"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Not Finished Til It's Fulled....

~Above are the ends of the tablerunner I finished.".....many hand-weavers do not "finish" their wool projects. The reason seems to be that they either don't know how or are afraid to try. This is a serious mistake because wool that is unfinished is really not very different from other fibers. In fact, it is probably not worth using wool in hand-weaving if it's unique qualities aren't brought out." (Finishing Handwoven Wool Fabrics, by Harrisville Designs ) Well, nobody told ME anything like this when I began weaving. Of course, I did not have enough money to buy wool yarn when I began weaving and did not know how to spin my sheep's wool yet. So it maybe did not occur to the kind ladies who taught me how to weave to instruct me in finishing my handwoven pieces.
~The tablerunner, right off the loom. It is not finished yet. I thought it was, then I ran across this little booklet as I was planning another weaving project.~
~Well, after reading this informative little booklet, complete with illustrations and samples, I now understand why I like my handwoven tablerunners better AFTER several washings!~
~Here is the tablerunner fresh out of the washing machine. The booklet said to machine wash on regular 12 minute cycle with warm water and detergent. Air dry and steam iron press.~
~Finishing wool consists of cleaning and felting or "fulling", as it is called......the variables to control are moisture, heat, and friction in the presence of a good soap or detergent." ~The table-runner, after "fulling", steam pressed. I braided the fringe ends of the table runner as you can see in the first picture above. This is woven with hand-spun Jacob sheep wool . I carded some angora into gray and home dyed pink wool to spin up this variegated yarn. .......There are so very many spiritual analogies one can apply in weaving, and finishing a piece of cloth. But another time....."Like a weaver I have rolled up my life ; he cuts me off from the loom....." Isaiah 38:12 "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle..." Job 7:6 ~~~Wool fabric isn't finished until it has undergone heat, friction, washing and pressing! Then of course , as fabric it is taken and cut and sewn into whatever the designer or creator makes of it. I don't think I am "fulled" yet. The Master Weaver has a design and pattern especially for me that was begun before I was ever born. He planned and made the warp, threaded the loom, and began weaving....and the cloth is not yet ready to cut off the loom.

19 comments:

Juri said...

That is an absolutely beautiful table runner. I love the colors! Very interesting, and I know I am not "fulled" yet, either!

LindaSue said...

excellent analogy - if we look closely at our natural lives we can see how the Lord set us as eternal beings into a finite setting for reasons which unfold as we are fulled. Beautiful piece Kathy - on a trivial note - amazed and impressed your Miss Marple doesn't tear at the fringe - my cats always were obsessed with fringed ends.

Mary Humphrey said...

I am not fulled yet either, and I find it something to be joyous about. Learning and growing. I am learning a lot about weaving through you. I am not saying it is sinking in. I have too many soap and related ideas in my head. I never realized woven wool products needed to be finished, in fact, I always assumed they were not water washable. Assumed is the the key word here!:) Kathy, I love the comments you left on my blog regarding the packaging. I am looking for open discussion. You are the only one that mentioned packaging as being important, but I have to tell you, a discussion about packaging was on the agenda in the upcoming week! You shone ahead. :)And that tells me it will be a good topic!

Anonymous said...

Lovely! We didn't breed any goat's this year, just one that we just sold though and my Dad will take care of the goats while my Mom and myself are on this trip so it won't be hard for him to take care of them since we didn't breed anyone.

Karen said...

That was a wonderful post. I did a little weaving and pottery in art class long ago, and I have heard analogies about the potter, but have never heard the lessons we can learn from weaving. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

What beautiful work Kathy. As you know, I find your craft (and your sheep) fascinating and what a sweet analogy today. Hope you and hubby have a wonderful weekend.

noble pig said...

I love the colors. So cheery and perfect for Spring!

Eggs In My Pocket said...

Oh, Kathy, this is such a lovely piece! I love the colors and I enjoyed learning about wool weaving. You did a lovely job. blessings,Kathleen

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Good Golly Miss Kathy...do you EVER sleep?! You accomplish more in a week than most do in a month. Your weaving is lovely and I love learning something when I visit.

Connie said...

It's gorgeous, Kathy. You must have very nimble fingers to make those little tiny braids. The words of this post are very meaningful too. I enjoyed this. Thank you.

Lanny said...

Kathy you always do such beautiful and careful work. Thank you for your thoughtful words.

Jennifer said...

I love the table runner, it is beautiful!

the voice of melody said...

I think it looks just beautiful! I love handmade things. :)

Shelley said...

This is a beautiful table runner and I love all the colors in it!!

Patchworkfibers said...

beautiful!

Jo said...

The colors in that runner are absolutely exquisite. You could almost use it as a warm winter scarf.

I did not know that about fulling, and what a wonderful analogy.

P.S. I sure enjoy my little black and white sheep, by the way. They're on my bookcase, where they greet me every morning. :-)

KathyB. said...

Juri, thank-you!

LindaSue,thankfully Miss Marple is still interested in her plastic spider and her own little ball of yarn.

Mary,yes, something to be joyful about! Packaging for your soaps sounds like a LOT of creative fun!

Amy,sounds like your Dad will NOT be on vacation while you all are..good thing he does not need to worry about kids and milking!

Karen, thank-you! When I sit down to weave the analogies circle around in my head, and I will share one sometime in the future that comes to mind regularly!

Mildred, thank-you! We have had a wonderful weekend! I hardly set down to the computer at all!

Noble Pig, thank-you. Spinning the yarn and weaving it made me feel happy...it was definitely the pink in the runner.

Kathleen, thank-you very, very much!

Thistle Cove, I get plenty of sleep. I seem to always be doing several projects at once, and I am always reading at least 3 books at a time, I just have projects and books in several places in the house and work on them or read the books when I am close to them!Eventually everything gets done that way!

Daisy, thank-you. I guess braiding granddaughter's hair and spinning wool keeps my fingers working.

Lanny, thank-you very much! I spun up a lot of this when I was having tea with you!

Jennifer, thank-you too! How is your little Easter kid?

Melody, I love handmade and had to learn how to do these things so I could have them!

Shellmo, pink and gray are a nice combo, aren't they. And flattering to many styles.

LindaB. thank-you very much!


Jo, I am glad the little sheep have an appreciative home. I could wear the table-runner as a shawl or scarf. The blue table runner I use on my table almost year round started life as a shawl for me, but I ended up preferring it on the table...and actually wear it once in awhile too! Now that IS multi-purpose!

Anonymous said...

The colors are beautiful!

Paula said...

That is gorgeous, Kathy... and a beautiful analogy to go with it!