Working Up An Experiment

Day 15: Ah, these words shall live in infamy: "It seemed like a good idea at the time." I had a bright idea for a pick-up pattern, intending to work it on the "bonker loom" (the Glimakra band loom), so I set up roughly five feet of warp as a backstrap project for a test. I was only a few inches into it when I realized that as a "bonker band," it was going to be way more nuisance than it was worth to pick up some threads while dropping others in the same shed. While the principle is easy on an inkle loom, the weaver sits at 90 degrees to the direction of the warp on the bonker. I may feel differently about the idea once I get more experience under my (hand-woven!) belt, but for now, it was obvious that I needed to change horses in mid-stream. This is precisely why I like to work up an experimental piece using the simplest method and a short warp. At worst, I wouldn't lose much fiber if I decided to throw the whole thing in the bin. However, this one was easily convertible to a different design. Someone is likely to find it tied around their Christmas gift so that it serves a useful purpose.