Weavings: Then And Now

    Recently there have been some very nice images online of handmade woven wall hangings, and I thought it would be fun to make one of my own.  Those weavings I'd seen reminded me of an art project I had made in elementary school - you can see it to the left in the above photo.  I've held onto this little weaving, along with some other childhood and early adult treasures, and dug it out one day several months ago to use in some styled photos for my Instagram feed.

My daughter Audrey's birthday was coming up last month, and I decided that this year, I would give her some handmade gifts.  It dawned on me that if there was anyone who would appreciate something made out of yarn, it would be her, since Audrey is a knitter who has made some interesting, stylish, and fashionable items for herself and her friends, such as hats and fingerless gloves.  It seemed like a perfect 'win-win' situation, since not only would she appreciate receiving a handmade gift, but I would also have a lot of fun creating it!

Once I knew that I was going to tackle a weaving project, I knew exactly where to go for some instruction - my favorite blog, A Beautiful Mess.  If you ask me, Rachel Denbow is a weaving goddess, and she has several tutorials on A Beautiful Mess, as well as an impressive selection of small weavings that she's had for sale on her own blog, Smile and Wave.  I took Rachel's suggestion on making a simple weaving frame out of wood, and at the local hardware store I purchased a nice piece of 1" x 12" x 18" pine and some standard nails with heads on them.

Following Rachel's tutorial was a snap - her instructions are clear, easy to follow, and there are close up photos for each step of the process.  She explains what all of the tools are, gives you a basic rundown of the terminology, and talks about her favorite choices of yarn, as well as giving helpful suggestions on ways to think about color.  I agree with her that weaving is one of those timeless craft traditions that is 'soothing to the soul' and now, I'm thinking that I'm ready for more!  So, if you are considering diving into a weaving project, give her tutorial a try - you'll be glad you did.

Oh, and by the way, Audrey loved her gift!