Handwoven

from the editor

ONE OF MY FAVORITE WEAVING STORIES dates back to when I was a beginning weaver. With help from my instructor Lucienne Coifman, I wove a series of scarves to give as gifts based on eight-shaft twill patterns from A Weaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns edited by Carol Strickler. I used Jagger Spun’s luxurious silk/wool blend, Zephyr, for warp and weft. For my mother, I picked a navy warp with a forest green weft. The scarf was beautiful, and I wove away enjoying the lovely patterning and colors. It wasn’t until I took the scarf off the loom that I realized one of the tie-up pins had fallen out causing the underside to look different from the top. It was only a slight variation—an error that only I would ever notice.…

future themes

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021 Yarns with Impact Yarns can be more than just spun fiber; they can also be a means to making the world a better place. Some yarns help people by giving jobs to traditional spinners and dyers so they can use their skills to do meaningful work. Other yarns help the environment by using up waste that might be thrown away or by requiring less water or pesticide to grow the fibers. This issue will focus on those special yarns that do good while looking great. MARCH/APRIL 2021 Mid-Century Inspired We just can’t get enough of mid-century modern style and weaving. From the Bauhaus-trained weavers such as Else Regensteiner and Anni Albers, who helped define the textiles of the era, to the fun and funky fashion, we want to celebrate the cloth…

letters

When I plan a project, I usually try to be thoughtful of my future self and add some extra length, just in case there is more take-up than I guesstimated. If the yarn I’m using is something that can handle a hot pot sitting on it, and if there’s enough leftover warp when I’ve finished weaving the project, I continue weaving until it’s no longer possible. I’ve been re-covering old pot holders—you know, the kind with burns and threads coming loose and worn-out flowers or cats on them. I’ve repurposed many of my pot holders using leftover warp. A win-win! —Lois Stevens, via email It’s not unusual for weavers to discover the same solution to a weaving problem. I was delighted that Liz Moncrief discovered the mirror trick (Handwoven, May/June 2020, Letters).…

here’s how with ashford

Double delight The Jack Loom shows its versatility by weaving very delicate yarns into a soft, beautiful fabric. You will need: Loom: Eight shaft Jack loom Reed: 16dpi sleyed 2, 3 Warp and weft yarn: 65% Cashmere, 35% Silk Nm 65/3 ca 21,000m/kg, 2ozs (60gm) red, 2ozs (60gm) dark grey Here’s how: Number of ends: 324 (plus double floating selvedge on each side) Sett: 40epi (16epcm) Warp length: 196ins (5m) Width in the loom: 8ins (20cm) Finished size: 181 x 7½ ins (4.6m x 19cm) Weave structure: Double deflect Warping and Weaving Wind the warp in the colour sequence of four threads grey followed by four threads red. For the draft showing the threading and treadling, and both patterns, go to www.ashford.co.nz/blog Hint: Always go over the floating selvedge when taking the shuttle in and under on the way out…

spotlight

GUIDED BY A LIFELONG LOVE FOR WEAVING, a painter’s eye for imagery, a tongue-in-cheek sense of humor, and a willingness to embrace weaving technology, Sheila O’Hara has never let the right-angle intersections of warp and weft limit her ability to tell a story. Although she started weaving placemats and ponchos as a child, her work took a more artistic turn after she studied weaving at the California College of Arts and Crafts (CCAC) in Oakland, California, during the 1970s. There she received a disciplined technical foundation, a thorough background in layered weaving, an introduction to warp brocade, and an appreciation for weaving as art from teachers such as Inger Jensen, Kay Sekimachi, and Trude Guermonprez. A semester at the Philadelphia College of Art added rigorous training in drafting and design. “I think…

weave-along: online

TRADITIONAL WEAVING GUILDS provide weavers with education and a much-needed sense of community, especially in the form of guild challenges and study groups. As more weavers choose to stay at home for their own health and safety, and as guilds cancel meetings indefinitely, it might seem impossible to achieve even a semblance of that same sense of community these days. Fortunately, there are online options, including weave-alongs, that weavers around the world can take part in and that guilds can emulate. Through her Pin Loom Weaving Support Group on Facebook, Gabi van Tassell has run multiple pin-loom weaving challenges as well as three weavea-longs. Challenges involve purposefully simple, vague prompts such as “birds” or “hearts,” leaving it up to individual weavers to interpret the challenge theme in their weaving. More complex…