Weaving on a Tri-loom can be FUN! (by Pamela Kelly)

You do not need a whole lot of equipment to make a beautiful piece of woven fabric.  You do not need years of experience or training.  You only need a little patience and a Tri-loom Weaving Kit which you can purchase at Sunflower Fibers.

Weaving on a Tri-Loom is different from traditional weaving in that it uses a continuous warp and the warp is also the weft!  What is the warp and weft? In traditional weaving the warp is the thread that have the tension on them in the weaving process and they run from top to bottom. The weft is generally looser and runs left to right.  With a Tri-Loom, a continuous piece of yarn is both the warp and the weft.

This makes the weaving process faster and easier than traditional weaving. With Tri-Loom weaving, you will need a weaving hook, the Tri-Loom, and some yarn. That is all!  Sounds like fun so let’s get started weaving!  So how much yarn do I need to weave a shawl?  Good question.

To Calculate Yardage

1. Set up loom to size you are going to weave
2. Measure across top of loom (e.g. 7’)
3. Count the number of nails (e.g 170 nails)
4. 7’ x 170 = 1190 / 3 = 397 yards OR 7’ = 2 ⅓ yards x 158 nails = 397 yards
5. Decide the length of the fringe.  Fringe is folded in half.  A 9 inch fringe = 18” or ½ yard.  ½ yard x 340 (number of nails on each side) = 170 yards for fringe
6. Yardage for 7 foot shawl = 577 yards  (397 yards from #4 + 170 yards from #5 + 10 yards fudge = 577 yards for 7 Foot Shaw
7.  If using a decorative edge along the top, add 4x the top measurement – 7 x 4 = 28 yards
8. Every path the yarn makes (down from the top to the bottom nail, across to the other side, up to the top nail) uses 7 ft of yarn (the top measurement of the loom)
9. To calculate color changes and to determine how much yardage you need for each color, you must remember:

• A complete pass is the yarn going from the nail on the LEFT SIDE (LS) top – down to nail on LS bottom – across to RIGHT SIDE (RS) bottom – to the RS top – than back down -  across and back up (14 feet).  
• You are going over 2 nails on each side for each pass (4 nails total).
• Calculate the doubled fringe (2 nails on each side (7 x 2 = 14 feet).  Fringe on each side: (9” doubled = (18” x 2) x 2 (each side) = 6 feet. 
•  So 14 feet + 6 feet = 20 feet / 3 = 7 yards for every nail used in the design.

NOTE: When buying yarn for a project, the tag might say the yarn is a certain length, they allow themselves to be off 10% either way.  So get a loom and your yarn because next month we will start weaving! 

If you decide to purchase a loom, go to www.sunflowerfibers.com and send me an email (info@sunflowerfibers.com) and you will receive 10% off your loom purchase.