"Ode to Inge"

Under this protector sheet, is the shawl project! It sat idle for a time as we were so busy with the new windows and when time allowed or I needed a break, I wove and did finishing on the huck lace shawl. The vertical blinds were down and the sun streamed in so I had to shield the loom. When we got the new window in, painted, new blinds up and so I got busy on the loom. ( the black bundle on the side of the loom is a warp for placemats to go on next.)

To review: this is 2/8 tencel, sett 24 epi and is threaded in a 12 shaft M's and W's. The treadling is a bit more complex than the threading as I did runs to and fro and one repeat was approximately five inches in length. I hunkered down and wove carefully as it was easy to lose your place. I did this once and had to 'un-weave' back known starting place.... almost four inches back! I did develop a rhythm in time and soon it was done.

Then I pinned it out on my styrofoam board and started twisting the fringe. I did the black and red sections first to ensure continuity. I also wanted the beige ends to be solidly beige and not a mix with black or red. {See my post: 'A Good Twist to the Yarn'}

Twisting the ends took two full afternoons as there is a lot of fringe here. Once complete, off the board and now comes the bead stash bag. The red in this shawl is more of a brick red and if I was to use red beads, they had to be the right shade and happily I had one bead that matched!

Beading took another two full afternoons as it's a slow process. This time I set the beads in between the fringes so it will appear worn either side. No double beading as with the last shawl thank goodness. { See my older post: 'Gilding the Lily' Feb/09}

Here it is prior to wet finishing and everything is a bit stiff. Washing really settles all your work into it's place and completes the look you want. Same as the huck lace shawl, I soaked it in warm soapy water for 20 minutes and gently squeezed it through, rinsed, then spun it out in the machine. I hung it over a pvc road to dry after pulling it into shape and untangling the fringe bouts. The next morning I gave it a hard pressing using steam and the shine popped out and the tencel turned to 'butter'. The fringe swayed and the beads relaxed. All I need to do now is to trim the ends of the fringes. This I do by laying the shawl on a table with a cutting mat under the fringe. Straighten all fringe, lay a yard stick across the cutting line and roll through with a rotary cutter. It gives a wonderful sharp line.
So here is the shawl draped on my studio manikin and pinned to hold it up! Gotta get some arms..

A closer shot to show the pattern:

And the bead details...

Now, I'm aware that this shawl has an unusual look to it and may not be for every one's taste. The inspiration for this shawl was the work of Inge Dam. Inge is a Ontario Handweavers and Spinners Guild 'Master Weaver'. Inge did her thesis work on the ancient textiles found in the burial sites in northern Europe. These ancient weavers wove using tablet or card weaving sewn onto their clothing or in some cases actually woven along with their cloth on their warp weighted looms. These bands were much more than methods to tie their clothing to the body, they were adornments and decoration. Inge has incorporated card weaving into her cloth in bright, modern and unique pieces. I would love to show you her weaving here but I hesitate to 'borrow' her images and so ask you to visit and view her work here.

I hope to one day try this method for myself, but in the mean time this shawl gives the appearance of bands while being loom woven. As for wearing it, I see a simple black dress with a Celtic style necklace. Or for the really brave, a simple but stunning brick red dress. I have always had a love of archeology and in particular ancient textiles. I have a number of books on this topic but here is one that features burial garments found in graves in Greenland. The title is 'Woven into the Earth' by Else Ostergard. The Viking descendants found here had no trees to make coffins, so they buried their dead in wrappings of clothes. Most likely older clothing and not their best. The conditions preserved the cloth and they were found with tree roots growing down through them, hence the title.

So when you sit at your loom, what ever style, do you think on weavers that came before? Each thread is a link to our collective past.