Weaving For Babies

Wordplay is fun. The title might make someone (from another planet) think that this post was about babies learning to weave. In fact, it’s about weaving things for babies to use, specifically handwoven baby blankets.

When I first got my lovely floor loom a few years ago, I was a weaving newbie, or baby, if you will. It didn’t take me long to be able to produce a decent scarf in either plain weave or twill, but I wasn’t prepared for anything fancy. I remember reading my weaving bible, Learning To Weave by Deborah Chandler, about doubleweave. I knew for a fact that I didn’t even understand the language she was using, much less have any clue about how to implement her directions. (Doubleweave is a way to weave something that’s twice as wide as your loom. Or you can weave tubes, if you want.)

So I decided to simply ignore that section of the book. Along with several other sections I didn’t understand. Hoping that all in good time, it’d make sense to me. Or that I wouldn’t need or want to do it.

Then suddenly one day about a month ago I was in the shower (a place where I often get inspiration) when I said to myself (ostensibly out of the clear blue – I wasn’t consciously thinking about it), “I bet I can understand those doubleweave directions now.”

Amazingly, I was right – I could understand! So I had to figure out what I needed to make to use the technique while it was hot in my brain. My answer – use up some baby acrylic and make a handwoven baby blanket!

I’d woven a blanket for a friend’s baby about a year earlier, and had to weave it in two strips and stitch them together. Although the friend was really gracious, the baby blanket was less than lovely. Weaving a blankie in one piece would be WONDERFUL!

Blue & White Checked Baby Blanket

So with several false starts I figured out how to follow the instructions, and wove a checked baby blanket that made me happy. It wasn’t perfect, but it was really quite nice, and I was very satisfied with my first attempt at doubleweave. I put it up on my website, but had no idea if it would sell or not.

Imagine my pleasure when it sold at the first show I brought it to!

Having another show the following weekend, I decided that I’d use the intervening days to weave another baby blanket, this time from a lovely handpainted cotton flannel. I was even happier with the results, and brought it to show #2 of the year. IT SOLD!! I didn’t even get a photo of it before it was gone.

cotton flannel yarn

I figure that I’d best make more handwoven baby blankets. That’s what I’m working on now, turning this lovely little cone of baby-colored cotton flannel yarn into a blanket. Watch for my progress.

Jane

August 6, 2016 at 10:54 am · Reply

Do you mind telling where you got cotton flannel yarn? I am trying to design a blanket for some very picky parents, and I think that would meet their requirements for fabric content and mine for durability.

Peg Cherre

August 7, 2016 at 7:45 am

Sure, Jane. I got variegated cotton flannel yarn on ebay from Fiber Options and had some custom dyed for my by Yarntopia Treasures through Etsy. Good luck with your baby blanket!

Erica

November 10, 2015 at 10:33 pm · Reply

So this is how it all started! Very neat! I am enjoying reading through your archives!

Remembering Mondrian « Weaving A Gem Of A Life

June 25, 2015 at 12:46 pm · Reply

[…] accomplished back in 2009, just 2 years after I had my first weaving lesson ever, was a double width baby blanket. I did a few more double width things, then got away from doubleweave for a bit. Recently I used […]

melissa

October 21, 2011 at 5:08 pm · Reply

Your blankets are beautiful!
How do you secure weft ends to ensure there will be no unravelling with washing and heavy use?

Thank you

Melissa

Fellow Weaver

Peg Cherre

October 24, 2011 at 6:31 pm

Hi, Melissa. I do a few things to make sure my baby blankets won’t unravel. When I take them off the loom, I do a row of straight stitch and a row of zig-zag along the very edge on my sewing machine. Then, I machine stitch the binding on, adding another level of security.

Enjoy your weaving!

Allison Dalley

April 20, 2011 at 9:51 pm · Reply

Hello.I am searching for a diamond pattern to use for a baby’s shawl.
The example at the top of this page would be perfect.
May I know the lifting pattern,tie-up, etc please?
I will be weaving the shawl using 110/3 Merino.

Kind regards,

Allison Dalley.

Peg Cherre

April 21, 2011 at 5:52 am

Allison –

I did a simple straight draw for both warp and weft for this baby blanket, and just a plain weave. Let me know if you have any other specific questions.