Warping a frame loom merely requires tying a loop knot around one of the top pegs and wrapping the warp yarn straight down and around the bottom peg directly below. Continue creating vertical lines by wrapping the warp yarn back up to the top and around the next peg before continuing back down to the bottom peg directly below.
While warping your loom, do your best to keep a steady tension throughout, because a loose or inconsistent warp can affect the structure of your woven piece. Adjust your tension by tightening or loosening the rows until you can evenly push down on the warp threads about ½". Once you’ve reached the desired width, tie another loop knot on top of the loom so that both knots are on the same side (Figure 1). This will ofi cially become the bottom of your wall hanging so that the cleaner loops on the other end of the loom can be on display, so rotate the loom 180°.
PLAIN WEAVE
Cut a 2" x 14" cardboard space holder, weave it through your warp, and slide it to the bottom where the knotted ends are. It will hold enough space for each warp row to be knotted together to support the structure of your weaving. Our next step in creating this woven wall art is to add a few rows of plain weave to act as a woven base before we add rya knot fringe. Using a 3" tapestry needle or a stick shuttle (shown), weave the weft yarn under and over the warp threads opposite the
ones you wove your placeholder through. As you pull the weft yarn through, pull it up at a 45° angle and then back down to create a little rainbow. Then gently press the weft yarn down in the center and throughout so that the row resembles a ripple effect (Figure 2). Using your i ngers or a weaving comb, press the weft row down so that it’s even and l at against the space holder. Creating this little
rainbow and ripple effect allows for just enough slack in each weft row to avoid the dreaded hourglass shape—a result of the outer warp threads, or selvedge edges, being pulled in with each new weft row.
Once your i rst weft row is l at against the space holder, wrap the yarn around your selvedge edge (the outer warp thread) and weave back to the starting Figure 1.
Figure 2.
84 | little looms | h a n d w o v e n m a g a z i n e . c o m place. If your i rst weft row went over the warp row, this second weft row should go under it. Just weave the opposite of your previous weft row all the way across, allowing enough slack to create a little rainbow so you don’t pull in at the edges (Figure 3). Push it down with your i ngers or a weaving comb so that it’s l ush against the previous weft row. Repeat this process until you’ve woven six to eight weft rows of plain weave. Be sure to leave about 4" of yarn tail when you are i nished weaving. If you run out of yarn in the middle of a weft row, just tuck it to the back of the weaving. You can add another length of the same yarn or change your color by continuing where you left off, coming up from the back of your weaving with the tapestry needle or stick shuttle. If you end on the selvedge edge, just wrap the end around and tuck it to the back of the weaving between the selvedge edge and the warp row next to it. This will give you a cleaner edge; you can stitch the loose end through the back of the weaving when you’re i nished.
RYA KNOTS
Create a layer of fringe with long rya knots. Each rya knot will wrap around two warp threads, so count how many warp threads you have and divide by two to know how many rya knots to make. If you want the fringe to be about 12" long, double that length and add 2" to get the length of each strand you’ll cut for each rya knot. You’ll quickly learn how thick you prefer your rya knots to be. Heavier yarns will require fewer strands per rya knot, while laceweight or i ngering-weight yarns will require more for the same thickness.
Using a worsted weight-yarn, I chose to incorporate seven strands per rya knot so each of those strands measured 26" long. Once all of the strands are cut, i nd the center of the yarn length and place it over the top of your two warp
threads. Wrap one end of the strands all the way around the left warp and the other end all the way around the right warp (Figure 4). Gently pull the two ends together toward you so that the knot tightens. Adjust the knot so that the strands are mostly l ush with each other and then slide the knot down to rest on top of the plain weave. Repeat all the way across to i ll the warp with a row of rya knots. You can trim these to have a clean even line once it’s hung. Add another section of plain weave on top of your rya knots to add height to your wall hanging before adding another section of rya knots. This also provides more support to the structure of your weaving. Adding rya knots on top of rya knots can cause your warp threads to pull apart from each other and create slits in your weaving, so it’s best to include at least two rows of plain weave between each section of rya knots.
SOUMAK
Soumak creates a different pattern than plain weave and can add a lot of interest to your design. A single weft
row of soumak creates a slanted pattern. When you add a second row of soumak on top of it in the opposite direction, you’ll get a herringbone effect. Using thicker i bers such as wool roving can achieve a braided effect. To get started, thread a tapestry needle with about 3' of worsted-weight yarn and come up with your needle between the i rst and second warp threads on the left side. Leave a 4'' tail and wrap the threaded yarn around the i rst warp so that it comes up between the i rst and second warp again. This secures the yarn in place so you can start the soumak stitches. Stitch around the second warp thread so that you come back up between the i rst and second warp again and pull taut. Then stitch all the way around the third warp thread and up between your second and third warp threads (Figure 5). Continue stitching two warp threads forward and one back until you reach the other side. You can adjust this pattern to four forward and two back for a more elongated pattern or four forward and one back when using a bulky i ber such as roving. Weave two rows of plain weave after every two rows of soumak
• Tapestry Tech •
to provide structural support.
LOOP PILE
Incorporating loop pile into your design is another great way to add depth and texture to your wall hanging. You can use one to six strands of yarn at a time for different thicknesses; pair different textures, weights, and colors together; or just keep it simple. Start out your loop pile section with a weft row of plain weave and then weave a loose second weft row. With one hand, pick up the yarn strand(s) where they are
woven over a warp thread, and with your other hand, slide a knitting needle or wooden dowel through the loop you just picked up. Continue gently pulling the strands up and stitching through them until you get to the end of the row. Make any adjustments for a consistently looped row and press the knitting needle down so it’s l ush against the previous weft row, but don’t remove it yet. Weave a row of plain weave (Figure 6) and push it down so that it’s pressed i rmly against the loop pile row. Gently remove the knitting
needle or dowel and press the plain- weave row down even more if needed to secure the loop pile row further. Loop pile looks best in sections, so weave another loop pile row and follow it with a row of plain weave to secure it. Repeat until you’re happy with the height of this section and end on a row of plain weave. Experiment with even larger loops by using a thicker dowel or pulling your knitting needle about 1" away from the warp rows to elongate your loops.