I can’t get enough of the simple plain weave check pattern, and my new Ashford Knitters Loom. I found quite a bit of light grey and natural Isager Tweed in my drawer, enough to work a large two color check pattern, and wouldn’t you know it, I’m weaving it into a rather long but wide scarf, to allow for plenty of shrinkage. I happen to only have either too large or slightly too small for choices in reed (dent) sizes, but I’m going with the too-small, even though each pass of the weft requires a bit of fussing to separate the sheds, I am strumming and carefully coaxing it into a real gorgeous thing!

I think the big boxy check color pattern is an excellent way to practice the balanced plain weave, striving eventually to have the same number of warp threads horizontally as weft threads vertically, and I’ll be the first to admit how completely entertaining the check pattern is! I’m quite happy with this, my second weaving project, although I miscalculated on the size of the check pattern, the squares were supposed to be 4 inches but are not-quite 3.5 inches instead, and it isn’t quite centered in the reed, but who cares, right?

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣ 

• The way I weaved this piece is pretty much the same as the one in the last post but with two colors,  A Very Late Introduction to A New Loom and the process will be my plain weave check standard.
• This piece was my 2nd project on the loom, and as I had not yet understood the importance of correct reed/dent size (like knitting or crochet, you need the right “gauge” needle for each weight yarn) , and as I only had a 15 dent (smallest reed size for this loom)  the yarns are far too squished together — should have been woven in a dent size two sizes bigger, like a 10 dent reed to allow the tweed yarn to relax and bloom, therefore having more of an open weave, and creating a nice “drape”, and just be a nice wrap to wear in the cold months. 
• When I took this piece off the loom, I was actually disappointed because it was far too densely woven to be a scarf,  and not the appropriate yarn to have made a table piece, so it is not yet finished. Maybe after I finish it and it gets some movement in it, it will soften.
• Since this piece, as of Autumn, I have a nearly complete rigid heddle reed selection, with dent sizes 5, 7.5, 10, 12.5 and 15, and am able to weave more intentionally for the yarn I use.