Month: January 2023

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January 31, 2023 newsletter

Sweetheart Bronson Lace

When I was creating the content for Block Analysis that we learned in S6E9 of the School of Weaving, I had leftover warp and thought I’d play a bit more. Hearts popped off my graph paper and into the cloth.

So – just in time for Valentine’s Day – you can wear your “heart” around your neck even though you can’t wear your ❤️ on your sleeve. This fabulous scarf is fun to weave in 8-shaft Bronson Lace, which is the perfect canvas for creating these wonderful graphics. 

Jane

Purchase the Sweetheart Scarf kit here

Season 6 Episode 9 Block Analysis

Back in the day – I was addicted to playing with Bronson Lace and testing my limits to see what I could create with it. When I was designing the Block Analysis episode for Season 6 Episode 9 – I found myself sliding into the hole again 😉 That’s when the Sweetheart Bronson Lace scarf was born and I knew you would love it. If you want to learn about the magic of playing with Block Analysis – now is the time. Winter days are still with us and you can brighten yours by getting the kit from Season 6 Episode 9 and putting on a warp for you to weave this fabulous scarf and still have lots of room left over to play with other designs you would like to explore.

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: 8 Shaft Bronson Lace
Material: 8/2 cotton & 20/2 Tussah Silk
Each kit makes: 3 Scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts:8

Reed: 8 dent

Weaving width: 18″

Take me to the kit

Jane will be on Handweavers Guild of America’s

Textiles & Tea – February 7th at 4:00 PM (ET)

We are excited to share the news that on February 7, 2023, our very own Jane Stafford will be doing a live interview on the Handweavers Guild of America’s Textile & Tea weekly conversation.

Tuesday, February 7th at 4:00 PM (ET) and is sponsored by our very own Sharon Broadley @Colour.Woven!

These conversations are with some of the most respected fibre artists in the field today. In their 45-minute discussion, the focus is on their artwork and their creative journey. They allow 15 minutes at the end of the conversation for questions from the audience.

The episode is broadcast via Zoom and Facebook Live. These broadcasts are free to view and open to all.

All episodes of Textiles & Tea are recorded and are available to be watched on HGA’s Facebook page and YouTube channel. For more information on previous episodes, click the link below. 

https://weavespindye.org/textiles-and-tea/

From Our Inbox

This terrific example of what can happen when you use a photo for colour inspiration and then play with the graphic using Asymmetry. PK’s latest creation just flew out of our inbox grabbing our attention. It also speaks volumes about the many tools we have available to us to use when creating our own unique cloth. PK also added a “skill” layer to her scarf by dyeing the yarn she used to weave it. Well done, PK!
Hi, me again!

I thought you would like to see how I used what I learned in Asymmetry, plus a tad of influence from your colour inspiration guide.

Waiting for my shipment of your kit yarns (since arrived – yay!) I decided to make a merino scarf/shawl using the Asymmetry ideas. This morning of the decision I received a photo from my daughter of flowers she just bought herself. Perfect timing for a colour influence.

This 4 ply 100% NZ merino hand dyed by myself. The base colour is soft pink, lichen green is the zinger, the rest is cocoa brown, mist grey and off white.

Thanks for the fun! PK

Asymmetry Episode

If you’ve ever wondered whether a simple design element like Asymmetry could become magical … just glance up at From Our Inbox above and you will get an idea of the possibilities! If you haven’t watched the School of Weaving Asymmetry episode yet, now might be the time to get inspired and create something uniquely yours, as PK has done. Forget all the “ifs” and just have fun creating your own design based on Asymmetry!

Take me to the episode!

JST 2023 Calendar!

Get yours now before they’re all gone!

We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

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January 24, 2023 newsletter

A Splash of Colour

As we near the end of January, we thought we all needed a splash of colour to brighten our days. So – this time we are focusing on a few of our most vibrant kits and if you haven’t woven a kit recently – one of these can’t help but brighten your day. When we think of bright colours – Granny Pam’s Tea Towels, woven with Bouclé, always pops to mind. Our Pretty Pansies and Inspiration From a Sari compete for attention and certainly add a bright spark to anyone’s kitchen. And ….. speaking of bright spots – I’ll bet you can guess that Jane’s Favourite Tea Towel was designed after a trip to India and my exposure to the amazing palate of colours found there. For a touch of luxury in your life – we have lots of colourful scarves you can drape yourself in. Our Simple Collapse series of scarves offer you choices – just pick your colourway – and, while you are there, check out the Ganges Sunrise Scarf which will surround you with the colours of a beautiful sunrise as you weave and wear it.

