Gather Placemats

Designed and woven by Anne Sammons

Gather Placemats

Designed and woven by Anne Sammons

Lines calm my busy brain, so I created woven placemats called "Gather" for my family to use during meals. This warp manipulation pattern produces a soothing and attractive illusion of rectangles and squares with the warp and weft sequence. It’s a beautiful project that is created by following a simple pattern. We'll measure the warp when we thread it through the slots and around the warping peg. When we thread the holes, we'll rearrange the color sequence that will create the rectangles and squares pattern. The yarn used in this project was sourced from our farm and naturally dyed with flowers and plants my son and I collected from our flowerbeds and garden.

Project Specs

Finished size: four 11" x 17" placemats (excluding fringe)

Weave structure: plain weave

Number of warp ends: 110

Warp length: 110" for 4 placemats

Width in reed: 13-3/4"

EPI: 8

PPI: 8

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What You'll Need

Materials

Two colors of dk weight yarn. The colors should have enough contrast for the pattern to develop. I used skeins of our Illinois-grown wool yarn, available in our website shop.
Color A: 425 yards (250 yds for the warp and 175 for the weft)
Color B: 150 yards (90 yds for the warp and 60 for the weft)

Equipment

Directions

Warping—Thread the Slots

Set up the loom for direct warping, with the warping peg 110 inches away from the back apron bar. Tie both yarn colors around the back apron bar and place the yarn sources behind the loom.
Measure the reed to center the warp.
Warp the first slot with color A.
Warp the second slot with color B.
Warp the next three slots with color A.
Warp the next slot with color B.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for 104 warp ends total (13 repeats of this color pattern).
Warp the last slot with color A and tie off at the back apron bar.
Beam the warp: Cut the yarn at the peg and tie a loose overhand knot to keep them organized. Wind the yarn on the back beam, separating the warp layers with paper. Wind until the yarn is 8 to 10 inches from the heddle.

Warping—Thread the Holes

Thread 1 strand of color B in the first slot. (Take this strand from the closest color B.)
Thread 2 holes and 2 slots with color A.
Thread 1 hole with color B.
Thread 1 hole and 1 slot with color A.
Thread 1 slot with color B.
Thread 2 holes and 2 slots with color A.
Thread 1 hole with color B.
Repeat steps 13 to 16 across the heddle 13 times.
The pattern repeat is 1 strand color B, 4 strands color A, 1 strand color B, 2 strands color A. Steps 10 to 12 are a balance so the placemats are symmetrical.
Tie on to the front apron rod and weave a header with scrap yarn. Ensure the tension is tightened and consistent across the warp. Use a piece of scrap yarn to spread the warp.

Weaving

Leave a tail 5 times the width of the weaving on your dominant side. Weave 4 picks of color A.
Weave 1 pick of color B (for the first pick, weave in the tail).
Weave 2 picks of color A.
Weave 1 pick of color B.
Weave 4 picks of color A.
Repeat steps 2 to 5 for 18 inches.
Hemstitch the other end of the placemat. Leave at least 5 inches of warp between each placemat (more if you prefer a longer fringe).
Follow the same steps for the other 3 placemats. Hemstitch the beginning and end of each.

Finishing

Soak the placemats in warm water. Remove the excess water from the cloth and allow to air dry. Trim the fringe to your desired length (I cut to 1").
Enjoy your placemats as you gather for a meal.

Notes

When both colors meet at the same selvedge, twist the yarns around each other before weaving the next pick.
If you prefer knots over hemstitching, weave in scrap yarn between the placemats. Leave more space between placemats for tying knots. After weaving, remove the scrap yarn and tie knots in the warp to hold the weft in place.