Today I am thrilled to be interviewing the supremely talented weaver and blogger Kate from The Weaving Loom: The Modern Lap Loom Weaver’s Resource. If you don’t already know her, I know you will instantly become a fan. Kate’s blog is filled with beautiful images and practical tutorials on everything from basic weaving techniques to resources for weavers. I first discovered Kate on Pinterest just a couple of months ago and was so excited to find that there was a blog out there all about learning the basics of weaving! Kate’s own weavings are a great source of inspiration and eye-catching both for their texture and vibrant colours. She has a true artist’s eye for her craft and shares her insights and all that she’s learned on her own weaving journey with her readers each and every week.
You can follow her on her weaving adventures here:
// The Weaving Loom // Pinterest // Instagram //
She also has an Etsy shop: // The Weaving Loom Shop //
INTERVIEW WITH KATE
What fun facts can you tell us about yourself?
I love to read for fun, and mostly listen to audiobooks while doing other things. If I had to pick a last meal, I think it would be chocolate…with a side of pizza. I smile a lot, especially if I’m nervous. I have two young boys and now my head is full of kid show themes, but I’ll be honest, I love cartoons so I don’t mind the excuse of watching them.
What got you started weaving?
I have always liked working with fibers and learned the basics of knitting and crochet, but when weaving started showing up on my Pinterest, I was really amazed by the beautiful wall hangings artists were making with yarn and other materials. I right away made a board to save all the lovely pieces and after about a year I decided to give it a try myself. I made my first weave in 2014 and I really can’t stop, I enjoy it so much.
Your blog is incredibly informative and a great ‘go-to’ resource for weaving tips and techniques, especially for newbie weavers. What was the impulse to start your blog?
Back when I was starting to weave, I looked around the internet and checked out books at the library. There are a lot of great resources out there, but they are all over the place. When I would post a picture of a weave on Instagram, I would occasionally get a question from others asking where they could also learn to weave and there wasn’t just one resource I could point to, so I thought ‘why not make that resource’? I wasn’t sure how it would go, but I’m really happy I made the blog because I get a lot of great feedback that it’s helping others get into weaving and that is really wonderful. I really like to share weaving with others and see all the beautiful things they make.
(See Kate’s introduction to weaving basics here: Beginner’s Guide to Weaving)
How would you describe your style?
I guess my style focuses on color and texture. The major draw to weaving for me is the textures that using yarn brings, so I like to embrace that. Pictures on the wall are really nice, but a weaving brings an additional level of visual interest and I really like to focus on that in my weaves. I also play around and experiment a lot in my weaves and my designs are more often organic and not pre-planned.
(Check out the tutorial for this piece here: How to Weave Roving)
What are your sources of inspiration? What feeds your creativity?
I sometimes start a weave just based off colors I like and other times I will start a weave with a texture in mind. Fashion, knitwear, and some art can have a lot of great texture. These aren’t woven, but I like to experiment and see if I can get a similar texture out of my weaves. It doesn’t always work out, but I learn a lot in the process.
I love all the vibrant colours you use in your weavings. How do you choose your colour combinations?
I find color inspiration almost anywhere. It could be in nature, in a package design, in a painting, and sometimes in the mess of my supplies. I might see two or more colors next to each other that I wouldn’t have thought about before and that will spark an idea for a weave. I often will pick out maybe three main colors with some other colors I might also use.
I use the main colors as I weave and then during the process I might add the other colors or I might choose different colors completely depending on what the weave is starting to look like. I have found that sometimes colors look great together in my yarn balls, but don’t translate well in my weaves and it’s probably because the balance of the colors change in the weave, so I keep a loose plan and an open mind.
(See Kate’s post for the piece above here).
What are your ‘go-to’ tools and materials? Where do you shop for these?
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My main tool is a good tapestry needle. I recently found a great one that is metal and long, which I love. You can find that here: Steel Weaving Needle – 5 Inch
That, paired with a bent tapestry needle and I’m set: Clover Jumbo Bent Tapestry Needle
I love to get yarns from KnitPicks. They have a really great selection of pretty and very affordable yarns: www.knitpicks.com
I also love hand-spun and hand-dyed yarns that give my weaves a boost of texture and creativity. There are so many, but here are a few I really love:
- Serene Fiber Arts: www.serenefiberarts.com
- Spun Right Round (on Etsy): SpunRightRound
- Miss Knit Yarns (on Etsy): MissKnitYarns
Can you share some of your favourite creations with us?
One of my favorite weaves is my super colorful and textured weave. I made a small weave of this and then got a request from a friend to make a larger one for her.
It was so fun to create and I feel it really defines my style. With this weave I can throw in a crazy amount of color and texture and somehow it just works. I also love all the hidden texture that is in there. There is a lot for the eye to take in.
Another favorite weave of mine is when I tried circle weaving. For this weave I picked some really fun mermaid-like colors and again experimented with adding texture.
I really loved the challenges that weaving in a circle had. It was a fun experience and I am definitely working on more.
(For more on circle weaving, see Kate’s blog posts ‘Exploring Circular Weaving’ and ‘How to Use an Embroidery Hoop as a Loom.’)
What do you enjoy most about weaving?
I enjoy the challenge of it, the more I let go of planning the perfect weave and just make it as I go the better my weaves come out. I like to experiment also and see how far I can push myself and see how I can push the fibers and design. It’s my favorite creative outlet, and since I weave on a frame loom I can do it anywhere in my house. My favorite is weaving next to my husband while we watch Netflix late at night.
Thanks for this great interview Kate! You are an inspiration 🙂
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