Granny Pam’s Inspiration

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: Cotton Bouclé
Each kit makes: 9 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4

Reed: 12 dent

Weaving width: 22″

Read More

Pretty Pansies in Huck Lace

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave & Huck Lace
Material: 8/2 Cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 25 ½”

Read More

Inspiration from a Sari

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: 8/2 Cotton
Each kit makes: 12 Towels and a bit of play time

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 24″

Read More

Jane’s Favourite

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: 8/2 Cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent
Weaving width: 24”

Read More

Simple Collapse Pucker Up

Simple Collapse Weave

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Each kit makes: 2 stunning Scarves
each with finished dimensions of 12” x 75” plus fringe

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 10 dent
Width in Reed: 18”

Read More

Ganges Sunrise

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: 1/3, 3/1 Twill Weave
Material: 30/2 Bombyx Silk 40/2 linen
Each kit makes: 2 Scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 12 dent

Read More

From Our Inbox

This week’s “From Our Inbox” features Julie Evans, from the Los Angeles area of California, sharing a tip with us. She turned the plaid warp that was on her loom into napkins! Jane responded…..

Hi Julie,
Brilliant idea, that is definitely an idea worth sharing. I have put small cones in my bobbins too, many times but never on camera, so that is a great 2nd tip. Yay, thank you so much for sharing your ideas. So glad you are having fun.

Jane
Hello Jane and Team!
My name is Julie Evans, and I live in the Los Angeles, CA area. I’m currently working through Season 2, and I have the plaid warp on my loom right now. Like everyone else, I’ve been amazed how an olive green and red warp can transform when you add bright colors into the weft. I’m nearing the end of the warp, and I have re-sleyed it to 12 ppi, and I thought I’d make some napkins with 8/4 cotton. I’ve done this before on other warps, and I finished by sewing two preemptive seams, and then cutting down the middle. I thought I would split the warp into two while still on the loom, and weave both sides at once. It is a little fiddly, but it will make for much better napkins when finished. I’m using up 8/4 from a previous project, and as you can see, I was able to fit the cones right onto my shuttles. Not only am I using up some cones, I also saved some time by not having to rewind onto a bobbin. Thank you for your classes and kits; I’m learning so much!

JST 2023 Calendar!

Get yours now before they’re all gone!
We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

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January 17, 2023 newsletter

Have you tried
Venne Eco Jeans yet?

If one of your resolutions this year was to try weaving with something you have never woven before, take a look at the fabulous Eco Jeans yarn we are featuring in this newsletter. This fantastic yarn is good for our planet because it’s made of 100% recycled jeans and used plastic bottles. Worn jeans, jackets and other articles of jeans fabric will get a new life. Not only is it wonderful for scarves but we’ve seen some beautiful examples of towels and shawls woven with it. And to give you more choice in colour we’ve added Sandalwood, Steel Blue and Deep Red to the Venne Eco Jeans yarn we carry. Weave something unique with it and share it with us for From Our Inbox as Sharon Hatelt has – see below. Sharon used Eco Jeans to weave hand towels and she loves them.

Cramming & Denting Eco Jeans Scarf Kit

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Plain Weave
Material: Venne Eco Jeans
Each kit makes: 2 Scarves

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4
Reed: 10 dent
Weaving width: 13″

Read More

Now available in 1 kg cones!

You asked us if we could bring in 1 kg cones and we did!

The Venne Eco Jeans recycled Nm 12/2 now in 1KG cones at JST!
We have a few of the following 1KG cones in stock for C$103.50 each:

Deep Red
NEW on our shelves – Steel Blue
Deep Navy
Platinum
Cloud
Sandalwood
Check out our Eco Jeans Line

Cramming & Denting Episode

Want to try weaving with a linen warp using Cramming & Denting method?


This School of Weaving sample is all about using multiple setts in one piece of cloth. We learn how to adapt our sleying and beating to create beautiful fabrics and we do it all in Linen 🙂 Things you will learn when watching the episode:

  • Linen is awesome!
  • Using multiple setts in one piece of cloth
  • We use our reed to create all the patterning in the cloth but have different sleyings
  • We learn to identify negative space
  • We are in charge of our beater and we have to beat each section appropriately based on what we want
  • We can mix silk and linen

You can purchase the Cramming & Denting Sample Kit right here and follow along with the videos!

