Epiphany

Somewhere in the air between Nashville and Austin, I had an epiphany.  I just shook my head and admitted that the scarf warp at the Center had to be reworked.  Last weekend I flew to Texas to surprise my baby brother for his 50th birthday.  I had been planning this for a little over a month, and I had ticked items off my to-do list with great anticipation.  (The bamboo wrap I blogged about was a gift for his wife.)  He was totally surprised, and we had a fantastic, but short, time together.  This picture is from our visit to the Alamo.

 But, I digress....the scarf warp.  It had been weighing on my mind.  Truthfully, I can't put my finger on exactly what was wrong.
YES....I had trouble with the treadles.
YES...the selvedges were unattractive.
YES...it was a chore weaving on this loom.
And, YES....I already had some boo-boos in the weaving.

 The treadles on this loom are a challenge!  I should mention that I wasn't able to do plain weave since I didn't have enough chains to tie up the other two treadles, and the pattern weave requires 8 treadles.  Also, the rods that thread through the chains tend to slip out during weaving.  I had resorted to painters' tape and zip ties to secure the rods and chains. And, my-oh-my....you get such a workout with this loom!  Lifting the shafts should be considered aerobic exercise!  The weaving mistakes are all mine.........

Now the warp has been re-threaded.  The new pattern only requires 8 treadles, with tabby on one and two.  I may still need the painters' tape or zip ties if the rods start slipping out again.  But, I'm ready to tie it on when I get to the Center on Tuesday and start weaving.  This warp presented a unique challenge to me, and I would like to experiment with more scarves in the coming months.

Today we observe the 9th anniversary of a day that brought change to life as we knew it.  I thought about that day again as I went through airport security last weekend.  I was in my safe little classroom that morning, surrounded by 5 year olds.  By that afternoon, all I could think of was being in my safe home with my own kids.  The world had turned upside down, and just like Humpty Dumpty, it couldn't be put back together again in the exact same way. As we pause to reflect on this day, many of us will experience an epiphany.  We will re-adjust our priorities, hug our loved ones, and say a little prayer for those who are in harms' way.


Peace be with you.....
LouAnn