Kelly

Towels just for moi!

I recently completed a project that I undertook just for me. Most of my weaving is for classes, patterns or customers, so to set aside the time to weave something for myself was pretty special!

As you may already know, I make bread for my family. I use kitchen towels to cover the rising dough and to cover the finished loaves as they cool. Perfect! Bread towels were what I needed!

I warped with 22/2 cottolin in natural with a red cotton stripe to accent.

Then I decided on M & W threading and some 2/2 twill variations.

I changed up the colour for each new towel so that some have bold patterns and others subtle.

For this one I changed both the colours and the treadling for a feature border.

To finish off, a little embroidery.

I am very happy with my new set of towels. Being hand woven with quality yarn, I know these will last many years in my kitchen.

How about you? Do you find that you’re always weaving or making for someone other than yourself? Perhaps you want to follow my lead and put aside some time to make something special just for you!

Hug Me Cardigan – new pattern!

by Kelly Leave a Comment

My new pattern is inspired by the classic “hug me tight” shrugs I used to see some of my elderly clients knitting for their loved ones when I worked in nursing homes.

This cardigan was designed to be a simple but beautiful garment – perfect for those who are just starting out sewing with their weaving. It is also a “no cut” pattern for those who may be nervous about cutting their cloth for the first time.

I love the way my hand dyed yarn turned out – quite different to what I expected but very much in the style I love.

Woven with wool and designed to be a light fabric, it is a perfect garment for transitional weather because it’s warm without being too warm.

Check out my Etsy shop to find out more about the pattern.

Happy Weaving!

Happy Easter!

by Kelly 1 Comment

Wishing you all a most blessed and happy Easter! If you are travelling, keep safe on the roads.

Christus resurrexit! Vere resurrexit!

Enjoy the Easter break and I hope you get some time for weaving. I’ll be working on this one, which is a new design for my next Etsy pattern.

See you all soon!

Easy flat bread recipe

by Kelly 11 Comments

When I need bread in a hurry, I make flat bread! It is quick, cheap, easy, and means I can have fresh bread in under an hour. I often serve it as a wrap with salad, meat, dip, falafels – whatever, it’s all good! And if you have leftovers, the next day you can toast it into healthy chips for dip or use it as a pizza base.

Ingredients:

4 cups plain, unbleached flour

2.5 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

350 – 450ml warm water

Place dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix. Make a well in the middle and add the water, about half at first and increase as you need to. You may not need all the water – it depends on your climate and the dryness of your flour. You want a very moist, but not sloppy dough. Mix until the dough comes together and there are no dry spots remaining.

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for a couple of minutes, until the dough is soft and supple. Flour or oil the bottom of the bowl and place the dough back in. Cover with a clean tea towel.

Allow to rise for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. Once again, this time will vary according to your climate.

Once the dough has risen, cut off lumps of dough about as large as the palm of your hand.

On a well floured surface, flatten the dough first with the palm of your hand, turning it over the coat both sides with flour.

Now roll the dough out until you have a round that will fit in your pan and is quite thin, but not too thin to pick up and transfer to the pan. (I just pick it up with my hands).

Place the round into a preheated, very hot non stick frypan. Do not add an oil – we want a dry fry.

When the surface of the round begins to bubble and puff, turn over to cook the other side. It only takes a minute or two on each side. You may have to adjust the heat as you go to ensure the bread cooks quickly but doesn’t burn. Every few rounds, you may wish to quickly wipe out the surface of the frypan with wet paper towel or a damp cloth as flour can accumulate and start to burn.

Stack your bread rounds on a plate and cover with a clean towel until ready to use.

My kids love to eat them fresh out of the pan, smothered with butter! If I can keep them out of the kitchen for long enough, I often serve this bread with homemade hommus or labneh.

I would love to do a video to accompany this flat bread recipe sometime, would that interest you? Let me know!

Spring Table Runner Free Rigid Heddle Project!

by Kelly Leave a Comment

Winter is fast approaching us here in Australia, but for those in the Northern Hemisphere, you are looking forward to the mildness and beauty of Spring. It’s a wonderful time to be freshening up household linens and table decor with new hand wovens!

