A Warped Friendship

Grace and Russ got married 2 weeks before my husband, Derk, and I did. Derk and Grace had known each their whole lives, having grown in the same church community. Russ and I were the new ones in the mix. It seemed natural that as newly married couples we would start to hang out together, and the last 32 years have made for wonderful memories: camping trips, hanging out Friday nights, and the traditional new year's eve together. Even when our familty spent 12 years in provinces west of Ontario, the friendship stayed strong despite the distance.

But never did I expect that Grace and I would have another bond. We moved back to Ontario in 2005 and when I started weaving in 2009, Grace started watching, asking questions, and eventually admitted that she also would like to learn this craft.

I set her up on a small 22" loom that I had at the time, and Grace was hooked. Grace now owns her own 45" jack loom, and many of our conversations revolve around the latest project. Usually we work on separate ideas, but this past month we decided to weave a tablerunner project from the latest Handwoven magazine. It involved a weave structure that we had not encountered before. Much of the initial planning involved chosing the kind of thread, and the colours. We both chose very different colours than what was shown in the magazine; colours that would fit in our own homes.

I am thrilled to have such a great friend to share such a wonderful craft with. Here's 2 Ewe, Grace Branch! Friends that get warped together have lots weft to talk about!

Grace at work

My Sotis Cloth Runner

Grace's Runner

Mita's Tea Towels and Runners

My friend, Mita, lives across the country in Rider Lake, BC. Mita and I have shared many cups of tea together as we discussed homeschooling, raising children, sewing, spinning, and all things homemaking. Although we didn't meet until 2001, when we moved to the Fraser Valley, we immediately clicked: kindred spirits, as Anne Shirley would say; or  'We both belong to the race that knows Joseph', as Cornelia Bryant would often remark. And although our family moved away from BC in 2004, kindred spirits always remain close.

Mita has a wonderful collection of Boerenbont dishes. This is a traditional kind of pottery from the Netherlands . The distinctive floral pattern is hand-painted with simple brush strokes of red, yellow, green, and blue. On special occasions Mita would pull out these dishes and we would celebrate a birthday or another special event.

Last year I made a set of tea towels for Mita, as well as two runners for her harvest table. One  of the runners is in cotton for summer, and one in  acrylic that would match the cooler temperatures of winter.

Here's 2 Ewe, Mita, my very dear friend!