Tablet Weaving

My new interest of late has been tablet weaving. 

I have wanted to learn how to weave for many years but the high start up cost of a loom has always gotten in the way.  I heard about tablet weaving several years ago and decided give it a try this year.   It took a lot of tangled string before I had any success with this ancient loom-less weaving method.  Once the light bulb went off in my head though, I found that I was tablet weaving every spare minute I had.  Art helped me make a simple board to hold my weaving in progress which works better than the c-clamps or the backstrap setup tied to a doorknob that I had been using.

My first double faced tablet weaving project:

My mom lost her dear chihuahua, Chico, a few months after Shasta died.  Mom had a dream that chico was safe in Shasta's paws - it gave her comfort to think her little Chico was not alone.  The red bookmark with both dogs' names on it was a gift I sent to mom. 

 Here are a few more bookmarks I made after that:

The dancing puppy and Kokopeli I designed from the plaque over my front door that I put up when Shasta was a puppy, it is posted in my blog entry from May 18th . 

The lastest bookmark I wove is for Katherine.  It is her business motto for the specialty cake bakery she runs out of her home.  I plan to give  it to her for Christmas with a recipe keepsake binder.

Seeing the Beauty

I have always loved fall colors.  They have been somewhat dull for me this year, however, without Shasta to share them with.  The cool crisp air that comes with autumn always made Shasta run around with joy and that was a big part of the beauty of the season for me.

We had an early season snowfall a few weeks ago and I thought winter had arrived and fall was going to be cut short this year - that I'd missed it.  The next few weeks turned out to be warmer, however.  The snow melted away and the trees continued to produce bright colors and the grass continued to grow.   In the front yard Shasta's little tree turned a wonderful color of red and I couldn't help but notice it's beauty.

In the backyard the sickly rose bush that I doubted would make it through the summer suddenly bloomed with a multitude of beautiful buds on stems with thick healthy green leaves.  I quickly counted 10 buds.  It's as if there was nothing and then overnight a burst of color.

I felt that I had been suddenly awakened to the beauty of the season.  I remembered a book from my childhood, Frederick by Leo Lionni.  Frederick was a little mouse that spent his time in the sunshine saving up images of seasonal beauty in his mind to share with and give comfort to his family during the cold winter months.  I feel I have been reminded of the importance of seeing the beauty around me, and like Fredrick - I will store that beauty in my mind.