*This post contains affiliate links

The Spring Table Runner project was initially run as a weave along, but can of course be undertaken at any time. I chose light and pastel colours to give that spring feel and also embroidered a delicate spray of flowers on either end of the runner to really make it feel like Spring.

The table runner is woven with lovely thick and soft cotton for easy care. The design is worked by using colour in the warp and weft, plus some simple pick up for additional interest.

You can download the free, printable PDF for the Spring Table Runner right here-

Spring-Table-RunnerPDFDownload

What you will need to complete this project:

*A rigid heddle loom, 20″ or wider

*A 7.5 dent reed/heddle

* 2 x stick shuttles, at least as long as the width of your project

*A pick up stick, longer than the width of your project

*A double ended reed and heddle hook or a separate threading hook and reed hook

I know that many of you do not have access to the same yarns that I do. Let’s have a look at some suitable yarns you could use to complete this project:

For the 10 ply/ worsted/aran weight:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 10 ply

Lily Sugar n Cream cotton

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton

Knit Picks Dishie Worsted cotton

Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton

For the 8 ply/ light worsted/dk weight:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8ply

Cestari Old Dominion 100% cotton

Maurice Brassard 8/8 cotton

Yarnsub.com is also an excellent resource for finding a variety of yarns with similar characteristics to what I used. It is a simple site to use, but if you’re unsure, here is an example:

On the homepage, enter into the search box the yarn than you wish to substitute. Here I’ve entered “Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply cotton”.

Hit “enter” on your keyboard or click on the little spy glass. Choose the correct yarn from the list below. In this case, I will click the top yarn.

When you see this page, start scrolling down for all of the listed possible matches or near matches. This particular search gave 50 results!! You will see after each suggested yarn there is a percentage match – that will tell you how well the suggested substitute matches your original search. It’s brilliant!

You can of course substitute colours depending on availability and individual tastes. One of my favourite runners that I’ve seen is this one, woven by Juliet.

A very different colour scheme is used here, but still feels very Spring like and is absolutely beautiful!

The entire playlist of videos for the class can be found here-

The video series plus PDF can also be viewed at my Online Weaving School, if you prefer.

I really hope that this Spring Table Runner brings a little freshness to your table and joy into your home!

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them under this post, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Fear of the loom!

by Kelly 3 Comments

I am sometimes surprised by the fear that can exist in newer weavers (and often not so new weavers as well). The fear that you will get stuck and not know what to do, the fear that the project won’t turn out the way it’s supposed to, the fear that you are not smart enough to learn how to use your loom, the fear that you will waste yarn if you make a mistake… I could go on.

I know people who have abandoned a new loom into a corner, a spare room or (dare I speak it?) a dusty garage. The fear is too great to make a start and they feel they have failed before even beginning.

I say that I am surprised, but I really shouldn’t be. All it takes is a few moments of thinking back to when I was a new weaver. I was so excited by this beautiful piece of equipment, but silently terrified! What a privilege, but what a responsibility!

Is that fear still with me? No, although I do sometimes feel an apprehension when trying something new with very expensive yarn!

So, how to rid yourself of the fear? It’s actually very simple. You arm yourself with the knowledge you need and you practice! Read books, find resources, take courses, find weavers, join groups and network. And practice! Start simple and work your way up. Think of how an athlete trains. That is you, at your loom. Training, practicing, learning from mistakes and building knowledge.

If you do this, the magic will start to happen. That magic is CONFIDENCE! And with confidence, the sky is the limit.

If you are at that frozen with fear stage with your loom, perhaps you need some extra resources to help you out.

My Youtube channel has a plethora of videos to help you get started in weaving.

My Online Weaving School is a great place for learning and gaining confidence.

My Facebook Group is a friendly and welcoming place for weavers of all levels.

I hope this post will inspire you to go out there and weave beautiful things!

New Giveaway! 10 years on Etsy celebration.

by Kelly 27 Comments

It’s hard to believe I’ve been an Etsy seller for 10 years! To celebrate, I’m giving away all 7 of my digital download Etsy weaving patterns to one lucky winner.
All the best with your entry!

Use this link to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Krokbragd weaving has captivated my heart and mind ever since I first laid eyes on it. With bold patterns, vibrant colourwork, and centuries of Scandinavian heritage, this weave structure is as beautiful as it is addictive.

