Circle weaving is so much fun and a great craft for you and your kids to do! I am going to use mine as a wall hanging, but if you use wool yarn you could use it as a trivet (acrylic will melt).
Sharpie untrafine markers, for the design around the outside
Steps:
You first need to evenly divide your cake board into 11 sections. They must be evenly spaced or your project will be off center. Our circle was 80.5 cm in circumference, so our tick marks were done at approximately 7.31 cm intervals.
Number your marks 1 - 11 clockwise, on the back side of your board.
Cut a small notch at each mark.
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Now you are ready to layout the warp threads. Leave a tail of 1 - 2 inches on the back side of the board, tape it in place. Pull the yarn through the slit toward the front side of the circle at number 1. Now follow this layout to complete the warping step.
Pull yarn from #1 across right side to #6, now cross over on the wrong side and up to #7, from #7 cross over right side to #2, come up from back side through #3, then across face from #3 to #8, come up at #9, from #9 cross over to #4, cross over the back side from #4 to #5, then bring the yarn across the loom from #5 to #10, cross under from #10 to #11 and finally across face to the center. Cut the yarn, leaving 4-5 inch tail.
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Take the end of the warp yarn and go under, around, and under all of the crossing threads, coming up where you began. You may tie a knot at this point for added strength.
Choose the next color yarn you will be using and tie it on to the end of the warp thread, trim the ends. This yarn is referred to as the weft or filler. It is the yarn that you will weave over and under the warp. Clip it at the length you desire. Then wrap it around your fingers to make a small ball that you can easily insert under the warp threads.
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Begin weaving the warp, in a counter clockwise direction. You will go over, under, over and under, around the circle. Do not pull the weft too tightly as it will pull up under the preceding circles. You may change yarn colors or types as you like, to create your weaving. Just add the new piece in the same way. Be sure to check your work, you must alternate over and under. Continue in this way until you are within an inch or two of the edge. Tie off the end of the yarn and clip.
The final step will be to decorate the outer edge of the circle around your weaving. I decided to use ultrafine Shaprie markers and decorate with Zen Tangles, an art form my daughter learned in her extra art class at school. You can use markers, paint, or another medium to finish yours.
Circle weaving is so much fun and a great craft for you and your kids to do! I am going to use mine as a wall hanging, but if you use wool yarn you could use it as a trivet (acrylic will melt).
