Weaving

The art of weaving is a fun and rewarding adventure! Not only can you create something truly unique for your home, it’s also a relaxing way to unwind at the end of the day. And even as a beginner weaver, your woven textile project can turn out beautifully by focussing on a handful of basic weaving techniques. Keep reading to learn how to weave the four most common stitching techniques: the Tabby Stitch, the Bubbling Technique, the Soumak Stitch and the Rya Knot - or let your imagination run wild and create something truly unique. And don’t get discouraged if you’re not a weaving wizard right off the bat! It takes time to get the hang of it, but once you find your rhythm, you’ll fall in love with the simple and rewarding practice of weaving and you’ll never look back.

  Estimated Project Time  

3 - 4 hours for beginner weavers

What You'll Need:

• Weaving Loom (We used a 12" x 16" one)
• 45 Feet of Thin Grey Yarn
• 80 Feet Each of a Thick White + Thick Black Yarn
• 100 Feet of 4mm Macrame Cotton Cord
• 1 Ounce Each of White + Grey Merino Wool Roving
• Wooden Comb
• Tapestry Needle
• A Spool of Cotton Warping Thread
• 12 Inch Dowel

  THE TABBY STITCH  

The Tabby Stitch is the most basic weaving stitch. It consists of going over one warp string, then under the next one with your weft (yarn). You repeat this over/under process until you reach the end of the row. It is important to maintain a regular tension when you weave and give some slack to the weft to make sure the sides of the piece stay straight.

  THE TABBY STITCH BUBBLING TECHNIQUE  

The bubbling technique utilizes the tabby stitch, but instead of going straight across, you weave at an angle. When you reach the end of the row, pull the yarn down with your fingers three or four times to create “bubbles”. Then, take your comb to beat down the yarn in a straight line. To begin the next row, you want to do the opposite, so you’ll go under the warp string you went over and vice-versa.

  THE RYA KNOT  

Rya Knots are used to make fringes at the bottom of a piece (or anywhere really!). To make a Rya Knot, you’ll be working with a group of two (or more) warp strings. Take a few strands of yarn and fold them in two to find the middle. Place the loop (middle) over your set of warp strings and bring the right side of the yarn behind and around the right warp thread of your set. Then, take the left side of the yarn and bring it behind and around the left warp thread. The ends will meet up in the middle, and you can simply pull on them to create the knot.

  THE SOUMAK STITCH  

To make a Soumak Stitch, begin on the left and lay your yarn over the first warp thread (leaving a tail of a few inches to tuck in later). Then, wrap the yarn around that same warp thread and make sure the yarn is coming on top. Go over the next warp string and repeat the same process until you reach the end of the row. To begin your second row, bring the yarn under the first warp string of the row (which is now on the right). Then, lay the yarn over the second warp thread and wrap it around but make sure the yarn is coming on bottom this time. Going in the opposite direction is what will create the braid effect.

To warp your loom, begin by making a double knot around the first notch at the bottom left of your loom. Then, go all the way up, wrap around the first notch and come back down to the second notch. Go up again and wrap around the second notch, and down to the third. Repeat this process until you’re at the last bottom notch (the last notch at the top won’t be included). Make a double knot and cut the excess. It is SUPER important that the tension of your warp threads is consistent all the way, it shouldn’t be too loose or too tight. You want the tension to be similar to the strings of a guitar.

  STEP ONE  

Warp your loom using the cotton warp, making sure both knots are at the bottom of the loom. You will have one notch left on the top that you won’t be using.

  STEP TWO  

To make the base of the fringes, weave a few rows (about five or six) of tabby stitch with the chunky beige macrame cord. Make sure you leave about three to four inches at the bottom for finishing. Use your comb throughout the pattern to push down the yarn to make your weave nice and tight.

  STEP THREE  

For the fringes, use 2 lengths of cotton rope per set of two warp strings. Since the loom has 18 sets of 2 and you want 2 lengths per set, you need to cut 36 lengths. Cut each length approximately 20 - 28 inches long, so that your fringes will be around 10-14 inches long. You can use a book and wrap the yarn around it to make the process faster. Then, make a row of rya knots to create the fringes.

  STEP FOUR  

Using the thin gray yarn, make three rows of Soumak stitches in opposite directions to form a braid. Cut your yarn so that you have 3 to 6 inches of excess yarn hanging off on the side. At the end of the pattern, you’ll weave that excess into the back of your wall hanging.

  STEP FIVE  

Using the chunky white yarn, make twenty rows of tabby stitch.

  STEP SIX  

Using the chunky black yarn, make two rows of soumak stitch in opposite directions to form a braid. Instead of wrapping the yarn around each warp thread, skip one after every stitch so you use one out of two. Wrap your yarn around the same warp threads you used for the first row when you make the second row.

  STEP SEVEN  

Using the gray roving, make three rows of tabby stitch. Since roving is quite thick, I suggest you go over and under two warp strings at a time instead of one. You can also split it in two lengthwise. Start with the middle and simply divide the fibers with your hands. When you cut a length of roving, always use your hands instead of scissors to make a more natural separation.

  STEP EIGHT  

Using the white roving, make two rows of soumak stitch in opposite directions to form a braid. Instead of wrapping around each warp thread, skip two after every stitch so you only wrap it around one out of three warp threads.

  STEP NINE  

Using the chunky black yarn, weave 10 to 12 rows of tabby stitches.

  STEP TEN  

Using the chunky white yarn, weave six to ten rows of tabby stitches.

  STEP ELEVEN  

Using the thin gray yarn, weave five to seven rows of tabby stitch. You can double your yarn (using two lengths at the same time) since it’s quite thin compared to the other fibers.

  STEP TWELVE  

Finish the top of your piece by making two rows of soumak stitch in opposite directions to form a braid (using the same thin gray yarn). You should have a few inches left at the top to insert your dowel.

  STEP THIRTEEN  

Take care of all yarn tails in the back by weaving them in (up or down) and cut excess. For roving, simply tuck the tails in the next available warp threads (horizontally).

  STEP FOURTEEN  

Lift the fringes up and cut warp threads, two at a time, at the VERY bottom of your loom so you have room to make knots. Then, make a double knot with each pair of warp threads.

  STEP FIFTEEN  

Take the wooden dowel and insert it at the top into each loop formed by a group of two warp threads.

  STEP SIXTEEN  

To hang your piece, take a length of cotton or any yarn of your choice and make a knot on each side.