I really like the combination of blue and purple, but I feel that it is too “girly” somehow. Now I have finished a belt in blue and a quite pinkish purple. I do love these colors, but I still feel that I should weave with more grown up colors next time.
Well, here is my girly Sulawesi band, in wool from Weavers Bazzar, threaded with 3 strands per card (one empty hole per card, omitting the background color).
I took the chance to try some horse patterns and some lizzard and dragon patterns. I will add them to the designs page.
I really love pebble weave and I really hate pebble weave (or 2-hole weaving). I love the simplicity of the 2 colors and the little contrasting dots. But anyone who has tried it knows the problem with the cards going all over the place. My solution is to support them on a piece a card board, but it is not perfect. This project is a bit shorter than usuall, to make a strap for my viking bag.
Here is the weaving:
And here is the bag. I am quite happy with the result.
By the way, all of my designs can be used to do pebble weave. The orange and brown are threaded in opposite holes (A and C or B and D according to the threading instructions). This pattern is using 16 motiv cards and 4 border cards.
To clarify on the threading, this is how I threaded this weave:
I got inspired this autumn when we went to the swiss mountains. It was October and the colors where just splendid. So when I got home I gathered the colors from the trees I had seen and decided to weave a belt with this combination soon.
Well, it’s done. It is not my favourite, but I still like it alot. I also like how the edges turned out with the classical Oseberg diamonds weave.
I worked a bit more on the dog pack designs. And about half of the belt is actually a pack of dogs (with puppies). Not that the cat seem to mind though…
I will add a few new turning pattern to the design page. A few puppies and a quite “sunny” design that I liked alot.
I finished off this last belt in record time. Only one week from set-up to completion. I drafted alot of new designs these last months and now I got the chance to try some of them. In addition to the moose and birds, I am quite fond of my pack of dogs, with 3 puppies in tow. I think I will extend it and make more next time.
Then we have another family, but not sure if it is birds or possibly dinosaurs. I like them as well, expecially the bulky bodies.
The complete belt:
Here are some more design elements. I will add some of the turning patterns to the design page.
There I added some tips on yarns and books that I like (I live in Switzerland, so mainly from Europe). I also added some photos and comments of the looms I use. I have made my favorite loom myself and I am not exactly the handy type with wood, so it is not difficult.
I also added a video on how to read my designs to my page with Designs. Please feel free to check it out.
I am also working on a new belt, with some new designs. However, I will wait until it is finished to show you. Also, I am not super happy how the colors turned out. Sometimes it seem like a good mix when you look at the yarn balls, but combined, it’s too dark or too bright or too… something!! Ok, I will add a sneak preview to the top of the post.
I have finished my Sulawesi belt with 16 motif tablets that I wrote about a few weeks ago. I am quite happy with the result. The automn colors go well with the trees outside my window and I like feeling of the wool. I even got a chance to try it on during a medieval market yesterday.
Automn bliss
I tried some new designs for 16 cards and I will add them to the library of motifs. I have also made a short video posted on the same page, to show how to weave using my pensil designs.
I am really happy with the baby dragons. I will weave more of these.
Baby dragonsMore baby dragons?
Some classical dragons and leaves to finish off.
Please let me know if you are interested in some of the other motifs.
I have started a new weave with 16 design tablets (+6 border tablets).
It feels really easy going to handle 16 tablets after the 32 on my last weave. I also really enjoy the yarn (Holst Garn, 100% wool), which I haven’t tried before. It has a rustic feeling and is quite strong. Above all, the strands does not glue together!!
I plan to add a page here with my favorite yarn suppliers (when I have time), and Holst will definitely be on it.
I have tried out some new motifs for 16 cards. I am quite happy with the pair below. Baby dragons?
I will add the turning sequence to the design page, once the belt is completed.
I also tried some new “flower bud” string motifs. For the below motif, I used the same on my 32 card weave, but using it as a double string. Even though I find the motif nicer in the 16 card version, I do like the idea of how the 16 card motifs can be combined together. I plan to explore this more on my next 32 card weave.
I completed my new Sulawesi belt in 32 motif cards (16 pairs), where I combine motifs from my “Creatures in Squares” series with motifs based on plants (grapewines, fruits, flowers on branches, etc). The red and the green are wool (regular knitting yarn, 100% wool) and the yellow is a mix of wool and silk.
I really enjoyed putting together my different designs in a new way. I find that I often make photocopies of my designs, where I cut and glue pieces together from different designs or I simply combine the elements with magnets on a cardboard board.
Taking one photo of the whole belt does not show it off very well, so I will show it in parts and if you are interested in some of the turning patterns, please let me know and I will add it to the Design page.
I tried out some new variants of dogs (in squares). Either single dogs, or 2 dogs (or cats?) together (mother and puppy?). I uploaded 3 of the dogs-patterns on the design page.
Various DogsWho let the dogs out…
I also made some new “wines” and “branches with fruits” motifs to go between the “squares”. The green/red/yellow in this band make them look like strawberries.
Berries and flower budsStrawberries, birds and dogs.
Here the squirrel and the rabbit are joined by a simpler wine with a leaf.
The full band is below but the light is rather bad. it meassures a bit more than 2 meters.
The turning pattern for one of the wines and the octopus.
