Baltic Inkling

Day 319: Long-time followers might possibly recall Crow's Project Rule which states that I may not have more than one project piece of any specific type of fiber art in construction simultaneously. There is some flexibility in the Rule when it comes to weaving because there are so many different techniques by which a cloth can be manufactured. At the moment, I have a lap throw on the floor loom, a scarf on a rigid heddle, and this Baltic-style band on the inkle. The floor loom is operated by my feet. The rigid heddle requires much arm/shoulder motion, and the threads on the inkle are largely manipulated by my hands. I prefer to have this variety so that I can change up the physical stressors as well as the mental focus necessary for each style of weaving. To me, they qualify as "different," if not perhaps as different as knitting is from crochet, even though they all fall within the category of "weaving." Baltic patterns such as this one demand a heavier single or a doubled thread for the design floats. These pattern threads are raised from below or pushed down from the upper warp layer as needed. The back side (visible in the lower background in the image on the left) is often as attractive as the charted design.