Hip to be Square

 

This has to be one of my favorite designs ever! When Jane Patrick from Schacht Spindle Company called to ask if I'd create a piece featuring the Zoom Loom for TNNA (The National Needle Arts) Convention, I couldn't say "no".

And then there is the yarn. I had previously worked with Classic Elite's Liberty Wool Print on my rigid heddle loom. With the long color repeats, the effects when woven are spectacular. It comes in many colorways and is completely machine washable. What's not to love about this yarn? 

I had an idea in mind  when I started weaving the squares, and it evolved from there. To really show off the woven squares, I outlined them with crochet in a solid color. Classic Elite Yarns had the perfect Liberty Wool solid to coordinate. I played around with several arrangements of the squares. There are so many possibilities. I settled on the one I liked best and stitched them together. To add another element, a rib knit border and turtleneck were added. And the results, well all I can say is, It's Hip to be Square!

 

To purchase the pattern:

 Hip to be Square Poncho

 

 

 Photos by Bliss Photography

 

Special thanks to Jane Patrick, Heather McVicker and Sandra Geonetta

May Studio Stuff

Fun stuff at my studio in May included rigid heddle and Zoom Loom weaving classes. It was so rewarding to be able to introduce weaving on small looms to a new group locally. And having a classroom next to my studio was an added bonus. This time there was no need to pile looms and all my things into my car and drive them somewhere.

New classroom space worked out perfectly!

The T-shirt I bought at the Shenandoah Valley Fiber
 Festival last fall turned out to be an appropriate visual aid.

In addition to teaching, I've also been busy working on new designs that will become patterns for rigid heddle and pin loom weavers. Watch for them in my next blog post.