Catastrophes CAN Have Good Results

A month or so ago I wrote about the project that was on my loom at the time.  You can see it HERE.  This weekend I sat down to finish taking that project off of the loom so that I could re-use the warp and begin again.  To my dismay and not-terribly-surprised eyes I discovered someone had cut a large section of the warp yarns with little round nosed will-only-cut-paper scissors!

What was left of the old piece after I finally finished the job started by a grandkid.  

Not-terribly-surprised eyes because most of the grandkids had trooped through the house recently and anything is possible when 7 small people arrive! Will-only-cut-paper scissors are akin to prescription bottles with child-proof lids; strong willed and determined children have no trouble popping those suckers off, either.

Setting up a new warp; I find the repetitive movement of this step relaxing.  

The truth of that matter is this, if it had been one of my own little darlings years ago I'd have been hopping mad.  Now that the grand darlings are on the scene I can sit on my weaving stool and laugh.  Shake my head and cut the project off of the loom.  Grinning.  I'm asking myself why it was funny and finding that I remember how many things small hands got into over the 175 or so years I was raising kids and how happy I am that the cycle has moved on down another generation!

This time the twining tension is even and pretty.  There is beauty in repetitive patterns.

As a result, I spent the weekend re-warping my Navajo loom.  The first time I did this process it was very, very hard.  The second time was not much better.  The third time I felt more comfortable with it, but this, the fourth time it felt natural to my hands.  In fact, it was meditative and enjoyable.  I find myself glad I had to start over again because this time the thing is finally done right.  The tension is even, the ends are tightly attached and I found the rhythm fast.

Warped and ready for the pull-stick to be added

I realize that what I weave on it will be far from the perfection the experienced Navajo weavers achieve, but this time I am weaving with joy.  I can see how someone can make this their only medium and work a whole lifetime on it.

Weaving is a peaceful, meditative process.  Yarn therapy.  

I've told myself I can't weave or paint today until my living and laundry rooms are clean.  As I've been slaving away over an ungrateful house this morning, I keep thinking how glad I am that I had to start over on that loom.  Again.  I learned and gained experience from it.  Whichever adorable little person gleefully snipped at those warp yarns did their Meemaw a favor. Precious little lamb!

Until tomorrow, then, Alice.