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. 

I think it was in June, but may have been early July, a new Ashford Knitters Loom arrived, but just like a too-early guest to a party, I wasn’t quite ready for it; so I made it comfortable, expressed such happiness that it had come, and then promptly left it to attend to other things. July and August flew by and I hadn’t found the right time to warp it up, knowing very little about weaving, and even less about warping! But finally, on September 1st, I managed to warp the small loom, with the help of a very small instruction manual and warping peg that came with the loom. I found this “direct warping” method not at all difficult, quite genius in fact, but now I need to practice . . . lots of practice.

I chose this little 20″ folding rigid heddle loom because I think it is a good starting place to learn basic balanced plain weaving, and I am absolutely loving it, preferring color play to be the main focus rather than multiple shaft patterns. For that I think the rigid heddle loom is utterly perfect. Oh, and if you remember this post you’ll understand my colorway, and I’m using Venne Cottolin, and making a predictable first weaving of an Autumnal table runner… or something.

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣ 

• After choosing the colors, I adhered to a sequence, starting with gold, then blue, then green, then rust, across the warp, ending with gold which would frame the edges in the same color.
• In the same sequence I wove the weft upwards. If it were completely balanced weaving, there would be the same number of weft rows as warp threads, and the intersections of color would be square. But as I think it is more important to have squares than the same number of rows as threads, I wove up until the blocks were square, then changed color. 
• It is not yet finished, when I take it off it is pretty open and draping, so I guess being cotton-linen blend (cottolin) that it will shrink and the fabric will become a little more dense. I will probably just sew a hem on each end.
• Linen is rather stiff and scratchy until it is washed, and eventually softens, whereas cotton is instantly soft, and only gets softer, but the cottolin is a lovely blend of both, and I really love it! Linen is a very long strong fiber that is part of the “stalk” of the plant and processed from roots in the entire length,  whereas cotton is a very short and downy fiber, as it is the fluff in the seed pod of the plant, so you can understand why they are very different.
• This size is 22/2 very fine yarn actually, and it was woven with the smallest possible 12 dent reed, and still had airspace between the weft & warp. Once washed and dried I hope it comes together and is less open. Next I will attempt to weave with 8/2 cottolin. 
• I am learning that weaving yarns are very different from knitting yarns and especially so in the sizing standards, which I don’t know a thing about yet.