One technique from the tapestry weaving book by Rebecca Mezoff is using a hidden weft when running vertical lines to close the hole. I decided to try it on my current weaving. I picked a strong thread from my stash and before I make a pass with the weft yarn, lay the thread across. As long as I pay attention to the way I lay the thread, the weft covers it, hence giving me a hidden weft and no vertical slit. I have other areas where I will sew the vertical slit when I am done, to be able to compare methods, however, I am a big fan of reducing finish work so this method is very appealing.

My new loom uses the continuous warp method. Which means the warp is wrapped all around the frame and you can weave something nearly twice as long as the loom is tall. I followed the directions but was honestly unsure how it was going to work. The warp bar holds the top and bottom loops, and before the warp is strung, the bar is wedged in place. It turns out that the opposing forces from the top and bottom loops hold the warp securely, so that when it comes time to move the weaving, you loosen the tension a bit and the weaving slides easily around the outer frame. Neat!

I’ve run out of bobbins and shuttles on my current weaving, so have added butterflies of yarn as well. I could go make more shuttles or bobbins, but I’m having fun weaving. I had every intention of doing a simple striped woven scarf, which lasted not even half an inch before I had other ideas. Now we’ll just see where the weft takes me.

I’m not sure whether I continue to weave because I actually like it, or whether I just like the chance to make little wooden doo dads to weave with. I warped my new loom (and totally forgot to get a picture before I started weaving, oops), and decided I needed another long shuttle. I found some flame maple in my wood scraps and used the band saw to slice and shape a new shuttle. I did sand it down to 400 grit before I wrapped it with yarn, but I didn’t want to spend the time to finish it with tung oil. I’ll get to that later, or, I’ll use it so much it gets a natural finish.

I don’t weave with the loom on the floor, but my kitchen counter is seldom photo worthy!

Here is my exciting thing for the beginning of 2021: a new loom! It is a Schacht tapestry loom, which has heddle bars and a way to control warp tension. I felt that it would be the most flexible and easily stored commercial purchase. I wanted more room to weave than my frame loom provided, but didn’t want something that had a large footprint. It is rather larger than I anticipated, though! It doesn’t quite fit on my chair, so I’m glad I also purchased the A frame stand for it.

Now to get it warped!