Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

8 shaft weaving

My Favourite Books for Multi Shaft Weaving

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I love books, so it makes sense that I am a huge lover of good weaving books. It can be hard to know which books are worth buying, especially if you’re buying online and can’t view the book before purchase.


I have already made a video on my favourite rigid heddle weaving books, but haven’t talked about my floor loom or multi shaft books.


This is certainly not an exhaustive list, and I definitely plan on increasing my collection over the years, but these are a few that I have found particularly good.

*This post contains affiliate links


I will start with my absolute favourite. If, in some terrible circumstance, I had to choose just one of the following books to keep, this one would be it!

The Handweaver’s Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon only covers 4 shaft weaves, and yet, with the number of pattern drafts you could feasibly use this book for years before even considering buying an 8 shaft book. There is nothing I do not love about this book! Yes, it is a little expensive, but I consider  it my “go to” for any 4 shaft weaving. It’s a hardcover book with spiral binding. This is awesome because you can lay the book flat to follow a threading or treadling pattern, and the hard cover prevents any damage to the pages. I’ve had mine for many years and it still looks as good as new. The layout shows you exactly what you can expect from each draft by providing colour pictures and yarns used to achieve each one – great for those just starting out.

Once again, not a cheap book, but this one is an absolute classic!  Carol Strickler’s A Weaver’s Book of 8 Shaft Patterns has plenty of information on 8 shaft weaves, explanations of tie ups and treadlings, and black and white pictoral representations of each weave (there are almost 900 photos). Individual yarn suggestions are not given, but in each new chapter, suggestions are made for particular weave structures. Many of the drafts have historical information – where the draft came from (if known) or where it is adapted from, which provides the keen weaver the opportunity for further research if desired. 
Next Steps in Weaving by Patty Graver has been a great one to add to my library. Published in 2015, it has a more modern and fresh feel. The layout is uncluttered but still contains a lot of information. I admit that I read this book when it first came out and I was in the infancy of my multi shaft journey. I felt like some of it was a bit beyond me at the time. However, when I cam back to it later (after a lot of research and practice) I found that the language now made sense and it was in fact a very helpful book! 
The beginning of the book goes over understanding terminology and drafts (something that many new weavers struggle with!) She explains twills and twill orders and then launches straight into the projects. This is my style of learning and teaching – project based! To get stuck in and actually learn something as you do it, rather than be stuck at the starting line with a lot of theory and fear of how to put it into practice. Patty starts with some basic twill projects, then shows more advanced versions to expose the reader to what is possible with variations and colour. The threading charts for the projects are all colour coded, which I think is a really great visual learning cue for newer weavers, and even for more seasoned weavers who just want to follow a threading chart in a simple format.
There is a lot more I could say about this book, but then this post may turn into a book itself! So, I’ll finish up with this. It’s a great book, the projects and samples are beautiful and inspiring, and even if, like me, you find it a little overwhelming to begin with, it is a book you can keep going back to over and over.
A Handweaver’s Pattern Book by Marguerite P Davison is another well know weaver’s classic. It was first published in 1944 as a green book, the orange one being a more recent and publication. Thanks to the generosity of a student, I now own the green book as well. This book has 200 pattern drafts and has 4, 6 and 8 shaft weaves. The layout is a little more old fashioned (though there are black and white photo representations of most drafts) and some may find it difficult to decipher the way in which the drafts are drawn. That should not put off the adventurous weaver though, as it is very beneficial to be able to read all styles of drafts so that you can decipher them, no matter what country or time period they are from. 
This is one of those books that you read and just think, “that is a lovely little book”. Simple, lovely big photos, nice colour. Tom Knisely’s Handwoven Baby Blankets starts out with a useful section on the basics of baby blanket weaving, such as sizes, colours and materials. 
There are over 30 projects and it includes both 4 and 8 shaft. Every project has specific yarn and colour descriptions. If you’re interested in weaving baby blankets, I highly recommend this delightful book!
Probably my most asked question from multi shaft weavers is “how do I read a draft?” The next step on from understanding how to read and use a weaving draft is to begin drafting them yourself. This is something that is of huge interest to me, but something I have not devoted enough time to as yet and still have much to learn. If you are interested in drafting for yourself, Madelyn van der Hoogt’s The Complete Book of Drafting for Handweavers is going to help a lot! While I confess that I have not made my way through the entirety of the book yet (it is in a workbook style with drafting exercises for you to follow), I intend to do so as it contains such valuable information. This book is available from The Woolery.
If you’re as interested in coverlets as I am, these are my most loved coverlet books I own:
(This one is also in my possession thanks to the generosity of a student and it is now one of my most treasured books!)
My last recommendation is for those who are keen to branch out into double weave on your floor loom or table loom.
Doubleweave by Jennifer Moore. Whether you are wanting to explore weaving double cloth or double (even triple) width, this popular book will be a very valuable addition to your collection.
I do have more weaving books in my collection, but these books I’ve listed and described are the ones that I am most happy to recommend and really feel that they would benefit your weaving library too.
I hope you have found this post helpful, please let me know if you have any questions. Do you own any of these books? Which is your most used?
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!
 
