Twill Weave – Page 3 – Piglet's Potholder Patterns

Sharktooth Twill

The full stability and flexibility of a 2/2 twill combined with an interesting pattern formed entirely by the threading plus twill makes for a delightful potholder that you can weave up quickly.

Black & white Harrisville pro loom & loops. Threading AAABBB in both directions, woven in 2/2 twill.

Pattern chart attached, but you don’t really need it to work, once you work your first row. All others can be worked by reference.

Twill Mesh

Super elegant, with a rewarding cushion-y feel in the hand, twill mesh, adapted from a pattern by Eugenio Poma archived on handweaving.net. Harrisville pro purple and white loops.

You can see by my chart that I highlighted more than usual, working this chart. I noticed within 3 rows of beginning to weave that all even rows were 2/2 twill across (ending with 1 for the odd number of columns). I highlighted all those rows with purple before going further, then highlighted the odd rows in other colors as I wove them. This one is going directly onto my own potholder hook in the kitchen. ❤ 🙂

Three-Three Twill

“Honey, how do you think 3/3 twill would weave up?”
“I don’t know, my love, shall we find out?”
“OK!”

I am SO GLAD we did. You know the problem of enameled cast iron dutch ovens? Super hot, with knobs that need grasping? Solution!! 3/3 twill. Double-thick, extremely flexible, very protective.

I’m including a chart, but you don’t really need it. I found it helpful because I wanted to start my weaving in the middle and still be certain where my ends would come out. I wanted to have the strong diagonal across the center, and not have any 3-overs or -unders on the corners.

Worked in a single color, the texture draws more attention to the chevrons. Worked in 2 colors, the diagonal lines are eye-catching. The finished potholders are quite small, 5″ square. And 3/8″ thick! The flexibility of the fabric means you could work an excellent oven mitt using a pro loom and a traditional/pro rectangle loom. A 10″ pro should come out around 7″ square.

Because there are only 3 stretches per row going under, this is an incredibly fast weave. Work carefully, because it is easy to split loops while you are working this pattern. The loops get pushed into each other, and never fully locked into place, so the spacing the pegs force on them remains throughout your work. There will always be a bit of a gap between strands of one loop.

Whoops! Mistake. Always a good idea to pause and stare at your work before moving on the next row. I made all the right crossings… backwards. Easy to pull out and re-weave.

Much of the way through the chocolate and white exemplar, I am seized with yearning to know how this fabric looks when you highlight the texture instead of the pattern. Thanks to a gracious benefactor, I can throw on a monochrome and test it out right away! ❤

Can you spot the mistake? Look carefully at the bottom woven row.

Fixed! (Narrator: no, it is not. You may have to zoom in to see the split loop in the last place the bottom-to-last row surfaces before connecting to the right peg…)

Here are both finished potholders, still on their looms. Monochrome vs. two-color changes the focus from texture to design. Lots of room for playing with color here. A monochrome center, for example, would amuse the eye with its focus switching. And you can always taste the rainbow. 🌈

Here is a closeup of the chocolate and white potholder, ready to bind off the loom.

And a closeup of the white potholder, ready to be released from its pegs.

A chart is not necessary for this pattern. You are simply proceeding over 3 / under 3 across the row, shifting by one column for each adjacent row. I like having the chart so I can start in the middle and still be sure that my corners will come out with the over/under arrangement that I wanted. (It’s also helpful to have charts for very simple patterns, when trying to illustrate how to read the charts for more complicated designs.)
Here, I’ve taken the 27-peg chart that Matthew drafted for me, and folded it to show the 18 pegs I want to use. I’ve highlighted the central rows and columns (9 & 10), to make it easy to see my starting point. Once I’ve woven those two rows, I can work up and down by referring to adjacent rows, so I don’t need to mark my place on the chart as I go.

Immediately after binding off, the edges are very curved and the loops that held my tension while I was working the edge are markedly distorted. Fear not! Work them out with your fingers. YOU are in charge of your fabric. Manipulate and massage the edges until they lie flat enough. Yes, they will buckle and wave. You can give it an appealing evenness and straighten the corners for a satisfactory result.

Marvel at the size! 5″ square, and 3’8″ thick, on a 7″ loom.

Traveling Twill

Oh gosh, this traveling twill is pretty. And very well behaved. The fabric does not bias or twist easily. It folds in all directions, lies flat, and has distinct ridges of texture. The 18-peg version is the first 18 rows and columns of this 27-peg chart. (Both are available on our website, and will be incorporated in our book in the next release.)

The 9-peg version should also work up well, and I’d love to see it if anyone tries it. (Use the first 9 rows and columns of the pattern for the mug rug, on alternating pegs of a traditional 18-peg loom.)

The pattern is surprisingly easy to weave. Because it is in groups of 3, the over/under pattern does not shift: under 2 / over 2 / under 2 / over 1 / under 1 / under 1. Repeat across the row, shift one column to the left on the next row. Once you work a few rows, you can continue without referring to the chart.

If you start from the middle, you will find that each row after the center row is a mirror image of its pair on the other side of the center. If you weave a loop, then rotate your loom, you will work the same pattern on that row.

Matthew found the design in “An Album of Textile Designs” (1885) archived on handweaving dot net, and adapted it for potholders.

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.

The highlighted chart, showing where the pattern changes happen.

Houndstooth

Houndstooth! Matthew charted the classic houndstooth weave, which is threaded with alternating sets of 4 loops, woven in a 2/2 (2 over / 2 under alternating) twill, progressing one loop per row. I opted for chocolate and white for this sample, which gives it a bit of a cow-hide effect. (Cowstooth??)

As is the nature of 2/2 twill, the fabric is thick, small, puffy, flexible in all directions yet stable. This one is 5″ square (off the 7″ loom). It takes a little time to draw in on itself. You can help it along by manipulating it with your hands, and you should expect shrinkage over the course of the first few hours to its final size and thickness as the twills snug up on each other.