Rigid inkle pickup

I need to do some demonstrations at 2 shows this summer. I always use my rigid heddle loom and weave functional scarves. In typical Peg fashion, I decided that this year I wanted to shake things up a bit. Ergo that attempt with the triangle loom. So I figured I’d try some inkle-type pickup weaving using my rigid heddle loom. I thought I’d do some lettering. So I warped the loom and set about trying.

Here’s attempt #1. In the garbage can where it belongs.

And my 2nd try. Much better but not yet acceptable.

This is where my OCD/stubbornness/persistence kicks in. Attempt #3, while not perfect, is much better.

It’s good enough for me to know that it isn’t what I want to do for the demos. So I go through the Anne Dixon Inkle Pattern Book looking for some other inspiration. And I got it. I wound more warp and set up the loom again.

My first attempt was a short celtic knot. It was ok, but too wide. And would take far too long for a one-hour demo, which is the time I had at the RALA show. Before trying that again I tried another design – a heart. Easier to see it taking shape before your eyes.

Unlike the lettering, this type of pickup looks cool on the back, too.

I’m happy enough. But wouldn’t it be great to do the RALA logo? (Look up my header and you’ll see it.) So I graphed it out and tried it. 1st attempt needed work. Re-worked the design and tried again.