These soap bags, made with Euroflax sportweight linen on the 4”x6” Weavette loom, are fun and easy to make. They are a great vehicle for experimenting with patterned weaves. Two rectangles are joined by a running stitch on three sides. (Pull out enough yarn at the beginning of one rectangle to sew the seam.) I use a battery-powered hair braider to twist the cords. Overtwist two individual strands and then ply the opposite direction. It can be done by hand but the hair-braider does it in a fraction of the time.

If you haven’t already experimented with adding length to warp, do that before attempting leno lace on small looms. It shows up best in a stiff yarn like linen or hemp and the twist looks nicer if the warp is somewhat relaxed. At the same time you’re adding length to the warp (vertical threads), skip a row of weft while wrapping the second layer (horizontal thread). I did this twice, skipping only one row at a time. You should wrap FIVE pins. I skipped rows 14 and 19. The blue arrow in the photo shows where I made a mistake and only wrapped four, but that was corrected when I started weaving. Skip an even number of rows total, which will allow your weft to end up in the correct place at the end. You could experiment with leaving only one strand between rows of leno. That works, too. Just a different look.

Weave plain weave up to the skipped weft section. Then use another needle or small knitting needle as a tool to pick up and twist two (or more) adjacent warp threads. From the right, use the tool to pick up a bottom warp thread; go over a the next top warp thread; rotate the back end of the tool 180 degrees to the left. What you see above is after rotating the tool. Slide the weaving needle into the space where the tool is; remove the tool and proceed across the loom. You may weave the first and last thread or two in a regular fashion, or not—whatever works for you.

This example is double leno.

If you need more ideas and better illustrations for hand-manipulated leno lace, download the article by Karen Searle (middle of the page, under Minnesota Weaver) that I linked in the previous post.

WAL PARTICIPANTS LIST
I’m redoing the WAL list due to bad (or no) links and people moving on to other things. If you want to be listed (or relisted) with your link of weaving content, contact me and I’ll be happy to add you.

…to your weaving warp on small looms that have no mechanical tensioning device. (As long as I have to deal with daily comment spam, I might as well have a bit of fun with it.)

Seriously, this odd technique may keep you from bending or pulling the pins out of your loom, or breaking your needle, and it will allow you to use some weaving techniques that would otherwise be impossible. I invented this “fix” while weaving leno lace with linen on a 4”x6” loom. Heck, I can’t even do 4″x6” plain weave in linen without this remedy. That’s to be expected. Linen has NO elasticity. Plus plain weave takes up more yarn than a patterned weave. You can always weave the weft looser, but what about the warp which is already on the loom and getting tighter with every woven row? Gotta add some length to that warp!

Here’s what I did. Begin as usual, but every time you wrap the warp around pins at the top of the frame, make an extra loop around one pin before continuing to the bottom of the frame. At the same time, keep the warp wraps (layers one and three) relaxed and loose. (Layer two, the first weft wrap, should be normal tension.)

Photos above show first, the loom as you are looking at it while wrapping and second, from the top, to show how the loops look on the pins.

Photo above shows the third layer of yarn, illustrating how the loops appear at the top of the loom.

Measure yarn for weaving length and weave as usual to about half the length of the loom. By now the yarn is starting to get tight, and it’s time to unleash those extra loops at the top.

Anchor your weaving needle at the bottom. Keep an extra needle or double pointed knitting needle handy in case you need a third hand. Beginning at the upper right corner, lift off the last two top loops.

Rehang the bottom loop on its pins, then the upper one. This is exactly what you do when you accidentally lose some loops while weaving. Only on purpose this time.

Work across loom in this manner, anchoring the loose loops with your needle if you worry about them popping off. Don’t forget that the very last loop, which goes around the corner, needs a loop before being repositioned. Look at it carefully before you remove it.

After another woven row or two, the newly loose loops will fall right into place and you’ll have enough warp length left to make the finish without pulling out the loom pins—or your hair.

If you plan to weave leno with me on the next Square Deal Weave-Along posting, I seriously recommend that you practice this warp tensioning device first, using non-elastic cotton, linen or hemp.

OK, once you’ve mastered this, go to this page of the On-Line Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving and Related Pages. Under Articles> Minnesota Weaver, there is a fine two page article by Karen Searle about leno on the rigid heddle loom. Download and print that out for next time.

Sylvia Cannizzaro of West Glover, Vermont, is a resourceful weaver who used her Square Deal Weave-Along squares to construct a notebook cover. Incorporating the practice pieces into one project where you can refer to them is an idea that will pay off when you’re looking for inspiration. Thanks for sharing this project, Sylvia! (More projects coming from Sylvia. She’s prolific and has some great ideas!)

