K loves her Inkle Woven Guitar Strap

 K loves her guitar strap, which was so quick and easy to weave.  Plain weave on the inkle loom makes a very strong strap.  The colors in the weaving provide the design.  I used 3/2 weaving cotton.

The leather ends and slide are from A Spinner Weaver.

I really enjoyed weaving this for her. 

K's Guitar Strap

 This is a fun guitar strap to weave.  The technique is Baltic style band weaving, and the band pattern is in the Inkle Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon.  

 Pick-up band weaving was traditional in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Baltic countries, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.  Bands were used as trim for clothing and to tie clothing.  Apron strings, bonnet ties, and hair bands could be colorful woven bands.  Bands were used to hang articles up and to tie bags closed.

The pick-up pattern is easy to weave by moving the pattern threads up or down.  Each pattern thread is surrounded by 2 background threads, and the pattern thread is thicker or double the weight of the background threads.  The weft thread matches the background threads because it can show on the band when you drop pattern threads.

 I'm using 3/2 weaving cotton with doubled pattern threads.  To finish the band, I'll sew on leather ends, available from A Spinner Weaver.  I added borders onto the pattern design to increase the width to 2".

I'm really enjoying weaving this colorful guitar strap for K. 

 A Quick Project:  A Guitar Strap

It's fun to weave a guitar strap as a gift, especially for a granddaughter who will be taking guitar in her first year of high school.

So, I chose some fun colors:  purple, pink, yellow, and a bit of green, and found an online inkle loom generator to make my own pattern.  I'm using 3/2 weaving cotton, 77 threads.

                                 My Pattern using Purple, Pink, Yellow, and Green

                                                     Pattern Color Order

I love my Schacht inkle loom--it's very easy to warp and weave.  The inkle loom generator prints out the colors in order to warp the loom.  I use 5/2 cotton for my heddles, and I heddle one thread, unheddle the next, etc.  The inkle loom is a 2 shaft loom, which makes plain weave, unless you are using a pick-up pattern.
 

                                                        Beginning to Warp the Loom

It takes awhile to warp the loom, but the weaving is quite quick.
                                            

                                                   The Warped Loom, Ready to Weave

To begin, I put small sticks into the warp.  This gives me something steady to weave against to provide a firm surface. 

                                            Inserting Sticks into each Shed for 4 Picks

Next I weave a pick with my weft thread, which matches the outside thread color.  In the next shed, I place a needle with the needle top facing the tail of the weft thread.  Take the weft thread through this next shed also, leaving a small loop, and then place the tail thread into the needle, and pull it through to the other side.  

This will bury the tail thread.  I like to take it also through the loop of the weft thread.  Now pull each thread in opposite directions until the strap is the measurement you'd like it to be.  You shouldn't see any weft thread peeking through, and each warp thread should be nicely lined up.  I am making my strap 2" wide.  I have 77 threads in my warp.  Be sure to consistently check the width of the weaving to try to keep it uniform.

                                                         Making the Guitar Strap 2" Wide.

Here's what the weaving looks like in progress.  I will make the strap 60" wide and finish it with leather ends that I ordered from A Spinner Weaver. 
                                           

                                                        The Guitar Strap in Progress

This is a very quick and easy project.  I'll post a picture when the guitar strap is finished.

Narrow Latvian Flower Band

This is a simpler Latvian Flower Band than the one I posted last year (Feb. 2016).  This was the first inkle band I had made, and the pattern was from a Ravelry Winter Belt WAL (Weave along) in the Knit Like a Latvian group.  The pattern is in the book Latviesu Jostas.

                                                                    Latvian Flower Band

This band has a single flower in the center, so it's easy to weave.  The colors should be red, green, blue, and yellow.  I didn't have red, so I used purple.  I used Sugar 'n Cream.  At the time, I didn't have any weaving threads.  I like using size 3/2 weaving cotton now for inkle bands, and I think the pattern would look clearer.  The yellow is so light, too--I would use a darker yellow.

I used purple for my shuttle thread (weft thread), but it should be red.  Whatever you use for your weft thread will be the center color of the flower.  If you look above, the flower is the horizontal purple line surrounded by the yellow petals. 

There are 23 threads, and you warp the band as usual: heddled, open, heddled, open, etc.  But, where you have a "doubled" thread, you can either use a heavier thread, or Two threads as One Thread.  Make sure to heddle doubled threads together as one or leave them open together as one thread.

Here is the color order for warping: 2 red, 2 green, 2 yellow, 2 blue, 2 yellow, 1 doubled green, 1 yellow (this is center of band), 1 doubled green, 2 yellow, 2 blue, 2 yellow, 2 green, and 2 red.

So, you warp it like this: 1 red heddled, 1 red unheddled, 1 green heddled, 1 green unheddled, etc.  You can start with a heddled thread or an open thread; it doesn't matter.

Weave several shots of plain weave--just as you weave a regular inkle band to begin the pattern.

Then for the pattern, you weave the band as usual except for the doubled threads.

