More on the weaving at Portfiber in Portland. I learned and wove at the same time. The terms shuttle, mostly used to describe when packing a car with loads of teenagers and taking them from one place to another, is also used for the tool that takes the wool from one side of the loom to the other. The wooden shuttle had less drama but did produce enthusiastic participants.
Pendleton wool used to create the rug weaving
Color choices for the rug inspired the final design. Given that Portland is on the seashore, blues were the immediate choice. Left, right, left, right…..progress! Laughs and a few mistakes. All part of the learning process. How long could the fun last? All day! Learning to pass the filled shuttle with just the right force so it would get all the way through the loom but not half way across the room seemed like it should have been easy. Well not for this girl. I was never good at sports…who knew that sports skills would transfer to weaving? I made it through without causing too much damage to the workshop. I may be asked for a damage deposit on a second visit.
Wool selections
The fun did have to end at some point. The loom was low on warp threads. After only four hours of weaving the rug was complete. Record time! Next time I will bring a stop watch to see if I can increase my speed. I hear that is what athletes try to do as they practice. After cutting the warp thread and the rug off the loom…yikes in so many ways….and fancy tying on each end of the rug it was finished. Now all that was left to do was admire. And here we have the finished rug….you be the judge of the results. I say not bad for a newbie. I can’t wait for the next adventure!
Finished 2’ x 4’ wool rug