Our little quilt group got together on Saturday, so a few folks could teach us how to do Swedish weaving (aka Huck weaving). Of course I went! If it’s not something I’m allergic to and it even vaguely interests me, I’m game! I purchased the Monk’s cloth necessary to weave on, and then purchased a couple skeins of cotton (instead of polyester) yarn. When my MIL pre-washed the Monk’s cloth, she put my yarn into mesh bags and washed it, too. It was rather entertaining to wind into balls (read: knot), but we did it.
First, it was SUPER SIMPLE! If you can count the stitches and read the pattern, you can do this. The cloth is much like large-squared Aida (used for cross-stitching), except it’s not as stiff to begin with. And the idea is that the stitches are hidden on the back, unlike cross-stitching. As I read more about this embroidery technique, I found that Aida cloth could be substituted for the Monk’s cloth, especially if one wanted to purchase the pre-made items such as baby bibs, dish towels, etc.
For supplies, we needed the Monk’s cloth, 1 skein of veriegated yarn, 1 skein of complimentary yarn, a pair of scissors and then a Bodkin needle. Our quilt group member and teacher gave us the pattern that she learned with, to practice with.
I found a few online resources, including a couple who offered free patterns. I’ll post a photo of my finished (hehe, or would that be Finnished?) product, when I’m done with it:
And here’s a few photos of Swedish weaving projects from the teachers in our group:
