02/20/2026
Tomorrow we have a Saturday guild meeting! We start our business meeting at 10, and the program begins at 11. If you're local/regional, and would like to check us out, please be our guest! It should be a fun program, presented by Ruth MacGregor - here's the description:
Whether functional or just pretty, narrow bands are important parts of our weaving landscape. A plain, hard-working band has its own special beauty; but if it also has color and pattern, it sings to the human soul. Stripes add color, of course, but sometimes a weaver yearns for a varied pattern that's more satisfying to the eye and more interesting to weave.
Most of us have woven something with pick-up patterning (please don't groan); but many (many!) weavers find the process unacceptably slow. So, what if there were a way to create pick-up patterns in warp-faced bands without painstakingly poking through all the warps with a little stick? Spoiler: There is.
Clever weavers through the centuries have created devices to speed the process of weaving pick-up. Some are rigid heddles, modified to make pattern weaving more efficient. Other devices are more complicated and involve setups akin to small drawlooms.
This program (starting small!) introduces two different kinds of pattern heddle, dating back to the 17th century (based on dates inscribed on original tools). We'll see how they work, how they differ, and what they can do. Come and be surprised — pick-up patterning is more satisfying than you may have suspected!
(Image - Ruth MacGregor from Complex Weavers website)