Materials
4×4, 2×6, 6×6 Weave-It type looms
crochet hooks, 2.5 mm and 4.0mm
weaving yarn:Lamb’s Pride Worsted from Brown Sheep
assembly yarn (and weaving for the black squares and rectangles): Single ply sport weight wool from Brown Sheep. [I limited myself to yarn I had left over from other projects.]

Directions
1. Choose a binder, notebook, or whatever, to cover, figure out how many squares/pieces you need to approximately fill the space. A little small is easier to work with than a little big. I decided to use at least one of each of the square deal weave along patterns in my cover, as a sampler. There is at least one extra square in there (stars). I added the extra black squares and rectangles for the flaps and binding, because I couldn’t bear to cover up the patterns with pockets.

Weave in the ends as you go.

2. Assemble in rectangles to fit the book/binder. I used the crochet slip stitch to assemble squares–overlap mirrored loops and slip stitch in each loop. I worked vertical seams first, then horizontal seams, pulling the crochet loop under the vertical seam at the corners, continuing across. (Work in the ends as you go–it’s so easy if you are crocheting the piece together.)

3. Using the small hook, edge each rectangle with a row of single crochet, working three single crochet stitches in each corner. Block the rectangles.

This would also be a good time to mark the squares, if you intend to use them as a sampler, as I have done. I used roman numerals because they are so easy to embroider. The patterns are in the binder of course, and I prepared a sheet for quick reference (is that furrows or wide wale corduroy?).

4. Attach pockets (if used). A good place to keep pens, scissors, or yarn labels to keep track of your favorites. I used several different stitches: crochet slip stitch, running stitch, back stitch, and stem stitch.

5. Assemble rectangles. With wrong sides together, and using larger crochet hook, work vertical seams with single crochet.

6. If necessary, adjust height/width by working additional rows of single crochet, using the larger hook.

7. Finish/close up the top and bottom:

Fold over the front pocket flap and attach to front/top using single crochet. Continue across the top, fold the back pocket flap and attach in the same manner.

Repeat across the bottom.

8. (Optional) Admire your work each time you work on the Weave-Along. Do this project again in a different yarn. Think of another project to show off the Weave-Along patterns as they come along, that will also keep the squares handy for quick reference. Quick, before WAL #18 comes out!

Notes: I love the worsted weight Lamb’s Pride for the Weave-Along. The gold and orange don’t look very good in the photos, but they have so much depth and shine. They really bring out the beauty of the textured patterns. That said, the yarn is a bit too heavy for color and weave or Rigby weave. I had to cut the Rigby short with a fringe (I just cut off the extra warp from the second layer and wove in the ends), and finish the color and weave square with wide wale corduroy to make it work. Also, I made frequent use of my weaving fork from Hazel Rose Looms to keep the weaving in line as I worked. The sport weight is a bit light for plain weave, for my taste, but works beautifully for Rigby weave, which I love.

If you’ve woven any of the Square Deal Weave-Along patterns in more than one color per sample, you know that you add visual complexity by simply changing colors at different points in the warping and weaving process. Even using two threads at the same time in two colors that are close in hue will add visual depth to the cloth. When you plan the arrangement of those two (or more) colors, it’s called Color and Weave. Plaids, checks, log cabin, and houndstooth are some common examples of Color and Weave.

We can wrap layers of yarn in different colors on Weave-It type looms—OR we can warp and weave with two colors at once—OR we can start with two colors and drop one out at intervals throughout the four layers. That’s how I wove the sample above. One strand of both red and white; drop the red; pick up the red when I got back to that side—all the way through, including the weaving step. Weaving this requires rethreading for each pass.

Another thought—you could do all of one color in a layer, then follow up with the second color separately, before turning the corner for the next layer. Definitely. I’m doing that next time.

For the red and white sample, I took care to always have the red to left or on top of the white. For the blue and white sample below, I just let them fall wherever…The result is that sometimes I got DLDL (dark light dark light), sometimes LDDL, sometimes LDLD, sometimes DLLD.

For the black and tan sample below, I wove with two strands of light weight wool at the same time, with some care in the wrapping, but not obsessing over it at all. I like it!

The last square was wrapped with light and dark linen/cotton at the same time, then woven with a red hemp blend.

What you’re looking at is not the center motif, but the four corners, each composed of two triangles. You don’t have a triangle loom? No bother—they can be woven with any square loom that you have on hand. While I wouldn’t want to make tons of triangles on a square loom, it gets easier with practice and neatly solves the problem of fill-in triangles for a bias design. Sarah at Knitting-and.com posted about this technique and then followed up with a photo of her seamed triangles that you’ll want to look at.

