EXPERIMENTS

In 1978 I was living in Vermillion, SD, where my first husband was a professor at the University. My neighbor's granddaughter-in-law was teaching weaving at the University at that time. I am not sure what prompted me then, but I took a year long weaving class. We wove on floor looms, tapestry looms, we spun with spindles and wheels, we took part in sheep shearing...we did just about everything connected with weaving. My instructor was from Norway, grew up with looms and even then, was a well known weaver. I wove a wool herringbone floor pillow cover; rosepath place mats; a rosepath sleeveless top; many other floor loom items as well as several tapestries. The rosepath design was always my very favorite.


Somewhere near the end of that year, an old Union #36 loom came up for sale for $200. I purchased it, and it has been my trusty rug weaving loom ever since. It is a simple loom, with two harnesses and two treadles. Design is done mostly by manipulating color, though I have learned a few other techniques over the years, but rosepath was always beyond my Union Loom.

About 15 or so years ago I bought, again second-hand, a Herald Loom, (which hasn't been made for many years). This loom has four harnesses and six treadles. A few months ago I contacted the company and they graciously dug up all the 'paperwork' for it and emailed me copies. It was a loom made for use by Handicapped Workshops. It said that it was designed to make rugs as well as other things. This loom has sat mostly untouched, well, unwoven upon, for all those years. Recently I warped that loom, and finally put on the rosepath pattern. I was so excited to have accomplishes this, as I find warping, even in plain weave, a tedious and stressful job.

The Herald Loom

I have made many rugs on my Union Loom over the years. I generally use old blankets I've collected or blanket ends from Faribault Woolen Mills that I cut into strips. Without intending to, I have generally cut more strips then any of my rugs actually needed. Needless to say, I have accumulated baskets, bags, wooden boxes overflowing with wool rug strips. So when I completed the warping of the Herald and was about to embark upon a rug, I vowed to use, at least mostly, the already prepared strips that I had.

In addition, several years ago I heard of a Carpet Factory down south that was going out of business. I contacted them, and was able to purchase huge lots of wool carpet yarn. This along with the vast amounts of wool yarn I had from Faribault (I had easy access as my first husband's family started and ran the mill until only recently) beckoned me constantly, though they mostly sat on shelves. These cones and hanks of yarn were part of my vow, as well.

This entire approach felt like an experiment. My hopes were: that the design was accurately warped; that I could use the cut strips; that I could also incorporate the wool carpet yarn; and that the loom was in fact capable of weaving rugs; and that this all would work!


This is the first completed rug. I decided to make it for myself, something I rarely, if ever do. It is to be a bathroom rug, and its dimensions are 25" x 36". I must say that I am terribly excited and think this is a beautiful rug. I am anxious to launder it in order to find out how the wool yarns and the wool blanket strips react. I will probably launder it very gently because I want very much for the the yarns and strips to behave similarly.

After completing the rug, I then made a bath mat and I also love this.

The two together.

...and in the bathroom.