Monday, February 26, 2007

I cannot deny my calling

It is snowing outside. It is very overcast. The landscape is different shades of grey only. The temperature is about –10 C. This quiet snowfall is quite peaceful.

There is no tuning back. I have to follow the path that was chosen to me. So I have got close to the loom, Liisa, again. She told me that even though I might think that I rule the world while sitting behind the loom, it is her, my dear people, who do all the work and build a nation. So I was advised strongly to be humble, to focus and forget about the time since Rome was not built in a day.

I have subscribed a Finnish handcraft magazine called Taito
for year and years. It covers all kinds of topics from woodworking to fibre arts and every single magazine has quite a few beautiful hand-wovens with patterns in it. I piled the magazines by the sofa last week where I spent most of my time and looked and looked for a perfect pattern. I realized that I needed to follow a pattern designed by someone who knew what she/he was up to and take her advice. I needed to sit by the foot stools of the masters and have open ears and be still and listen.

I’m not fool enough to say that I’m past the basics because this sentence could very easily backfire at me so I’ll just say that to be able to focus with all my mind and heart, I needed something beyond four shafts for now. I picked a shawl pattern with eight shafts. This is a shawl that is called Nougat in magazine 1/2006 and is done there with browns and white. Worked carefully through every single step getting the loom warped. It took some doing and doing all over again but I managed. Of which I’m not proud just amazed.As I have been slowly adding one row at a time, I have over and over told myself that there is time, I don’t need to get 20 inches done today, I might only do 10 inches but do them right. So there is no end in the near vicinity, nor do I dare to think too much what it will look like when off the loom. For now on I will only throw the shuttle as quietly as the snow keeps falling…PS. I realized that I’m back to the blue again.

PS. Here a picture of the yarn for the next project, the yarn is 40% linen rest cotton. But more of it later. Much later. Again blue.One more PS.
These socks I have been wanting to make ever since I saw them on www.knitty.com. I have not dared always thinking that the pattern looks a bit complicated. But really, it is not. It is quite easy to memorize. I highly recommend if you already have not done your pair. If you don't know this, it is a Pomatomus sock to be.

34 comments:

  1. good for you Lena! If someone else can learn something I know that you can too, and with lovely results.

    miriam

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  2. It's great that you are moving on with the weaving! So far, it looks beatiful. And thank you for the picture of your Pomatomus. I have been wanting to make these socks for a while, but I wasn't too fond of the pictures on Knitty because I thought the variegated yarn looked too restless. But white! Perfect!

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  3. Lena, the weaving looks beautiful! Keep up the brave work!

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  4. Anonymous14:56

    I completely understand your shift in fiber techniques - as I frequently return to the bench and shuttle to weave. Knitting has it's great joys, but I treasure the soft clatter of the treadles.
    There's something soothing about using that 'background' part of your brain to thread the warp, isn't there?
    I, too, have been considering Pomatomus - but now that I've seen yours - I'll definitely start them with the soft green yarn that's been in my basket awaiting the right pattern.

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  5. I do believe, without a doubt that your Pomotomus are the most beautiful I have seen. Very nicely done in the white/ivory colour.
    I think it such a wonderful thing, you sitting down to the loom although I'm really not at all surprised.
    Just very happy for you.

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  6. I agree with what Hnyberg said about the white color for the Pomatomus socks -- they are stunning!

    You mention being back to blues with the weaving, by the time the snow is gone and the world outside your window is washed in colors again maybe the blues will be more excited about them. I think the blues and pale yellows are very nice together.

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  7. Anonymous16:39

    What a wonderful sight ! I love all those pictures of the looms at work, so appealing to me...wish you a good luck until the end, keep going with this philosophy in mind, you'll go a long way !
    Was it possible to convert a 4-shaft in a 8 shaft ? Mine is a 4, and I see so many patterns for 8 shafts...
    Your socks are gorgeous in white, looking like some delicate flowers...
    Esther

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  8. thanks for encouraging me to finish my Pomatomus socks! I finished one last October, but the yarn is a cotton/wool blend and I didn't finish them for the winter. If spring ever comes, I'll get them out of the basket to finish. Meanwhile, your weaving looks impressive.

