I've been tablet weaving on the Ashford Sampleit loom

It's a cute little loom.  When I first saw it, I thought that's just what I want for tablet weaving.

Tablet weaving is a way of making a warp-faced band or tape.  Only instead of having heddles to control which threads are up or down, we have cards.  I made this set from an old deck of playing cards, but you can also buy weaving cards if you like.  Medieval ones were often made of bone or leather.

This sample was to get used to this style of weaving and to see how many cards I need for my goat.  Yes, I said goat.  Both my goats need new collars and I thought it would be a treat to make them some.  This band has 12 cards and is just over half an inch wide.  I think I'll try a pattern with 20 to 26 cards.  Here are some sample drafts I'm hoping to try.  I don't know if my idea is any good, but it whatever it turns out to be, it will be blue.

Next up, peaceful rhythm dishcloths

We need more towels in our house and I need more practice weaving cotton.  What a great combination.

I discovered the draft for the Peaceful Rhythm Towels and decided to experiment with it.

I'm not certain if I would like the pattern or not, so I adapted it to make some dish cloths.

I'm using 8/2 (or possibly 2/8 - the Canadian one) with the warp in undyed cotton and the weft in different shades of green.

Isn't it amazing how different treadling can give the same warp an entirely different look?  I love it.

Blankets finished

In the end, I chose a 1/3 twill and a black weft.  One side is vibrant, the other more subdued.  I love them both.

loving the rainbow warp

Anything bad I said this morning, I take it all back.  I found the perfect colour weft for my rainbow.   Black!

The photos just don't do it justice.  It's perfect!


Actually, I had black in mind when I planned these colours, I just didn't have any black on hand.  While I'm waiting for the yarn to arrive, I dug out some black linen.  I suspect the linen yarn is a bit too thin for this situation.  When the Ashford Cotton gets here, I'll ues that.

While I wait, it's time to start planning the great big tea towel binge.  I am going to weave tea towels until I am happy with my cotton weaving skills.  That might take a lot of towels.

So I called up the local weaving superhero and asked her to send me some yarn samples.

I am finally on the road to becoming a weaver.  I just got my first order from Jane Stafford.  A few cones of  white cotton and this lovely card.  I'm thinking I want to make something inspired by these colours.

Or maybe this flax flower?

this is why I sample, or more to the point, this is what happens when I don't weave a sample.

Isn't that pretty?  That's a picture of the back of the loom.

My goal is to learn how to weave wider fabric.

The thing is, I have this gorgeous warp on the loom and I can't decide what colour weft to use.  I tried a few different colours and nothing really pops as 'the one'.  I'm also not very happy with the threading.  I wish I had sampled a few different patterns first.  I also wish I had tried a few samples in different setts (how many threads per inch) because it would make different densities of fabric and I could see which would be best.

All these things and more I could learn from weaving a sample.  But instead, I made a guess and wound a 4-yard warp.  I actually only need 3 yards, so I have a little bit of room to play with... actually, 3 yards was with the original math, which I got wrong.  To get two squares, I only need 2.25 yards.  This gives me lots of room to play with.  But how to play and what?

Here are a few colours I've tried for the weft.  from the bottom, red, a lime green colour, white and grey.  I don't know if I like any of them.  I can't see the pattern at all.

I don't know if I'm happy with this, I don't know if I want to continue.  I adore the colours in the warp... but everything else could have been so much better if I had woven a sample first.

What do you think?  Any suggestions on what colour to try next?