Life's a rich tapestry ...

So, it's been an interesting couple of weeks which, despite being extremely trying for the whole family, worked out OK in the end.  We discovered a lump on the back of my teenage son's head.  At first we thought nothing of it but took him to the doctor to be sure.   I was fully expecting her to dismiss it but she ordered up a scan and, given the lack of rural services, we had to wait several days to know what we were dealing with.  The scan showed nothing sinister, in fact the lump had probably been around for a while (puberty causing it to get a bit bigger possibly) and we just hadn't noticed it until now.    There is nothing (and I do mean nothing) quite like the awful feeling of dread that accompanies the knowledge that your child might have something wrong with them.  And, there is nothing quite like the relief you get when the all clear is given.  I am painfully aware that there are lots and lots of parents who are dealing with illnesses (and other things) that threaten their children and my heart goes out to them.


It feels weird to talk about jewelry after that but I do find that having a 'creative outlet' helps to take ones mind off things and I did want to share how I've been going with the weaving.  

I definitely don't claim to be an expert and it's been so long since I've used my loom that I had to go to YouTube to remind me how to warp it.  I've got a simple rigid heddle loom from Ashford.   The white thing in the middle  is the heddle and each warp (vertical) thread passes through a slot or a hole. When you raise or lower the heddle you create a shed (or gap) which allows you to pass the yarn through easily.  Despite their simplicity rigid heddle looms are quite versatile and allow you to create a wide range of patterns and textures.

The photo above shows a sample of the weave as it progresses.  I've used leather thong green to separate my first section of fabric from the next.  The great thing about cuffs is that, once you've warped the loom, they are relatively quick to weave.

Here's the finished cuff, embellished with some wooden disc beads and an old coin.  I used a slit weave technique (the same thing used on kilims) to create the button hole.  I wanted a primitive feel so I kept the patterning simple and quite  'blocky'.  I'll be interested to see if it gets any favorites when I list it.


I think I'm going to try something much less tribal for my next piece - perhaps in one colour.  


'til next time...