Looming Joy!

Man, what with Covid-19 cases rising… it’s easy for life to feel really heavy right now. It puts such a strain on everyone’s mental health and emotional well-being. It’s so important during stressful times, that we take charge and make sure we have ways to de-stress. Whether that looks like long walks, yoga, meditation, fibre arts or some other activity, it’s up to us each to reach for what will keep us feeling balanced.

My kids’ paternal grandmother was a weaver. Rag rugs were her thing. She had two looms that were usually loaded with projects at all times. She passed away, years ago (within months of my own mother’s passing). Recently, I was entrusted with one of her looms. Her husband built it for her in the 1990’s. It had been in storage and although the structure of it was in good condition, the heddles and the cording that supported the harnesses, treadles and shafts didn’t fare as well.

I was so excited to be able to bring this loom back to life. I had observed my mother-in-law using the looms, but had never used them myself. Weeks before I received it, I began researching. Once we had it all structurally set up, I ordered heddles for it and restrung the rotted out cording.

My sweetheart built me a warping board, which I found leaning up against the loom on a Sunday morning. I felt like a five year old child waking up to shiny things on Christmas morning. By the end of the day I was well into my first project (despite having to work part of the day).

It was wonderful. I felt so much joy measuring the warp, sleying the reed, threading the heddles and anchoring that yarn to the apron rods. Every step felt so satisfying. I filled my bobbins for my shiny new shuttle and began weaving. The joy welled up in me so much that at one point I had to just sit back and weep. Perhaps that sounds melodramatic, but it didn’t feel that way. It just felt wonderful. Since the pandemic began back in early spring, there has been so much emotional and mental stress building up everywhere. I feel like this was an opening of the gates that allowed me to release a big wave of emotion that was stuffed down and out of the way so I could keep on keeping on. I didn’t realize how much I needed that.

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Over the next three days, I sat down and wove whenever I had a chance. Ten minutes here, thirty minutes there. By the time I opened the store that Wednesday morning, I had finished the entire warp. I made 3 dish cloths, 3 table runners and 2 scrubby cloths (I used Rico Creative Bubble for those, it’s the yarn you use to make scrubbies for your dishes). When I got a chance throughout the day, I finished up the ends of those items on the sewing machine, serger and ultimately with some twill binding. It was so satisfying. I learned a lot in doing that first warp’s worth of weaving. The most important thing I learned was that I love to weave. It also really impressed upon me how important it is that I make the time to do things that bring me joy, that pull me away from the stress inducing aspects of life.

Since then I’ve completed another warp’s worth of weaving projects and I’m now on my third one. This batch will be placemats. It’s proving to be very satisfying. I have a couple of knitting projects on the go, but they are both pretty complex and require a degree of focus that I just haven’t been able to sustain for the past month. I’m picking away at them and I’ll get them done, little by little. The loom is (for now) taking over the place that I usually fill with a “no-brainer” knitting project. It’s nice to have options.

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For me, fibre arts offer a healthy way to release the mental and emotional stress that (daily life, let alone) the pandemic has us all under. Dr. Bonnie Henry’s mantra of “Be Calm, Be Kind, Be Safe” is not just about how we are with others, but about how we are to ourselves too. If crochet, or knitting, or embroidery, or felting, or weaving help you to cope with all… well… that stuff… you are in good company. And it’s a bonus is that you end up with something tangible out of the deal when the crafting is done. A hat, a pair of socks, a dishcloth, a sweater, a Christmas ornament… all happy results of a fibre arts hobby. But the best side effect of all is the joy.

And with that in mind, I wish you JOY!

Happy crafting!

Tips for Tardy Gift Makers

Every year I have good intentions that I’ll start making gifts early in the year; you know, so that there isn’t a grand panic when fall shifts into winter. (Now what was it my dad always said about good intentions?) There have been one or two years when I managed it. Sadly this year isn’t one of them. Let me share with you some ways I have found to be more efficient at this gift making time of year.

