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December 6, 2022 newsletter

Season 7, yay!

An Overlay of Colour & Weave Sequences and Texture on Units and Block Weave

Hello there my darling kidlets….so many of you have been waiting for this newsletter…so here we go!

As always, 2023 will build on all previous years with special emphasis on the Colour and Weave gamp we did in Season 2 Episode 4. We are going to take those Colour and Weave sequences and overlay them onto units and blocks. You’ll be amazed how you can take a sequence that may have been 5 ends and blow it up to be 20 ends or 40 ends. The motif stays the same, it’s just much bigger. We can also use those end-on-end sequences in so many unit and block weaves to add incredible depth and complexity to these structures. AND….we can add texture to so many of them, thick and thin in both the warp and weft. 

This is all being done on 4 shafts, with the exception of Episode 1 which is more on Turned Twill…I know…how can there be more….well, we’re only getting started. 😉

So far we’ve filmed the first 3 episodes…..Turned Twill, Fiberworks and Monk’s Belt. I can hardly wait to get the hundreds of yards woven for the next 6 episodes, it’ll keep me busy and off the streets. 🤣

I hope you enjoy the Promo…it gives you a lot of detail and some sneak peeks at what’s coming your way.

And, thank you so much for belonging to the School of Weaving….it is your subscription that allows me to keep making these episodes, taking things further and I have the honour to share it all with you. ❤️

Love ya tons,
Jane


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November 29 2022, newsletter

Units, Blocks & Profiles – What a year!

None of us can believe that another year has flown by and we are getting ready to launch Season 7, the sequel to Units, Blocks and Profiles. We have covered so much ground and given you so much to absorb but…that’s the beauty of the School of Weaving format. I know that many of my students who have taken “in-house” workshops in the past are delighted that they can now go through everything we learned this year, at a pace that gives them time to absorb all the information.

We started our first project of the year with a bang by taking 8-shaft Twill to another level by playing with blocks and tie-up quadrants. We watched the magic happen! We took what we learned about Monk’s Belt and pushed it up a notch. We learned how to use the unit system for Overshot and how to adapt our designs using Twill shapes in the mix. We learned how to do name drafting, which is so much fun. We finally got to know and play with Crackle Weave, learning how to add layers to this eye-popping structure. Next came M’s & O’s with all the treadling elements you could incorporate in the structure to create a beautiful cloth. We took our first steps into the almost endless possibilities of weaving using Summer and Winter. Before we knew it – we were blowing our minds learning to analyze blocks and then weaving the fabulous Block Analysis/Bronson Lace scarves.

Now it’s time to just enjoy the holiday season and weave with all the knowledge you’ve gained this past year!
Thank you for coming on this journey with me : )
Jane


School of Weaving In-Stock Kits

8 Shaft Twill Block & Tie-up Quadrants

Level of Difficulty: intermediate
Weave structure: Twill Blocks & Tie-up Quadrants
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 12 Tea Towels

Things we learn:

  • ways to manipulate the tie-up box
  • we consider it in quadrants
  • how to frame Lace with Twill
  • how to frame Basket Weave with Twill
  • how to frame Plain Weave with Twill
  • we don’t fret about clean cut lines
  • how to play with graphic and colour.

Monk’s Belt

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Monk’s belt
Material: 8/2 cotton & 8/4 cotton
Each kit makes: 12 Placemats

Things we learn:

  • Monk’s Belt uses 2 opposite twill units. A is 1&2 and B is 3&4
  • the number of times a unit is repeated lengthens the pattern float
  • the number of times a unit can be repeated is also dependent on the EPI of the warp
  • it is woven with alternating tabby picks between pattern picks
  • it can be woven on other threadings ie. point twill for a 3-end unit and Huck for a 5-end unit.

Overshot

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Overshot
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes a warp for 3 Scarves

Things we learn:

  • the unit system for Overshot
  • how understanding Twill shapes will help us identify those shapes in Overshot
  • Tromp as Writ, Rose Fashion, treadling on opposites
  • using contemporary graphics in the threading
  • adding other Plain Weave elements to the overall design.


Crackle Weave

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Crackle Weave
Material: 8/2 & 8/4 cotton
Each kit makes: 9 Towels


Things we learn:

     • Crackle weave is a twill-derivative structure
     • it can be woven with or without alternating tabby picks
     • how to interpret a Twill threading as a profile draft
     • doubling the units to double the size of the pattern
     • Overshot style treadling
     • on opposites treadling
     • classic Crackle threading, 3 wefts, (no tabby)
     • Bronson Lace treadling
     • Summer and Winter treadling
     • composition of graphic.