Triangles woven in this manner have straight grain on the long edge (hypotenuse). The two shorter sides have bias edges. You can make a loom-sized square with two triangles, or a larger square with four triangles. Triangles are essential when you’re creating a bias design and don’t want sawtooth edges. (I like sawtooth edges, but sometimes it just announces that you didn’t know what else to do.)

In addition to a square loom and weaving needle, you’ll need a thin knitting needle or piece of stiff wire that’s a bit longer than the diagonal measurement of your loom and a skinny crochet hook. Lay the needle or wire from one corner to the opposite corner. Small rubber bands anchored around the needle tip, around the frame and back to pins above the corner—on each side—keep it all together until you get the weaving started.

I’m not going to give you step-by-step instructions because there are a number of websites that already have done that, better than I can.
• Workstead Fiber Studio
• eBay guide: Learn to Weave on a triangle loom
• Wayne Schmidt’s Triangle Loom page
The only difference is that you’ll have a needle across the long edge of the triangle, where these instructions all show nails. Yarn goes over the needle instead of over nails.

Several things to remember when weaving triangles on a Weave-It or Weavette:
• Grouped pins and spaces do not affect your weaving.
• You’re weaving on the bias now and the threads are set more closely, so if you’re using the same yarn that you used in regular squares, you’ll want to loosen up the sett by skipping some pins. (I skipped every 5th pin for the sample.)
• Remove the knitting needle or wire from long edge of triangle before removing the piece from the loom. Then use your needle to stroke threads toward the long edge, filling in the loops that went around the knitting needle. Get everything adjusted before you take the triangle off the loom.

This gets easier and faster and nicer looking with practice. My first two triangles were throw aways, but after that they looked decent and even had nice corners.

Up until now, all of the published patterns for little looms have been limited to three overshot threads at a time. Why stop there? I give you this pattern with a daring five overshot threads, henceforth known as Wide Wale Corduroy. Woo hoo! I’m loving this pattern which is the same on the back, except the ribs are vertical instead of horizontal. Its very deep texture would be perfect for afghans and rugs. Easy to weave and you can use a much bulkier yarn than possible for plain weave. The samples from left to right and top to bottom are: Brown Sheep BULKY Lamb’s Pride, Noro Big Kureyon, Rowan Cork, and the sportweight one is Louet Gems Opal. You can see in that sample that a little bit of the windowpane thing is going on, which would be more pronounced in a lighter weight yarn. This pattern would be perfect for a heavy ribbon yarn, too. Wide Wale Corduroy works for the 4×4 Weave-It or Weavette and the 5” Weave-It Rug loom. It doesn’t come out just right at the end on the Weave-It 2″ loom or the Weavette rectangular looms, but if absolute symmetry is not an issue for your project, you can still do it.

O=Over
U=Under

WIDE WALE CORDUROY
Wrap three continuous warp layers. Change color if desired, and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2 & 3: (U1, O5)x5; U1
Row 4-plain weave
Rows 5-16: (repeat Rows 2-4)x4

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

Six Square Smackdown update: nine entrants with 13 projects! The “reveal” will be on Feb 11th and I’ll blog each and every entry over the next few weeks, while the Square Deal Weave-Along takes a short break. (Please don’t post your entry on your blog until I’ve had a chance to show it here.) They’re all worthy of recognition. It will be very difficult to choose the prize winner(s). And yes, there WILL be more contests!

Plain weave can be the foundation for additions to the weaving web. Sort of like the harness loom weaver’s simple inlay technique, but instead of laying it into an open shed, we have to use a needle or some implement to get the extra thread into the shed. In the end, the finished appearance is the same and our method isn’t too difficult.

Begin with a lightweight yarn (examples are DMC Senso) and a bulkier inlay yarn or fiber. It works best to have something sort of smooth and simple for the background and something lofty to make your design. You want the inlay material to spill out around the plain web. Weave a few rows as usual. If the inlay material can be threaded onto a needle, do so, and then pass it between the first and third warp layers. Then continue to weave with your base thread, one or two or however many rows you want, until you’re ready for another line of inlay yarn. Be sure to weave EVERY row, just as if you were making a plain weave piece. The inlay material doesn’t take the place of any weft. It’s supplementary. If it’s very lofty, you may need to pack it down with a fork.

If you can’t thread the inlay material onto a needle, you’ll have to finesse it between the warp layers with your fingers or some other implement, like a crochet hook.

Inlay material can be short, held by only a couple of warp threads, or it can span the whole width of the piece. You could cut each row or continue up the warp with a continuous piece. Make a curved or geometric design. And you may very well prefer the back to the front, as I did the two samples on the right.

