This week? Rep weave is what I’m serving up. Otherwise known as ripsmatta, episode 16 of A Handwoven Experience provides a high level look at this gorgeous pattern.
Rep weave has distinctive ridges in the fabric – kind of corduroy-ish. You’ll recognize the style from many a placemat, I’m sure. It’s also known for its cool geometric color blocks.
The beauty of rep weave is that it’s simply plain weave with a few important tweaks. Check it out!
Show Notes –
Plain Weave – When you do a potholder, you are doing plain weave. It’s just that simple!
Twill Weave – Twill is a weaving pattern with distinctive angles in it. Twill gets all the credit when it comes to denim and blue jeans – thank goodness!
Rep Weave – Rep weave is a warp-faced weaving pattern with a ribbed look to it. The effect is created with a combination of a very close sett for the warp yarns and 2 shuttles (one containing a fat yarn or group of yarns, and one containing a very thin yarn).
Ripsmatta – Another name for rep weave, attributed to the Swedes.
Warp Yarns – Warp yarns are the yarns that run through the loom, under tension. They are particularly important in rep weave because the goal is to only see the warp yarns in the finished fabric.
Freebie for You!
Great news – I have created a free .pdf that follows along with this weaving pattern series! It provides an overview of each weaving pattern. Tells you how to recognize it and what it is used for. Plus, I’ve included a few notes on how to create the pattern on your loom. It’s a fabulous resource! Click here to get your copy today. Happy Weaving!
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Art, Dressing the Loom, From the studio, Planning a Project, Weaving, Weaving Terms