*So, when you open the first shed for the pattern, if the green doubled threads are in the "down shed" pick them Up to the top and pass the shuttle through the shed.  Then weave 2 shots of plain weave as usual.

Then open the next shed and the doubled green threads should be "up".  Push them Down to the down shed and pass the shuttle through.  Then weave 2 more shots of plain weave as usual.*

Repeat from * to * over and over for the length of the band.  End with some rows of plain weave.

If you open your first shed for the pattern, and the green doubled threads are UP, then push them down and pass the shuttle through.  Follow with 2 rows of plain weave.  Then for the next row, open the shed and the green doubled threads should be Down.  Pick them up and pass the shuttle through.  Then follow with 2 rows of plain weave.

Repeat by either pushing down or pulling up the doubled green threads and passing the shuttle through and then do 2 rows of plain weave.  And Repeat.

Sheep Band and Some Card Weaving Tips

This sheep band is my first card weaving project except for a simple band that I learned in a class.  I'm using my Schacht inkle loom and 3/2 cotton.  The band is about 1 5/8" wide.

                                                              Sheep Card Woven Band

The threading pattern is available here:  http://www.hilltopcloud.co.uk/blog/18th-december-tablet-weaving . 

There are 23 cards and they face left.  A and D are on top, A and B are toward the weaver.  4 forward turns (toward weaver) and 4 backward turns (away from weaver) is the pattern.  Thread S and Z (not card position, which is what I did.)  Threading S and Z will make the sheep ears point downward instead of upward. 

I've learned a lot about card weaving patterns.  Some of the patterns on Pinterest are very difficult to figure out because they may not specify turning direction, which way the card faces, and if the threading or card position is S and Z. 

Helpful Tips
When you thread S, the card position will be Z.
When you thread Z, the card position will be S.

The color that will show up on the band is the color that moves across the top of the card.  So, if the card faces Left, A and D are on top, and if you move the card away from you, the color in hole A will move to the D position (still on top of the card).  It is moving across the top of the card, so the color in A will show up in the band.

If the card faces LEFT, the letters are probably on the card counter-clockwise.  A and D are on top and A and B are closest to the weaver.  (A, B, C, D are counter-clockwise)

If the card faces RIGHT, the letters are probably clockwise.  D and A are on top (A is farthest from weaver), and C and D are closest to the weaver. (A, B, C, D are clockwise)

If you thread a card S and move the card away from you, the twist will be Z.
If you thread a card Z and move the card away from you, the twist will be S.

If you thread a card S and move the card toward yourself, the twist will be S.
If you thread a card Z and move the card toward yourself, the twist will be Z.

If you find a band draft without directions, you can look at the first row of the colors of the band.  Does it look like it is the same as the threading in holes A?  If so, Color A is the first row of the pattern.  Or it may look like the same threading as holes D across.  If so, the first row of the pattern will be D.  So, you need to thread the cards so that the correct color will show up on row one. 

I'm really enjoying this project.

Colonial Day at School: Teaching Kids about Weaving

I had a wonderful time teaching 2nd graders about weaving for their Colonial Day.  I brought my tape loom with a flag pattern on it for them to try, and my daughter helped them weave on it.

                                                            Flag Band on Tape Loom

They loved weaving on it.

I also brought my 4 shaft table loom and taught them about weaving.  I had two 8th grade helpers.  The kids wove a diamond twill pattern using a colorful worsted weight yarn and a black warp.

                              Teaching Kids about Weaving: 4-shaft diamond twill pattern

The kids loved using a shuttle and weaving on the table loom.

                                                          Kids Weaving on a Table Loom

After Colonial Day, I made their weaving into a wall hanging for them to hang in their classroom. They did a great job with their weaving!

                                           2nd Graders Wall Hanging, Colonial Day 2016

I did a pretty fringe detail and added beads to their wall hanging.

                                              2nd Graders Wall Hanging:  Fringe Detail

                                      Top Edge:  2nd Graders Colonial Day Wall Hanging

I gave each child a bookmark woven on my inkle loom so they could take a bit of weaving  home to remember Colonial Day and to show their parents and siblings the weaving they learned.

                                           Bookmarks for 2nd Graders:  Inkle Weaving

It was a really fun day, and the kids learned so much about weaving and other Colonial Day activities.

Weaving a Guitar Strap, My Flag Design

I wove a guitar strap for my husband in a flag pattern that I designed using the Pattern Generator online. 

                                                          My Flag Design Guitar Strap

I used a Schacht inkle loom.  The guitar strap is 60" before sewing the ends.  I used size 3/2 cotton weaving thread, and 78 ends.  The ends and buckle are from A Spinner Weaver.

Here's a picture of the band on the loom.

                                                My Flag Band on the Schacht Inkle Loom
Here's a close-up of the band.

                                                               Close-up of Flag Band
Here's my design if anyone wants to try it.  I added 16 threads to my pattern to make the band 2" wide for the guitar strap.  So, I added 4 red, 4 white, 4 red, 4 white for a total of 78 threads.

                                       My Flag Design for an Inkle Band Guitar Strap

Inkle bands are a lot of fun to make.  Have fun weaving!