Inlay stuff doesn’t have to be thread or fabric. Try wire, feathers, paper, toothpicks, dried grass and so forth.

I’m not lion. We can weave fringe on frame looms. Lion is two pieces woven on a 4×6 Weavette, with fringe at each end. I stacked the pieces perpendicular, whipped a thread around the solid parts, stuffing before closing it up. Voila!

Here’s how you do it. (Illustration is for fringe at one end only. Try that before taking both hands off the handlebars.) Begin as usual, but on the second wrap, stop before you get to the top. What’s left of the top of the warp will be the length of the fringe. Take the thread outside the pins, back to the top and make the third wrap as usual.

Measure for needleweaving, plus a bit extra, which you will use to finish the edge. Weave as normal, finishing on either right or left side—no matter. Thread a smallish tapestry needle and overcast the last two weft threads all the way across.

If you have slippery yarn, you might need to do a genuine hem stitch for this step, but wool will hold with my down and dirty method.

Done.

If you have a Loomette or Bucilla Magic Loom with adjustable bar, there is another method of making fringe, which is half as dense. (The fringe, not the method.) Instructions are in the Bucilla Dictionary of Magic-Loom Weaving Stitches, which you can download here.

Blue Sky Organic Cotton

There are several diagonal stripe patterns. This one is Loomette Weave #10, from Original Loomette Weaves and I’m going to rename it Seven Diagonal Stripes to distinguish it from the other popular Diagonal Stripes pattern that has five stripes and is found in Weave It Weaves and Modular Textures. (I used the five stripe version for the Square Round Pillow and posted graphs of it and the mirrored pattern on a previous blog entry.)

When you make the sample, notice that the front has vertical floats and the back has horizontal ones. Of course either side can be the public side. I often choose the back because it’s bolder. But don’t think you always need contrast. Diagonal stripes are really pretty in one color.

O=Over
U=Under
W=Plain Weave

Seven Diagonal Stripes
Wrap three continuous warp layers. Change color if desired, and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: (U3, W5)x3; U3, W4
Row 3: W2; (U3, W5)x3; U3, W2
Row 4: W4; (U3, W5)x3; U3
Row 5: W6; (U3, W5)x2; U3; W6
Rows 6-13: rep Rows 2-5 twice
Row 14: rep Row 2
Row 15: rep Row 3
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

It’s useful to have a pattern for the mirror image of any diagonal weave, in case you want to make concentric diamonds, zigzags or some other compiled pattern, so…

Mirrored Seven Diagonal Stripes
Wrap three continuous warp layers. Change color if desired, and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: W4; (U3, W5)x3; U3
Row 3; W2; (U3, W5)x3; U3; W2
Row 4: (U3, W5)x3; U3; W4
Row 5: W6; ((U3, W5)x2; U3; W6
Rows 6-13: rep Rows 2-5 twice
Row 14: rep Row 2
Row 15: rep Row 3
Row 16: plain weave

If you wonder why I call the left leaning stripes Mirror instead of Reverse, it’s because I’m a bit wary of using that adjective and causing confusion. Reverse could conceivably mean backside or negative image, which this is not.

Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK

Loomette Weave #20, from Original Loomette Weaves is better known as Furrows from Modular Textures. This one is interesting and easy to weave with a lofty hand that makes it ideal for afghans, rugs, coats or any item where you want a thicker texture than plain weave. Characteristics of the photographed samples are:
1. Solid color—identical on both sides
2. Three layers pink, needleweave red—identical on both sides
3. Two layers each of red and pink—horizontal bumps are pink on both sides, vertical bumps are pink on the front, red on the reverse; vertical background lines on the front, horizontal background lines on the reverse
4. Three layers red, needleweave pink—identical on both sides

The bag above, from 1937 Loomette Afghans and Bags, shows the use of squares and half squares turned sideways, using different combinations of two contrasting yarns in the Furrows pattern. It’s a great example of the variety that can be achieved with only one texture.

O=Over
U=Under

FURROWS
Wrap three continuous warp layers. Change color if desired, and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: (U3, O3)x5; U1
Row 3: U1; (O3, U3)x5
Row 4: plain weave
Row 5: plain weave
Rows 6-13: (rep rows 2-5) twice
Row 14: rep row 2
Row 15: rep row 3
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

Be sure that you catch yesterday’s post about the Six Square Smackdown!

Jo Sharp DK wool

Diagonal Half Square, from Weave-It Weaves, and Mirrored Diagonal Half Square, from Original Loomette Weaves, are indispensable for quilt block patterns. If you look at all the lovely quilt blocks that rely on different colors for diagonally divided squares and think—I can’t do that on a square loom—well, think again. In two colors, the effect of this weave pattern is one of two analogous prints. And the two-color blocks look different on the back, so you get four for two this time. (The block above uses two of each pattern.)

