Weaving Inkles

The following is a guest post from Courtney's mother, currently discovering the fun of weaving colored bands. Linda shares a bit about one of her recent weaving projects.

Inkle band inspired by colors in the garden

Pattern detail

 Merriam-Webster defines an inkle as a colored linen tape or braid woven on a vary narrow loom and used for trimming. That definition seems to have expanded to woven bands made from various fibers and on various looms, but it's good to know the basics. Before zippers and buttons, clothing was held on with woven bands. Tapes were used for garters, candle wicks, bag ties, tabs for hanging towels, and countless other necessities. 

I've not yet scratched the surface of the pattern possibilities in my own weaving. So far my bands are all plain weave, but there are so many variations to learn. A good basic resource is Anne Dixon's Inkle Pattern Directory.  

A current go-to resource

The choices on which loom to use can also be overwhelming. I've tried a Schacht inkle loom, a Glimakra band loom and a Gilmore Mini Wave. A nonweaver might ask why there are so many options for weaving a simple band. Ask three weavers the best way to weave just about anything, and you’ll get four or five answers plus a heated discussion as to why a certain method is best. A backstrap weaver incurs very little equipment cost, a loom with foot treadles allows more freedom of hand movement, the Gilmore Wave is the cutest little counterbalance loom imaginable. Since looms have been designed for centuries all over the world, it’s not surprising that the end results are so different. And each so well loved. 

Schacht inkle loom

Glimakra band loom

Gilmore mini wave

Yet to try? Backstrap weaving--the warp is tensioned between a strap around your back and a distant chair or doorknob or whatever is handy. At least a dozen different narrow tape loom designs. Even a regular floor loom--there doesn't have to be a minimum width on any warp there. 

Designing your own pattern is part of the fun. A simple comb/pick will test the colors and pattern in about ten minutes. This particular test showed me that I needed to tweak the pattern just a bit. 

Pattern testing

The band pictured at the top of this post was finished most recently. I used an athletic weight to tension the warp as I wound it on the Mini Wave, and there's a little animal grooming comb tucked in back to spread the threads evenly on the warp beam. 

See the weights across the room?

Perhaps I'll be back in a few months with bands woven using more elaborate techniques. These colorful and useful bands are proving to be a rather deep rabbit hole!