WeaveZine Article Archive

This is where you can find the archived articles from WeaveZine, the one-time online magazine for weavers. WeaveZine is no longer in production, but as weaving is timeless, so is the content within this archive.

What's WIF Got to Do With It?

by Syne Mitchell on November 30, 2008

WIF stands for weaving information file. It is a specially formatted text file that describes a weaving project. What makes WIF files so wonderful is they're a generic standard, and can be read by nearly all weaving software. (If you're willing to wade through formatting, you can even open WIF files in a text reader such as Windows Notepad.) Read more >>

Summer-and-Winter Bookmark

by Lillian Whipple on November 30, 2008

When working with fine threads for the first time, it's good to start with a narrow warp, so you don't get overwhelmed by the number of threads and tension issues.

This bookmark in Summer and Winter is woven with sewing thread and embroidery floss. It's a great first project for weavers interesting in working finer. Read more >>

Woven Skirt with a Handspun Twist

by Melissa Ludden ... on November 30, 2008

I am a new weaver, so my goal is not to wow you with my weaving skills, but to show you how even a beginner can whip up something that looks far more complicated than it is. Read more >>

Wool and Silk Skirt

by Frida Karlsson on November 30, 2008

When I started a one-year weaving course and learned to weave, I thought I would make rugs, curtains, table cloths and other decorations for the home as my grandmother had done. Read more >>

A K.I.S.S. for Baby

by Marlene Randall on November 30, 2008

The idea for the "Keep It Super Simple" baby blanket was conceived when I found a soft and machine-washable, variegated yarn.

My loom was begging for a new warp and my niece was expecting her second child.

What better project than a lovely, soft, baby blanket to welcome the new little bundle? Read more >>

Thrum Coasters

by Cheryl Reed on November 30, 2008

Thrums are the scraps of warp threads left on the loom after the handwoven cloth has been cut off.

Some weavers throw them away, but that seems wasteful, especially with expensive or hand-spun yarns.

But what, then, do you do with all those short strands of yarn? Read more >>

Framed Purses from Narrow Bands

by Kaz Madigan on September 14, 2008

One loom has been with me throughout my life: through child rearing, hectic days, and rushing around—my inkle loom.

Portable and easy to warp, it’s friendly and yet mysterious to onlookers and new weavers.
It has everything going for it...except width.

I challenged myself to look at its lack of width as a design opportunity. Read more >>

Diaphanous Leaves

by Sally Orgren on September 14, 2008

Creating this scarf doesn’t require a big floor loom and lots of harnesses.

I dusted off my little eight-inch Structo table loom, and wove this on just two shafts! (You could even try this on a rigid-heddle loom.)

The weaving technique is called transparency and renders a lacy, translucent fabric with areas of opaque inlay designs. Read more >>

Knit 1; Weave 1: White Coral Bells

by Lura Moore on September 14, 2008

I started weaving baby blankets for my coworkers. I worked as a pediatric nurse and it seemed every week, someone was having a baby!

Everyone treasured the special gifts my partner Jill and I handcrafted for their babies. We frequently hear that our blanket became "the blanket" for many of the children. It is wonderful to hear that, years later, the blanket still has a special place in the child’s heart. Read more >>

Pacific Northwest Kente

by Syne Mitchell on September 14, 2008

I've long admired African Kente cloth for its rich use of color and the ingenious way narrow strips are pieced together to make larger fabrics.

My admiration grew when I learned that each combination of colors and patterns in Kente has a specific meaning and story, which appealed to the writer in me. Read more >>