Diagonal Half Square in one color opens up some interesting possibilities, too. Weave a pile of them and play with different arrangements to get sawtooth, diagonal stripe, hourglass, textured square, etc. It’s like having a box of tangrams.

O=Over
U=Under
W=plain weave

DIAGONAL HALF SQUARE
Wrap three continuous warp layers. Change color if desired, and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: (U3, O1)x7; U3
Row 3: W2; (U3, O1)x6; U3; W2
Row 4: W4; (U3, O1)x6; U3
Row 5: W2; (U3, O1)x5; U3; W6
Row 6: W8; (U3, O1)x5; U3
Row 7: W2; (U3, O1)x4; U3; W10
Row 8: W12; (U3, O1)x4; U3
Row 9: W2; (U3, O1)x3; U3; W14
Row 10: W16; (U3, O1)x3; U3
Row 11: W2; (U3, O1)x2; U3; W18
Row 12: W20; (U3, O1)x2; U3
Row 13: W2; U3; O1; U3; W22
Row 14: W24; U3; O1; U3
Row 15: W2; U3; W26
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

MIRRORED DIAGONAL HALF SQUARE
Wrap three continuous warp layer. Change color if desired and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: (U3, O1)x7; U3
Row 3: W2; (U3, O1)x6; U3; W2
Row 4: (U3, O1)x6; U3; W4
Row 5: W6; (U3, O1)x5; U3; W2
Row 6: (U3, O1)x5; U3; W8
Row 7: W10; (U3, O1)x4; U3; W2
Row 8: (U3, O1)x4; U3; W12
Row 9: W14; (U3, O1)x3; U3; W2
Row 10: (U3, O1)x3; U3; W16
Row 11: W18; (U3, O1)x2; U3; W2
Row 12: (U3, O1)x2; U3; W20
Row 13: W22; U3; O1; U3; W2
Row 14: U3; O1; U3; W24
Row 15: W26; U3; W2
Row 16: plain weave

These patterns are easily adapted to other square loom sizes. Here’s a Diagonal Half Square for the 6×6 Weavette.

If you’re celebrating, have a great holiday and I’ll see you January 2nd with more Square Deal Weave Along and a Challenge for the New Year.

Some of you may have already done this and didn’t know that it had a name. Rigby Weave, from Original Loomette Weaves, is plain weave with half of the threads doubled. I’ve seen it in old pattern books as the specified weave for lacy items like tablecloths and dresser scarves, using fine linen or cotton. If you work it in fine, stiff yarn (linen, hemp, ramie, pineapple), it looks like a mini-Windowpane Lace weave. (That’s right—I said pineapple. If you haven’t taken a walk through Habu’s yarn offerings, do it while you think about applications for little looms.) Heavier yarn-completely different look. For tweedy effect, try two colors for the doubled yarn.

Directions for Rigby Weave: wrap the first two layers with doubled thread, cut one (leaving a yarn tail to weave in) and finish the third layer and needle weaving step with only one thread. Directions in some books tell you to do the first two layers single and the last half double. This is incorrect! It’s much easier to weave with a single/fine/smooth yarn.

If you weave this sequence with two single yarns (not doubled) of approximately equal weight and texture, you’ll get a color-and-weave effect with vertical stripes facing and horizontal stripes on the reverse side.

A variation that you’ll definitely want to try is to make the first two layers with a novelty or very bulky yarn and finish with a finer, smoother thread. I do this often with furry yarns, rags, anything that’s lumpy, bumpy, or hairy.

Something completely different this week! Odd size rectangles. So what if you need a ¾ piece for a neckline? Or a ¼ piece for a border? It can be done with the square or rectangular loom that you already have. Warning— it’s kind of fiddly and counterintuitive, so approach this when you’re in an inquisitive frame of mind and have a high tolerance for frustration. It gets easier, but the first one can be tricky.

In addition to your loom and needle, you’ll need a thin double pointed knitting needle, or extra weaving needle that’s several inches longer than your loom, a crochet hook and a rubber band. Cut a length of yarn from the source, allowing more than you think necessary. Write down the length and when finished you can subtract what’s leftover to know what you’ll require for subsequent rectangles of the same size.

Secure yarn and wrap the first layer of warp as usual, ending at the bottom right corner of the width you want to weave. Place the knitting needle across the loom, between teeth, parallel to the last row of yarn you laid in.

At the bottom right edge closest to you, you’ll see: PIN—yarn—PIN—extra needle—PIN—space. The upper right hand corner will have: yarn—extra needle in the big space—PIN.

