Weaving a Baby Wrap on a Rigid Heddle Loom

by: Gretchen

Weaving For Baby, new Handwoven eBook Collection

April 23rd, 2017 by Gretchen | Posted in Book, General News, Weaving |

A great spring project – weave something beautiful for your baby!

Soft cottons and practical, easy to care for pieces are just the thing for warm weather weaving, so Handwoven's newest printed eBook, Weaves For Baby , is just in time! The editors of Handwoven magazine have assembled five more of their favorite projects in new a collection of darling designs. Now available in print exclusively from Halcyon Yarn, there's some thing for every baby in Design Collection - Weaves for Baby, Handwoven eBook Printed Copy. Projects include both four and eight-shaft designs for blankets and baby wraps:

The Baby Wrap To Fit A Man's Wardrobe, by Carl Friedlander, is a subtle and sophisticated take on the classic cotton baby wrap. Inspired by a shadow weave class, Carl states that "By using black and white in both warp and weft, I created a subtle gray pattern that works well with both formal and casual male clothing." Carl certainly succeeded, and we think this soft and sturdy piece would look great on whoever is wearing it!

Woven in 20/2 Pearl Cotton Yarn, you'll only need one pound cone each, of black and white. This project requires an 8-shaft loom and 10 dent reed. The finished piece is approximately 28″ wide by just under six yards long, so it is long enough to be a good fit for many bodies and babies.

Susan E. Horton's Rosepath for Baby Wrap, is another great black and white take on baby wraps, this time for a 4-shaft loom (10 dent reed) and in a slightly heavier mercerized 10/2 Pearl Cotton. While elegant in gray, the pretty rosepath and twill design would also look great in any range of tonal colors contrasted with white, and it weaves up fairly quickly at the more standard 5 yard length. For this design you'll need 10/2 mercerized cotton in black, charcoal, medium gray, silver, and white. Or you could substitute four tones of another color in place of the blacks and grays in the following quantities:

black: 1,345 yds

charcoal: 1,132 yds

medium gray: 2,256 yds

silver: 2,566 yds

white/natural: 4,058 yds

10/2 Pearl Cotton Yarn from UKI is approximately 4,200 yds/lb, so you can make this project from one cone of each and still have extra in several colors. Halcyon Yarn offers bulk pricing on pound cones of Pearl Cotton, so at five cones you automatically receive a 10% discount!

"Sweet Honey In A Waffle" Baby Blanket, by Suzie Liles.

I can't decide on my favorite thing about this blanket …is it the versatile and reversible design? …the adorable (and clever) title? …or the retro perfect color combination? Whatever it is, I think I've found my next project! Using that most affordable and beloved standby, Homestead 8/2 Cotton Yarn, Suzie transforms the simple cotton throw into something effortlessly cool and infinitely useful.

Suzie explains the distinctions between "honeycomb" and "waffle weave" structures, before guiding us through this Brighton honeycomb waffle weave. Technical distinctions aside, the effect she creates is beautiful. The Brighton honeycomb creates a nearly solid color on one side while the reverse side features the namesake textured depressions, which show the interplay between colors to an almost iridescent effect.

The project is written to make two 36″ by 36″ hemmed blankets. Why not try a different weft combination in the second blanket and see what delicious design features emerge! To make the project as shown, you'll need less than a pound cone each (approximately 2,851 yds) of Homestead Cotton in Old Gold and Light Turquoise, or a similar combination. If you want to try something different in the second weft, you can easily mix and match colors with our 600 yard mini cones!

Huck and Snuggle Baby Blanket, by Kate Lange-McKibben. This super soft and slightly stretchy blanket requires a 4-shaft loom and 12 dent reed. Woven in 20/2 Pearl Cotton Yarn and your favorite washable sock yarn, this blanket is a great way to try out using yarns with some elasticity in your weaving.

The cheerful Spring Baby Blanket, by Terry Newhouse Flynn, is a shadow weave treat for a 4-shaft loom. Woven in cotton and chenille, it requires a 36″ weaving width and 12 dent reed. The instructions make two finished blankets, each 30.5″ by 40″ so it's another great project for those with more than one little one to make gifts for!

Check out all the great Handwoven eBook project collections now!

Related items of interest: • Weaving Books • Our yarns • Lace weight yarns • Cotton yarns • Super Fine weight yarns • Fine weight yarns

Weaving a Baby Wrap on a Rigid Heddle Loom

Source: https://halcyonyarn.com/news/weaving-for-baby-new-handwoven-ebook-collection/22439