Dusting off the Inkle Loom

My inkle loom has been gathering dust. Literally!  The band shown above had been on the loom for a long time. I warped the band on two different days and accidentally used two different weights of cottolin thread. I left the warp, but wasn't really happy doing the weaving. 

A couple of weeks ago, I decided just to cut it off and start something new. Because the band was dusty, I washed it. And of course, now I love it!  The band isn't very long but it looks great as a belt on this "Winter Outfit" made by the ladies at Bamboletta for this Bamboletta Sitting Friend doll!

Wool and Cottolin woven belt on a doll and doll outfit made by Bamboletta.com

I have a new warp on the inkle loom now, doing a simple pink and white cotton band, just to get my hand back into the feel of weaving again. 

Wait...could that be an Inkle on the back of the loom? (No one is quite sure what an Inkle is, so why not??  He's actually trial of a new little soft doll I'm designing).

I think this pink and white band will make a lovely trim for a doll dress! Using my bands on doll dress could become a thing!!

Weaving: 2 Hole Rigid Pattern Heddle and Saami Pick Up Shuttle

Show and Tell!  I wanted to share a photo of my new beech 2 hole rigid pattern heddle and Saami pick up shuttle.  They were made by Mila M. in Warsaw, Poland.  I purchased them from Mila's Esty shop, FolkTalesPl.

I love the carved pattern on the pattern heddle.  It was easy to warp and most importantly, it fits well on my Schacht Inkle loom.  Pattern heddles are usually used for back-strap weaving, the width of the heddle isn't an issue.  As a result, most pattern heddles are too wide to use on my inkle loom. This one is perfect!

The Saami pick up shuttle makes selecting the pattern threads very easy. 

I really enjoy using them now and know that they will be even nicer as they acquire patina with use.

PS: Mila carves wooden cookie molds too!  Springerle cookies are one of our families favorite Christmas cookies.

Inkle Loom: I'm Learning a New Skill

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last summer one of my friends purchased a rigid heddle loom.  I went over to her house to admire it. While we were talking I mentioned I'd always thought it would be fun to have an inkle loom.  The word "Inkle" goes back at least to the 1500s but the origin of the word is unknown. An Inkle is a linen tape used for laces and for trimming on clothing.  An inkle loom is used today to weave narrow bands--shoelaces to guitar bands and to make bands to decorate shirts and sweaters. The idea of weaving something that could be done fairly quickly is really appealing to me.

Several of us went out for breakfast to celebrate my birthday a couple months ago. In comes one friend carrying a big, long box. My friends had gone in together and got me a Schacht inkle loom!  These are great friends!!

Inkle loom with a warp, ready to start weaving

I'd done a little bit of simple tapestry weaving as a child so I had a very basic understanding about weaving.  I watched several YouTube videos and got several great books. Despite my childhood experience it was like learning a new language! 

But these are bands, not blankets, so I set up the loom and gave it a try. I learned a lot weaving that first band. It started out way too loose (a common problem for beginners), ended up too tight and has lumpy selvages. But I was beginning to have feel for weaving a narrow band.  Each subsequent band shows improvement.

Left to right:  My first attempt, my second band (still having selvage problems), my third band (a bit better) and my first Baltic pick-up weave.

The Valentine design at the top is my most recent band. It is a Baltic weave pattern. I used the band to make a child's belt and a couple of bookmarks.  All the designs shown here are from the book, The Weaver's Inkle Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon.

Plain weave is fun and fast!  The decisions about design are all made when the loom is warped. But I'm particularly drawn to pick-up patterns where the design is created by picking up specific threads from the warp as each row is woven. Pick-up weaving is a lot slower and requires full attention but I love the results.  In the photo of the blue band at the far right above you can see that both sides of the band have a pattern.

In my next post I'll share some of the books that I've found very helpful learning to band weave.