Loose Ends Meet Warp

Recently I’ve been diving into the chaos of my snippet jar. So many yarn ends from past knitting projects and weavings, piled in a glass bowl, whisper possibility.

Life can feel much like this. Loose ends. Chaos. Disorganization. Bits of this and that which don’t seem to add up to a whole lot of anything. This niggling sense that very little of what we are doing will have a lasting impact, or that there is a desired end in sight, may largely be due to the resurging pandemic. Yet even before this mask-wearing, Zoomed relationships, semi-lockdown life, I am often plagued by an overwhelming sense that the end result of all my efforts is just a chaotic pile of fluff and string.

Futility is heavy. It can weigh and wear us down to where we think that letting our hands hang limp would surely be better than trying to make something of this crazy time. Here is where a warped viewpoint is helpful.

I love the look of a freshly warped frame loom! Something about those evenly spaced, straight, taut lines of cotton seine twine invite a sense that no matter what is woven over and under the warp strands, something lovely can made. A snippet of yarn here, a leftover bit of handspun there…the warp provides a structure on which to drape whatever loose ends I might have. Chaos is brought into order. Beauty is made from cast-off, insignificant bits and bobs. What might have been trash becomes something worth saving, even displaying on the wall, to remind us there is always Beauty underfoot no matter how dire or chaotic things may seem.

For now, as we weave with whatever bits we have each day, it may not appear to add up to anything. In fact, it may continue to look like a vast year of mess and uncertainty. But someday, we just might look back on all of it from a different perspective and see what has been wrought with what little we had to work with. We must continue to dive into the chaos and work with whatever bits we have at our fingertips to make this day worth living.

“Remembrance Day”, 3.25” x 3.25”, mixed fibers, cotton warp.

This week I’m thankful for the snippet jar. I want to remain grateful for all that I have, even if it feels like a crazy mess of leftover attempts to make something useful and beautiful here in 2020. Whatever we put our hands to create today, may we cast off futility and pick up a bit of fluff to weave into the strong, albeit warped structure of family, friends, and an abiding faith.

“Bloom Today”, 5.5” x 2.5”, mixed fibers, cotton warp.

14 thoughts on “Loose Ends Meet Warp

  1. Cheryl Voss says:

    Beautiful message. Beautiful art from snippets others may have discarded as useless. Thank you, Jennifer, for continuing to encourage and to create art from snippets to brighten lives.

  2. Jackie Donohoe says:

    Jennifer, This is probably my favorite posting that I have seen of yours, but of course flowers in all forms are my favorite thing! God has gifted you and I am thankful that you share this gift with so many others. I am thankful this Thanksgiving for you! Love to you all, Jackie

    • Jennifer Edwards says:

      Thank you Jackie! You are a dear and such a sweet friend to me! I hope you and your family are all doing well in this difficult time. And I hope your hands are finding all sorts of lovely things to make!

  3. Ruth Elaine says:

    I appreciate your subtitle “learning to see through the lens of creativity. I myself am learning to see through the lens of gardening…

  4. Mary Ellis says:

    I love the way you make something beautiful out of “loose ends” – real ones and life events! I tend to throw away the loose ends and move on – to incorporate them into something new is much more rewarding! (Sometimes we have no choice – it’s always a challenge to our resilience and creativity!)

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