Warp Wrapped Tree Weaving

Warp Wrapped Tree Weaving

By Benjamin Krudwig

 

I love weaving on a little loom. The small scale and portability allows me to do experimental weaving on the go. One concept that I had worked on in the past but hadn’t yet perfected was warp-wrapping, and with Earth Day and Arbor Day occurring in the same week, I couldn’t resist using this technique to make a tree.

I pulled out my 8" Easel Weaver and warped for a 6" wide project. You could use the Lilli Loom or School Loom to make a similar weaving.

I then chose weft in a limited color palette: blue for the sky, a green for the grass and leaves, and a dark brown for the bark/branches.

Taking the weeping willow as my inspiration, because it is one of my favorite trees, I drew a basic cartoon to map out my piece. This cartoon was placed behind my warp threads. I then set to work on weaving. I wove a few rows of green grass, then placed a row of rya knots. I repeated this process to form the little “hill.”

For the tree, I gathered 10 warp threads together, tied a surgeon’s knot around them using the dark brown, and then cinched them tight. Then I started wrapping my yarn around that bundle. After an inch and a half, I split the bundle into 6 threads and 4, and wrapped each of those groups for a while, and continued splitting the threads.

diagram for Warp Wrapped Tree
After wrapping the tree branches up to about 2" away from the top teeth, I went back to the left and right warp threads and wove each section using the blue. Once I reached the top of the branches, I used a weaving needle to weave straight across up to the top teeth. At this point I noticed some bare spots at the base of the trunk, and used a needle to wrap some exposed roots.

Weaving was finished, so I removed the work from the loom. With a crochet hook and green yarn, I used chain stitch and slip stitch to create the leaves of the weeping willow. I positioned them in such a manner that the branches could be seen behind the leaves.

I then trimmed the “grass,” wove in all my ends, finished the piece with a wash in warm water, and hung it up to dry.

I am very happy with how this project turned out, and can’t wait to make more!

What kind of tree will you weave? Share it with us on Instagram with the hashtag #schachtspindle.

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