Design process - Step 5 - weaving

Today I am grateful for computers.  Many of us take them for granted because we don't remember a time when they weren't around.  But I am old enough to remember what it was like.  When I first started college out of high school I majored in Computer Science.  Not every university had a computer science department.  The computer at our school was a room-sized IBM.  They were so expensive that even a major university couldn't afford to buy one.  They only rented it.  We typed our programs out on punch cards, one line per card.  Then we put a big rubber band around the stack of cards and turned them in at the computer room.  The operators ran them through and gave you back a printed output sheet and your stack of cards.  We generally got one run per day.  Then you checked your output, changed any mistakes by typing a new card and trading it for the old one, and turned it in to the computer room again.  This continued until you got it right.  Now my phone can do way more than that room-sized monster ever could.  I think computers are amazing.

Now for the fun part - step 5 - weaving.  I start by spreading the warp with 2" strips of poster board.  I find this a quick and easy way to get started and measure out the fringe at the same time.  Between shawls I use the poster board strips again to measure out the fringe.

I usually use two different yarns for my weft - one a solid color and one variegated - to increase the visual texture.  Generally they are two different thicknesses too.  I use a shuttle that holds two bobbins so I only have to make one pass of the shuttle per pick.

I hemstitch each end of my shawls so I don't ever have to worry about things coming undone.  I measure out some of the thinnest yarn four times the width of the shawl for the hemstitching, and then I throw the first pick.  I weave four picks and go back and hemstitch the end.  Then I just keep weaving.  I gently beat each pick in place because I want a very soft fabric with lots of drape.

After I advance the warp the first time I pin a string 80" long to the edge of the shawl.  This lets me know how long the shawl is and when I should stop weaving.  I weave my shawls 80" long in hopes of getting a shawl that is about 72" long after it is washed.  I have tried many different widths and lengths and have decided that 18 x 72 is the optimal length and width for me.  It creates a shawl that can be used for many purposes - as a wrap, a scarf, a throw and a shawl.  If you are a lot larger or smaller than average you would want a different size.

I love weaving.  I love the movement, the rhythm, the feel of the yarn and the shuttle.  It is a very relaxing thing to do, but I also get a bit of exercise.  The back and forth movement keeps my core muscles in shape.

Next time step 6 - finishing.