M’s & O’s

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: M’s & O’s
Material: 8/2 organic cotton & 8/4 cotton
Each kit makes: 12 guest towels or 12 placemats


Things we learn:

  • traditional threading for M’s & O’s
  • that we can thread Plain Weave selvedges and we can weave a version of Plain Weave selvedge… BUT, not both… you have to pick which one you want.
  • if you go for the version of Plain Weave we can use floating selvedges to spiff up the selvedge (we are using 4 per side)
  • that we have 2 units that can be repeated with care… I’ll explain in the video
  • that we can treadle: almost Plain Weave, traditional M’s & O’s, honeycomb, a version of Monk’s Belt, a version of Bronson Lace & repetitive sequences playing with all those things.

Summer and Winter

Level of Difficulty: Intermediate
Weave structure: Summer & Winter
Material: 8/2 cotton
Each kit makes: 1 sampler and 8 placemats

Things we learn:

  • the unit system of Summer and Winter
  • what a two-tie structure means
  • how to make your hem exactly like the pattern in reverse
  • how to treadle in pairs X style
  • how to treadle in pars O style
  • how to treadle in singles alternate style (bricks)
  • how to treadle in Dukagang style (columns)
  • how to change your ground patterning by changing your tabbies
  • having neutral warp allows us to bring in any colour we want.

School of Weaving

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JST 2023 Calendar

You now have the option to have the calendar shipped letter-mail to save on shipping. These images will inspire you all year long. Why not give them to your favourite weaving friends 🙂

$5 to ship in Canada and $7 CAD to ship to the USA.
Just click the “letter-mail” shipping option at checkout.


From Our Inbox

We were delighted to see Jacqueline Hitchen’s beautiful sample towels using what she learned in Season 6 – Episode 6 – Crackle Weave. Jacqueline wove them with Overshot and Summer & Winter treadling and we were pleased to see her results woven in her own choice of colours.


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 on Ravelry.

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June 28, 2022 newsletter

Season 3 Kits

Pushing the Boundaries of PW

Season 3 gave us the freedom to create amazing cloth by using different ways of exploring Plain Weave. When I travelled through India with Maiwa, I was amazed at the beautiful cloth that the weavers created using “simple” Plain Weave and lots of colour! A number of the PW structures we explored in Season 3 were inspired by the magic of India. So many of you loved weaving these “samples” and we thought that now you have more School of Weaving under your belts, you might enjoy weaving them again – the easy way – using a kit! Need some help weaving this fabulous kits? Take advantage of the 7-day FREE trial featured below, then you can watch and learn more about the kits you have chosen to weave.


Denting

C$54.00

In this first sample from Season 3 we are using our reed to create a wonderful lacy looking fabric in Plain Weave. In the video I use 16/2 cotton for the weft and in the final piece I used 30/2 silk, which may be purchased separately.

Things we learn:

  • to weave with finer threads
  • dented fabrics need to have a firm sett… they are not woven on an open sett. Our reed and our beat create the open space
  • we open our minds to adapting our weaving technique, i.e. – throwing two picks to create resistance, then tap, tap, tap
  • we learn to control our beater
  • how to really visualize negative space
  • how to bring gradation work over from Colour and Design and overlay it onto a new idea
  • that we can mix cotton and silk.

Denting Kit includes one cone each of Black, Charcoal, Dark Grey and Light Grey in 16/2 cotton. 


Cramming and Denting

C$90.00

This 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 inLinen 🙂

Things we learn:

  • linen is awesome
  • we use our reed to create all the patterning in the cloth by having 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.

Cramming and Denting Kit includes one cone each of spruce, olive, green tea and teal 40/2 linen.


Log Cabin

C$53.90

Oh my goodness, I love Log Cabin sooooooooo much. Log Cabin can be inserted into any existing graphic that you have. Imagine if we took some of the samples from last season, like Parrot for instance and we overlaid Log Cabin on top of that graphic. Or…what if we built Log Cabin into our Plaid graphic. Or…what if we brought those repetitive sequences that we learned in the Colour & Weave Gamp and overlaid them on top of our Log Cabin……what if, what if, what if…..those 2 little words have driven my study of simple patterning for decades.

