Viva la Vest!
MAKE YOUR OWN FABRIC
USING KNITTING YARNS.
BY JOAN SHERIDAN HOOVER
AND BECCA OLSEN
The rhythm of weaving is soothing, and creating
your own fabric is addictive. Weaving is easy
(remember those potholder looms you used as a
kid?) and you can do it with things you probably
already have around the house. We raided our knitting stash for yarns and used a scrap of plywood
and a box of nails to make the loom.
For this project, we used plain weave — over 1
thread, under 1 thread. By using different yarns to
provide color and texture, you can achieve great
looks with this simple fabric structure. We ended up
making a vest with our woven fabric, with the help
of a commercial sewing pattern.
Joan Sheridan Hoover (a weaving shop owner) and Becca
Olsen (a high school student) are weaving buddies who enjoy
playing with yarn. For local weaving resources, visit the
Spinning & Weaving Association at
spinweave.org.