Take me to the lesson!
Buy the lesson kit here!

From Our Inbox

We are featuring Venne’s Eco Jeans in this newsletter and some of the sparks that had us heading in that direction were from this email that turned up in our Inbox from Sharon Hatelt from beautiful Quadra Island. Anyone can weave these towels but take note – all of you table loom owners – these towels fit perfectly on most of your looms with the width in reed being 14″.

Hi Jane and crew:

I thought you would like to see my latest weaving: hand towels made from Venne’s Eco Jeans fibre. I sett it at 18 epi in Twill, machine washed and dried, and they finished at 13.5″ x 24″. They have a lovely hand, and being cotton/poly, I think will wear very well. The pattern is the Heriot Bay Local Tartan, modifying the original colour scheme to use the five Eco Jeans colours and then reversing them for the second warp. Interesting how just changing the colours changes the whole look. The towels have a lovely drape and hand.

Cheers,
Sharon Hatelt, Quadra Island

Sharon’s project specs: for 3 towels
finished dimensions: 13.5″ x 24″
weave structure: Twill
sett: 18 epi/ppi
252 ends with floating selvedges
warp length: 96″
width in reed: 14″

JST 2023 Calendar!

Get yours now before they’re all gone!

We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

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January 10, 2023 newsletter

JST Calendar!

Are you looking for a way to bring a bit of sunshine into your days? Our fabulous calendar, loaded with stunning photos, is enough to make any weaver dream of warmer days and a beautiful assortment of yarn to weave with. Our 2023 calendar is now on sale for $19.95 so buy one to hang as inspiration near your loom! But…order one while they are still available…having these fabulous photos nearby will open lots of “what if’s” as you design your own unique cloth.

Get yours now before they’re all done!

New Kit on our shelves!

Kiki’s Swedish Lace Tea Towels

Sometimes it’s just fun to feature a weave structure in a newsletter and see what can be created using that structure. That is the path that Kiki’s Swedish Lace Tea Towels lead us down…..as Kiki created another delightful pattern that we can now share with you in a kit. She created towels, as a member of Jane’s Dream Team, for our School of Weaving’s episode on Swedish Lace – Season 5 – Episode 5 – should you want to review the secrets behind Swedish Lace. Scroll down to see a description of what you could learn by watching this episode. Everyone who sees this pattern wants to make these towels and Kiki has graciously shared her pattern with you.

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Swedish Lace
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4

Reed: 10 dent

Weaving width: 24″

Finished Dimensions: 18.5″ X 26-30″ long

Read More

SweDISH Tea Towels

The SweDISH Towels (get it 😉) were designed by another Dream Team member – Rebecca Logan. Enjoy weaving them in the colours of the Swedish Flag – blues and yellow. They blend Huck and Swedish Lace and are a lot of fun to weave using the treadling in the pattern provided with the kit or as you create your own design. 

Project Specs

Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner
Weave structure: Huck with Swedish Lace
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Towels

Loom requirements

Shafts: 4

Reed: 12 dent

Weaving width: 25″ ish

Finished dimensions: 21″ x 26″ ish, hemmed

Read More

First Time Weaving Swedish Lace?

We have another great episode on the School of Weaving that builds on everything we’ve learned about Huck. Swedish Lace is Huck’s cousin. They live on the same side of Lace Street. Swedish Lace units are the same as Huck’s but in Swedish Lace we are allowed to repeat those units as many times as we want. Ms. Swedish Lace is a little more lenient 🙂 When we understand how this works, it means we can use Swedish Lace and Huck in one piece….as you will see in our show and tell.

Things we will learn in this episode:

  • That Swedish Lace grows out of Huck
  • That our A units and B units can be repeated in our threading with the addition of a tie-down thread
  • That our A units and B units can be repeated in our treadling with the addition of an extra tabby pick
  • That we can use our Mother-of-all-tie-ups and weave it in weft spots, warp spots and lace
  • That we can overlay everything we played with from our Huck gamp and our Huck Colour and Weave gamp
  • That there just isn’t enough time to weave it all in one lifetime 🙂
Take me to the lesson!
Buy the lesson kit here!

Removing a warp from your loom to use later

We recently had a request for one of our School of Weaving members who wondered how she might be able to remove her dummy warp and keep it until she wanted to use it again. Well ….we had the answer for her on our Knowledge Base. We thought that this might be useful information for others – so here goes…….