Things we learn:

  • inserting Log Cabin into any existing graphic
  • thinking of plain weave in terms of block weaves
  • making Log Cabin 3 D
  • making it symmetrical
  • making it symmetrical and adding a frame
  • the importance of odd-numbered end stripes (i.e. 3, 5, 7…)
  • tucking our tails at the colour change and splicing those tails so they don’t show.

Each Log Cabin Kit contains two cones of white 8/4 cotton, one cone each of charcoal and cherry.


Weft Faced

C$6.00 – C$11.00

It is so good to weave this sample after the last sample because we bring over those colour and weave effects from Log Cabin and pour them into Weft Faced Plain Weave. They are definitely connected. We do branch out into Twill and other tie-ups and we master the ideas around weaving on opposites.

Things we learn:

  • how your sett controls your weft coverage, not necessarily your beater
  • colour is controlled by weaving on opposites
  • weaving with one shuttle and two shuttles
  • we bring sequencing from Colour & Weave into the game
  • floating selvedges are beneficial
  • 14 possible tie-ups on 4 shafts
  • division of space still rocks it all.

Weft Faced Kit includes one cone of 12/4 linen and however many skeins of Quebecoise you order to play with. Two skeins will make approximately four hot pads.


Warp Faced

C$80.35

This time around we’re going to have a peek at warp-faced fabrics. We’re going to sett our warp threads so closely together that the weft will be nothing more than a burrowing worm searching for a selvedge to pop out at. 🙂 We will learn how to obtain different colour effects and how sett controls the success of warp-faced fabrics. We’ll adapt our shuttle throwing technique yet again to get fabulous selvedges with the greatest of ease. And, we’ll learn how to hemstitch on honking dense warps without losing our minds.

Things we will learn:

  • how to obtain different colour effects
  • how sett controls success of warp faced
  • how to get nice selvedges easy peasy
  • how to weave Repp using thick and thin
  • how to bring repetitive sequences into our thick and thin
  • how to hemstitch on honking dense warps 🙂

Warp Faced Kit includes one cone each of 8/4 black, white, pale limette, peacock. One cone black mop cotton (you will also need a bobbin of 8/2 black but I’m hoping you’ll have some in your stash).


Simple Collapse Weave

C$173.00

In this episode, we learn how to use active yarns (shrinkers) and inactive yarns (not so shrinky) to create highly textured fabric. This time our perfectly wonderful Plain Weave is woven at a ridiculously open sett in 30/2 silk and 18/2 merino. We continue to push our technique to another level….learning how to control that crazy open sett and stabilize the fabric during the fulling process. If you loved Denting, and Cramming & Denting, I’m pretty sure you’re going to love this one too. I know I sure do.

Things we learn:

  • how to use shrinkable yarns and non-shrinkable yarns (active and inactive) to create three-dimensional fabric
  • how to weave with a very open sett and control it
  • how to manage the distortion that will occur in the weaving
  • how to full and finish your silk and merino scarves
  • how to deal with your hemstitching.

Simple Collapse Weave Kit includes 2 -100g skeins of 30/2 Bombyx Silk & 4 – 50g hanks of 18/2 merino wool.


Simple Supplementary Warp

C$111.00

In this episode we’re going to add a little pizzazz to our Plain Weave warps by adding supplementary warp threads right into the warp when we make it. I always think of supplementary warps threads as simply extra threads that come down from the sky and sit on our warps. They aren’t an inherent or necessary part of the Plain Weave fabric…they are just extra threads that can be woven into the ground cloth, float on top of the ground cloth, or underneath it, depending on what YOU want them to do. They are fabulous for enhancing our graphic with extra lines and texture and, they do not have to live on a separate beam, honestly truly! 🙂 

Things we learn:

  • how to add supplementary warp threads to a Plain Weave warp
  • how to warp those extra threads in with the base warp
  • that you don’t always need a supplementary warp beam
  • how to manage the tension on the supplementary warp with a simple rod
  • how to manipulate those supplementary warps threads via the tie-up.

Simple Supplementary Warp Kit includes one cone each of 16/2 cotton in Fuchshia, Purple, Raspberry, Cayenne and 1 skein of 20/2 silk in Lime Light.


Supplementary Warp & Weft

C$78.50 – C$95.75

Dr. Seuss could have written a children’s book about it….Oh the places you’ll go!

Our pasta this time around is a very fine Bambu yarn and the sauce is 18/2 Merino with two colour options to choose from. The supplementary warp threads are interspersed within our ground warp in 5 stripes. As always you’ll be given a gazillion things to play with and explore. In the end we have the option of taking this fabric to the sink to give it a heavy fulling and create yet another layer…this time collapsing it.

