New Video! Inkle Weaving Basics: Tricks and Tips for Warping and Getting Started

 As a teacher and mentor, I have observed new weavers asking the same set of questions as they first start out. In this video, I demonstrate the basics of warping and answer some of those questions.

Tips include some things that even experienced inkle weavers may not know like:

• How to use a quick-release knot to secure the beginning of your threads to the loom while warping
• How to change colors as needed with only one knot per color
  
• What is the proper length for heddles and how to test it
• What loom makers don't tell you about taking the shortest path and how to prevent the warp from slipping

Also, there is a valuable tip in here for the thing that inkle weavers seem to struggle with the most: getting nice edges! Once you know this, you can eliminate the lumps and bumps forever!

A great companion to this video is The Inkle Weaving FAQs and Answers page here on the blog.

If you want some free patterns to try out look here: http://aspinnerweaver.blogspot.com/p/pattern-drafts.html

The intro of the video shows me weaving a very colorful pickup band, and since someone asked, 

the pattern is below. 

What's New?

Thanks to my Santa Fe guild, Las Tejedoras Fiber Arts Guild, for sponsoring me to be a guest on the Handweavers' Guild of America series, Textiles & Tea.  In case you are not familiar with the video interview series, there have been many wonderful episodes so far! Here's more information from the HGA website:

"Each week the Handweavers Guild of America, Inc. (HGA) hosts Textiles & Tea, a conversation with some of the most respected fiber artists in the field today. In our 45-minute discussion, we focus on their artwork and their creative journey. We allow 15 minutes at the end of our conversation for questions from the audience. Textiles & Tea will take place every Tuesday at 4:00 PM (ET) and is broadcast via Zoom and Facebook Live. These broadcasts are free to view and open to all."

It's now recorded and on HGA's YouTube channel where anyone can watch it at any time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hrt-b4eTd5U&t=20s

So many guitar straps! Click on the photo to enlarge it and see the patterns up close. 

 In September and October, I had the pleasure of being a vendor at a couple of excellent local music festivals. (Michael Hearne's Big Barn Dance in Taos and the Albuquerque Folk Festival) It's good to get back out to events! My love of weaving guitar straps leads me to choose music festivals as my top selling venues. The best thing about this is, no matter what else happens, I get to listen to wonderful live music!! AND I meet cool people! 

One of my favorite bands from the BBD is Beat Root Revival, the duo of  Andrea Magee and Ben Jones.  Wow! Do they put on an awesome performance!! They are really rockin' it in this video and you get to see a lot of footage of  one of my guitar straps in action!! https://www.facebook.com/beatrootrevival/videos/245616480606972

 This makes me happy!

My next show will be in Santa Fe at the Scottish Rite Temple on November 18th-20th 2022.

 Hosted by the New Mexico Fiber Arts Center, the Fall Fiber Fiesta is an annual showcase of local fiber artists. This large ballroom in a lovely historic building gets completely filled with fiber art and artists. With over 40 artists, this is New Mexico’s Premier showcase of local, handmade fiber art & supplies! Shop thousands of one-of-a-kind gifts, wearables, art, supplies and more!

Working With Variegated Yarn in Inkle Weaving

EDIT: Since publishing this post almost a month ago, I have seen photos popping up on Instagram from all over the world!! Please scroll to the bottom to see how others have been using this tip!

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This beautiful skein of variegated cotton from Schaefer Yarn was recently given to me. I love the colors so much! I took extra time and wasted a little yarn in order to line up the color changes in my warp, creating a sort of faux ikat look on this guitar strap. 

 The interaction of color at the transition points is so interesting! 

Of course, they don't line up perfectly.  

I started by winding the original loop from the skein into a ball so that it was easier to work with when warping my loom. 

 Since the length of my warp loop did not correspond with the size of the original loop of yarn as it was dyed, it took some playing to get the color changes to line up on the loom. In this video, I show how I did it. 

Here are a couple of other examples of pieces I've woven in the past using this same technique.

And, in these pieces, variegated yarn was used totally at random, not taking care to line up the colors. 

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Woven by Marta Tokuyama, Japan

Woven by Marion Verloop, The Netherlands

Woven by Anthony Flynn, Ireland

Four Colors, Multiple Choices, Many Possible Combinations

In my Etsy shop, www.ASpinnerWeaver.Etsy.com, I sometimes sell my favorite yarn, Omega Sinfonia, in packs containing 4 colors and include a sheet with a dozen possible combinations using those colors. 

Below is one of those sets of 12 patterns which I invite you to use for yourself as they are, or as inspiration to create your own designs. These use 39 threads, and for me, when I use them with the Sinfonia, the woven bands come out to about 1" in width. This width is great for dog collars and leashes, hatbands, key fobs, lanyards, ukulele straps, and lots of other things! For a list of suggested uses for woven bands see this page http://aspinnerweaver.blogspot.com/p/uses-for-woven-band.html

All of the patterns below were created using the "Pattern Editor" the best free online design tool ever to come along for us band weavers. Jeff Bigot, its creator, is always working on it to add more great tools. Thanks, Jeff! Check out Version 2 here: https://www.raktres.net/seizenn/v2/#/

There are many more patterns like these in my book, "In Celebration of Plain Weave: Color & Design Inspiration for Inkle Weavers". You can find it here in print or PDF form: Taproot Video