yarnworker

Yarnworker's Summer 2018 weave-along has concluded. Thanks to all for weaving along! 

You are welcome to register for a small fee, review all the material, and see the questions that have been asked and answered, although I won't be answering any new questions.

Please join us for a future weave-along. They are free while active and always free for patrons of the Yarnworker School.

Here is more information about weave-alongs generally and this weave-along specifically. 

Weave-Alongs offer an opportunity for you to weave a published pattern in the company of your fellow weavers. As your host, I'll be offering tips, videos, supplemental handouts, resources, and act as the head cheerleader. 

A big shout out to all the patrons, the Yarnworker School's booster community, who have kept these weave-alongs FREE!* Over 2,000 weavers have registered to weave along, and this is only possible because of patron support. 

For more information about the school, weave-alongs, and how to become a patron, visit the Frequently Asked Questions page on my website. 

Heddles up!

Liz

About the Project

We will be weaving the Fabric Stash Rag Rug from Handwoven Home. When I designed this project, I had sewists with large stashes of fabric in mind. I’m a fan of the giant bias tape method of making rugs, because it creates a long continuous lenght of fabric, but that is just one of many ways you can prepare rags. We will cover less-complicated techniques, as well such as making rag weft from t-shirts, plastic bags, and sheets. 

As a bonus, I’ll demonstrate the technique used to weave the non-traditional Two-Color Krokbragd rug, also in Handwoven Home, that uses remnants, another popular weft material, although you can use any of the rag preparations I'll be discussing. 

These projects are easily adaptable to any loom size. If you don’t have a wide loom, you can weave placemats or a runner. I’ll include tips for modifying the project.

How Weave-Alongs Work

Each week, I'll provide tips to supplement the published pattern information. As always, this is a go-at-your-own pace experience. If you are chomping at the bit and want to get started, then dive right in. If you feel like you would benefit from seeing the tips associated with each week before proceeding to the next step, then you may want to weave along with the schedule. 

You can ask questions by popping into the discussion section. I check in at least once a day, Monday-Friday and, occasionally, on weekends. I take Sundays off from screens. For more information about using this platform, check out tips for navigating the school in the header of the school page. 

Skill Level: Advanced Beginner (rag rug), Intermediate (Krokbragd)

To weave ether Fabric Stash Rag Rug, I assume that you have already woven a few projects, can warp your loom without assistance, and have a basic understanding of weaving terminology. To weave Krokbragd, you will need to use both a pick-up stick and a heddle rod, which I will demonstrate. Lurkers are always welcome, armchair weaving counts!

SCHEDULE

August 29: Registration link available, welcome information, tips on modifying the pattern and gathering materials.

September 5: Rag Prep

September 12: Warp Your Loom

September 19: Weaving with rags two ways, plain weave and Krokbragd

September 26: Finishing

October 3: Show and Tell!

Videos will be posted by noon on the appointed day.

Yarn and Loom Requirements

Warp: 8/4 cotton carpet warp (1,600 yd [1,463 m]/lb): 200 yd (183 m) dark green, 80 yd (73 m) pink.

Cotton Clouds offers a nice selection of cotton carpet warp.

Weft as shown: 1—1⁄2'' (3.8 cm) bias-cut 100% cotton rag strips cut from 45'' (114 cm) wide 100% cotton quilting fabric: 35 yd (32 m) green print, 75 yd (69 m) light yellow, 30 yd (27 m) aqua blue.

Using the quilting fabric, you get about 10'' of rug per yard of fabric, although results can vary. For this rug, you need about 1 1/4 yd green, 1/2 yd blue, 2 1/2 yd light yellow fabric.

You can also start gathering alternative materials, such as old, laundered t-shirts, sheets, and even plastic bags. One large t-shirt makes about 18 yards of weft. I’m still working out the yardage of the plastic bags using a typical plastic grocery bag as my standard. Gather a dozen of three different-colored bags and you should have enough, but this is just a guess. I recommend using t-shirts for the Krokbragd rug or purchasing the recommended commercial weft. All materials should be prewashed before cutting.

Equipment

8-dent rigid-heddle loom with a 21″ (53.5 cm) weaving width; four 20″ (51 cm) stick shuttles; tapestry beater (optional, although recommended); rotary cutter and self-healing mat; sewing machine for bias strips—I’ll show other methods that don’t require a machine.

If you wish to weave the Krokbragd rug, a traditionally weft-faced weave, you will need a 5-dent rigid heddle; four 18" (46 cm) stick shuttles; tapestry beater; sturdy string to make string heddles; 1 wooden dowl about 20''. Optional: a weaver's temple, as this structure tends to draw in, two 3" (7.5 cm) S-hooks.

Thanks again to the Yarnworker Patrons who make the Yarnworker School of Weaving possible.

Heddles Up!

Liz

*Weave-alongs are free for everyone while they are active through the thirty-day grace period after the weave-along has ended. A small fee will be assessed at that time. I won't answer questions after the weave-along has finished. 

The Four Looks Towels weave-along, our first on this platform, will always be free and all weave-alongs will be free forever to patrons who make them possible!