Things we learn:

  • how to overlay the idea of Collapse Weave on supplementary warps
  • how to thread supplementary warps a new way
  • how to weave with fine bambu at a very open sett
  • how to introduce the idea of supplementary weft
  • how to create 2 completely different sides on a 4 shaft fabric.

Supplementary Warp and Weft Kit includes: two cones of 12 gauge bambu in carob and one skein each of 18/2 merino in claret, copper and raspberry OR two cones of 12 gauge bambu in carob and one skein each of 18/2 merino in sage and teal.


School of Weaving
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Don’t be shy – share your creative designs with us 🙂

We’d love to see how you’ve taken what you’ve learned through the School of Weaving using JST Kits and/or our yarns and made it your own. Send us your photos, including the story behind your cloth. Click here to share your information, photos and adventure with us. With your permission, you might see your work featured in a future newsletter!


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 towards 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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June 21, 2022 newsletter

Season 2 – Colour & Design Kits

Have you always been tempted to do (or redo) the Colour & Design projects from way back in Season 2? There is something magical about the simplicity and versatility of creating cloth using these basic tools. Once you’ve had a chance to “play” with them – so many “what if” ideas will pop into your head 😉

Each kit comes with a weaving draft so you can follow along while you watch the videos of me playing with so many colour and design elements. Each kit includes enough yarn for a 6 yard warp which becomes your personal canvas to experiment and play on. You will learn how to weave towels on these warps – and on some – magically see that by opening up your sett, you can also weave a scarf or shawl on the same warp. You can even incorporate some of your own stash yarns for your weft. The possibilities are endless.

excerpt from Season 2 on SoW:

Season 2 lays the foundations of Colour and Design for your journey into weaving. We learn about colour theory, graphic, division of space and the architecture of design. All are presented in a way that allows weavers to bring their ideas to reality.

This entire year we will be working with 7 warps that all start at 18 EPI but I change the sett throughout, so it is important that we talk about sett even further to lay our foundation. I provide all the technical information you need to do this on your own looms.


Asymmetry

Asymmetry will give you a great foundation. We start out at 18 EPI and 18 PPI and as you will see in the videos, I change it up once we get some of the basics covered. 

And the things we will learn

  • How beautiful asymmetrical graphics are.
  • Fibonacci used as an incremental unit of 10 ends – movement of weight across a Canvas… dark to light. 
  • Graduating colours.
  • The power of a zinger.
  • Training your eye to see square.
  • How to change out a colour in the warp.
  • How to change our sett in relationship to changing our weft.

Asymmetry Kit includes one cone each of Black, Dark Grey, Light Grey, Bleached & Red in 8/2 cotton.


Colour & Weave

Gamps are great for getting a lot of information out of one warp. Colour & Weave is pure magic. How can all these little sequences of dark and light net us so many remarkable little patterns. The patterns themselves are remarkable but the sequencing is very important, it is the source of so much of the “play” in all of my work.

Things we will learn

  • Practice making a warp with different numbers of warp ends in the seven different sequences.
  • How putting in coloured divider threads help us keep each section clean and easy to read.
  • How crazy beautiful these pattern are 🙂
  • How to read a gamp.

Colour and Weave Kit includes 3 cones of Navy, 3 cones of Natural & 1 cone of Apricot in 8/2 cotton.


Fibonacci with Gradation AKA Parrot

The inspiration for Sample #3 was a parrot. It honestly had all these colours in it, it was just breathtaking. All my early inspiration comes from some external source and eventually morphs into something that has my fingerprint on it.

Things we will learn

  • Using Fibonacci in yet another way. I have taken the numbers; 2, 3, 5, 8 and 13 and added a zero to each one e.i 2>20,3>30,5>50,8>80, and 13 > 130. The graphic grows systematically.
  • The power of a line.
  • The idea of same/same. You have two ways to make your warp with the same colours – you get to pick – either way is equally beautiful.
  • Colour gradation plus another element with strong contrast.
  • Clasped weft technique.

Fibonacci with Gradation AKA Parrot Kit includes 1 cone each of Apricot, Pale Orange, Hot Pink, Fuchsia & Peacock in 8/2 cotton.


Plaid

We are weaving this simple pattern made up of 2 different sized squares with a striping sequence in a very traditional layout. When you watch episode 6 you will start out playing in a very traditional way with the squares and the stripes, but by the time we finish you won’t even recognize this warp. You won’t be thinking traditional tartan or plaid.

