Thursday, April 17, 2014

Weaving and Life (in general)

Shhhhhh.....don't tell! 
  I think that sometimes I go to the Museum each week just to see the lambs.  (Of course, their home cooked lunches rank right up there, too!)  The lambs have grown so much!
  Today there were several groups visiting the Museum:  140 first graders.....that was interesting.
  Also, there was a group of 40 high school students from Japan....very interesting.  We still have people stopping by on their Spring Breaks....family groups are always fun.
  I'm threading the Rocker Loom right now with a 12 yard warp.....just 250  threads....another rug warp.  The light was just starting to fade inside the Loom House when a group came in to hear about weaving.  (They were part of this church group pictured above.)  There was an adult with this group of teenagers, and he asked me to tell the kids about weaving.  And, as usual, the question came up about "how long does it take to weave a rug?" 
  My answer is always:  it just depends.
I told them about how important it is to carefully wind the warp, and then wind it on the warp beam of the loom.  (If you're lucky, you have a friend that will help you wind on the warp!!!)  Threading comes next, along with sleying the reed, and you tie it onto the front beam.......then you're ready to weave, which is your reward.   All the hard work is on the front end.
  The adult in the group took this opportunity to point out that it is the same with life.  Plan ahead and do your work so you can enjoy the rewards.


  While I was driving home, I was thinking about that.....and I was thinking about how sometimes, even though you've been very careful, things just happen.  A warp thread breaks....there's a mistake in the threading.....the tension is wonky.
  These things just happen.   They can be fixed.  No one starts out trying to make mistakes.



  How you deal with the mistake is important, too.  It would be so simple to just chuck it all, and start something else. 
  I went back to the Center yesterday to look at the mistake in the dish towel.  When I counted the threads in that A and B block, I found out that they each are 4 threads too wide....this maybe fixable by just rethreading.  I'll have to check my threading chart to see if this is the case.
  I think this is what is called problem solving.  It's a good life skill to have.

  The ladies in this picture made a career of helping children learn to problem solve.  We have all retired from that career now, but we are all active in other ways.
  I was so happy to see my teacher friends (one of them I have know for around 50 years!)   Yesterday was the first time I could join the group for the monthly lunch.  We are so much more relaxed now....wonder why???  There are others that usually come, but couldn't this month.  I'm looking forward to seeing them in May. 
  Our lives have been interwoven for many years.  We have lots of shared memories and laughter....and sometimes sad things, too.   I'm picking up those dropped threads of my life, and weaving them back into the fabric.
  It's a good thing.
Happy Weaving!
LouAnn

4 comments:

Bonnie said...

Sounds like you have a lot of fun at the museum.

Tina J said...

I love the picture of you and your teaching buddies! Old friendships are worth keeping aren't they! I will help you with that threading on Tuesday

Theresa said...

Picking up threads to weave back into your life, a wonderful thing. Great post, thought provoking here too. Thank you!

Maggie said...

Okay, now I see the error. Dagnabbit! Take three deep breaths, turn around 360 degrees and try again! Good luck!