Over the last couple of days I finally got round to trying out the weaving sticks I bought when I went to Sandringham Arts and Crafts Fair. To be honest, I had had fairly low expectations about what I would produce, probably because at the time of buying the sticks they seemed pretty puny compared to the big expensive looms I longed for! I've been really pleasantly surprised with what I've made though, and can see a lot more scope for experimentation.
I found the sticks really simple to use, and although it took a little while to work out how best to hold them, within ten minutes or so I was progressing very speedily! The weaving grew much quicker than I had expected, and it can be quite satisfying to get fast results over the course of just a couple of hours when you're more used to doing slow, painstaking hand embroidery.
To make the warp threads, you simply loop your thread of choice through the holes in the bottom of the sticks, then tie all the loose ends together to stop the weaving eventually falling off. I used embroidery floss - but only because I didn't have anything else strong enough yet small enough to pass through the holes, it was a bit of a waste of good floss and I intend to find an alternative. Then, starting at the middle stick, it's a simple case of 'up, down, in, out' weaving of your chosen weft - I used some lovely wool with a variegated colour that looked great as the weaving grew.
As I mentioned earlier, the most difficult part at first was finding a way for the sticks to sit comfortably in the hand and not come away from one another, but as the weaving covered them they stayed together much better and I developed a good rhythm. Once the sticks themselves are covered in weaving, you simply pull up the sticks, one by one, through the weaving so that what you have done eases down onto the warp threads.
When the desired length has been reached, you just snip off the warp threads and tie all the loose ends together to hold the weaving in place. It's also important to try and distribute the weaving evenly along the warp threads as it does tend to bunch up, and I did get some uneven results in places. After a few hours, (more accurately, the length of time it took me to watch an episode of Grand Designs and the film Bridesmaids), I built up a number of narrow woven strips, and I love how the colour of the wool blends and changes.
I have a couple of ideas as to how the strips may be combined to produce a really cosy and uniquely textured cushion cover or similar item, either by stitching them together lengthwise....
... or tabby-weaving them together for something really textured and luxurious.
I've really enjoyed my preliminary attempt at stick weaving and I can see a lot of potential for experimenting with different wool types and thicknesses, other types of weft such as ribbons, and other ways of using the thin strips of weaving to create different textures and items. Random things are occurring to me even as I write this... for example braiding them together for a thick, almost three dimensional scarf, or picking up one of the edges and knitting onto it for a great contrast of texture. Earlier today I tried using some plain, superchunky wool and it gives a much more uniform look than the looser fibres of the variegated one. I don't really like the black but think some earthy tonal shades could look great in a chunkier wool. More experimentation awaits...!
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