yarnworker

Yarnworker's Spring 2020 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 who have access to a private forum for ongoing questions.

Here is more information about this weave-along. 

As we begin a new weave-along, I want to acknowledge the moment we are in. COVID-19 has had immediate detrimental and disproportional effects on so many people's lives—day-to-day, moment-to-moment. For the immediate future, we must stay physically apart, support our essential workers and our communities in any way that we can. This virtual space allows us to gather around thing we love, making cloth by hand. 

This particular weave-along can provide you a comfort weave or an intellectual challenge. You decide what your body and soul needs at this moment. 

Doodling is one of the ways I calm my mind. During the Spring 2020 Weave-Along, I’ll show you two ways to do this, inlay and onlay. There is a subtle, yet sublime, difference between them. Inlay is the process of laying in a supplemental, discontinuous weft next to a continuous one in the same shed. Onlay allows the supplemental yarn to slide on top of the continuous weft, decreasing bunching and creating a different look on the front and back. Not sure exactly what I’m talking about? Join us and I’ll show you!

To construct this runner, I drew on a method popularized by Theo Moorman. By altering thick and thin picks and using the thin pick as a tie-down thread, you can create shapes that sit on top of the ground cloth instead of in it. 

Here is the who, what, when, and where info:

Who
This weave-along is appropriate for the adventurous, just-beyond-beginner weaver. I assume that you have already woven a few projects and have a basic understanding of the direct warping process and weaving terminology. Project planning skills are a bonus.

What
The techniques I’ll share can be adapted to almost any textile. The specific pattern I’ll be weaving is the Go Your Own Way Runner from Handwoven Home, or as I like to think of it now, the “Weave Our Way Through” Runner. 

The book is available from your favorite bookseller in softcover or as a Kindle edition. 

The education portion of the weave-along is free while the weave-along is active. You will need the book to refer to the full pattern and other supplemental references in the book.

Sampling along is always an option. If you have one, consider diving into your stash and selecting yarns that you think might work and warp up a short sample. It doesn’t have to be cotton or linen. I suggest a 50-inch long warp about 8” wide. You will need about 115 yards of each yarn—a thick and a thin—and  about 70” of each yarn for weft. Depending on how much loom waste you use, you will get about a 24” long finished piece.

Equipment
10-dent rigid-heddle loom with a 10″ (25.5 cm) weaving width; two 12″–14″ (30.5–35.5 cm) stick shuttles; two 4″–6″ (10–15 cm) shuttles, or you can use butterflies (I’ll show you how to make them); and a pick-up stick at least 14″ (35.5 cm) long.

Yarn

Ground Cloth:
283 yds (258 m), 4-ply *DK weight cotton/linen blend (1,001 yd [915 m]/lb). 

Shown in Rowan Creative Linen (50% cotton/50% linen, 219 yd [200 m]/ 3 1⁄2 oz per skein)

* Note, the pattern labels the yarn as “worsted” but the yardage puts it closer to DK weight. Something in the light worsted to heavy DK should work.

218 yds (200 m), 22/2 Cottolin (3,246 yd [2,968 m]/lb). 

Shown in Louet North America Organic 22/2 Cottolin (60% cotton/40% linen, 710 yd [649 m] 3 1/2 oz cone). This 22/2 cottonlin is no longer being distributed in the U.S., any 22/2 cottolin or similar-sized yarn that is strong enough for warp will work.

Supplemental Weft:
4 yd (4 m), 4-ply DK weight cotton/linen blend in contrasting color from ground cloth. 

Shown in Rowan Creative Linen (50% cotton/50% linen, 219 yd [200 m]/3 1⁄2 oz per skein). 

4 yd (4 m), 2-ply DK weight, novelty cotton in a variegated colorway.

Shown in Seedling by Classic Elite (100% organic cotton, 110 yd [100 m]/1.75 oz skein). Classic Elite is no longer in business. Any similar weight variegated yarn will work.

When
Registration gets underway April 9. Hop on the Yarnworker mailing list to be emailed the link directly when it is ready. Patrons will always get notifications first.

Schedule
April 8: Registration link available, welcome information, tips on selecting yarns and modifying the pattern.

April 22: Warp

April 29: Weave

May 6: Finishing

May 13: Show and Share!

Where

I host the weave-alongs at the Yarnworker School of Weaving, a community-funded, virtual classroom for rigid-heddle weavers. They are free until 30 days after the conclusion of the weave-along. For more information about the Yarnworker Weave-Alongs and School, check out this FAQ.

A big shout out to all the Patrons who keep these weave-alongs going. Patron producers get a vote in what we weave next.

Heddles Up!

Liz