Learning to Weave

Over the past few years I've become increasingly interested in woven textiles. Uncovering beautiful rugs, blankets, and runners in dusty corners of antique malls or strewn among yard junk at garage sales has become the thrill of all thrills for me when it comes to thrifting. I am drawn to all types of textiles, but have become especially fond of Native American and Middle Eastern pieces. Below are a few textiles I have loved and sold in my Etsy shop:

A few months back I decided it was time to take my interest to the next level and look into loom weaving courses in the area. I don't want to rely on thrifting luck anymore, I want to be able to make my own beautiful pieces. Today I had my first loom weaving lesson with the wonderful Dianne Yelton in her light filled weaving studio in Londonderry, Vermont. Dianne has been weaving since fifth grade and has a wide breadth of knowledge when it comes to all things weaving. Our first lesson lasted 3 hours, and we covered the basic anatomy of a loom and went over helpful resources such as books and weaving guilds for me to follow up on. We also started a small scarf to get my feet wet with the basics. I learned to measure and cut warp thread for our scarf on a warping board. Next week we will warp the loom and perhaps I'll be able to start weaving in the weft yarn. Diane was kind enough to let me take photographs of her studio, and I have included a few below. Her sweetheart of a golden retriever, Copper, was also on hand to keep us company :)

Below, the warp sections we measured, twisted, and cut today.

I am planning to chronicle the process of learning to weave on the blog, so feel free to follow along with me!