As some of you may know, both Courtney and I have educational backgrounds in weaving – she went to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and I attended Skidmore College for my B.S. (Studio Art), and Philadelphia College of Textiles + Sciences for my M.S. in Textile Design with a Weaving Concentration.
Although our career is firmly planted in the knitting and crochet world, we still have a soft spot in our hearts for weaving. I recently set aside the time to warp up my floor loop using Meadow in a traditional overshot pattern to weave myself a scarf. After a little bit of color swatching, I settled on a traditional white and grey combination, with Road to China Lace as the main patterning weft.
Although I’m happily working away on my scarf, I’m only 1/4 done and already thinking about my next project. What I really want to do is weave yardage to sew myself a shirt…now to just settle on a pattern for that!
In addition to my at-home hobby-weaving, we are also proud sponsors of the Handwoven for the Home Challenge held by Weaving Today / Handwoven Magazine.
From the contest announcement:
“We’re looking for all sorts of household textiles and cloth creations, from dish towels to aprons to pillow covers and beyond. You can team up with a friend if you’d like, and you can also submit more than one piece for consideration. Get your looms warped and your designing minds engaged to create your ideal piece of weaving for the home!
All projects must be designed to serve a purpose inside the home, either functional (such as a bath rug or napkins) or aesthetic (such as curtains, a runner, or a cover for a throw pillow). Garments will be accepted only if they are also specifically for home use, such as an apron or bath robe. Garments designed to be worn outside of the home will not be accepted.
Weavers should also look at this palette and design their projects around it. Not all the colors need to be incorporated in the project, nor does the project need to only contain these colors, but the palette should be used as a guide for choosing colors of yarn.”
The contest ends soon – March 20th – but there is still time to submit! If you’re interested, you can download the form here.