Things we will learn

  • Yet another way to use Fibonacci.
  • Working with complementary colours.
  • Challenging our ideas around value.
  • Creating more complex colour by mixing values… One in the warp, one in the weft.

Plaid Kit includes 1 cone each of Olive, Gold, Purple & 2 cones of Red in 8/2 cotton.


All About Stripes

The stripe has an ancient history but hasn’t always been loved. For much of history the stripe was used to label one as an outcast of some sort, a leper, a prisoner or a prostitute to name just a few. Stripe had to wait for modern times to be seen as loveable.

Things we will learn

  • That big division of space come first, even with stripes.
  • How to create repetitive sequencing with narrow and wide stripes.
  • How to work with colours of very close value and still see graphic.
  • How to use up your stash.
  • Learn the power of a zinger, even a thread or two.

All About Stripes Kit includes 1 cone each of Butter, Nile, Pale Limette & 2 cones of Lemon in 8/2 cotton.


Muted Colour Gamp

This is the first of two colour gamps in this workshop. Don’t let the word “muted” fool you, we take this warp and bring brilliance to the muted warp colours by overlaying all those bright colours from the other samples you have woven so far. You will have so much fun doing this.

Things we will learn

  • Arranging muted version of the primary and secondary colour wheel in gradation from light to dark, laying them all on a natural background.
  • Weaving the colours solid on solid and alternating on alternating.
  • Bring the loud members of the family to the party to brighten things up.
  • Working with textured weft yarns.

Muted Colour Gamp Kit includes 1 cone each of Forest, Natural, Navy, Raspberry, Gold, Purple & Cayenne in 8/2 cotton.


Primaries and Secondaries

This gamp we work with primary and secondary colours in purer hues on a black background. We will weave it very much like the last gamp but this is the first time we delve into twills.

Things we will learn

  • The power of a black background.
  • How black keeps other colours clear.
  • How the balance of colour changes in twills because we see more of each colour due to the float length.
  • How colour and weave patterns appear in twills when we alternate colour in the warp and weft.
  • We have been developing our technique to control our beater throughout this whole workshop and now we will use this control to weave twill and plain weave at the same sett.

Primaries and Secondaries Kit includes 1 cone each of Black, Emerald, Royal, Light Purple, Red, Orange & Lemon in 8/2 cotton.


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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 towards 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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May 3rd, 2022 newsletter

Thinking of Moms!

Mom or Mum’s the word at this time of year – no matter where you live and how you spell it 😉 Every one of us has a Mom and some of us are Moms, “Grand”moms or to a very special person in your life as an “adopted” Mom. We wish you an amazing day of being celebrated or celebrating the woman who is that person in your life.

I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without my Mom. She was my rock.  Happy Mother’s Day this coming Sunday ❤️💐

JST Store E-Gifts

If you are looking for a last minute gift that will give your “weaving” Mom some fun choosing an item that she has been wanting to add to her weaver’s toolbox – these E-Gifts are perfect.


School of Weaving Lessons

Coming up this Thursday is the release of the Overshot episode for this Season’s Units, Blocks & Profile. If you have not subscribed yet and would like to sign up or gift a subscription, click here to learn more!

Our Baby Blankie Collection

For those of you who are “expecting” a new arrival in your world – nothing is better than having a blankie waiting to wrap them up in. The Monte Cristo Blankie has wrapped hundreds of babies and then turned into a most loved “security” blanket as the toddler grew. These blankies have been dragged on lots of adventures and survived as an important part of growing up for many wee ones.

The Canvas Weave Baby Blanket is a newer version with the same comfort and softness of the original. Monte Cristo yarn gives a softness that is hard to beat – but not when you are actually weaving with it 🙂

Monte Cristo Baby Blanket Kit

Canvas Weave Baby Blanket Kit


From Our Inbox

Grand Aunts are so special!

Sharon Allen’s first grand-nephew Kirk just loves his new baby blanket 🙂


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 towards your balance, at your convenience.

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April 26, 2022 newsletter

Discontinued Silk Colours…

get them while they last!

Well, we’re doing our own spring cleaning 😉 We’re changing up the colour range in our hand-dyed silks. In order to add some fabulous new colours, we need to say goodbye to others. If you have fallen in love with any of the following colours – stock up now before they disappear.