Secure the extra needle with a rubber band stretched around its ends, spanning the back of the loom. (Keep the rubber band out of your weaving.)

Wrap yarn under the extra needle, around pin and back to the left, around two pins and back to the extra needle. Wrap yarn UNDER and OVER the extra needle and back to the left to wrap around the first two pins (counting from the bottom) of each group of three. A crochet hook can be helpful to pull yarn under the extra needle. During this wrap, you’ll see long V’s pointing at the extra needle.

At the upper end of the second wrap, go under the extra needle, around the pin to its left and back down between first and second pins(counting from left) of the 3-pin group at the right bottom corner. Throughout this third and final wrap, you’ll be wrapping around PIN—space—PIN. End at the bottom left corner where you began. Thread the needle, turn the loom and begin to weave.

The first weaving row is the trickiest. Be certain that you are weaving next to the pins. It looks different from what you’re used to. Go under the first thread, weave and end under the last thread and extra needle. Bring the needle point up between the extra needle and the thread that wraps around it. Go over the needle and weave the second row, ending over the outside loop. And so forth…

Be vigilant about stroking all of the threads into place before popping off the woven piece. When you remove the extra needle, you’ll see that the right side is just like it would have been if you were weaving around pins. Amazing!

I wouldn’t want to weave many pieces this way, but it’s nice to know that you CAN, especially if you only need a few odd sizes to fill a specific need.

Jo Sharp DK wool

Lines and Bars from Weave It Magic Squares, and its variation, Bars and Squares from Weave-It, Weave In, are pretty easy to adapt to other loom sizes. Be aware that the “bars” portion of the design has floats on the back, so you wouldn’t want to stack more than three bars at a time. Or maybe you would! What could be done with those floats? I leave it to you WALers to create something interesting using that concept…

I’m increasing the pattern shorthand this week. Don’t know about you, but when I see line after line of U’s and O’s, my eyes just glaze over and I don’t even want to try the pattern. (Which is why I prefer graphs, but most of YOU seem to prefer text.) Knitters know that anything in parenthesis is going to be repeated and that’s what you’ll see here from now on.

O=Over
U=Under
W=plain weave

LINES & BARS
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: W6; U3; W22
Row 3: plain weave
Row 4: repeat Row 2
Row 5: (U1, O3)x3; W19
Row 6: W6; U3; W10; ( O3, U1)x3
Rows 7-10: plain weave
Row 11: rep Row 6
Row 12: rep Row 5
Row 13: rep Row 2
Row 14: plain weave
Row 15: rep Row 2
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

BARS & SQUARES
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: W2; U3; (O1, U3)x2; W18
Row 3: W20; U3; O1; U3; W4
Row 4: rep Row 2
Row 5: (U1, O3)x3; W8; U3; O1; U3; W4
Row 6: W2; (U3, O1)x2; U3; W6; (O3, U1)x3
Row 7: (U1, O3)x3; W19
Rows 8-10: plain weave
Row 11: rep Row 6
Row 12: rep Row 5
Row 13: rep Row 6
Row 14: rep Row 3
Row 15: rep Row 2
Row 16: plain weave

brown—Euroflax linen; green—Rowan Cork wool; orange—Noro Kureyon wool

Eight Single Rib, from Weave-It Weaves, was a very popular pattern back in the day, called for in many of the old pattern books. (It’s called Waffle Grid in the Weavette book.) The lofty texture will accommodate many different yarn weights. It’s also maddening to weave! Be aware that some of the warp threads will migrate as you weave. Rein in your temptation to coax those threads back into their accustomed place. It’s futile. Use this pattern on any size loom. Eight Single Rib looks the same on both sides, which makes it a handy pattern to have in your repertoire.

I used this pattern for my granny square-ish Noro Kureyon afghan. Kureyon’s color changes added to Eight Single Rib’s deep texture was a winning combination.

U=Under
O=Over
W=plain weave

EIGHT SINGLE RIB
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: *U3; O1; Rep from * , ending with U3.
Row 3: *U1; O3; Rep from *, ending with W3.
Rows 4-15: alternate Rows 2 and 3.
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

white—Euroflax linen; brown—Noro Big Kureyon wool; green—linen/cotton blend and ½” silk ribbon

This week’s pattern is originally from the Bucilla Dictionary of Magic-Loom Weaving Stitches. Because it has two extra pins, the Magic-Loom allows one additional weaving row, making this pattern (and many others) symmetrical. It’s not a huge deal, but if the extra plain weave row on Weave-It and Weavette drives you nuts, then you know what you have to do… A new pattern term and graphic symbol are introduced with this pretty texture. You can weave Ribbing on ANY size loom.