 
 
 
 

 

8 shaft towels and lessons learned

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I was really happy to pull this fabric off the loom – only 4 towels in all, but quite a time investment!

I love that such variety can be achieved on one warp, and I approached this project rather like a study in variation. 
Armed with Carol Strickler’s 8 Shaft Patterns, I warped a plain white cottolin and hemp warp. My loom has 8 shafts and 10 treadles, so I chose a draft that would fit those requirements but with maximum versatility. I can’t show you a copy of the draft, as that would be a copyright infringement. If you have the book, or are interested in purchasing, the page number for this draft is 29. For the threading, I chose the rose path variation.

This was by far my favourite, I love the bold yet intricate pattern. I used a dark purple 8/2 cotton as the weft, but doubled it to make the pattern weft stand out.  This is pattern #102 in the book, and uses 8 shafts with no tabby. I was worried about draw in, because I was feeling lazy and not wanting to use a temple, but the draw in was less than expected anyway. The treadling was really easy for this pattern, compared to the others which were more complex.


#101, a change of tie up and treadling, this is actually 4 shafts and 6 treadles to allow for the tabby. If I had my time over, I would have doubled the grey 8/2 cottolin weft to accentuate the pattern. At the same time, it’s nice to weave something that looks delicate an intricate. Now that it’s off the loom and washed, the pattern is a little too subtle for my taste. 

#100, another change of tie up and treadling – once again, not as bold as expected and next time I would use a 5/2 cotton for weft instead of the red 8/2. I do like the effect though, the diamonds are really lovely. This one is 8 shafts and 10 treadles to include the tabby.

Exact same treadling as the red diamonds, I just changed the weft to turquoise.

What I learned about the project:
*I used a sett of 20epi – next time I would increase this as the towels are a little airier than I would like. I don’t think I would increase all the way to 30, but I’d give 24-26 a go.
* I am so glad I purchased Carol Strickler’s book, it could definitely keep you busy for a very long time with the variety of drafts.

The most important thing I learned:
Once the towels were washed and hanging on the line, I realised that 3 out of 4 towels had treadling errors (!) Rather than being devastated that the towels I spent so much time on are imperfect, I used it as an opportunity for reflection. Why did I make the mistakes? What could I do differently next time? I found the answer to both of these questions quickly.

I made the errors due to tiredness, lack of concentration and interruption. Using 10 treadles in a non sequential fashion requires concentration! My studio is in a shared space which is actually a family room. The children have access to me whenever they want, and the room is a walk through room with no door. Hence, the lack of concentration.

What I will do differently next time is to simplify. I do like a challenge, but in this season of my life I have realised it is better for me to weave things that are perhaps more familiar and don’t require as much focus. Forcing myself to take on greater projects may just lead to frustration, and I want to enjoy both the weaving and my family. So, for now, I will choose my projects more carefully and not go overboard. As I said to my husband “If I have to wait until we are old and retired to weave just the way I want to, I’m OK with that”. I consider it a great blessing that I get as much weaving time as I do. It’s a great reminder to be grateful and count my blessings!