Weaving plain weave on the pin loom is wonderful and freeing. The size of the pin loom makes it easy to take just about anywhere. Just pop it in a small bag along with your weaving needle and yarn, and you’re good to go! But then many of us start feeling some loom envy when we look at the beautiful textures and woven patterns created by rigid-heddle looms. Yes, portability is nice, but what if you want to weave something that goes beyond plain weave? Well, in that case, you don’t need a new loom—you just need to learn how to read and weave pin-loom pick-up patterns.
Pick-up patterning on the pin loom opens up a whole new world of possibility, allowing you to create cloth with incredible texture. Need proof? Look no further than the work of Angela Tong. In many of her pin-loom woven pieces, Angela uses pin-loom patterns to weave gorgeous pick-up designs which, once joined, make cloth that looks like it must have been woven on a rigid-heddle or multi-shaft loom. Her Infinite Lace Cowl, which you can see below, is proof of just how good these pin-loom patterns look when woven and joined. Woven in spot Bronson, the patterning in the cowl just begs you to look closer and really examine the beautiful weave structure.
Angela Tong wove her Infinite Lace Cowl using a spot Bronson pin-loom pick-up pattern. Photo by Matt Graves
Of course, there are other benefits to weaving these patterns beyond just creating incredible cloth. Believe it or not, if you’re working with an inelastic yarn such as a cotton, pick-up patterns on the pin loom are actually easier to weave than straight plain weave. Because you don’t weave every single pick, it literally gives you more wiggle room. In fact, I’ve even woven pick-up patterns using raffia! As much as I love pick-up patterns in wearables, I can’t help but imagine how great it would be to make some textured cotton towels or even soap savers!
I’ll be the first one to admit that jumping straight into pick-up patterns can be intimidating. How do you read the pattern? What tools do you need? How does yarn choice affect the pattern? Do you keep the same tension on the layers as you would for plain weave? All those questions and more are answered in Angela Tong’s new video, Weave Patterns on the Pin Loom: Build Your Skills with Textures Beyond Plain Weave. Go step-by-step through reading and weaving pick-up patterns for the pin loom with Angela as she shows just how easy it can be. And, as an added bonus, you’ll get a workbook with four pin-loom patterns and two projects so you can start weaving right away.
If you want to go beyond plain weave on the pin loom but don’t know how to start, this is definitely the video for you. Check it out today!
Happy Weaving!
Christina