Wooo! This month I’m exploring the art of weaving, and I couldn’t be more excited! It’s already day 8 of the month, and I have yet to begin, but I’ve been super anxious to get started. I’m hoping that this means I won’t be able to put it down!
I love the idea of being able to “paint with yarn” and create various textures and use different colors, and shapes, and patterns; it just all sounds so great. I also love that my decisions aren’t permanent so essentially no work is ever lost. I mean, even if it isn’t easy to take out, just make some extra long tassles in the middle of your weaving to cover up what you don’t like. Am I right?
My Previous Experience with Weaving
It’s minimal, to say the least. At camp with my family many years ago, we got to make really long nothings on an inkle loom. Looks pretty intense, doesn’t it? We cut the long weaving and made belts and bookmarks out of it. My mom, three sisters, and I all left camp feeling pretty stoked about the whole thing, but my dad was probably nervous about our multiple requests to make a few of those looms!
Have you been on Pinterest lately?
It seems as though many others have also begun exploring the art of weaving! Every post I scroll by I see beautiful weaving being worked on, hanging behind a bride, or adorning a living room wall. I’ve gathered various pieces that inspire me. Let’s just say that it’s hard to slow down because I love them all! There are so many ways to add texture, colors, different ways to weave the yarn through, and there are so many new terms such as weft and warp, etc. I just can’t wait to try weaving and see if I can find a style to call my own!
Let’s use up my yarn!
I have more yarn than I currently need. Skeins leftover from finished projects, unfinished projects, yet-to-be started projects, yarn collected from aunts giving it away, kept from my car ride projects for when I was younger, etc. I just have a lot of yarn! (Well, just a few bags full, which is a lot to some and nothing to others…) And yet, most of the time, when I start a new project I go out and buy yarn specific to that project. My yarn stash just sits there untouched. Just don’t ask my husband what his thoughts are about it all…
I once tried to create a blanket whose purpose was solely to use up all of my leftover yarn. My first idea failed. Long story short, I ripped it out and tackled a new plan which resulted in me—yep, you guessed it—buying more yarn. It’s a fun story, so perhaps it calls for a blog post. The blanket is almost finished as of March 2017. Super exciting.
I think I could find good use for my current yarn selection within my weavings. That’s not to say I’m ruling out the possibility of bringing in a few new skeins of color! Again, probably don’t tell Jake about this.
My plan to get started
I don’t own all the necessary supplies to begin exploring the art of weaving. But with some imagination and a little creativity, I can make it work!
Looms
There are super awesome looms out there that you can buy, but I’m interested in saving a few bucks and making my own. How hard can it be? I plan on using this tutorial from ‘A Pretty Fix’ and building it within my apartment. It might get a bit messy, but I’m pretty confident this is something I can handle.
Yarn
As already mentioned, I’ve got plenty to go around! I do have visions and dreams of beautiful color palettes that my current selection cannot support… so we shall see where the wind leads me. Also, a type of yarn is needed for the warp, which is the yarn already on the loom that you weave between, so I might have to find something to work for that.
Other Tools
I will need something to anchor my weaving when it comes off of the loom. I have a few creative ideas that I might try out! Otherwise, a simple dowel or rod will work. A tapestry needle or shuttle will be needed to lead the yarn through the warp. I already own a tapestry needle, so I’ll give that a try before exploring the use of a shuttle. A shed stick of some form, which looks like a paint stirrer, can be used to help keep the warp split as you weave.
With many others exploring the art of weaving, it’s safe to say that the life of weaving has been revived and modernized to fit current trends! This is a train I can’t wait to hop on and see where it takes me!
Have you been bitten by the weaving bug?
Related: 2017: My Most Creative Year Yet | The Heartward Project Kickoff | Receive the Newsletter!