Weekend Recap: Shadow Weaving and Hacking an Electric Bobbin Winder
Indulging my indoorsiness and getting more acquainted with my floor loom.
It’s the best of seasons. It’s the worst of seasons.
The best, because I get to fully embrace my indoorsiness—that sweet, quiet lull between the holidays and warmer weather, where there’s nothing pressing to do and nowhere I have to be. It’s too cold to go outside. Social plans are nonexistent. No more gatherings, no more obligations—just me, happily hibernating and making all the things.
The worst, because… well, it’s cold. I’m cold all the time. I wasn’t made for this weather. 🥶
Meanwhile, Dennis (who I’m convinced has polar bear DNA) can’t get enough of the great outdoors, no matter how freezing it is. I always feel guilty turning down his invitations for a brisk (read: miserable) walk or hike. Unless said walk involves getting in a car and walking around a craft store … it’s a hard “no” for me. 😂
This was one of those weekends—nothing going on, no plans, just me and my new floor loom, getting acquainted. Perfection!
I took Marie Antoinette, my Harrisville Designs A/6 Floor Loom, on her maiden voyage with a basic 4-shaft herringbone weave. While I was excited to finally be weaving, the results weren’t exactly what I had in mind.
I’ve also been taking Jane Stafford’s online weaving courses, following her instructions for determining "sett" and desired drape. (For my fellow weaving newbies, “sett” is basically how many yarn wraps per inch (wpi) you have, and how you sleigh your warp through the reed determines the fabric’s drape.) I’m still trying to wrap my brain around all of this—pun unintended.
Anyway, my downfall? I had more warp ends than reed slots. Whoops! This meant I couldn’t sleigh the warp as planned, so instead of spacing them out for a nice, drapey scarf, I crammed them into every single slot. The result? Let’s just say this fabric could probably stand up on its own. 🫠 Not exactly scarf material, but after I wet block it, I might cut it up, and turn it into some project bags. Even though it didn’t go as planned, I’m still super giddy that I made twill happen! 💃🏻💃🏻💃🏻
Of course, I wasted no time starting a new—and even more complicated—project. (As I do!) I fell down a rabbit hole of searching for 4-shaft weaving drafts and found Handwoven Magazine’s website. Turns out, they have an entire online library of past issues and projects! While I was browsing, I stumbled on the Shadowplay Kitchen towels from their Nov/Dec 2021 issue. It uses a technique called “shadow weaving” which I found very interesting! So, I purchased a digital copy and off I went!
This time, I’m using an even finer yarn—Maurice Brassard Mercerized 8/2 cotton, (which in the knitting world could be called laceweight) that I warped holding two different strands double. Yes, my friends. I am a glutton for punishment. 😅
The motif is a little hard to see right now, but the yarn is supposed to “bloom” and fill in (like the sample photo above) after finishing and wet blocking.
I should also mention, I started weaving this project with stick shuttles. They get the job done, but my god—they are slow, cumbersome, and constantly snag on nuts and bolts. Not ideal when trying to follow a complex draft.
I did invest in some boat shuttles, but winding 8/2 cotton onto a bobbin manually? Listen, a part of me wishes I was born during the Victorian era, but hand-winding bobbins that fine would be absolutely dreadful.
I have an electric bobbin winder on the way, but was able to Macguyver one using a power drill, metal dowel (borrowed from my crochet granny square blocker), and rubber knitting needle minder to keep everything in place. Not the smoothest wind, but it does the job!
Friends, I don’t know where this weaving journey is taking me. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know my creative interests ebb and flow. I used to criticize myself for bouncing between hobbies—but I’ve let that go. I work on what I want, when I want, whatever I’m drawn to. 🖤
Thankfully, there’s one consistent thread through it all: fiber. Knitting, crochet, weaving, quilting—fiber is at the heart of it. And even bead weaving, technically, because, well… thread is holding it all together. 😂
So, if this weaving adventure turns out to be another crafty rabbit hole, I’ll embrace it. For now, I’m just enjoying the ride.
In other news …
Dennis and I have started watching The White Lotus: Season 3 on Sundays! This time, it’s set in Thailand, and while I’m bummed Jennifer Coolidge isn’t in the picture anymore, I can’t wait to see what sinister shenanigans this lot get up to.
It’s also one of the very few shows where I don’t click “skip intro” because I’m kind of obsessed with the theme music. But this season’s intro music? They switched things up and it just falls flat. This Instagram reel pretty much sums my disappointment 🤣:
If you're looking for another bit of inspo, there's a new weaving magazine that just came out called Weft. The first issue is just coming out but it's from the same group that publishes Ply for spinners and those are beautifully put together 🙂