The tree in the scene is a tracing of the oak tree that I pass as I walk up the hill to my drawloom studio. ”Home in Texas” shows the back of our house, with its massive stone chimney.
Lift heddles and lanyard clips on the single unit draw cords attach the draw cords to the all the individual units (single units) on the pattern shafts. Side borders use a repeat of 5 pattern shafts. Central design area uses a repeat of 30 pattern shafts threaded in a straight draw. 36 pattern shafts, including the X shaft. Pattern shafts (the wood bars) and single units (with black and white draw cords) are combined for this warp. This narrow warp is my playground to do both. The single unit system enables non-repeat patterns. The shaft draw system enables me to weave repeated patterns. The shaft draw and the single unit draw systems are combined on this ingenious apparatus that is attached to an otherwise ordinary loom. The sky is the limit! That is my conclusion after weaving a few designs using the Myrehed combination drawloom. We can just imagine the delight this brings to our Maker. His unseen designs become visible in the lives of those who belong to him. The Lord embraces those who fully trust him. When we allow him to direct our hearts, pulling cords at the right place to imprint his will in us, he faithfully completes the work, to the very last detail. The Lord is ready to give us his focused attention. The checked borders are produced with the pattern shaft draw handles. Clear ruler moves up the chart, line by line, showing me exactly which black or white single unit cords to draw. Each pattern shaft holds units of ends in a certain order, which enables me to duplicate patterns across the warp or on the sides, as with these trees. Trees on the side borders, as seen on the cloth below the breast beam, were woven using pattern shafts. With this combination drawloom I combine single units and pattern shafts to work in complex harmony, as an expression of my creativity. At the start of this towel, the same tree design was woven on the side borders using the pattern shafts. The simple tree design is scattered across the fabric using the single unit draw system. For the setup on this project one unit is 6 ends. Single unit draw cords pull up single units of threads. It’s a delightful experience that I don’t want to end. It’s all deliberate focused attention on this thing I’m doing-following the chart row by row, drawing handles and cords, imprinting trees into cloth. No podcasts, no music going, no interruptions. I’m in my own little world when I’m at the drawloom. The delight comes as we see the real-time results emerge in our own hearts. The pattern on the chart is true, and gives direction. And as you do, you come to know the truth. If you believe in Jesus you must walk with him. Closely following the chart is the only way I can hope to weave something worthwhile on the combination drawloom. I keep the chart at eye level and constantly refer to it.
Sometimes one single unit is enough to make the next row of pattern. Everything works together! …for the good of the fabric being woven. I have rubber bands on the first and last draw handles for the side border pattern, and on the center handle for the border pattern (not pulled in this photo). But it’s not really magic, is it? Standard procedure is to always have a temple in place. As I weave, the snowflakes emerge, as if by magic. All I have to do is follow the graphed chart. And there is enough (planned) random snowflakes using single units and pattern shafts to keep it engaging. There is enough consistency with the border pattern shafts to make it simple. These snowflake patterns are delightful to weave.
(But, who knows what I’ll be able to weave after that to the very end of the warp?) Snowflake Towel 04 will be the final towel on this warp. Snowflake Towel 02 is going over the knee beam. Snowflake Towel 01 is wrapping around the cloth beam. The single units give me freedom to design a (planned) random snowfall expression. The center body of the towel uses single unit draw cords to create non-repeated pattern. Pattern shaft draw handles are now relegated to the side borders. Pattern shafts are used for making a repeated pattern, and no single unit cords are involved. It always seems thrilling to me to see all the handles down at once! Lower border of the towel is the easy part. Solid row of pattern across the warp requires that all pattern shaft draw handles are pulled. The pattern area of the towel is woven with royal blue 16/1 linen weft. Hem of towel is bleached 16/1 linen weft, and then green 16/2 linen weft. And, while I’m actively absorbed with this mental and physical choreography, I experience freedom from every other care. I pull and release draw handles and draw cords, check for errors, and throw the shuttle for each unit of threads (six times per unit with the current setup). I am constantly improving my methods of operating the drawloom.
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