Handwoven Rugs

Day 57: This project is no longer looming over me! I started weaving these rugs about a year ago (maybe a little longer) and although I'd sleyed them with the intention of using a traditional bird's-eye weave, it quickly became apparent that the chenille yarn I'd chosen for the weft was too fluffy to allow the warp threads to show. I said a few choice words, picked back the first few throws and resigned myself to the monotony of tabby, i.e., treadles 1,3 and 2, 4 as steadily as if I'd been hiking up a hill. Bored, I only worked on them sporadically and the top of the loom became a repository for quilt parts, other sewing projects and fabric photo backdrops. Every now and then, I'd clear it off and do 25 or 50 throws, "Nope, I'm bored with this. I'm out of here."

A few days ago, I was organizing things in my craft room and was putting away some remnants, and the mood came upon me to weave. I raced through the third rug and began working on the fourth and last one. This morning, I finished up and pulled the cloth from the heddles. I still have to tie fringes, but there you have it: done! And the warp for my next project is laid out and waiting to be measured.