New Crafts: Weaving + Resources for Beginners
Like my recent stitching obsession, I have been dreaming about starting to weave since last year. At first, I was a little annoyed and thought this was just a trend that would pass and I didn't really like any of the weavings I was seeing. I quickly realized that this craft was not going away and after seeing tons of beautiful weavings on Pinterest and blogs popping up, that were more my style, I gave in. But quickly realized how difficult it would be to start this craft because I did not want to invest a lot of money into a loom and then never use it. So I just hung around the sidelines for a while. Then A Beautiful Mess had Rachel teach an intro to weaving class for free on their blog and I saw her really shotty first homemade loom and knew that I could do it then. I dreamed up what it would like look, inspired by this loom, and when we went home this summer I bought all the supplies and T and I made it together at home.Here is the full tutorial for how to make your own loom like mine! I chose my color scheme to start my first weaving and started following the simple steps on A Beautiful Mess to get started. I couldn't find most of the 'tools' they mentioned, so I improvised. I am currently using a paint stirrer to separate my strings to make weaving super simple and a crochet hook instead of a tapestry needle and my hands/the hook end to smooth and tighten each line.Simple is the best way to start. I started on Saturday and became completely enamoured and couldn't stop. In one day, I completed half of my weaving and watched about 10 episodes of parks and rec. I couldn't quit and only finally had to after my neck and back hurt so bad I had to stop. Once I had played around with a few different strands I was hooked and didn't need anymore help as it is such a simple task of over, under. I quickly realized there was no reason to have been so overwhelmed with starting. I'll be sure to share my finished weaving with you as soon as its done!Here are a few resources if you are just beginning that I am using and have found so helpful. Please add any more you have in the comments and be sure to share your favorite weavers! Resources:
- Weaving 101 from A Beautiful Mess
- My pinterest board full of tips and beautiful weavings for inspiration
- Interview with full time weaver on Elise Gets Crafty Podcast
- Weaving on branches
- The ultimate 'try it out' weaving before committing
- Build your own loom
Favorite weavers:
- Rachel of Smile and Wave
- Wool & Weave
- Wallflower Weavings
- Crossing Threads
- Polka Dot Sulli
- Hive House
- Rowan Studio
- #weaveweird
Tools to get started:
- Loom
- Yarn
- Paint stirrer
- Hook/Needle
- Scissors