Books for Inspiration, Patterns and Learning More ... Band / Tape Weaving

I took advantage of my local public library to check out a few books of interest on this wet and snowy winter weekend.

I've had this book on band weaving before, and decided it was beyond me back in December.  Now I think I'm beginning to understand it better, and I do like her patterns.  She uses a double slotted (pattern) rigid heddle for tape weaving with a pick-up technique.  Her patterns are designed for 5 - 7 or 9 pattern threads -- and you can buy double-slotted heddles to accommodate 5-7-9 pattern threads.     The extra slots for the pattern threads make them easier to pick up, as they stand out on a level all their own.   I finally decided to purchase a copy of the book.  But what about the wooden heddles?

HandyWoman sells them for about $35 each.    And this is not something my husband was willing to try and make for me.  It involves too much precision.  You can also get plastic ones, but they are not all that much cheaper.

Fortunately, Foulkes has a section at the back of her book showing how to use her patterns on an inkle loom (like the one I just acquired), with just the string heddles you'd use there.   I wonder if I could but the pattern strings on separate heddles on the inkle, instead of purchasing the fancy rigid heddle?  She says the rigid heddle makes learning to weave easier, and it makes the pattern strings easier to see -- but then they are probably a different color anyway, so they would very likely stand out even without the fancy rigid heddle to set them off.  I can try it without a wooden heddle for the moment. 

Still working things out in my mind with all this.  Still trying to settle on a pattern, and colors.  Then I have to purchase the right sized yarn (Size 3/2 Pearl Cotton at Halcyon?).

Color Coded Tablet Weaving

I also decided to purchase this book, as it has come beautiful patterns and they are all color coded.  Using the cards / tablets is a different style of weaving.  This method claims to make it easier.  We shall see ...  Lots of great color pages, and good reviews on Amazon.

There's a separate set of color-coded cards (aka tablets) that you can purchase, but I think I can just as easily color code the ones I already have.

Progress on the green strap.

Heck-- At present, I'm still practicing plain weave on that variegated green acrylic (junk) yarn, just trying to master good selvedges.  Weaving on it goes pretty fast, and because I'm not worried about keeping track of a pattern, it's a nice meditation.  And those selvedges are improving the more I do.

The oddyssey continues!