Finished: Noro Scarf
You’d think I’d have about a dozen scarves after weaving for about 2.5 years, but I either give them away or decide they’re not quite right. There are two I wear regularly (in the cooler weather). Now, there are three, because I’m crazy about this Noro Taiyo sock yarn scarf. Yes, using the yarn as a warp was a big challenge, but I love the end results. I wove this on the Glimakra Emilia after it started snapping under the pressure of the Ashford table loom. I doubled each end in the 8 dent heddle, often threading the “wrong” end, and so the color scheme didn’t stay true to the color changes of the yarn. I didn’t care one bit, because I was more worried about being able to weave the entire thing without snapping threads than whether or not the goofy colors matched up properly. The weft was black crochet cotton (size 10). I also used a pickup stick pattern from Jane Patrick’s The Weaver’s Idea Book. It’s on page 85, 5/1 warp float.
The warp was sticky, tangled in numerous spots, and often plain old difficult to weave. I made mistakes, too. Surprisingly, in the end, I was so pleased with the lightweight, airy scarf, I didn’t wait for it to air dry after washing it. I placed it in front of a space heater, and 20 minutes later, the scarf was ready to go.
Books and Journals from the Online Digital Archive
Every so often, I think of a weaving technique I'd like to try. One is the Moorman Inlay technique, which creates an embroidery-type patterns woven into a solid background. For a little discussion about it, read these posts on Weavolution. I also found this excellent pamphelt on the Online Digital Archive of Documents on Weaving. Maybe because weaving is still a bit of a fringe craft (get it? fringe craft?), and maybe because I enjoy wandering the aisles of thrift and antique stores searching for weaving treasures from days gone by, I love reading the older documents about weaving:
- Moorman Inlay Technique for Rigid Heddle Frame Looms (1977), by Karen Searle
Although it doesn't have the best images, it's a nice resource on how to get started.
There are numerous out-of-print items on this site, and I love to browse the book section to see what gems are waiting to be found. Some of my favorites include:
- A Book for Hand-Weaving; Designs from John Landes Drawings, Southern California Handweavers' Guild, 1977
- Handweaving, Cedar Lakes, 1960
Finally, the periodicals section lists numerous journals and pamphlets, and sometimes years and years of issues are included. I like seeing how much time is dedicated to the rigid heddle loom in some of these journals. Here's a sampling:
Finished: Table Runner
But it may become a pillow. The cotton (I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby) is very soft and squishy. It would make a nice pillow, I think. This was a fun, fast project. I had a nice moment when I successfully took the warp off the warping board and transferred it to the raddle. Didn't miss a thread! After that, I didn't mind the small challenges, like forgetting to have a floating slevedge. Oh well!