Asymmetry

One of the great things about the School of Weaving is that we have students working on every sample, all of the time. New students are working on Season 2, others are midway on their journey and many, who’ve been with me since the beginning, are working on Season 6. I love seeing everyone’s work….on the forum, Ravelry, Pinterest and Facebook. The Asymmetry sample was the first sample of Season 2 from way back when 🙂 …the first sample where I introduce graphic and repetitive sequences. I love seeing it woven in new colours or changed in some way that reflects the weaver’s aesthetic…this makes me so happy. I’m inspired by this simple idea to this day. xox Jane

From our Inbox

So…..I sent out a little request to members asking them to send in their photos of asymmetry. We’ve picked a few of them to share with you, and maybe inspire you to look at this sample again. Thank you to everyone who sent us a picture 🙂 Some of them aren’t featured here but will be featured in another newsletter.

Pat Olsen’s samples following the PDF for the lesson and breaking out with new colours on her last one.

Lee Scott’s napkins, woven using 8/2 cotton at 18 epi/ppi.

In addition to weaving towels with the Asymmetry draft, Jennifer Bogut wove this beautiful scarf.

Gabi Tomas used Venne’s Organic 8/2 cotton along with some Bouclé cotton to weave her samples from the episode.

Lynn Pitet pushed the asymmetry idea to a new place and wove towels in twill using our Falling Leaves Tea Towel Kit and adding Fuchsia and Pale Limette.

Joey Barnes used a hemstitch on two of the pieces and then made napkins with the rest. She replaced the red zinger with green.

Lise added texture to her pattern via the tie-up and treadling and was inspired by Easter colours.

Mary’s beautiful sequin top! Who says any of this has to be a towel? Take it where you want to 🙂!


The Asymmetry sample was the first of the lesson projects out of the gate! There was a great deal of excitement and discussion as we finally got down to putting a project on our looms! If you want to see and read what was happening in 2018 as we got down our first challenge – it’s all on the original Forum – which you can find here… Asymmetry at the Loom. And, we have gone through our Forums, emails and Ravelry to find some examples of how this simple graphic can create wonderful woven cloth.
Tara’s chose Spring crocus colours to be Easter treats tea towels for her family. She increased the white thread count to weave a good size towel.

Maria-Theresia wove 4 towels using cottolin and had fun playing with the weft.

Lise Marleau Nesbitt used alpaca yarn she had on hand for the Asymmetry project and wove these three pieces. The cowl was woven with a cotton Bouclé.

David Schulz decided to put his newfound knowledge to use and design a warp inspired by Jane’s sample for this project. He used Fibonacci numbers to work out the thickness of each stripe.

Amy opened up her 8/2 cotton warp sett to 12 EPI and wove it with wool.

 Michelle wove something completely different and created a Ruana by cutting up the middle of the fabric to the halfway point and then stitching it up.

Anita wove her 3rd ever warp with our Asymmetry sample back when the episode was first released!

Jean wove one of her samples using repetition of 3rds.

Jennifer wove a blanket after a friend of hers saw her asymmetry samples. She used purple as her zinger and wove it in Twill instead of Plain Weave.

How about Mohair! Woven by roellien sett at 12 ppi.

Sharon using completely different colours as well.

Gabriele used blues & greens for her towels.

Jean took her inspiration from a trip to Galapagos. She concentrated on the designs she was creating.

Sue made a second Asymmetry warp and used different colours & fibre. She opened her sett to 16 epi and used 8/2 cotton for the warp and bouclé for the weft.

And Clare, who we featured in our September 2019 Weaver Spotlight with her beautiful shawl.

This little idea went on a great walkabout….so much fun. If you would like to contribute to posts like this one, please send us your photos.

We love celebrating everyone’s work!


If you are a subscriber to School of Weaving and want to learn more about asymmetry and design, watch Season 2 Colour & Design episode 1, an introduction to Colour & Design and episode 2, Asymmetry and Division of Space.


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 towards 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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March 22, 2022 newsletter

Lavender Lace Scarf Kit

I love linen 🙂 It’s such an amazing yarn to weave. Linen comes with a bonus – it’s cool and comfortable to wear and actually improves by getting softer the more it’s worn. I also love the fact that linen is plant-based and has such an incredibly long history of human use – at least 36,000 years and counting! You could branch out and make this Lavender Lace Scarf Kit your own by choosing to weave the scarves in your favourite colour and/or change the Canvas Weave threading to a colour that makes this structure the star of the cloth. Maybe this wee article from the Knowledge Base – Colour in Lace Weaving – will help you plan a scarf or two that are uniquely yours!

