Yesterday I finished up a project that has been lingering on my rigid heddle loom for a while: a waffle weave towel worked in striped Sugar n' Cream (worsted weight cotton).  I've been interested in waffle weave and started this project to see the results in large gauge yarn.  In my weaving class, I'm starting another project, doing double weave waffle weave in 10/2 perle cotton -- fine yarn at the very other end of the spectrum.  What I thought would be most interesting about my rigid heddle project was seeing how the fabric changed from right after coming off of the loom to after it was finished (washed) under normal handling conditions. 

 This is a close up of the pre-finished fabric.  There is visible texture and you can see how the threads move around and bend in areas near the warp and weft floats. 

This is a close up of the fabric after finishing (which involved a regular trip through my washing machine and dryer).  The fabric is much more compact. It shrunk both width-wise and length-wise. Interestingly, the warp floats have spread apart, while the weft floats have gotten closer together and the overall texture is more indistinct.  The fabric feels think and thirsty.  After I finish up the ends, it will likely make a serviceable dish towel. 

You might remember that I used the same yarn in the warp as in the weft, hoping I would get interesting striping effects.  In this respect,I was mostly disappointed.  The warp stripes are hard to distinguish and the weft stripes are wide enough that you have to be looking for them to see them.  The overall effect is a pleasant mottled pastel fabric. 

This may be my last rigid heddle project for a while -- not because I don't enjoy it, but because my class project is large enough and challenging enough that I need to focus my weaving brain energy on it  for a while.  I also have couple of big knitting projects that need attention.  Now that Lotus is done, I've promised myself that I will get back to Z's Zebra Striper sweater so that she has it for the fall.

I like dressing my looms.  I know a lot of people find the warping part of weaving to be tedious and time consuming, but so far, I'm finding it to be something I enjoy.  Really, when you are a weaving newbie in the process of warping a loom, you have to devote your full focus to the process.  Hands and brain have to move together to keep track of how many ends and how the heddles need to be threaded and the reed needs to be sleyed.  It is a very nice way to push other issues aside.  To me, it feels meditative.

My rigid heddle loom does not require quite the focus that the 8 harness table loom I am using in my class takes to warp, but it still requires some attention.  Some time ago I bought some "self striping" cotton "Sugar 'n Cream" with the intention of using it as warp and weft in some project to see how the warp and weft stripes would interact.  If you want to have a striped warp but are feeling kind of lazy and don't need complete control over where the stripes go, this yarn is something you'll enjoy. 

I'm all about waffle weave these days, so I was pretty excited when I found that I could do a 5/2 waffle weave usng my rigid heddle loom and just one pick up stick.  This pattern is very similar to the one that I am doing on my classroom loom.  One nice thing about working in thicker yarn is that it is easier to see the details of the weave structure without getting out a magnifying glass.

In the warp, given the end length I chose (which I did not measure out, other than to set my warping peg such that I got three-four ends per each color) I have 3 to four threads of each color.  In the weft, I am getting about 2 waffle intervals per color.  My warp is sett at 8 ends per inch. 

This is a very simple pattern to execute on a rigid heddle*.  The pickup stick is easy to set up and the pattern is done in 10 pick intervals, and the order of moving the heddle is easy to remember, so it's very easy to get a nice rhythm going.

I am not 100% sure what this project will end up being.  Depending on what happens to the fabric after I wash it, it could either end up as another dishtowel or perhaps some kind of runner somwhere  (it's a bit too wide and rustic for a scarf).  It could also probably be folded over on itself and become a pillow covering if I wanted it to.  One of the things I love about weaving is that you don't have to be absolutely sure what you want to do with a piece of cloth to enjoy making it!

* if you want more information on how to do this pattern, please refer to Betty Davenport's Textures and Patterns for the Rigid Heddle Loom which has a wealth of pattern and texture information for the rigid heddle loom.