. Win/win. Unexpected, but a happy outcome. Who knows what a new day will bring?)

The other intertwined thread is that another friend, who is a Presbyterian minister, needs a new green stole for the season from spring through summer.

So, I thought…. oh ho! I am going to take this little loom for a test ~~spin~~ (okay test weave) and weave her a green stole!

I warped it up: Using colors that are metaphoric for the uses the stole would be used for: Golden strands representing the Divine Presence, yellow for the sun, blue for the sky, brown for soil, and green, all kinds of green for water and most of all for Life…. and JOY……..

and sat down and started weaving: By the way, I use chopsticks instead of paper to separate my layers of warp.

I kept thinking about Hildegarde of Bingen, who sang:

‘We are greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeening, greening for life, we are greening with love of all Creation’……. I kept singing that over and over…….. as I wove…….

The shuttle is one that my honeypie/love of my life/husband made for me. It’s pure joy to work with. He also turned the bobbins for me. I burn designs on them. It’s good to make things beautiful, right?

I hoped the scarf would look okay when it came off the loom….

(You never know for sure until it’s off the loom)

Okay - off the loom - and looking and feeling good!

Cut the fringe:

And twist the ends:

Then hand wash and press press press it…….

Then, re-tie the fringe and trim it again:

And, now, here comes the owee bit….. sigh….

There should be a pic with my friend wearing the stole, right?

sigh.

Not to be.

She loved it.

She put it on, and had a H U G E asthma attack.

I didn’t get all the information that I needed.

I should have asked:

Are there any fibers that you are allergic to?

And, then I would NOT have included wool in it. sigh.

I LOVE wool. Wool is bliss to me.

But not to her.

Wool shuts down her respiratory system.

And so, the stole is back in my studio.

She suggested that I sell it. I don’t think so……

I’ll wait to see what else it has to teach me……….

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay

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