Weaving Made Easy: 17 Projects Using a Simple Loom

129 Pages·2008·13.862 MB·English

by  Liz Gipson

weaving made easy
crafts / weaving
17 Projects Using a Simple Loom
Transform yarn into cloth with w
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just a simple loom
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v
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This easy and accessible guide to using the simple rigid

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heddle loom shows how to create fabrics that are a perfect blend
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of fun and functionality. Since the rigid heddle is small, portable, and
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affordable, it’s the perfect starting point for beginners. The 17 quick e

and easy projects in Weaving Made Easy show how to make sinuous, e
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drapey fabrics; sturdy, practical fabrics; and fun, funky fabrics. s
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Projects range from scarves to bags and belts, from pillows and
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placemats to rugs. Complete instructions, clear step-by-step P
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photographs, and abundant tips and techniques for color, design, je
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construction, and embellishment are included. Whether using a rigid ts
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heddle or a floor loom, Weaving Made Easy is the ultimate idea s
in
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book for the beginning weaver. a
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im
p
le
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$24.95 | 08WV1 Liz Gipson is the current managing editor of Handwoven magazine and
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the former managing editor of Spin-Off magazine. Liz has appeared on
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Knitty Gritty and Uncommon Threads (HGTV) and is a co-host of Knitting
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Daily TV. She is the president of the Spinning and Weaving Association
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and lives in Loveland, Colorado. n
Liz Gipson
weaving made easy
17 projects using a simple loom
LIZ GIPSON
Cover Design: Connie Poole
Interior Design: Laura Shaw
Production Design: Katherine Jackson
Technical Editing: Diane Kelly
Editing: Ann Budd
Illustrations: Gayle Ford
Photography: Joe Coca, except for the following pages by Ann Swanson:
pages 6–22, 24–59, 75, 87, 107, 115, and 119.
© 2008 Interweave Press LLC
Photographs and illustrations © 2008 Interweave Press LLC
This digital eBook is for your private use only. It is not authorized
for any other use, including copying and distributing to others.
All rights reserved.
Interweave Press LLC
201 East Fourth Street
Loveland, CO 80537-5655 USA
interweave.com
Printed in China by Asia Pacific Offset.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gipson, Liz.
Weaving made easy : 17 projects using a simple loom /
Liz Gipson, author.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-59668-075-3 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-1-59668-983-1 (eBook)
1. Hand weaving. 2. Hand weaving--Patterns. 3. Handlooms. I. Title.
TT848.G57 2008
746.1'4041--dc22 2008014303
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
acknowledgments
To the Giants, for we all stand on their shoulders
I owe much to many. Mom and Dad provided the Amy Clarke Moore, colleague and personal cheerleader,
foundation on which I stand. My vast, extended web of stepped in and helped with the section on color, includ-
family—Gipsons, Woodroofs, Howes, Heges, Tharps, ing weaving the color samples. Judy Berndt is a model
and Dammans—built the framework, and my husband, of compassion, wit, and good grammar. Liz Good, my
Jim, helped me with the rest and was oh, so patient and officemate, listened to the endless chatter about this
encouraging during the process of constructing this book and jumped in to reweave the Grab it and Go Bag
particular part of our lives. when I ran out of time.
It takes a village to make a book, and I’m lucky to I am also grateful to Tricia Waddell for giving me the
live in a darn great one. The book would simply not time to get the book right and for offering a non-weav-
have happened if Linda Ligon hadn’t meditated one er’s perspective; Ann Budd for her consummate edit-
day and had a vision that it should. She more than ing skills; Diane Kelly for consumate technical editing
helped it along its way. Madelyn van der Hoogt gave skills (and love of goats); Joe Coca, who is at once a fine
me the encouragement, space, and support to make photographer, sage, and jester; Connie Pool for loan-
this book happen. Weavers and I owe her much for her ing us her house for the photo shoot and great cover
dedication to the craft. Jane Patrick championed this design; Laura Shaw for her clean approach to interior
poorly named loom after Betty Davenport lay down the design; and Nancy Arndt to whom we are all grateful
torch (which she has recently picked up again, by the that her eyes cast over final pages and make them bet-
way). Ann Swanson is a beautiful ball of talent—from ter. And finally, Marilyn Murphy, who is ceaseless in her
mothering to photo styling—whose inner resources are dedication to Interweave—those of us who work here
great and whose love for this loom is much appreciated. owe her more than we know.
acknowledgments 3

