Twisp of Fate

I’m nearing the end of the rug warp on my 48″ Macomber loom.  I have enough left to weave a custom order hallway runner for some friends (at least, I hope I have enough left…)

I usually weave 4-5 rugs at a time before taking them off and finishing them (which means sewing the hems, washing them on a delicate or washable-wool setting in cold water, hanging to dry, then sewing on my labels).

Here are the ones I finished mid to late January:

Multi-colored worms intermixed with solid red at each end

Multi-colored worms intermixed with solid blue at each end

This one is similar to the rug I did for a friend back at the beginning of this warp.  I used 6 different colors of “worms” (wool strips) plus some of the fringed wool blanket selvages.  It looks a lot better in person – I really like the variety of colors and textures and may wind up keeping it.

6 colors of worms plus some fringed material

Multi-colored worms with solid purple stripes outlined in dark violet

The above were taken off the loom, finished, and photographed on Jan 21st.  Since then I have produced the following:

Classic Pendleton blanket selvage alternated with blue worms

Blue multicolor flannel (un-napped) worms

These two I wove specifically for our upstairs bathroom:

Brown & green tones flannel worms; stripes outlined in solid black

When we were in Seattle a week or so ago, we went by D.A. Burns, a carpet & upholstery cleaning and repair business that we have used many times over the years.  I wanted to get some Durahold rug pad to put under the rugs I am keeping at home – this stuff is the best for hardwood floors!  It has a felt upper surface and natural rubber bottom surface, so it both cushions and grips the rug, and also won’t slide on the floor.  It came on 6-ft and 12-ft rolls, so we had them cut a piece 28″ wide and 12-ft long, then Rick just cut the piece with a utility knife to fit the rugs after washing (my current rugs are warped at 30″ and come out 29-30″ wide finished – they recommend cutting the pad about 1-1/2″ narrower than the finished size in both directions).