If you’re not a member of the Pin Loom Weaving Support Group on Facebook and you are a pin loom weaver, you might want to join up just to see what’s going on.
What’s been going on lately, among other topics, is a discussion of overshot weaving. I still don’t have a clear, concise definition, but ignorance hasn’t stopped me from attempting these patterns posted and freely shared with the group. Thanks to Amber Vigil and Judie Eatough for sharing their work with us!
I fell in love with Amber’s Overshot Diamonds pattern and have tried it out in a couple of color combinations.
Overshot Diamonds–1st attempt
Overshot Diamonds–2nd
Here are the instructions for Amber Vigil’s Overshot Diamonds (included here with Amber’s permission):
Step 1: Weave an entire plainweave square to form the “background”
This is what the mesh background looks like. Then you weave into it.
Step 2: Weave the overshot pattern between each of the “background” rows. The overshot rows are variations of (u2, o1, u2, o3) or (o2, u1, o2, u3) with the repeat starting in different places within the row. While weaving, I would look at how the row started and then say 2-1-2-3 to myself as I wove over & under.
Row 1: u1; (o2, u1, o2, u3) x3; o2, u1, o2, u1
Row 2: u2; (o3, u2, o1, u2) x3; o3, u2
Row 3: repeat Row 1
Row 4: (o2, u3, o2, u1) x3; o2, u3, o2
Row 5: u3; (o1, u2, o3, u2) x3; o1, u3
Row 6: repeat Row 4
Repeat rows 1-6 until the end.
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Judie posted a cute pattern with hearts and diamonds, so I tried it out too. I wanted to try new colors, but I think I’d prefer the hearts in red . . . next time.
Hearts–front view
Hearts–reverse side
Judie’s graph can be found at: Handweaving.net
With her permission, I’m posting the instructions I typed out here. They’re slightly different from her graph.
Judie Eatough: Hearts for the Pin Loom
Create a “mesh canvas” by weaving layers 1-4 with thin yarn (MC). Then go back and reweave layers 2 and 4 with a thicker, HIGH CONTRAST (CC) yarn between the existing rows. (Use 8 1/2 wraps of yarn around the pins.)
Row 1: O1, U1, O4, U2, O1, U2, O4, U1, O4, U2, O1, U2, O4, U1, O1
Row 2: U3, (O2, U2, P3, U2, O2, U3) x 2
Row 3: U1, O1, U4, O2, U1, O2, U4, O1, U4, O2, U1, O2, U4, O1, U1
Row 4: O3, (U2, O2, P3, O2, U2, O3) x 2
Row 5: O1, (U1, O2, U2, O2) x 4, U1, O1
Row 6: Rpt R2
Row 7: U1, (O1, U2, O2, U2) x 4, O1, U1
Row 8: O3, (U2, O2, U3, O2, U2, O3) x 2
Repeat R1-8 three times, then R1-6 once more, for a total of 30 rows. (You can weave Row 7 one more time [for a total of 31 rows] to complete the point at the top of the last section of diamonds, but this will give you a loose, unfinished-looking edge at the top of your work. I recommend keeping the overshot weaving to a total of 30 rows between the rows of underweaving.) (I suppose you could plain weave that 31st row with the CC. I still think I prefer the overshot threads encased by the mesh threads.)
Both Amber’s and Judie’s patterns can be downloaded from the Facebook Pin Loom Weaving Support Group.
Just wonder here. So if I’m a rigid Heddle weaver (as I am) instead of first weaving the background as you’ve described all I would do is first weave a over under row an then weave the first line of patern. Then weave the next row of over under then your patern and so on. Sorry but I’m trying to get my head around the over shot thing cos I really like it.
Hi Brian, interesting that your last name is so similar to mine.
It’s been nearly a year since I wrote this post and I haven’t done much with this technique since then. I keep meaning to try it out again.
I’ve never tried anything like this on the RH loom; I’m more of a beginner with it than I am with the pin loom.
If you belong to a Facebook RH group, I would suggest asking someone there. At this point, I really couldn’t tell you. My guess is that you would have to use two, or maybe three, heddles to achieve the overshot effect.
Sorry I can’t be of more help.