contents
Introduction 7
The Basics 8
Warping and Weaving 24
Getting Up to Warp Speed 50
projects
Fully Loaded Scarf 52
Cozy Coasters 56
Bobbled Slippers 60
Color-Play Plaid 64
Two-Skein Scarf 68
Piping Hot Pillows 72
Layered Cravat 76
Tweed So Fine 80
Grab It and Go Bag 84
Pleasing Proportions Bag 88
Bamboo Obi 92
Loopy Mats 96
Simply Striped Rug 100
Pick-Up Belt 104
Space-Saving Mats 108
Leno Runner 112
Brooks Bouquet Shawl 116
Illustrated Techniques 120
Project Planning Cards 121
Terms to Know 122
Warping Checklist 123
Project Planning Sheet 124
Sett Chart 125
Sources for Supplies 126
Index 127

introduction
Weaving is an enchantress. I’m not sure exactly how I
came under her spell. I was fortunate to learn to weave
at a young age. All things fiber charmed my imagina-
tion. As a child, I would wrap my little hands around
the fence surrounding the llama at the petting zoo in
order to prevent my grandmother from hauling me
away. I read in a book that you could weave with that
llama’s coat, and I wanted her to teach me how! Work-
ing with yarn simply makes me happy, and we tend to
stick with things that make us happy.
Weaving, for me, is also a small act of rebellion. We
are so far removed from how the items we depend on
everyday—food, clothing, and shelter—are made. Now,
I’m not even close to making everything I wear or all
the textiles in my home, but at least I know what it
takes to make the fabric that I depend on.
This little loom—the rigid heddle—is the perfect ave-
nue for you to discover what weaving has to offer. Small
and portable, it’s the ideal blend of ease and functional-
ity. Weaving is one of the fastest ways to produce cloth,
and it meshes beautifully with all of your other craft
skills. If you sew, you’ll be in heaven creating your own
fabric. If you knit or crochet, you can combine these
techniques for truly unique garments. If you spin, you
can create yarns for woven cloth that no one else can
buy. If you have never tackled any other craft in your
life, you learned all you need to know in third-grade
math. Really. It’s that easy!
It’s time to get weaving, and this little loom is your
ticket to the party.
introduction 7
the basics
With every new avocation comes a new vocabulary.
Weaving is no exception, but fortunately, there are only
a few simple terms to master. When first used, the
terms are printed in boldface type; see page 122 for all
terms. Woven cloth is formed when parallel yarns that
are held taut are interlaced by a second yarn. As a unit,
the taut yarn is called the warp; individual yarns (also
called threads) are called warp ends. The yarn that trav-
els over and under (or weaves) between the warp ends
is called the weft; individual weft threads are called
picks. Woven cloth is made by interlacing the warp
ends with weft picks. Long ago, weavers came up with a
variety of looms to hold the warp ends taut to facilitate
interlacing them with the weft picks.
The rigid heddle is perhaps the most straightfor-
ward loom available on the market. The warp ends are
threaded alternately through holes in plastic bars (hed-
dles) and through the slots between the bars. As a unit,
these holes and slots are called the rigid heddle. It is
also referred to as the beater because it is used to “beat”
the weft into place. The rigid heddle is lifted or lowered
to raise or lower the warp ends to form a shed through
which the weft is passed. Think of the shed as the space
that “shelters” the weft. Shed blocks provide a means
to hold the rigid heddle in the lifted or lowered position
so both of your hands are free to manipulate the weft.
The weft is most efficiently passed through the shed
by means of a stick shuttle, a thin flat piece of wood
around which the weft yarn is wrapped. By alternating
sheds and beating picks of yarns, the weft yarn passes
alternately over and under the warp ends to weave cloth.
8 weaving made easy
rigid heddle warp beam
ThE RIGID hEDDLE LOOm back apron rod
reed (hidden under warp)
Cloth Beam Holds the woven cloth at the front of the loom. cloth beam
Warp Beam Holds the warp threads at the back of the
loom.
Shed Blocks Hold the rigid heddle in the up or down shed
position. brake
shed block
Rigid heddle Apparatus through which the warp is front apron rod
threaded and with which the weft yarn is “beat” or
aligned perpendicular to the warp. brake
Front Apron Rod Where the warp is tied and tensioned at
the front of the loom.
Back Apron Rod Where the warp is tied onto the back of
stand
the loom.
Reed The holes and slots in the rigid heddle.
Stand Holds the loom at a comfortable height for
weaving. If you don’t have a stand, prop the back of the
loom on the edge of a table and rest the front in your lap.
what’s in a name?
Shed The space between adjacent warp threads through
which the weft travels.
Although the details are lost to time, it would have been
nice if whoever named the rigid heddle loom had come
Shuttle Holds the weft.
up with a sexier name. Although “rigid heddle” describes
the loom perfectly, it sounds so stiff and, well, rigid, for
Warp The yarns stretched on the loom.
such an ingenious invention.
Weft Yarn that interlaces the warp in an over-under
fashion.
Brake Allows the tension of the warp to be released or
tightened.
the basics 9