a simple yarn

For being just two small letters, ‘u’ and ‘n’, when placed next to one another cause great chaos.

It started out so innocently. There I was basking in the glow of the recently completed rayon scarf. Yes, I was wearing my laurels proudly for having conquered the slippery beast. What better way to celebrate than by inviting some friends over for a casual fibre day at the weekend? Some want to have hands-on experience with the loom. Why not? I’m feeling great!

Guess I better put on a warp. Something simple, especially after that last encounter. Hmmmm….what shall it be? Right, think I’ll do simple twill variations on a plain off-white wool warp. At least I think it’s wool. Well, a wool blend at any rate. Easy enough. At least it should be predictable, right?

Moral of the Story Prematurely Inserted Here:
“Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” Proverbs 16:18

Guess I should have realised that nothing is predictable, except perhaps gravity…
…and sunrise…
…and taxes…
…and death.

Okay, death may not be predictable…inevitable yes, predictable no. Anyway, take my lovely predictable yarn, add ‘u-n’ and there you have it…

So, what’s wrong with this picture? Do you see some threads that have definitive ends to them? Did you know that a warp consists of one continuous loop of threads? Continuous. No unattached ends. Especially in the middle. Just laying there. Disconnected.

Arg. Must have snipped them when undoing the ties. I’ve never done that before. Certainly don’t want to do it again. And the glory-of-the-rayon-memory faded from mental view.

Salvage attempts fail. Too many loose ends. What was I doing when snipping the ties? Was I dreaming? Sleeping? Comatose? Flash of Edward Scissorhands inspiration? At any rate, the death knell sounded for about 1/3 of the warp. No matter, I suppose. It was a sampler anyway. Now, it’s just a skinny sampler.

Since then I have found at least one more thread in the remaining warp which has mysteriously broken, frayed or been an additional scissor victim. And so my simple warping is turning into quite an un-predictable adventure.