2016 SO Scarf Project: Working on the Houndstooth

The featured pattern for our group (Knit and Crochet for a Cause) is the houndstooth.

Perfect for practising the weaving pattern on the loom.  And slowly, one by one, I’ve been working on the pattern on the loom.  This is what I have come up with over the summer.

After several scarves in the 2L 2D pattern, I wanted to try working on one with bigger ‘houndsteeth’.  So I tried doubling the colour strands on the warp – the red and white one.  It didn’t work.  It just made it thicker, or denser, but not bigger.  Well, it kind of elongated it too. lol

Then I thought maybe a 4L 4D pattern, with a 2×2 on the weft would make a bigger houndstooth.  It didn’t work either.  Those are the orange/green/purple and black ones.  It sort of looks like a houndstooth, but it isn’t really.

After the fourth time of experimenting with the pattern, I got tired of it and mixed it up now with other combinations.  This blue and white started out with the squares pattern, then evolved into a clasped weft instead.

*sigh* So I’ll continue with my experiments.  I asked in the weaving forums, and it seems that I need another heddle, or two, or three, and pick-up sticks (for a 2-shaft RH) to get the correct houndstooth pattern.  That’s ok … for now, I’ll stick to the 2×2 and practise some more, this time with different colour combinations …

That should keep me busy …

Information on the Special Olympics Scarf Project can be found here.
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National Crochet Month 2015 … or Weaving

So … Can you believe that National Crochet Month came and went, and I didn’t start any major crochet projects, or worked on any crochet projects?  Well, I’ve made a hat or two, but I’m not counting that as major projects.  So maybe it’s good that they call it National Crafting Month now, instead of National Crochet Month … but I don’t recall when that changed from Crochet to Crafting …

What I’ve been working on instead is this … weaving on the loom.

I’m still on a weaving kick, with so many ideas running around my head on the colour combinations, or the patterns, even if it is just going to be plain squares again, and plain weaving.  For about a week, my fingers itched to try weaving with pick-up sticks, and maybe the Leno lace pattern, because I re-discovered the Shalimar Breathless DK and Homage yarn in the stash, and thought that maybe I could make a spring shawl with it … but I hadn’t finished what was on the loom, so I couldn’t start anything new … *sigh*

So the thought that maybe I should get another loom – maybe a 24-inch one this time – has entered my mind.  The 15-inch is a good size to work with, but I’ve also noticed that my finished products come out about an inch narrower, which is sort of an odd size width for me.  Like, it’s too wide for a scarf, but not wide enough for a shawl or a wrap, so I’ll have to make two panels and join together … *sigh*  Like I started this as a baby blanket and planned to make three three-foot panels and join together, but I forgot and warped about six-seven feet instead.  So now, maybe I should cut it into squares, trim the edges with crochet, then join together to make a baby blanket .. except I’m a little hesitant about cutting the finished woven product – will the resulting ends unravel, before I can add the crochet trim?

Since I realized that I can’t start another weaving project until I’ve finished what’s on the loom, then weaving WIPs isn’t possible then, with only one loom to work on.  Maybe that’s a good idea … We don’t want any more WIPs to add to the pile, right?

Anyway … here’s what I worked on during National (not)Crochet Month …

Red Houndstooth

I was itching to try a different pattern now.  Plain weaving is still fascinating to me, as I watch the colours take shape and the patterns emerge.  But I wanted to try something different, and the houndstooth pattern is always something that I’m trying to recreate in knitting and crochet. By the way, knitting and crocheting have taken a back seat for now – can you believe that?  It’s been all weaving for the last month!  Anyway …

So I warped the loom with Red Heart Soft in black and red.

It started out great!  The pattern was showing up nicely, and I was really enjoying the weaving.  And then … something happened to the tension … again … and the pattern kind of got flattened or stretched out …

*sigh* I need to work more on how to get this tension even throughout the piece.  Maybe it’s in the way I’m winding the yarn?  The boys liked it – they were more concerned with the ends that needed to be cleaned up, and didn’t see anything wrong with the pattern – that’s good, right?

I like my first try with this pattern.  This didn’t shrink too much, and even though it’s six inches wide, I’m finding it a bit skinny, so I’ll make it wider next time.

Already planning the next colors …