On this page will be various DIY projects for various ages.
DIY Weaving
Supplies:
· Yarn
· Scissors
· large plastic needle
· Cardboard (Baker and Taylor cardboard inserts)
· Ruler
Directions:
Prep:
· Cut cardboard into 5” x 5” pieces.
· Tape around the perimeter of the cardboard. (both sides) This will reinforce the edges.
· These will be your guides and will make holding it a little easier.
· Draw lines for the notches. ¼” apart from one another starting at the edge of the tape. Do this on the opposite side.
· Cut on the marks, stopping at the tape line. (do this on the opposite side)
Kids are ready to start!
· With the marked side of the loom facing up, thread a bit of yarn into the first notch on the upper left side. There should be a tail of a few inches on the back side of the loom. Tape this to the back of the loom.
· Carry the thread down to the bottom left notch on the loom and pull it into that notch. Bring the thread back over to the front by bringing it up through the notch directly to the right of the leftmost bottom notch. Continue doing this all the way across the loom - the pictures will explain this better.
· The front side of the loom with have yarn going from notch to notch, the back side of the loom will just be small segments of yarn looped around the notches. Leave a tail of the end of the yarn and also tape that to the back of the loom.
Yarn
The yarn wound on the loom is called the warp. Each yarn strand wound on the loom is called a warp end.
Picture #1
You’re going to weave back and forth with the weft yarn. A row of weft yarn is called a pick.
Begin to weave
Measure your first strand, about one yard. Thread up a large eye needle and start weaving!
You can begin to weave on either side of the loom. Leave a tail about 4 inches long hanging on the selvedge.
The selvedges are the sides of the woven piece.
Pass the needle over one warp end and under the next. Over, under, over, under- that’s the mantra.
After you weave across all of the warp ends, make an arc with the yarn, then pack it down. This makes the weft fall in between the warp ends.
Picture #2
If you pull the yarn through without letting it have a chance to settle in, eventually it will start to pull in the selvedges, and your finished piece will be more narrow on the top than the bottom.
Pictures #3
Pack down each row with your fingers- you can also use a table fork.
Some weavers like to use a weaving comb or fork, and you can find beautiful tools out there, but for now, your fingers are fine. And they are easy to find when you need them!
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Begin a New Strand
You can start a new yarn strand anywhere on the weaving. I like to begin each new strand randomly, that way I don’t build up bulk when it comes time to sew the hanging threads into the back of the piece.
Leave at least 4 inches of the old and new strands hanging until finishing time.
Picture #4
Continue and make a Pouch.
Continue to weave to the top of the loom.
To continue, return to weaving around the loom as you did before. Firmly press down the parts. The more rows you can fit in, the sturdier your pouch will be. When you have woven as many rows as will fit in, use your needle to lift the loops of wrap yarn off the notches at the top. Pull the cardboard loom out of the middle of your weaving to release the pouch.
Finish Off
Pick up the warp 2" ends that were left hanging. Begin to weave it to the loom work vertically until it disappears. When you have woven as many rows as will fit in, use your needle to lift the loops of wrap yarn off the notches at the top. Pull the cardboard loom out of the middle of your weaving to release the pouch.
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