At this April’s Studio Hours session, we had a wonderful chat about the “slippery slopes” and “rabbit holes” of crafting, with a fair bit of focus on weaving. Our beloved editor, Kate Atherley, has to step away from the magazine for a time, and, as this was her last Studio Hours session (for a while), she took some time to share how important our gatherings have been to her: that they are “Such a joy and… a little bit of a torment” because there’s only so much time for trying new crafts. Kate is known as a knitting teacher and designer of knitting patterns, but lately she’s been doing a lot with crochet. Last month, she shared her Sophie’s Universe blanket and today she showed one of seventy-three granny squares she’s recently made, and quipped that she’d been making size calculations on the subway to figure out how many more she’d need for a blanket!
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She’s also planning to take up weaving—at last! (We’ve been urging her to do so for the last few years). This revelation led to a conversation of weaving and looms, large and small. Looms don’t have to take up a lot of space, as demonstrated by the designer of an upcoming blanket pattern, who held up her rigid heddle loom to the camera.
The pattern—a simple, plain weave, three-panel blanket woven in Canadian wool, is written for rigid heddle loom users, but of course can be woven on any floor loom wide enough. The panels will be about 46 cm (18 inches) wide, so a 51 or 61 cm (20- or 24-inch) rigid heddle loom will work, and the designer gives suggestions for those with narrower looms.
We talked about different looms and where to get them, with recommendations in the chat to consider renting or borrowing one from a local weaving guild to try them out. There is a strong secondary market for looms, though rigid heddle looms, perhaps because they are easier to store, don’t seem to come up for sale as often. Ashford looms are readily available in Canada, as are Kromski and Schacht looms https://schachtspindle.com/collections/looms. A member cautioned that even with a rigid heddle loom, you’ll have to have a stand for it, or a table-like space to set it up. That said, the loom can be stored hanging on a wall or under a bed! Another suggestion was to consider a Schacht Baby Wolf floor loom, with a 66 cm (26-inch) weaving width, which can be folded for storage. Members in the chat concurred, mentioning that Felicia Lo of Sweet Georgia Yarns has a Baby Wolf which she has used to make double weave blankets that ended up twice the width of the loom when completed. (See Felicia’s 2022 Getting Started Weaving article for more advice on looms).
The conversation moved to other kinds of smaller looms. One member recommended the Mirrix tapestry looms, which reminded us of Janna Maria Vallee‘s tiny tapestry looms and her tutorials for tapestry published in 2022. Another member brought up mending looms such as the Swift Darning Loom made by Worth Mending. While these looms were originally designed to aid in mending textiles, the maker has recently been using hers to weave little tapestries incorporating found materials and natural grasses and vines. (And just a hint, keep an eye on Digits & Threads for more tutorials on mending, including using these mending looms.)
With all these different kinds of looms came the discussion of how different tools work for different people. This prompted Kim to mention a related craft: spinning. She first tried to spin using a drop spindle and couldn’t get the knack of it, yet when she used a wheel, the drafting and spinning came well for her. (As a result, someone shared this Franklin Habit cartoon in the chat!) Others find spindles easier to learn on. We then spoke of different wheels—especially of the smaller varieties. One member shared her Pocket Wheel. Another’s husband made her a quill wheel, which she’s still figuring out. Ashford offers a quill wheel, and images were shared in the chat of older versions of quill wheels. The Bryce Wheel was patented in Canada in 1872—it’s a cast iron, table-top quill wheel, with a hand crank designed to be turned with one hand while the other hand drafts the fibre.
The conversation rolled back around to weaving as a member shared another small loom, often sold as a toy, but definitely a gateway to the rabbit hole of weaving: the potholder loom. These small looms use loops of jersey fabric “yarn” to make small squares. Harrisville Designs offers two sizes and has a pattern book containing “Radical Potholder Patterns and Techniques.” Jane Stafford Textiles is a Canadian source for these fun looms.
One member quickly searched for the potholder loom book and found it at her library—which prompted her to remind us all how many resources are available through our local libraries. Kim shared that the Vancouver Public Library has access to Creativebug classes. Long Thread Media magazines, such as Handwoven and Little Looms, are often available through the Libby app.
Show and Tell
Lia updated us on her vagus nerve embroidery. She’s been working in the abdominal region, with burgundy threads depicting roiling ‘stuff’ happening under the nerve network, and she feels she’s getting close to completion with the piece.
Kathleen shared a baby blanket that she’s knitting for a new family member. The motifs are carefully planned with symbolism relating to the parents, with a cabled lion for the mum-to-be and Irish knot work cabling around the edges for the dad. The picot edging echoes the shapes of the windows in one of the major buildings in the small town where the dad’s grandmother is from.
And Kate brought our session to a close, saying goodbye and sharing a very special photo of her and her mum wearing their matching pussy hats on International Women’s Day in March 2020. Well-wishes poured into the chat. We will miss Kate, but we know that “good folks will be holding the fort.” We wish her well and look forward to seeing her when she’s ready to come back.
Featured photo by Kate Atherley