You can make this kit in any colour you would like! Simply, put the Lavender Lace Linen Kit into your cart. Then, use the checkout screen in the “notes” section to let us know what linen colour or colours you would like to use for your scarf!


Fulford Mist Linen & Silk Scarf Kit

Our Fulford Mist scarves combine the crispness of linen with the softness and sheen of silk – letting the qualities of both yarns share the stage in two luxurious scarves. These scarves are wonderful to wear at this time of year and will give you a nice, bright “spring” look for Easter.


Still not subscribed to School of Weaving?

A few testimonial posted on our apps

This has changed my life when it comes to learning to weave! The app is great and the instruction is very well done. Thank Jane and all your staff!! I recommend this to everyone interested in weaving. Terri, Aug 27, 2021

Highly recommended! Jane is such a great teacher! I love her School of Weaving channel on Roku! She is highly skilled, very personable, has a wonderful sense of humor, and explains everything in detail. The pace of instruction is good (not too fast for a novice weaver and not boring, either). Each lesson builds upon previous lessons in a practical sequence. Thank you, Jane and your team! Love, Joy and Blessings to all! 🙏 Celia, February 19, 2022

If you are thinking about it DO IT!
If I could give more than 5 stars I would. From the quality comprehensiveness of the instructions to the great filming. The only thing better is if I could teletransport myself to Canada and be there in person. I love that you can stop and revisit challenging tasks over and over again and search for issues by keyword. I also love that the program is project based wherein you learn so much without having to blabber and overthink while just having fun. Top notch instructions! danielvanalstine, 02/20/2022

I’ve been weaving since 1980. I thought I knew how to do it all except for some structures I hadn’t tried yet. What could I learn?
As it turns out, everything! I don’t do anything the way I was taught “back then”. My weaving, thanks to Jane, is ten-fold more efficient, less problematic, more adventurous and, just all around better. I even stopped hating the warping process. Thank you Jane! Deb -ASC , 12/27/2021

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Ask Jane

Since we’ve been talking about changing colours for the above Lavender Lace Linen Scarf Kit – we thought you might like to refresh what we have already learned from Jane about colour. Sometimes choosing different colours, or changing them, makes us a wee bit nervous – so read Design for Weavers: Colour Theory & Practice to understand the how’s and why’s of colours working happily together.


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 6th 2022, newsletter

Happy New Year!

2022 is upon us and the light is coming back. I’m already noticing our days getting a wee bit longer. Gotta love it!

I haven’t made any specific New Year’s resolutions, but I have tried to make intentions. I intend to be kinder to myself this year. I intend to listen to my poor achy body and not push it so hard. I intend to perfect my new mantra “whatever”….and let things go, because really, do those little glitches in life really matter? Even the big glitches are hard to control, so I intend to just be grateful for all I’ve got and keep moving forward. Heck……I’ve got to get on it because I’m going to be an Old Age Pensioner this year…..How did that happen 🙂 I’m not bothered by it, but I am kind of shocked.

My wish for you is that you’ll give yourselves the love you deserve. Be kind to yourself, weave kindness into each day and it will radiate out to all around you.

So…..off we go…..another year of weaving 🙂
Sending tons of love,
Jane


In case you missed it

School of Weaving Season 6 trailer is out! We begin 2022 with the Introduction to Units, Blocks & Profiles on January 20th. Lots of time to binge watch Season 5! If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so with our 7-day free trial.

Already a subscriber and not sure when your renewal date is?

Don’t worry! We’ll send you an email on your expiry day with instructions on how to renew. Just this once, since you will be renewing for the first time on our new website School of Weaving, please let your subscription expire as you cannot renew until then. Once your subscription expires you will then need to go through the 7-day free trial and enter your payment details as well as choose if you want to pay yearly or monthly.

If you still have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@schoolofweaving.tv or call us Monday to Friday 9 am to 4 pm PDT at 1-250-537-9468.


Huck Lace Cotton Tea Towel Kits

Looking for a splash of colour to pull you out of the white and grey skies of a northern winter? These Plain Weave and Huck tea towels are certain to bring a bit of sunshine and colour onto your loom and add a bit of zing to your kitchen. For those of you who live in sunshine at this time of year – weave them just for the joy of it!

