More on Pickup Patterns

Last week I went through my "scrap bag" and pulled this piece out. It took a tremendously long time to weave because in this pickup pattern (on the speckled background) I used all of the pattern threads all of the time. Because of this fact, and the fact that the background yarn was much finer than the pattern thread, it came out funny. I couldn't get it to lay flat; it kept curling. I had sort of given up on it at the time, but just decided that I could fix it. First I handwashed it and flattened it out to dry. Then I put a heavy cloth over it and steam ironed it. It's so much better now. Many weavers carefully block each piece, but I usually skip this, finding it generally not necessary with the types of things I make.
Still, the pattern does not appear as pronounced as I would like it. Not enough contrast in color.

This is a strap that I wove a very long time ago and my husband instantly claimed for his powder horn. It is also an example of a pattern done on the speckled background that uses all of the pattern threads all of the time. There are no speckles that appear anywhere in the piece. I like this one very much. No problem here with the pattern disappearing into the background.