Weaving Hearts

Every year, around this time, I start making heart mug rugs. They are quick and fun to weave and I have sent them to friends and family all over the world. It’s a sprinkling of love, and I especially like it when someone who received one years ago tells me how much it means to them.

Every year I aim to make heart mug rug kits, and every year, there is too much going on and it doesn’t happen. But this year is different and here they are!

The mug rugs pictured above are all woven on an eight-shaft loom. I have seen a draft for hearts on four shafts, tried to weave them, and really did not like the look or the way it felt to weave. And then there was the question of rigid-heddle designs.

The answer came to me (full disclosure here) a few days ago, in the middle of the night. I had been playing with Atwater-Bronson woven on a rigid-heddle loom as the foundation, but I hadn’t figured out how to make that work on a four-shaft. And then the lightbulb went on and I got it.

On a rigid-heddle loom, these are made using two pick-up sticks. On a four-shaft loom, one of the shafts takes the place of the pick-up stick so you only need one. For the eight-shaft pattern, you’ve got enough shafts so that you don’t need any pick-up sticks, it’s all done in your threading and treadling sequences.

The small hearts above are for eight-shaft looms only. The ones in the picture below can be made with rigid-heddle, four, or eight-shaft looms. They are quick and fun to weave, fit right into the envelope and mail with a first class stamp. Come join me in spreading the love.

Oh yeah, here’s the link.