Hi, 
Just finished weaving a second shadow weave scarf. The first one was my dummy warp in different colours. Now I want to start an all-new project. How can I save my dummy warp, which steps do I take best to take it off the loom and save my dummy warp for the next time I want to weave a shadow weave scarf?
Before you cut the cloth off your present loom, weave approx. 1 inch of good solid plain weave and then smother it in fray check or even white glue.  Wait until it is dry and very secure then make a plain weave shed and insert 1 lease stick beyond the glue line (in between your glue line and the reed), then make the other plain weave shed and insert the other lease stick.

Then you take the tension off at the front and squish it all together and tie up your cross. After you have your cross tied back into the warp you are ready to cut in front of the glue line.

Now you can take the warp off the loom. Release the tension from the back and pull your whole warp out the front. It is helpful to have a 2nd person if the warp is of any length. And you should put some cinch ties along the warp to secure it.

Once you have it all pulled forward you cut the warp at the back of the loom, and carefully, very, very carefully pull all the ends out of the heddles and reed. Tie a knot at that end and you can chain it up to your cross.

When you are ready to put it back on the loom. You put the apron rod through the cross end of your warp at the glue line.

Ta da!

Check out JST’s Knowledge Base!
We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.

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January 3rd, 2023 newsletter

Happy New Year!

It’s so hard to believe that we have quietly stepped into another year! It seems that I’m not the only one that can’t get my head around how quickly time flies by. My wish for you is to have a healthy, happy, 2023 that gets filled with good memories of time with family and friends. I wish you carefree times at your loom and feeling the joy of learning and creating, alongside our little School of Weaving family. I’ve enjoyed watching you develop friendships on the Forum as you weave and share your challenges and successes. I look forward to watching and hearing about your growth in your weaving whether you are a brand, spanking new weaver or are waiting to explore Season 7. Best wishes for a Happy New Year from me and my staff. 

Jane

In case you missed it

School of Weaving Season 7 trailer is out! We begin our new season with one more episode on Turned Twill on January 19th. Lots of time to binge-watch Season 6 before we dive into the extended Units, Blocks & Profiles for 2023! That’s right, we are layering colour sequences on what we learned in Season 6. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so with our 7-day free trial.

Start your 7-day free trial

Season 7 Episode 1

It is so much fun to start the year with another overlay idea. This year is about adding Colour and Weave sequences to units and blocks.

We’ll start with Turned Twill for the 3rd year in a row…adding my favourite Dark/Light sequence from Season 2 Episode 4, which was Dark/Light/Dark/Dark/Light. We’ll add it to units and then to blocks and make that cute little motif bigger and bigger and bigger. This should set your mind on fire. 

I also demonstrate how to wind 2 warps…a light one and a dark one and then beam both warps, at the same time, onto your warp beam. This method comes in really handy when you have a lot of colour changes in a warp.

Get ready to weave along with our next 8-shaft Turned Twill episode where we add Colour and Weave to the magic in the cloth. The kit for this episode is available now – should you want to have your loom ready and waiting to play along.

Things we will learn:

  • How to overlay C&W sequences from our C&W gamp S02E02 onto units and blocks, to make these motifs as big as we want.
  • We use D/L and D/D/L/D/L in the composition.
  • How to bring other sequences into the treadling.
  • We can also play with all those other tie-ups from S05E01 and S06E02.
  • How to warp with 2 warps, a dark warp and a light warp.
  • A discussion about whether we want to tie knots or warp with 2 warps.
  • One isn’t right, one isn’t wrong…they are just different ways to warp and it’s good to know.

Level of Difficulty: intermediate
Weave structure: 8-shaft Turned Twill
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Read More!

From our Inbox

We start 2023 with a bang and share the photos that Lindy Brown of Crescent Head, Australia, has sent us. She has been “playing” with Turned Twill and wrote “I enjoyed the turned twill and colour and weave lessons, here are some of my turned twill towels, many of which I have gifted to friends. So many great concepts and design ideas in these lessons. Thank you, Jane and team”

Lindy was inspired by our two Turned Twill episodes…so far 😉 – Season 5 Episode 1 and Season 6 Episode 2.

We offer FREE shipping on all Louet looms within Continental North America. We also offer the option to pay a $1000.00 CAD deposit on your loom with the balance due when the loom ships out to you. This gives you the flexibility to make smaller payments toward your balance, at your convenience.

Here to help

Have a weaving question? Find us on the Jane Stafford School of Weaving Forum and on 

Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.