Three years ago when I started my current job I bonded with two other ladies who had just started at the company as well.  The three of us shared many of the same interests and were a great team.  We all work from home but managed to meet up in the office or go out to lunch once in a while.  And we tried to support each other.

Recently our company had a layoff and one of our happy little Dream Team was let go.  It was a complete surprise.  I was upset.  To deal with my churning emotions I decided to pull out some yarn and make a shawl for my friend who was downsized.  This is the pile of yarn I started with.

Luckily I already had a black warp on the loom so I started winding some bobbins and then sat down to weave.  As I began to play with the colours and textures I started feeling better.  Calmer.  Happier.  More balanced.

In two sessions I wove the shawl.  Then I removed the piece laid it out for a look.  (I had woven 96″ on the loom.  After I took it off the piece measured 16.75″ x 91.5″)  Next I twisted the fringe and  sewed on a label.

Our little band of sisters had arranged to get together for lunch.  So I decided that I should make a second shawl for my other co-worker.  I went back to my stash, dug out some new yarns and set to work.  This time around I opted for oranges and rusts.  I also redid the threading of the warp to make the weaving wider.

Again, I spent a couple of solid sessions at the loom weaving.  I chose a clasped weft technique and also added in snippets of this bulky orange handspun to add texture and contrast.  With clasped weft you bring the shuttle through the open shed, pickup the second yarn and then bring the shuttle back through the same shed.  You can adjust where the two yarns interlock.  It is a fun technique to use.

Again, I did two solid sessions of weaving.  (I had woven 81.5″ on the loom.  After I took it off the piece measured 20″ x 72.5″) When I  laid it out to have a look at it I was very pleased with the colours and textures.  Next was twisting the fringe and sewing on my label.  The final step was washing both shawls to wet finish the fabric.  When fabric is wet finished the weave tightens up and the yarn blooms.  This can result in further shrinkage.  (I will admit that I don’t know how much shrinkage there was as I forgot to remeasure them before giving them away.) After washing the fabric was hung up to dry.

Our Friday lunch date arrived and the three of us had a lovely time hanging out together.  The ladies were thrilled with their new shawls.  And I have to tell you that creating these works and then gifting them was a real blessing for me.  The act of being creative and making something for my friends helped me to process the emotions associated with the layoff.  If you have read this far, I hope that the next time you are unsettled you consider digging out something and being creative.  It really does help.