Huck Lace Rigid Heddle Placemats

A set of cotton and linen placemats woven with 8/4 Un-Mercerized Cotton and Duet Cotton/Linen. This rigid heddle pattern uses 2 pick-up sticks and warp floats to create a motif reminiscent of Swedish Huck Lace. 

You can download an updated version of this pattern and purchase a kit here.

Designed by Christine Jablonski for GIST: Yarn & Fiber.

Need some help getting started? Check out Resources for Beginner and Intermediate Weavers. 

Materials 

Warp:1 cone of 8/4 Un-Mercerized Cotton (Christine used Yellow)

Weft:1 cone of Duet Cotton/Linen (Christine used Cerise)

Project Notes

• Tools Required: Rigid heddle loom at least 15" wide, 12 or 12.5 dent heddle, 1 shuttle & bobbin or 1 stick shuttle,  2 pick-up sticks
• EPI: 12
• PPI: 13 
• Width at Reed: 14 3/8"*
• Warp Ends: 172 
• Warp Length: 3 yards (assumes 21" warp length per placemat, 24" for loom waste and sampling and about 20% shrinkage on width and 13% shrinkage on length)
• Technique/Draft: Pick-up stick warp floats
• Finished Dimensions: A set of 4 placemats that measure approximately 12" W x 17" L  including fringe after washing
• Finishing Details: Hemstitch, 1" fringe on each side
• Care Instructions: Machine was cold, delicate cycle, tumble dry low, press as needed
• Note: If you are working from your stash, assume approximately 100 yards of each yarn per placemat woven to these dimensions. 

*If you are weaving on a 15" loom and warping very close to the edges of your reed, be sure the warp threads do not slip off the edges of the paper as you are winding on to the back beam, which will cause tension issues.(See photo 1)

Instructions

• Yarn A = 8/4 Un-Mercerized Cotton in Yellow 
• Yarn B = Duet Cotton/Linen in Cerise

1. Warp the loom with Yarn A using your preferred method (direct or indirect) with a total of 172 warp ends, 3 yards long. Center for a weaving width of 14 3/8" and sley 1 end per hole and slot in a 12 dent heddle on a rigid heddle loom.

2. To pick up the floats: 

• Place the heddle into the “down” position. Behind the heddle, only the slot threads are up. Place a long piece of cardboard, like a section of manila file folder, under the raised threads to help you see which threads to pick up (See photo 2)
• Using one pickup stick (Christine's is marked "A") pick up the first 2 slot threads, leave the next 2 down. Pick up the next 2 slot threads, leave the next 2 down. (See photo 3)
• Continue in this manner of 2 up/2 down all the way across. Slide stick to the back beam. (See photo 4)

3. Begin and end each placemat with 3 picks of tabby, then hemstitch in groups of 4 threads. Weave with Yarn B following the sequence below for approximately 17.5", ending on pick 7. 

• Pick 1: heddle is DOWN
• Pick 2: heddle is UP, pick-up stick A slides forward to the heddle (See photo 5) creating the warp float shed (See photo 6), push pick-up stick A back to the back beam after this pick
• Pick 3: heddle is DOWN 
• Pick 4: heddle is UP, pick-up stick A slides forward to the heddle
• Pick 5: heddle is DOWN
• Pick 6: heddle is UP (tabby pick, no pick-up stick)
• Pick 7: heddle is DOWN

Leaving the heddle down after pick 7, and with pick-up stick A at the back beam, insert pick-up stick B in the front of pick-up stick A in a 2 down/2 up pattern(See photo 7) all the way across(See photo 8)

• Pick 8: heddle is UP, pick-up stick B slides forward to the heddle
• Pick 9: heddle is DOWN
• Pick 10: heddle is UP, pick-up stick B slides forward to the heddle

• Pick 11: heddle is DOWN
• Pick 12: heddle is UP (tabby pick, no pick-up stick)

A note about selvedges: There will be floats on one side which is part of the pattern and will become less noticeable after washing.

4. Repeat these 12 picks for approximately 17.5", ending on pick 7. Finish the placemat with 2 picks of tabby, then hemstitch in groups of 4 threads. Weave with scrap yarn for approximately 2" between each placemat (to make room for fringe). 

5. Cut yardage off the loom and separate placemats by cutting down the center of the scrap yarn sections. Machine wash cold on delicate cycle, tumble dry low and press. Trim fringe to 1" on each side of the placemats. 

About Christine Jablonski

In addition to being GIST's Operations Manager and Wholesale Director, Christine is a weaver and exhibiting fiber artist. She scampered down the rabbit hole of rigid heddle weaving several years ago as a way to use up her knitting stash and never looked back. In addition to very practical cloth woven to adorn home and body (tea towels are her favorite home linen projects to weave), Christine also weaves conceptual works that explore themes of mood and memory, strength and fragility, and often reflect on the current political and ecological landscape. Her work is held in private collections across the country and is shown regionally in New England galleries. To see more of Christine's work, check out her Instagram.