(When searching for a Bucilla Magic Loom, be aware that they made TWO completely different products with the same name. One is a set of metal squares that you wrap with yarn and crochet together. The one you want is an ivory plastic loom with an insert that allows you to weave smaller rectangles.)

The green bookmark is embellished with silk ribbon woven on top of the weft bundles, after weaving as written with a base yarn and before removing from the loom. On one side the ribbon loops lay to the back, but I flipped them forward and on top of the linen before steam pressing (which it really needs). Try a rag strip from an old silk tie. It takes 30” of bias ribbon for a bookmark loom.

U=Under

RIBBING
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: U1; slide needle between top and bottom warp layers to last thread; U1
Rows 3-14: alternate Rows 1 and 2.
Row 15: plain weave
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

GRAPHICS EXPLANATION & KEY: READ CAREFULLY!
Each of the squares in the grid (not including the numbered columns at far right and far left—those are for row numbers) represents a thread crossing (intersection)—weft passing either over or under warp. Loops outside the pins are NOT shown in the grid. The needle always goes over the outside loops.

Light gray squares=weft (from the second wrap) crosses over warp on rows that you do not weave. These unnumbered rows appear as you weave the numbered rows.

White square=needle goes under a warp thread
Dark square=needle goes over a warp thread
Parallel lines symbol=needles slides between top and bottom warp layers

White=UNDER
Dark=OVER
Parallel lines=BETWEEN

blue—Brown Sheep Superwash Wool; green and yellow—Rowan Yorkshire Tweed DK

There are many diamond motifs: Single Outline Diamond, Raised Diamond, Sunken Diamond, but my favorite is Double Outline Diamond from the Weave-It Weaves booklet. It’s bold enough to be an attention grabber, but the plain weave in the middle offsets tension “issues” that can arise with a solid patterned motif set within or around plain weave. Pattern floats are vertical on the front, horizontal on the back. I chose the “wrong” side with blocks rotated 90 degrees for the Vintage-Style Knitting Bag, posted August 2nd.

U=Under
O=Over
W=plain weave

DOUBLE OUTLINE DIAMOND
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: W14; U3; W14
Row 3: W12; U3; O1; U3; W12
Row 4: W10; U3; O1; U3, O1; U3; W10
Row 5: W8; U3; O1; U3; O1; U3, O1; U3; W8
Row 6: W6; U3; O1; U3; W5; U3; O1; U3; W6
Row 7: W4; U3; O1; U3; W9; U3; O1; U3; W4
Row 8: W2; U3; O1; U3; W13; U3; O1; U3; W2
Row 9: same as Row 7
Row 10: same as Row 6
Row 11: same as Row 5
Row 12: same as Row 4
Row 13: same as Row 3
Row 14: same as Row 2
Row 15: plain weave
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

I created CONCENTRIC DIAMONDS, below, for the 6×6 Weavette. Graph only. Enjoy!

GRAPHICS EXPLANATION & KEY: READ CAREFULLY!
Each of the squares in the grid (not including the numbered columns at far right and far left—those are for row numbers) represents a thread crossing (intersection)—weft passing either over or under warp. Loops outside the pins are NOT shown in the grid. The needle always goes over the outside loops.

Light gray squares=weft (from the second wrap) crosses over warp on rows that you do not weave. These unnumbered rows appear as you weave the numbered rows.

White square=needle goes under a warp thread
Dark square=needle goes over a warp thread

White=UNDER
Dark=OVER

Stacy, our Purling Dervish, created a WAL button for us to use. THANK YOU!!! Have at it and tell the world that you’re square.

Check out the Flickr Weavette Group if you haven’t already. There are some pretty nifty samples there. Leave comments if you don’t mind. Encouragement!

The Looms to Go group on Ravelry is alive and well. If you haven’t received your Ravelry invite yet, just file this info away until that glorious day arrives. It’s worth the wait, I assure you. Another giant time-suck is LibraryThing. I’ve been putting in my free 200, concentrating on the OOP books that people might like to know about, along with scanned covers because they’re hardly ever available as Amazon links. . It’s been great fun to get reacquainted with some of my treasured oldies but goodies.

