Weaving

In a craft that tends to be very structured and rule-oriented, it can be wildly refreshing to play with patterns and see what other forms the weaver can create. In this blog post, Kate Koconis explores how she uses an Overshot weaving structure to create experimental, intuitive weavings. 

Name Drafting is a method of incorporating a name or phrase into a weaving pattern such that it creates a unique graphic. There are many ways to name-draft, all of which serve as a tool to assist the weaver in the design process and make the draft uniquely theirs. In this blog post, Penny Lacroix provides step-by-step instructions for how she has used Name Drafting in her designs.

Aside from stashing weaving yarn, we know weavers also love to stash weaving books. While we have a few “must haves” listed on our resources page, we polled a few folks in our design community to find out what their favorite weaving books are, and why.

Repetitive motions are a critical aspect of what we do as weavers. But if we're not mindful, these repetitive actions can create cumulative strain and cause us to feel real pain and discomfort. To help us all keep healthy, and hopefully continue our craft for many, many more decades to come, weavers Christine Jablonski and Amanda Rataj have joined forced in this blog post to provide their ergonomic best practices in the weaving studio.

In this blog post, Karla Stille explores one possible adaptation of her Endless Options Mug Rugs. By winding a longer warp and re-sleying the loom, weavers can explore weaving a modified Rep-Weave table runner on the same warp as their mugs. 

This article is the third and final installment in a series about lace weaves. Different lace weaving techniques can create wonderful effects, from open and airy sections providing the illusion of shapes and curves, to toothsome textures. In this blog, learn about the unique attributes of Huck and Spot Bronson lace weaves. 

Beautiful weaving can be crafted by incorporating multiple colors in the weft. When weaving multiple picks with a single yarn before switching to another, many weavers opt to cut the weft yarn before transitioning. But when the yarns change with each pick or at small intervals, it is more practical to keep all the weft yarns connected to the weaving. In this blog, Carolyn Heacock shares tips for successfully carrying two and three yarns up the selvedge in a way that creates structurally sound, beautiful selvedges.

Loom maintenance can go a long way in preventing mistakes, supporting equipment longevity, and ensuring that your most important tool is running smoothly (which in turn means that weaving is smooth and fun, too!). In this article, Amanda shares a short checklist of things she likes to do every few months to care for her loom.