Happy Spring! Here’s a band I wove in daffodil colors in warp-faced tabby. The Cascade Ultra Pima Fine yarn gives it a soft, flexible hand.
In this post, I’m sharing some tips that I give to new bandweavers for getting good results. I call these tips the Five Cs, and they are all about how it feels when you sit at the inkle loom or band heddle.
Control/Confidence. It’s up to you to tell the yarn what to do, and bandweaving calls for a certain confidence in your movements. This is especially true in the first few shots, when you’re setting the width of the band, and it’s also true in guiding the weft and packing the weft into place. If you’re tentative, the warp tends to take charge, often resulting in ends that spread out and shots that aren’t packed neatly together. Sometimes you just need to tell it that you’re the boss.
Consistency. Rhythm is key to good weaving. I suggest working slowly at first, favoring consistency in every movement. This means that you do the same steps, in the same order, on every shot, and that you aim for the same familiar feel in your arms and hands with every placement of the weft and every press of the shuttle. Weaving in this way helps you settle into a smooth rhythm that will be reflected in the evenness of your work. And it will naturally lead to increased speed and efficiency in time.
Connection. I suggest setting aside distractions so you can focus on the work in front of you and how it feels in your body. If you really pay attention while you’re learning, the band can teach you a lot.
Calm. I know that some weavers like to frequently measure the width of the band as they work, and if that works for you, great. But after I set the width in the beginning, I don’t like to measure because it interrupts my rhythm. If I just aim for a consistent feel in my movements, an even width tends to follow naturally.
Comfort. I’m all about comfort. With my floor-style inkle loom, I sit in a chair at a good height, with my elbows just above the front peg. I brace one foot against the back upright to keep it steady. I used to hold my table-style inkle loom on my lap, but now I’m more likely to clamp it to a high work table and stand to weave. With my band heddles, I sit in a chair with my feet firmly on the ground, my back straight, and the weaving belt at my waist. Your body and your loom might call for different solutions.
You can see sample pages from my upcoming book at Schiffer Publishing.
Norwegian Pick-Up Bandweaving 
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