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Portrait of Emily Werner
by: Emily Werner

New Handwoven Magazine Nov/Dec 2017

Handwoven November/December issue – just in time for holiday weaving!

I love Handwoven, but I don’t think I’ve ever devoured an issue as quickly as I read the new [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] issue! This issue celebrates weaving history with fascinating articles and projects centered on the weaving giants of the 19th and 20th century. Some of the names were familiar, like Weaver Rose, Bertha Gray Hayes, and Mary Meigs Atwater. But some were new to me, like David Xenakis, Betty Davenport, and Carol Strickler. I can’t wait to learn more about them and their styles!

 

[Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock]
  [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock]

Prim Rose Table Runner, in 10/2 Pearl Cotton, by Norma Smayda and Ann Rudman.

As a perpetual lover of overshot, I was instantly drawn to by Madelyn Van Der Hoogt’s article The Draft: Overshot Threading Then & Now. It’s a wonderful guide on how to use overshot patterns no matter how they are written. She demonstrates how a single overshot pattern can be written twelve different ways, depending on the weaver, the publication, the time period in which it was written, whether it’s balanced or unbalanced, and the manner in which it’s treadled.

Deb Essen’s article, Record Keeping, discusses the importance of taking good notes as you weave and having a standardized method of recording information. She includes the types of information that are relevant to record, as well as how to use technology like cameras and computers to store valuable weaving data. Tom Knisely tells us about his recent trip to Hartland, Michigan, a town rich in little known weaving history and Norma Smayda talks overshot and how she unknowingly became the owner of 270 handwritten weaving drafts by Weaver Rose. The story gives me goosebumps!

Combinatory Play Miniature Table Runner, in 10/2 Pearl Cotton and tapestry weight wool, by Krista Richey.

The issue also includes 10 projects for rigid heddle, 4-shaft, and 8-shaft looms. They range from a Goose-Eye Baby Blanket by Nanette Mother (inspired by Mary E. Black, author of A Key to Weaving), to a Finnweave Runner and Oven Mitts by Marty Benson (inspired by David Xenakis), to the Combinatory Play Miniature Table Runner by Krista Richey (inspired by Bertha Gray Hayes), an 8-shaft pattern that actually combines two overshot patterns into one project by threading one on the first four harnesses and another on the the last four harnesses. The only thing better than one overshot draft is TWO overshot drafts! I may need to get an 8-shaft loom…

Finnweave Runner and Oven Mitts, in 5/2 Pearl Cotton, by Marty Benson.

The rich history of weaving is what continually draws me back into the craft and it is inspiring to see new weavers using historical drafts and patterns as jumping points to design contemporary projects. Be sure to grab yourself a copy of this Handwoven issue, you won’t want to miss it!

P.S. For help with record keeping we offer great Project Worksheets, available for download. If you’re looking for things to make for the holidays, or to put on your wish list, the annual Gift Guide is a treat too!

 

[Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock]
  [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock]