Category: potholders

Crazy Eights

Puffy, thick, stable, attractive, exceptionally easy to weave. One side infinity, the other side tiles?

Almost finished weaving, you can see the one-dot squares very clearly. The twill pattern causes them to close up when we take this off the loom, and those wee single brown squares disappear underneath a larger 2×2 white square. That’s what produces both the thickness and shrinkage of the fabric.
For fun, I worked this out to 29 pegs, instead of 27. I added an extra burgundy loop on all 4 sides, to finish the pattern at a 2/2 twill row and column, all the way around. This is optional! You can just work the 27 pegs as charted. Here you see my extra edge loops, each hooked onto the pegs of its nearest neighbor. I’ve stacked them in the order I will want to bind them off, so each corner has one stacked with white on top, and the other burgundy on top.
The finished twill fabric shrinks more than tabby coming off the loom. This is about 7.5″ square.
The back is fantastic! Look at that tile pattern!

Super Eights

Here we have a very interesting extension of the figure eights pattern I posted earlier (which had a back view that looked like tiles).

Enlarging the eights changes the twill pattern, as well, into something with many fewer 3-floats (where a loop passes over or under 3 loops, instead of the more usual one or two). The result is less puffy and marginally larger (8″ square), with a remarkably different rear view, like wrapped hard candies.

Broken Twill

So adorable. The 4 rows of 2/2 twill sections are very flexible, then anchored by the staggering of the next set of 2/2 twills, which lock this section in place. I worked this example in traditional sized white and green, using the first 18 rows and columns of the chart I had printed.

The fabric is puffy and thick without any shiftiness. You could do really fun things with color here, so many possibilities.

It’s an easy weave once you establish the pattern. I kept shifting my twills the other direction within sections by mistake; that would make an interesting design, as well.

Leaning Tower Twill

Look at this amazing chart I woke up to this morning!! I had to work in lime for the contrast because this pattern is SO SHOCKING.

I don’t think this pattern will be effective in an 18-peg version that is a subset. I think it would need to be re-charted to get the full unsettling sensation. It would make a very interesting placemat, with the greater expanse of fabric.

Texturally, the fabric is supple yet stable, as you would expect from any 2×2 twill. The pattern changes do not significantly distort the result.

Finished lime & white twill-patterned potholder, front.
Finished potholder, rear view showing the pattern inverted on the back.
Finished potholder, front side viewed diagonally, highlighting the skew in the pattern.
First few loops are challenging. It takes a while for the loops to lock in with each other, as with most 2×2 twill. Unhighlighted, the pattern is visually confusing. Where are we going!!?!?? Unclear…
Decoding the chart makes the weaving easier. The center row and the row below it, highlighted in yellow, are straight up 2×2 twill (2 over, 2 under across the row, shifted one column to the right for the next row). 4 of the rows (6 & 7, 22 & 23) have 2 discontinuities in them. The other 21 rows have one discontinuity per row. They form small T shapes, with a 3 float in one row and a 1 float in the paired row, highlighted in pink.
Start with the center row and the row below, which helps lock in your loops to their correct columns (they do love to roll around, especially in 2×2 twill). Working from the center row to the top and bottom rows, start your weaving in each row with the discontinuity in that row. For the 4 rows with 2 discontinuities, start your weaving in the middle and work out to the pattern changes, which will be at each end of your row.
Woven potholder, tensioned on the loom.
The highlighted chart, showing where the pattern changes happen.

Wonder Waffle

New pattern! Wonder Waffle. With a wonderfully waffly weave! This is a collapsing pattern, which will not look like the same design under tension. Under tension, you have what looks like brickwork. Off the loom, it’s as if the grass and moss surrounding your bricks overgrew them.

Once you take it off the loom, jiggle around in your hands, wriggling it against the bias until it shimmies into shape. The loops will pull each other into a semi-collapsed form that has distinct wells in it. If you look at it sideways you will mostly see one color on each side. It is very thick, extremely flexible, and protective against heat.