As we sail along the rails of the Pinterest and Instagram inspiration rides, it’s important to be more than just a little ruthless in your search. Personally, I have found that sticking to Ravelry.com is more efficient. There will almost always be a pattern available for the search results. At this time of year, you really have to have a clear mission in mind.

First off, you have to know what your end-game is. How many gifts do you want/need to make. Being clear will save you resources on every level. As I search in Ravelry (using the advanced search function), I like to open each project that catches my eye in a new tab. I’ll systematically do this first, working through my search results. Then I’ll go through all those tabs and eliminate the ones that don’t live up to my current needs. I bookmark the ones I’m seriously considering by adding them to my favourites or immediately downloading the pattern.

Make notes and keep them in one place.

What is it, who is it for, what materials do you need, when does it have to be done, what’s the budget?

I see people getting lost in their phones trying to find the information they need so they can buy their supplies. Often, they are unable to find the pattern at all. I like to use a free app called Knit Companion to organize my patterns. Minimally, this allows you to have those patterns all in one place for easy access on your devices. Printing out the patterns can also be helpful.

Stash-bust before you go shopping.

Once you have that list, go through your stash to see what will work for those projects. Bundle the pattern and supplies together and label them so you don’t have to try and remember what you did. Check those off your list and make a note of what you decided to use. Spending a little time to organize this information will save you a lot of time, money, energy and frustration later.

Keep it simple.

As much as the intricate patterns with amazing detail are attractive and dazzling, be honest. You don’t have time for that! It’s the end of November. But, that doesn’t mean that your gifts have to be boring. For instance, let’s say you are making a scarf or a cowl. You can make a plain knitted or crocheted long rectangle, put a knot in it and then attach the ends together. Presto, you have a funky cowl and all you did was knit or crochet a rectangle. Use chunky yarn and it will work up quickly. Funky buttons, simple embroidered motifs, tassles, pom-poms, using a mini stuffed toy instead of a pom-pom, “hand-made” labels, adding a crocheted rosette or square in a complimentary yarn are all ways to take a simple design up a notch.

Sticking with the super simple theme, there are all kinds of self-patterning yarns available that come with instructions. The yarn does the work for you. For instance, Magic Diamonds from Katia will give you an argyle (diagonal plaid) design and with one ball (and a bit of a contrasting yarn for the border), you can make a cowl. Katia Big Paint is a self striping yarn that comes with a pattern to knit or crochet a hat or to make a scarf. One ball makes a hat with a pom, whether you knit or crochet it. The knit scarf takes 3 balls, but the yarn is thick and works up fast. How cool is that? Cascade Curiosity is typically used for shawls, but, you can get three toques (beanies for non-Canadians) out of one ball. The colours shift subtly and each hat is different. Throw a faux fur pom on there and you have a gorgeous gift that is easy to make while you’re watching television.

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But, you don’t necessarily have to do it all yourself. If your recipient is crafty, why not consider giving them a kit? Got a friend that loves to knit? Pick out a knitting pattern and the yarn to go with it and bundle it up with a “some assembly required” note card. Has your sister been talking about how much she’d love to learn how to needle felt? Buy a kit that has everything that you need to make it. Got a crafty niece or nephew? How about a knitting loom and enough yarn to make a hat or a scarf? I brought in crochet kits that include the hook, yarn, instructions and finishing notions for making bags. We have rug kits from Spain that include all the self patterning yarn, the pattern and the crochet hook. There are lots of options. Ask for help from the staff in your local yarn and craft shop.

And then, you can also check out the craft sales. Take advantage of the many talented makers who have already created hand crafted items. The nice thing about this option is that the items are ready made; you know exactly what you have. Makers pour their heart and passion into each piece they sell; and you get to give a hand made item without having to make it.

Every year I think I’ll start earlier, but I don’t. And that’s okay. The main thing is to remember that the whole point of making gifts from scratch is to have fun and give gifts that come from the heart. So keep it simple and keep it fun. Put up your feet and enjoy every stitch and you can’t go wrong.

Happy Crafting!