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  9. Anonymous17:21

    Simply lovely. I knew you'd be back! :)

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  10. Kutomuksestasi tulee todella hieno!

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  11. Anonymous17:46

    You go, girl!

    Because of you, I am seriously looking at learning to spin.

    As for the blues? My daughter laughingly claims the colors in the Finnish flag represent the principal colors of Finland -- white for the snow and blue for the lakes and skies.

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  12. I'm glad you heeded your call. You do lovely work, and taking the time to do it properly will reward you, always.
    The p-sock looks great, too! It looks very lacy and formal in all-white.

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  13. I'm glad to hear you are back at it. It is futile to fight what you are and what you love, even the blue. :)

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  14. Yay! So glad you're back!
    The best thing about taking it slow: you get to spend more time doing what you love. (At least that's what I remind myself when I'm ripping out knitting to do it over...)

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  15. Glad to hear that you're back, adn with most beautiful results as well, from the looks of things! Thanks for showing your P-socks, too: that pattern looks great in a solid, and the white is wonderful!

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  16. Anonymous19:59

    It's wonderful to know that you are your calm and centered self again and the weaving is progresing nicely! The standards you set for yourself are very high but you achieve them with your beautiful work. I'm sure you will master weaving as well.

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  17. Your weaving is looking lovely.
    and those socks are probably the prettiest pair that I have seen from that pattern.

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  18. Your weaving looks beautiful so far and the pictures you have taken have such a wonderfully artistic quality to them. I love then lines in them. You are doing absolutely lovely work!

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  19. I love the colours in your weaving, and it looks beautiful to me.
    I am so happy to see Pomatomus in a single colour. I am a bit tired of the variegated sock yarns!
    I know I would wear my hand knit socks more if they were all one colour!

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  20. beautiful photos of your weaving.
    and I'm glad you're 'back on the horse' lene :)

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  21. Wow! The weaving looks like a lot of work! You are doing great!

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  22. Anonymous00:01

    So glad to see you're bak at work on your projects again!

    And good to know that Pomatomus is not a hard as it looks. I am expecting some tomato-red sock yarn from eBay that would be perfect to try it out on!

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  23. I'm so glad you're back in the groove again! I knew it would happen eventually. And I just love your snow-white Pomatomus. :-)

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  24. Weaving is wonderful except for setting up the loom in my humble opinion. I love every other aspect of weaving. My oldest daughter finds that the most relaxing part to weaving so when she was still home, I would tell her I would take her out to eat someplace nice if she would thread the warp for me.
    Those socks will be gorgeous !

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  25. Anonymous02:14

    Thank you for the beautiful inspiration of your weaving photos! I'm glad that you have found your muse again, as I love to follow what you are doing.

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  26. Anonymous02:33

    Lene ... you can deny your call; but you can't lose it. .. A true call is small, quiet, and won't go away. As you have discovered!!! I'm so glad you have.
    Peace, Elizabeth

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  27. Bravo Lene!

    An excellent piece of weaving in progress. The colors and pattern seem very soothing.

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  28. Anonymous05:29

    I am so glad that body, mind and spirit are all on the mend. That harmony will surely become part of your weaving, knitting and spinning. Enjoy!

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  29. I am absolutely amazed and fascinated by the loom and how it works!
    I really do like the pattern you are creating for your shawl.

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  30. Glad to hear that you're finding joy in your beautiful work again. Maybe it was just a case of the February Funk. Lack of sunlight sure can take its toll. But your talent is again shining through.

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  31. Anonymous16:48

    okay - you are making me want to get my loom warped - which I hate to do. Love the weaving part though. Your shawl looks like it is going to be beautiful.

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  32. I am soooo glad you are back!!
    I have heard it said that a 'calling' is not always the smoothest or easiest path to take -although certainly it is the most rewarding one!!
    Bravo for your courage to continue.
    Your work is beautiful and an inspiration!

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  33. Lene, Did you know that Mercury is retrograde again?
    From February 14th to March 8th.

    Mehttp://www.lipstickmystic.com/astro/mercury-retrograde-february-2007.html

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  34. SHATTERED by those utterly stunning Pomatomus socks. The pattern seems to float free - how do you do that? Off to find the pattern immediately.

    But not before giving you a big hug and a love for being back with those of us who delight in your writing.

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