I’ve already announced this on the Facebook Pin Loom Weaving Support Group, but here is the first set of instructions for the FALL WEAVE-ALONG.

If all goes according to plan, we’ll be using a 4″ x 4″ loom to weave 12 squares for a Fall Banner. In fact, it will actually be 15 squares since we’ll need to make the “hanging sleeve” as well. (Hopefully it’ll still be fall when we get done.) This is the design idea in it’s infant state:

This is the plan

I’ve designed all the pattern blocks. Some are woven in my colors of choice and some need to be rewoven; some still need to be proofed.

Squares and patterns in the making!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT is to choose your colors* (and procure a 4″ loom if you don’t have one. And learn to weave on it if you don’t know how yet!). I recommend at least four fall colors (I suppose you could get by with three). Please don’t use variegated yarn because it likely won’t show the patterns well. That said, you can use it in the weaving layer, but please use caution. In the photo directly above, you can see the L is made with variegated yarn in the weaving layer; the color bands are not radically different from each other, so the pattern still shows up well.

In fact, if you’re dying to get started, you can make three plain weave squares in color(s) of your choice for the hanging sleeve. (I’m thinking—don’t know for sure at this point—that I’ll make my hanging sleeve in a neutral beige-ish color. Since this is a group-including-leader weave-along, I don’t know yet!)

You don’t have to use as many colors as I’ve selected, but I recommend AT LEAST 4

If you own a 2″ loom and want to test the compatibility of some of your colors (because of course I’ll encourage you to make two-color squares [but you don’t HAVE to]), make up some little test swatches. If you don’t have a 2″ loom, you can also make test swatches on your 4″ loom.

I was sure the yellow and green would look good together, but wasn’t sure about the dark red and green. I hope it shows up well in the photo—I like it!

If you want to, you can draw a little diagram like the one in the top photo and decide which colors and patterns you’ll use where.

Patterns used in Fall Banner:

Letter F
Letter A
Letter L (make two)
Maple Leaf
Diagonal Leaf (A and B are used in the banner, but you can use any of the four)
Pumpkin
Pumpkin outline
Optional: Home, Sweet HomeHome Is Where the Heart Is

You could also border the whole banner with 2″ squares as one FBPLWS group member, Barbara Mercier, did.

When you’re ready to join your squares, this tutorial may come in handy.

*Sometimes I get asked for yarn recommendations. I tend to prefer acrylic yarn (it’s inexpensive, accessible, and comes in lots of colors). Here are my top recommendations: Caron Simply Soft, Bernat Satin, Red Heart Soft, and Hobby Lobby’s Yarn Bee Soft Secret. Those are the brands I’m using for this project. (Lion Heartland is another favorite of mine, but I was concerned that its slightly mottled colors might obscure the patterns. However, it would certainly be suitable for the plain weave squares or in the weaving layer since it follows the “rule” about using variegated yarn even though it’s not technically variegated.) RHS and BS are thicker than CSS and YBSS, so it’s good to pair the thinner yarns with thicker when doing two-color weaving as it helps fill up the weaving spaces a bit. However, you can certainly combine two thins or two thicks; just be aware the square size might be slightly different.

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This is what my finished banner looks like:

2 Thoughts on “Fall Weave-Along

  1. Monica on 3 October 2017 at 2:22 PM said:

    What a terrific idea! Count me in.

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