Greetings from Germany

After flight delays, missed connections, rerouting, failed messages and roughly 24 hours in transit, we may have arrived 6 hours later than expected; but we made it to Germany safe and sound.

It was a relief to arrive at my cousin’s house in Schlitz. We celebrated our arrival with some delicious wine from the area. Located about half an hour from Fulda, this gorgeous little town is the home of the biannual Schlitzenlander Trachtenfest. (Link to the website). With a rich textiles history what better place to start our German itinerary. The festival begins tonight (Friday July 12) and concludes on Monday. Obviously, I can’t tell you all about this year’s festival yet since it hasn’t started. But I can tell you about some of the things I found charming and interesting here.

On Saturday I will be checking out the local factory outlet for Driessen Leinen. They specialize in the weaving of fine linen fabrics, bed and kitchen linens and more. It will be difficult to stick to my budget! I absolutely love linen. Driessen also offers a cotton/linen blend. I’m excited to see what they have.

On Wednesday we went to see the Vorderburg Museum. It hosts a collection of items relating to weaving, shoe-making and local history. We went with the intention of hearing the glockenspiel and then touring the museum. We were told that the glockenspiel would play at 3pm. After taking the lift up to the top of the nearby tower and taking in the panoramic view, we visited the neighbouring church and then made our way to the Vorderburg Museum. We waited patiently for almost 20 minutes for the chimes to play a song. Alas, after chiming the hour… nothing. We waited a couple more minutes before heading into the museum. We paid our admission and after a little while we realized we could just barely make out the sound of the glockenspiel. If we had been patient just six or seven minutes more we could have heard it in the courtyard. Oh well. We were told it would play again at 5pm.

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The museum is small but packed with interesting items. I was particularly interested in the artifacts directly related to textiles. The looms, spinning wheels, examples of hand crafted folk costumes and linens dating way back gave a sense of how incredibly long people have had a mastery of textiles. There were samplers of traditional redwork embroidery, typical of the region. The samplers were a way for women to perfect their technique before advancing to the embroidery of garments, bed and kitchen linens or decorative projects.

In the shoe making history display, I was delighted to discover a treadle version of the industrial sewing machine I have in my store for doing leather repair. If not for the patina that the passage of time has given it, and lack of a motor, it could have been my very machine! When something works well, why change it?

The folk costume display highlighted the wide variety of skills needed to complete these textile works of art. I was so engrossed by the array of techniques (tatting, cross stitch, smocking, knitting, embroidery, sewing, leatherwork and beading) that I left without taking any photos!

After viewing the last of the museum displays we decided to check out more of the local sights. The market place was bustling with carpenters setting up stages and booths in preparation for the festival. We walked through the park and checked out the music academy. We zigzagged between the medieval half timbered houses and headed back through the cloister garden. Suddenly we realized we could just make out the sounds of the glockenspiel in the distance! Yes, we missed it again! We were so carried away with all the beautiful buildings and surroundings that we had lost track of time.

Thursday morning we got up early to head to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Despite our train out of Fulda being cancelled, and clouds giving way to a steady, desperately needed rain (there had been a heat wave leading up to our arrival), nothing could stop us from having a magical time in the walled medieval city. Exhausted, we were happy for the comfort of the B & B at the end of the day.

Today we will be taking in the sights of Nuremberg… including at least one yarn shop and the museum and home of artist Albrecht Durer. Early Saturday morning we head back to Schlitz to visit Driessen Leinen and take in the Trachtenfest.

Happy summer!

Knitting Looms

Maybe you love the idea of knitting, but somehow the coordination of it hasn’t clicked for you. Or maybe, you have a young person in your life who you imagine would enjoy making things out of yarn.

You might like to try a knitting alternative: the knitting loom!

Everyone has their own preference as to what works well for them. For some people, making stuff with pointy sticks or a hook and some string makes them feel good. For other people wrapping yarn on a pegged board puts a smile on their face every time. I am a firm believer that each of us needs to try things out to find that activity that will consistently turn up our personal happy-meter!