Today I want to help you to get started with krokbragd weaving!

What is Krokbragd Weaving?

So, what exactly is krokbragd? How do you pronounce it? And how can you start weaving krokbragd yourself—even on a rigid heddle loom?

Let’s explore the magic of krokbragd together!

How Do You Pronounce “Krokbragd”?

There are a few different ways people say “krokbragd”—and all of them are close enough! Krokbragd translates roughly to “crooked path”.
Common pronunciations include:

“croak-brod”
“croak-brog”
“crok-brag”

The name comes from Norwegian, and while exact pronunciation may vary, we can all agree that this is a truly captivating weave structure.

What is Krokbragd Weaving?

Krokbragd is a traditional Scandinavian weave structure, often associated with Norway. It’s a type of weft-faced twill, meaning the weft yarns cover most of the warp, resulting in a dense, colourful fabric.

It’s usually woven on three shafts, which makes it ideal for creating bold geometric patterns and artistic motifs. It can also be woven on more shafts to increase patterning possibilities. Debby Greenlaw gives some beautiful examples in her Krokbragd Weaving book.

Although typically done on a shaft loom, you can absolutely weave krokbragd on a rigid heddle loom—with a few clever adaptations.

What Makes Krokbragd Special?

Three-pick sequence: The weaving sequence is simple and consistent—just three picks (rows), repeated throughout. The magic comes from changing weft colours to create the pattern.
Dense and durable: Because it’s packed down tightly, krokbragd creates a thick, heavy cloth—perfect for rugs, bags, cushions, or wall hangings.
Rich tradition: Historically, krokbragd was used in travel cushions, bed coverings, and door tapestries to provide warmth and decoration in Scandinavian homes.
Creative potential: Once you understand the basics, you’ll find krokbragd to be incredibly versatile. The pattern possibilities are truly endless!

Can I Weave Krokbragd on a Rigid Heddle Loom?

Yes, absolutely! While krokbragd is traditionally a 3-shaft structure, there are several ways to adapt it to a rigid heddle loom. Many weavers use:

A pickup stick method (a pick up stick + heddle rod is most common)
Two heddle setups

If you’re just getting started, I recommend trying the pickup stick and heddle rod method—it’s accessible and doesn’t require extra equipment. It’s also fairly simple to learn because you thread your rigid heddle loom for plain weave, then do some simple pick up.

Can I Weave Krokbragd on an Inkle Loom?

You sure can! Weaving krokbragd on an inkle loom is slightly different because inkle looms produce WARP faced bands. Usually krokbragd is WEFT faced. Therefore, we turn the draft (known as “turned krokbragd”) to use it in inkle weaving.

You can learn all about this wonderful method and weave some stunning bands in the Krokbragd on an Inkle Loom Online Course.

Free Krokbragd Tutorials for Rigid Heddle Loom

If you’re as fascinated by this weave structure as I am, check out my free krokbragd tutorials on YouTube. These beginner-friendly videos walk you through the basics and beyond:

👉 Watch the Free Krokbragd Video Series

One of my favourite projects is weaving tulips in krokbragd—a joyful way to combine structure with artistic expression!

Want to Learn Krokbragd Step-by-Step?

I’ve created a detailed, step-by-step course for weavers who want to master krokbragd on a rigid heddle loom.
🧵 Krokbragd 101: Learn to Weave Krokbragd with Confidence

Whether you’re brand new to pattern weaving or ready to deepen your skills, this course will guide you from setup to finishing. It also includes my “secret sauce” of yarn combinations for what I consider krokbragd perfection!

*This post contains affiliate links. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

Helpful Krokbragd Resources

Here are some of my favourite books, classes, and guides to help you explore krokbragd weaving further:

You can learn all about weaving krokbragd on a rigid heddle loom by checking out my free Youtube playlist of tutorials:

Krokbragd weaving is rich with tradition and full of creative possibilities. Whether you’re drawn to its bold patterns or its cosy textures, krokbragd is a technique worth exploring and remains one of my firm favourites ❤️

If you’re ready to dive deeper, be sure to check out my tutorials and courses to get started today.

Have you tried krokbragd weaving yet? Or perhaps this article inspires you to give it a try? Let me know in the comments below ⬇️

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!