Adventures in Pin Loom Weaving—Announcing our First Weekly Weave-along!

WEEK ONE

Amber from the Facebook Pin Loom Weaving Support Group https://www.facebook.com/groups/pinloomweaving/ suggested we host a weekly weave-along and she asked me to spearhead the project. I’ve never done a needlework-along before, but I said yes because it sounds like fun. After the death of my dog last week, I needed something to revitalize me and this is just the thing.

Last night I started organizing my mass of stuff.

Turns out sorting squares–preliminary sorting–was pretty easy. The tough part was–and continues to be–identifying everything. My record keeping system has evolved from nil to efficient and all between; it spans three notebooks and several sheets of graph paper. Heh, heh. Now we roll up our sleeves.

And then there’s the part about CHOOSING one-and-only-one square to start with. I had a lot of ideas . . . In the end I decided to go with one I admired during sorting. Naturally I couldn’t find the instructions for it even though my notes said, “Dark green notebook, 31 May 2015, bottom of page.” There were no pattern instructions anywhere on the page that matched this square.

Luckily, I’ve learned how to figure out what I did. So I did.

Here’s the pattern: “Open Weave”

The finished sample was woven using Carron Simply Soft (CSS) “Berry Blue.”

***The photos following the pattern instructions should help as you weave the square. Remember, you can click on a photo to enlarge it; click the back arrow (upper left corner of this page) to return to these instructions. Please take a moment to look at the photos–hopefully they’ll help answer some questions.

Abbreviations:

P = Plain weave, i.e. under, over .  .  .

U = Under, i.e. go under the designated number of threads, e.g. “U-3” means to go under three threads

O = Over (see above)

Rpt = Repeat

R = Row (usually followed by a number, e.g. “R2” means Row 2)

(__) x __ = repeat the instruction within the parentheses the designated number of times, e.g. “(U-3, O-3) x 4” means to go Under 3 threads, then Over 3 threads four times; then continue the pattern.

Pattern Instructions:

R1: P

R2 (Even): P-2; (U-3, O-3) x 4; U-3, P-2

R3 (Odd): U-1, O-4; (U-3, O-3) x 3; U-3, O-4, U-1

Rpt these 3 rows, being sure to follow the Even instructions on *Even-numbered rows, Odd instructions on odd-numbered rows. End with R16: P

*Even numbered rows start on the left-hand side of the loom–the edge that extends from corner 1 up to corner 3 (AKA the 1/3 edge); odd rows are on the right side, or 2/4 edge. See this post for clarification of evens and odds: http://windsweptmind.com/2016/04/05/pin-loom-basics-corners-and-numbers-and-loops-oh-my/#more-2176

To help make it clearer, I’ll delineate the rest of the rows.

R4: P

R5: Rpt R3

R6: Rpt R2

R7: P

R8: Rpt R2

R9: Rpt R3

R10: P

R11: Rpt R3

R12: Rpt R2

R13: P

R14: Rpt R2

R15: Rpt R3

R16: P

 

Third sample, on the loom . . .

 

During the course of each week’s Weave Along, I’ll post other samples, so check back.

Update #1

Notice the labels on the finished samples below. It’s a good idea to keep a record of what you did. On the label I always list the date when I started–not finished–the square. That’s because it will show up on the start date in my notebook where I’ve written this same information and any comments I might also have recorded.

Also, the two squares are roughly the same size even though the yarns were slightly different weights. In fact, the lavender one is a titch larger–probably because I warped very loosely. Warping tension is something you’ll need to experiment with–different yarns require different tensions.

Update #2: The Two-Color Challenge

Ready for a challenge? Try making this square with two colors. If this is your first time using multiple colors, I recommend a 3/1 warp-and-weave: warp the first three layers with the main color, switch to the second color for the final weaving layer. Here are the instructions, demonstrated in black and white.

(You can look at this post for more instructions on preparing this particular square:  http://windsweptmind.com/2016/04/05/pin-loom-basics-corners-and-numbers-and-loops-oh-my/#more-2176 )

Warp up the loom in three layers and tie off the end.

Add the second color. You can either tie the yarn to the loom or leave it unsecured–just be sure not to pull it all the way through after weaving R1.

Follow “Open Weave” pattern instructions above, however, you may want to try this slight variation to the pattern (courtesy of Judie Eatough and Amber Vigil) on R3 and all Odd rows:

R3 (Odd): U-2, O-3; (U-3, O-3) x 3; U-3, O-3, U-2

I used this variation on the square and I can’t really tell a difference in the look of the pattern, but it was a little easier, visually, to go under 2 and over 3 than the way I originally wrote it. (This is one of my earliest patterns and I wasn’t sure what I was doing back then.)

Don’t forget to label your work! And check back for more updates and challenges.

Happy weaving!

Here are a few of the results from this week’s WAL. It’s beautiful. I’m so impressed with the creativity and dedication and artistry and gumption of our participants–from beginners to advanced!