Vacation Weaving
We have reached the dog days of summer and time for vacation. Days of relaxing on the porch, sipping iced beverages and, of course, creating something with fiber. For many years my projects centered around knitting, mostly because it is so portable. But two years ago my sister hauled her 4-shaft table loom along and I became inspired to venture outside my usual travel boundaries.
Last summer I had just learned to weave on an inkle loom and decided that our family vacation would be the perfect time to learn new techniques and play with ideas. I picked up Anne Dixon’s The Weaver’s Inkle Pattern Directory and packed up my trusty Inklette and some yarn and headed off. I felt pretty confident with the basic warping and weaving, so I chose to tackle something more adventurous and turned to the section on pick up. The book is not only filled with gorgeous, inspiring bands, it gives you multiple design options on a single warp. So I warped it up and started to play with weaving different motifs and patterns. It was fun watching the designs emerge and since it was for sampling, once I got bored adept with one, I’d move on to another. And the best part – when I pulled it off the loom I cut it into sections and gave my family “commemorative” bookmarks from our vacation.
This summer I plan to continue my newly created tradition of learning new techniques and giving family members a handwoven souvenir from our week at the lake. I’m still debating whether to take my Zoom Loom or forge ahead with my newest weaving obsession – tablet weaving. (Who am I kidding? They are both going into the suitcase!)
Do you weave on your vacations?
- Time to Learn - January 4, 2017
- Begin as You Mean to Go On - December 21, 2016
- It’s the little things - December 7, 2016
