Handwoven November/December 2022

Weaving by its very nature invites exploration. This issue of Handwoven delves into the role experimentation plays in design development, whether it is using new-to-the-weaver yarns, unique color mixtures in warp and weft, or combining weave structures in a draft. Each of the 11 projects shows how the craft continues to evolve in the hands of weavers.

Many of the features continue along the theme of exploration, including an article by Tommye McClure Scanlin about developing tapestry designs, an Endnotes about treadling within a loose framework of rules, an Idea Gallery describing how to design blankets using the temperature ranges at a special location during a significant year as a color guide, and a Yarn Lab about an unusual blend of bamboo and cotton. You’ll want to check out the article about Handweaving.net, a website that has grown since its inception in 2003 to become not only a huge repository of weaving information but also an interactive website with a slew of design components. The Perfect Towel article explains why some towels are superior to others and provides tips for weaving better towels, Tom Knisely gives some surprising insights on managing heddles in Notes from the Fell, and two occupational therapists outline ways to weave smarter so you can weave longer and remain pain free. 

Articles:

• Notes from the Fell: On Heddle Management by Tom Knisely
• net: From the Beginning and Into the Future by Sherrie Amada Miller
• Designing for Tapestry—What? How? Why? By Tommye McClure Scanlin
• Healthy Weavers: Using Ergonomics for Comfortable Weaving by Cynthia Evetts and Tina Fletcher
• Idea Gallery: A Year to Remember Blankets by Robin Lynde
• The Perfect Towel by Tracy Kaestner
• Yarn Lab: Bamboo/Cotton—A Blend with Great Promise by Deanna Deeds
• Endnotes: Spontaneity with Rules by Gretchen Huggett

Projects:

• Weaving a Place in Time by Rebecca Morris (2 or 4 shaft)
• Mixing It Up by Barbara Goudsmit (8-shaft)
• Ripples Scarf by Denise Bolger Kovnat (4-shaft)
• Treadling Twist Twills by Kate Lange-McKibben (8-shaft)
• Asymmetrical Challenge by Jennifer Sargent (8-shaft)
• 65 Roses, Take 2 by Susan Du Bois and Robin Wilton (8-shaft)
• Crackle Experiments by Anne Elixhauser (8-shaft)
• Block Party Runners by Jill Staubitz (4-shaft)
• Crackle Table Linens by Robin Monogue (8-shaft)
• Hybrid Table Runner by John Wendel (8-shaft)
• My Very Peri Perfect Towels by Tracy Kaestner (8-shaft)