And I’ve started another one. But this time on the mini inkle loom, and a different sort of pick-up.

As far as I’ve worked out so far, the method used for the braid pattern at the top called ‘Baltic’ in The Weavers Inkle Pattern Directory. The pattern (black) threads were additional to the usual tabby warp. The method for the current tape is called ‘pick-up’ and the pattern threads are part of the tabby warp. I’ve done one diamond by picking up the contrast colour and one by picking up the background colour, and next I’m going to try one that does both.

I’ve been slowly working my way through the book’s techniques an informal not-a-personal-challenge kind of way. Yonks ago I tried tubular inkle:

And more recently using one thick and one thin weft thread alternately:

Both of those were done on my little portable afro comb loom.

I’m looking forward to the Sunna heddle arriving, especially as I suspect that doing any kind of warp pick-up is easier with a heddle. It’s usually the lower part of the shed that you pick up, but the upper shed threads sit so close together that you can only see what you’re doing by peering in from the sides or parting the top threads. A heddle separates the threads, making gaps through which you can see what you’re doing.

When it does arrive I’m thinking of making a loom for it. Though that might have to wait until July. I have some big deadlines coming up. At the moment I’m working four days then resting for one. At least, that’s what I’m trying to do. These last two weeks I’ve had patches of exhaustion, unexplained depression (gone now, thankfully), vertigo, aches and pains and lots of little irritants like a mouth ulcer and a sty under my eyelid. The latter two usually indicate that I’m either run down or have a virus. But the sicker I am the further behind I get, and the more stressed I become.

Which may have something to do with why I have this sudden interest in embroidery. Getting completely lost in learning something new is a great way to de-stress of an evening.

So long as it only is in the evenings.