Wonderful World of Weaving

I've never intentionally tried to get into weaving. But it keeps sneaking back into my life. Today was no exception when I almost bought a weaving book at the store. It reminded me of the pin weaving I used to do when I was in the Society for Creative Anachronism. Pin weaving is done by inserting straight pins into a piece of Foamcore or other board, and then wrapping around the pins. If you need uneven edges it's a good way to go.

Most of us are exposed to some kind of weaving, usually with paper, when we are in grade school. Any library worth it's ink should have a few books on weaving to get you started on the right path.

I've also done quite a bit of stickweaving. You can see the details there in my other article.

Then I made a board loom to weave belts and scarves and ties on. That was a lot of fun.

I've also done some weaving in the opening of a gourd. Gourd weaving not only strengthens the gourd, it provides great beauty and color to the project.

When most people think of weaving they thing of weaving blankets or tapestries. But it's also possible to weave vests, wall hangings, medicine pouches (amulet bags), hair bands, stuffed animals, hats, and tote bags. I'm looking forward to many kinds of weaving in my future.

Weaving is a great way to re-use things to keep them out of the landfills. Yesterday I heard that 85% of used clothing goes into a landfill. So, cut those old clothes up and weave with the strips. Or if it's a knitted or crocheted sweater, unravel it and repurpose it into your weaving. You can keep family memories alive by reusing the clothing of loved ones into a woven rug or wallhanging.