Why I started weaving~ A story of envy

I will have the things I want

No. Matter. What.

Beautiful Charlevoix, Michigan's Apple Festival is always chilly in October and last fall was no exception.  Walking through rows of tents filled with the most beautiful jewelry, art, and clothing you can imagine, we all had sort of broken up into groups to browse at our own pace when I saw my sister-in-law walking towards me with the most gorgeous hooded scarf I had ever seen!  It was all kinds of blues and turquoise and big puffy, thick wools. It was not crochet, it was not knitted... I didn't know what it was!  After a fair amount of admiring it, I found the tent she bought it from and asked the sellers husband a lot of questions he was not really interested in answering but I did discover that this was WOVEN wool.   I really wanted one but they were too expensive so I left that tent cold but interested in knowing more about this WEAVING stuff.  Every time I saw her wearing around her amazing hooded scarf, it just made me want one even more so I went home and joined a facebook group for weavers.  That was a BIG mistake.  Seeing all the fantastic creations people were weaving only succeeded in making me sooo envious!!! I really wanted to be able to make that stuff too! I decided to get a small pot holder sized pin loom in January to try it out. 

And I fell down the rabbit hole.

*NOTE* Prior to this I had never threaded a needle or sewn a button in my life so this was an unimaginably fast spiral.  

Although my first woven item looked like this...

Yeah, it was bad...

...I was still hooked.  I remembered my daughter had a little lap loom stored away so I dug that out and without reading directions I started an insane project that I now know is not actual weaving- I still don't know what to call it.  I took tons and tons of 2 foot long pieces of yarn, wove them in and out of the warp (the yarn that runs lengthwise) but did not continue the weave up the next row.  Instead I left each end with about 6 inches hanging off the sides.  Then went back and knotted those together to create a fringe on either side- WIDTHwise!!

Needless to say, this took months! 

In the meantime I was researching, planning and saving for a REAL loom. In March I finally received my 32 inch Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom!

Since that day, I have had no desire greater than to sit at my loom and weave and create all the beautiful, amazing things I can imagine.

Having been an artist mostly specializing in paints all my life, I always feel like weaving is painting with thread. It brings me presence, mindfulness, peace and best of all it brings me all the lovely things I want!