Each JST Huck Lace Cotton Tea Towel kit includes the PDF pattern and weaving instructions along with all the 8/2 cotton needed to weave these towels.
Level of Difficulty: Advanced Beginner Weave structure: Plain Weave & Huck Lace
Material: 6 cones of 8/2 Cotton
Loom shaft requirement: 4
Reed size: 12 dent
Weaving width: 25 ½”
Each kit makes: 8 Tea Towels

Mountain Views

Falling Leaves


From our Inbox

Just before our holiday break we received a lovely note from Lynn of Cody, Wyoming that we just had to share with everyone. Well done Lynn!

“I’ve attached a photo of the tea towels I made for my bookclub for Christmas and, borrowing Jane’s creative way of displaying her towels, I hung them on a clothesline. You’ll probably recognize various lessons from Seasons 1 and 2.”

We always love seeing what everyone’s been up to…so please send it along 🙂

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.


We are pleased to 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 allows the flexibility to make smaller payments towards your balance at your convenience.
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December 7th, 2021 newsletter

The Enxtended Units, Blocks & Profiles Workshop Coming to You Online in 2022!

Season 6 is ready to roll out the door. How exciting … another layer of ideas and understanding added to our garden of weaving knowledge. Our weaving soil is getting better and better and I can hardly wait to see what you grow this year. 

Units, Blocks and Profiles are the 3 words that we will dance around in 2022.  We’ve heard those words before but now we’ll take a deeper look at them. We’ll study a few new structures (well, actually very old structures) and see how we can use everything we’ve learned about design in fresh new ways. This little video should get you all jazzed up about what’s coming your way at the School of Weaving 🙂

xo Jane

School of Weaving Units, Blocks & Profiles Trailer

Sneak peak at what we’ll be weaving!

Monk’s Belt like you’ve never seen before
A new modern approach to the classic Overshot

Continuing on with Turned Twill, working with so many blocks
Overshot Name Drafting – the designs possibilities are endless

Sign up for your FREE 7-day trial

Available today are Seasons 1 through 5

An all-access subscription to Jane Stafford School of Weaving.
You get 50 weaving lessons from the previous 5 years of instructions with your subscription plus all pattern drafts needed!
Sign up now and you’ll also receive a new episode every 5 weeks starting January 20th, 2022
You can subscribe between 1 to 12 months!

Season 5 lessons on Laces!
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January 2021 Newsletter

Picnic Basket Tea Towels

Lovely Linen Towels

I know it’s only January – but it’s never too early to think about a picnic – so, here is a new kit celebrating Venne’s GOTS certified Linen and Cottolin. 8 glorious towels can be woven on this warp. All you need is a 4 shaft loom with a weaving width of 21″. Twill and basketweave are combined in the threading to offer a multitude of treadling opportunities. 4 towels are woven with a linen weft and 4 towels have a cottolin weft.


Rustic Elegance Tea Towel Kit is back in stock!

C$109.00
We’re so happy to have Rustic Elegance back in stock…..another fabulous towel celebrating Venne’s GOTS certified linen

Rustic Elegance gives you 4 stunning towels exploring Colour and Weave on Huck Weft floats and a simple 2 stripe design. All you need is a 4 shaft loom 23″ weaving width. It’s time to weave some modern elegant heirlooms! 

JST Online Guild Season 5 Kits

We’ve been busy kitting up yarns for the start of Season 5’s JST Online Guild presentations and have plenty of kits for 5 episodes …. well, only a few for Episode 3 but there is a huge shipment of cones on the way. 

Season 5 Episode 1 – Turned Twill

Surprise! Partial Cones Available 🙂

Do you want to add a dash of colour to your next warp?
A splash of something that adds a zinger to your scarf, tea towel or blanket?

The Studio is overflowing with partial cones left over from winding down from big cones. So.….we are offering surprise bags of partial cones at a steal of a price! Each bag is guaranteed to have a certain amount of yarn depending on the type of fibre. The bags will have a palate of different colours in them with no guarantees on what you will get, so.…have fun being surprised!

200g of 18/2 Merino
(3-6 cones of surprise colours)
C$40.00

150g of 18/2 Zephyr
(3-6 cones of surprise colours)
C$50.00

200g of 40/2 Linen
(3-6 cones of surprise colours)
C$30.00

200g of Bambu 12
(3-6 cones of surprise colours)
C$28.00

200g of Bambu 7
(3-6 cones of surprise colours)
C$28.00

150g of brushed mohair
(2-5 cones of surprise colours)
C$36.00


Here to help

You can always find us on the Jane Stafford Online Guild Forum or on Weave with Jane Stafford at Ravelry.