I started a weaving class at
Barnsdall Art Park earlier this summer and after much time setting up the warp, have finally started weaving!!
![](http://www.supercozy.com/blog/uploaded_images/weavingclass1-790100.jpg)
The white yarns are just filler for those gaps in at the beginning of the
warp. Setting up the warp took about 3 classes which involved winding the warp yarn onto a warp frame, tying it onto the
loom, then the tedious task of separating the yarns into the
heddles and the
reed.
![](http://www.supercozy.com/blog/uploaded_images/weavingclass1a-790014.jpg)
This is the
plain weave. You can really see the teal colored warp through the brown colored
weft. The warp yarn I used, is a varigated, meaning it's not perfectly even yarn, but thinner and thicker in some places.
![](http://www.supercozy.com/blog/uploaded_images/weavingclass3-741002.jpg)
I decided to use the free to use yarns Barnsdall has and not to plan so much. I love all these unwanted muted, colors probably from the 70's. I am practicing creating organically. There is so much control designing on the computer, that you forget how nice it can sometimes be to have parameters.
![](http://www.supercozy.com/blog/uploaded_images/weavingclass2-740842.jpg)
This is how far I got in about 3 hours, not quite a foot. It is about 12" wide. Starting from the bottom, you can see the alternating plain weave and basket weave, which the yellow/green solid area creates a twill effect. Also played around with vertical stripes, horizontal stripes and checkerboard when I added the cram color. You can see how some areas are more
packed than others. Packing is pounding the weave down, a little bit violent, but will often hide the warp with thinner yarns and techniques like the basket weave.
The reality is that weaving is a third world skill that you will make no money at because machines can seriously do this thing in a second. So, our wonderful instructor Carolyn encourages us to do something you couldn't buy in stores, experiment and be creative.
Next week, I will continue this sampler with a big zig zag!!