Small Weavings in the Shadows
Patterns and Sizes
My current explorations are in the area of inkle weaving. I’ve been playing with patterns and thread sizes.
simple alternating lines
bars, lacking contrast
same pattern, different colors and threads
I’m finding that the size 10 cotton crochet thread works up the quickest. It doesn’t snag on the heddles or pill and get fuzzy. The size 20 crochet thread might work up just as fast if my heddles were made of it rather than the size 10.
The size 10 crochet thread also seems to have given the cleanest version of the pattern, though that might be as much from the color choices as the thread size.
Heddle Variations
non-standard heddle pattern, black warp, gray weft
The most recently completed piece of inkle weaving was an experiment with which warp threads I heddled. In some spots I heddled two in a row and then left two alone. The result was a sort of speckled pattern where the weft showed through where the heddles didn’t alternate as usual. I’m wondering what kind of patterns I can come up with by coordinating various colors of warp and weft with heddle patterns.
Hi, it’s great to see your experiments. I like the idea of alternating 2 heddled threads with 2 open ones and having the weft showing through as part of your pattern. I hadn’t thought of that. I’ll look forward to seeing more of your bands here.
~Annie
Thanks!. I’m having fun experimenting. At the moment I’m trying to do some brocade work but I don’t quite have the knack yet. I want to try to do something that’s kind of a plaid inspired pattern using the heddle variations soon though.
I’m doing a lot of weaving right now and other fiber arts, though they won’t be the only things I’ll be posting about here.