Day 18: Now that the October Weave-along is over and both my waffle-weave projects are complete, my thoughts returned to the Bonker Loom, otherwise known as a Swedish band loom. Mine was made by Glimakra, one of very few companies offering this type of loom for sale. Why "Bonker?" Well, the warp threads run from right to left (east-west), as opposed to being strung vertically (north-south) from the weaver's perspective. The weft-bearing shuttle is passed away or toward the weaver's body rather than back and forth. On a regular loom, a beater of some sort would pack the throws against the fell, but in the case of the Bonker Loom, the thread is "bonked" into place with a band knife (wood or metal) using the hand not employed with running the shuttle. It was a little disconcerting at first, and my early bands had rather wobbly selvedges, but muscle memory and a sense for the tension of the weft came with practice. These little hearts are one of my favourite patterns. They are worked over five doubled warps (i.e., the pattern threads) and can be flanked with any number of variations depending on the desired width. The pattern warps could also be singles of a heavier thread. The idea is to have enough bulk that they appear embossed against the plain background weave. Some one of you is bound to remark, "But they're PINK!" and you'd be close to right. The colour is actually called Very Berry, and it's a light magenta. Besides, I didn't say this band was going on anything for personal use! I may not approve of their colour preferences, but some of my friends like it.
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