Patience...

Last September I bought a used eight shaft floor loom. It may have been shaft envy, but combinatorial analysis will tell you that there are 14 possible up/down combinations on four shafts versus 254 possible combinations on eight shafts. Exponential design possibilities!

I put a warp on the loom and started weaving. The loom was too big for me. The breast beam was too high, the treadling heavy and it felt like I was driving a semi-truck rather than a sporty sedan. Sigh.

So, to celebrate the tenth anniversary of my bone marrow transplant and the birth of my third grandchild, I ordered a new loom from a Leclerc dealer. Delivery was estimated at two to three months. Patience.

On the first of December, eight enormous boxes arrived. The loom had landed. How exciting! I unpacked all the pieces and checked them against the parts list included in the thirty page assembly manual. With Robert's help, I assembled the loom. But...I was busy getting ready for Christmas and doing other projects and it was January before I got a warp on the new loom. Patience.

Disaster! Terrible sheds, skipped threads, uneven tension, floating shafts. I knew that the first warp would be for tuning the loom, but I couldn't figure it out. I thought I had made a terrible mistake. However, I know that new equipment has a learning curve. Patience. Research, practice, tweak this and adjust that. I disassembled part of the loom and adjusted the beater height. I analyzed the treadle tie-up system to improve performance. And then I put on a new warp. I used all eight shafts and ten treadles. I made lots of mistakes, and solved them all. The loom is performing beautifully and I couldn't be more pleased.

Like many artists and artisans, I can be infinitely patient with some things, although I joke that I don't put the sewing machine in front of a window because I might teach it how to fly. *#@&** buttonholes. I untangle yarn, tie hundreds of knots to weave a thrums piece, unweave and re-weave to correct mistakes. I am glad to see people embrace things that need patience, such as growing and preserving food, sewing, knitting, etc. Slowing down and taking the time to learn and do something well is good for your brain and body.

The media and technology can certainly make instant gratification a short cut through life. Have you ever felt impatient because the microwave was too slow? Road rage because the driver in front of you is a literalist about speed limits? How people deal with frustration can say a lot about them. I keep reminding myself to be patient. As my mom wisely said, "this, too, shall pass."