I got tagged by Diane, Lace Lovin Librarian. I’ve been tagged before and never responded because it’s hard for me to be that revealing. But I’m going to try it THIS ONE TIME. Here are the rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 3 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

FACTS
1. I’m a coffee snob and roast my own.
2. Growing food in our little vegetable garden is as close to a miracle as I ever expect to come.
3. We were a Nielson Family for a year. Don’t blame ME for reality TV crap.
4. Sci-fi is my favorite fiction genre. Current faves—Connie Willis, Stephen Baxter.
5. I’m a seventh generation Texan.
6. My idea of a great vacation is for everyone else to leave town.
7. I have two Robert Wadlow shoes (not a pair). If you don’t know who that is, look it up.
Tagging Micol at Recycle Micol, Abbie at abmatic, Tracy at Stringativity.

blue—handspun wool; brown—Noro Blossom; grey—handspun wool and Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride

The first three squares are Fancy Weave, taken from Wee Weave-It Woolies, a useful overall texture pattern that you can adapt to any size loom. It looks good in just about any yarn, but when you have one that’s too bulky or too fragile for plain weave, try this one. (See the recycled tee shirt rug, posted August 10th.) If using a second color for weaving in the last layer, you’ll see color blips on the front and colored horizontal floats on the back. (Fancy Weave is also known as Mock Seed Stitch and Loomette #1.)

U=Under
O=Over
W=plain weave

FANCY WEAVE
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: *U3 (under 3 threads); O1 (over 1 thread); repeat from * across row, ending with U3.
Row 3: W2; *U3; O1; repeat from * across row to last five threads; finish with U3; W2.
Alternate Rows 2 and 3, through row 15. (Row 23 if using a 6” loom)
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

The last square is Basket Weave, from “Weave-It” New-Look Afghans. It’s the same as Fancy Weave—reversed. Fancy Weave texture is created by U3, O1; Basket Weave is created by O3, U1. Viewed from the front, Fancy Weave floats are vertical and Basket Weave floats are horizontal. (Basket Weave is marginally easier to weave because Rows 2-15 are the same.)

BASKET WEAVE
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needleweaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Rows 2-15: *U1; O3; repeat from * to last three threads; finish with U1; O2.
Row 16: plain weave

GRAPHICS EXPLANATION & KEY: READ CAREFULLY!
Each of the squares in the 4×4 grid (not including the numbered columns at far right and far left—those are for row numbers) represents a thread crossing (intersection)—weft passing either over or under warp. Loops outside the pins are NOT shown in the grid. The needle always goes over the outside loops.

Light gray squares=weft (from the second wrap) crosses over warp on rows that you do not weave. These unnumbered rows appear as you weave the numbered rows.

White square=needle goes under a warp thread
Dark square=needle goes over a warp thread

White=UNDER
Dark=OVER

Crossroads from Weave It Magic Squares, shown here in Jo Sharp DK Wool, has several distinct looks. Solid color pattern is subtle. Change colors for the weaving layer to get an extra dimension. Turn over the two-color weaving for the boldest outline. (Make a commitment to one side or the other before seaming. It really makes a difference.) Crossroads is a pattern that you’ll want to use in multiples. In addition to the “road” through the center of the square, when blocks are joined, they reveal diamonds. The text pattern looks long and wordy, but is easy to memorize.

This one is for the 4×4 loom. Weavette pattern book has it for other loom sizes. (Weave-It published a different pattern under the same name in the Weave-It Weaves booklet. Loomette #13 is similar to, but not exactly the same as, Crossroads.)

You’ll notice that the bottom triangle seems to be one row short. But when you put a square on top or bottom, your eye “reads” the full diamond. Horizontally asymmetrical patterns are a peculiarity of these looms that we have to live with.

U=Under
O=Over
W=plain weave

CROSSROADS
Wrap three continuous warp layers and measure yarn for needle weaving.
Weave as follows—
Row 1: plain weave
Row 2: W8; U3; W9; U3; W8
Row 3: W10; U3; W5; U3; W10
Row 4: U3; W9; U3; O1; U3; W9; U3
Row 5: W2; U3; W9; U3; W9; U3; W2
Row 6: W4; U3; W17; U3; W4
Row 7: W6; U3; W13; U3; W6
Row 8: repeat Row 2
Row 9: repeat Row 7
Row 10: repeat Row 6
Row 11: repeat Row 5
Row 12: repeat Row 4
Row 13: repeat Row 3
Row 14: repeat Row 2
Row 15: repeat Row 7
Row 16: plain weave

On Weave-It, Weavette and Loomette looms, always go OVER the loop of yarn that’s outside the pins. That loop isn’t mentioned in any written pattern. It’s a “given”.

GRAPHICS EXPLANATION & KEY: READ CAREFULLY!
Each of the squares in the 4×4 grid (not including the numbered columns at far right and far left—those are for row numbers) represents a thread crossing (intersection)—weft passing either over or under warp. Loops outside the pins are NOT shown in the grid. The needle always goes over the outside loops.

Light gray squares=weft (from the second wrap) crosses over warp on rows that you do not weave. These unnumbered rows appear as you weave the numbered rows.

White square=needle goes under a warp thread
Dark square=needle goes over a warp thread

White=UNDER
Dark=OVER