Process Review: Leftover Linen Waffle Weave Washcloths
- By Karen
- October 22, 2019
- 18 Comments
This is the kind of weaving results that makes me giggle like a child. Waffle weave is one of those things I have been intrigued about for some time, and have wanted to give it a try. Will it really buckle up into waffled wrinkles? Will linen do that? Will it be even better than I expect? Yes, yes, and YES. Talk about transformation!


Everything in these waffle weave washcloths is linen that has been leftover from previous projects. The tail end of linen tubes, quills that didn’t quite get used up, thrums, and threading missteps that gave me skinny warp chains of several meters. The warp is 16/2 linen, but the weft is everything from fine linen threads, to bundles of threads, to coarse linen rug warp. I discovered, as you will see, that the thicker the weft, the more pronounced the wrinkles. The thickest wefts have given me delightful accordion pleats.

Please enjoy this process video of the making of leftover linen waffle weave washcloths! Watch to the end to see the squishiness of this unusual cloth.
Don’t think that this is the end of waffle weave. I am already thinking of all the interesting possibilities…
May your best wrinkles make you giggle.
Happy Happy Weaving,
Karen
18 Comments
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Tried and True: Another Use for Thrums
- By Karen
- May 14, 2019
- 9 Comments
Handwoven towels need handwoven hanging tabs. I finished the Vavstuga cottolin towel warp, so now it’s time to put my band loom to use. Why not use the warp thrums to make the woven band? The length of the thrums is too short for the band loom, so I am knotting two ends together for each strand.


Everything is starting out just fine, but my inexperience with the “weaver’s knot” proves problematic. One by one, the knots are working themselves loose. I re-tie each failed knot into a confident square knot. Finally, after three weaver’s knot failures, I decided to advance the warp far enough to get past the knots altogether. Smooth sailing after that, and I still ended up with plenty of woven band for the six woven towels.


I like finding another good use for the thrums. So, I will do this again. But next time, I’ll do a refresher on knot tying before I begin.
May your knots hold tight.
All the best,
Karen
9 Comments
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What a great idea!
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It is great to find a use for the thrums. I cringe when the work of the spinner is cut away. My last thrums were set aside for raspberry tie ups. Someone else I know uses hers for pillow stuffing.
I am not familiar with a weaver’s knot. Would you have time in a future posting describe?
Kind regards,
Nannette
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I know the people in the weaving industry can tie the weaver’s knot very quickly, but unless I need the tiny knot, I find it is quicker to put the two ends together and tie an overhand knot.
I did find some instructions quite a few years ago that I was actually able to remember without looking up instructions, and made a pictorial blog post here: https://jennybellairs.blogspot.com/search?q=Weaver’s+knot
It doesn’t seem to work well on all weights of yarn though, especially thick firm yarns.
Karen, I enjoy your blog posts and look forward to learning something new, especially since getting my Glimakra Standard 10 shaft loom last summer.
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Thank you Jenny,
The knot looks so easy to be such a challenge. Thank you for sharing your blog. Besides Karen’s blog I have been binging on the vlog Curmudeon66 out of DePere Wisconsin. Content driven by a retired guy with the heart of a teacher.
My Blog is all over the place. The latest weaving posting is linked below. My work is primitive at best. Hoping to improve with each project.
http://piasinitimes.blogspot.com/2018/04/plarn-mat-for-homeless.htmlWhen I have time I will have to put in a few more posts of my spring projects.
Kind regards,
Nannette
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Maybe take the trums and tie together and knit or crochet a washcloth?
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Tools Day: Cartoon Support
- By Karen
- May 8, 2018
- 6 Comments
Alignment, security, and visibility are the main things I think about in regard to attaching and supporting the cartoon. In order to weave a tapestry this size, or any size for that matter, you need a good way to manage the cartoon. My cartoon is drawn onto a thin Pellon product (Pellon 830 Easy Pattern, 45″ wide) that is meant for pattern making. This material is easy to pin, doesn’t tear, and only barely wrinkles.
Alignment
Align center of cartoon to center of warp.
A blue dashed line from top to bottom of the cartoon marks the center. I also have a pencil mark on the exact center of my beater. When the blue line on the cartoon is perfectly aligned with the center warp end, as seen from the mark on the beater, I know my cartoon is in the correct position.
Security
- Pin the cartoon in two places on each side of the woven tapestry.
This warp is too wide for me to reach all the way to pin the cartoon in the center. So, on both sides of the weaving I place one flathead pin near the selvedge, and another one as far as I can comfortably reach toward the center. I move the pins forward each time I am ready to advance the warp.
- Hang a support slat under the cartoon.
I learned this from The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell, p. 239, 2008 edition. I used this method previously for a rag rug that had a cartoon for a large inlay pattern. It also works well for holding the cartoon for a woven transparency.

Seine twine loop with rubber band hangs from beater cradle. Slat holds cartoon up against the warp.
Supplies: 12/6 cotton seine twine, 2 rubber bands, long warping slat
1 Make a loop with the seine twine to hang from the beater cradle to just below the warp, with a rubber band on the loop.
2 Tie the ends of the loop with a bow knot or a weaver’s tie-up knot (this useful knot is described in How to Warp Your Loom, by Joanne Hall, p. 39).

Weaver’s tie-up knot is perfect for this application, since it is quick and easy to undo and re-tie if repositioning is needed.
3 Make another loop the same way, with rubber band, and hang it on the other beater cradle.
4 Place the warping slat in the hanging rubber bands, underneath the cartoon.
5 Adjust the length of the loops so that the slat lightly presses up on the cartoon and the warp.
- Pin the rolled-up cartoon underneath.
I roll up the Pellon cartoon under the warp and pin it once on each side. As the warp and cartoon advance I can reposition the pin as needed.
- Move the slat toward the breast beam, out of the way, to beat in the weft.
Because of the rubber bands, the slat support has flexibility and does not impede the movement of the beater.
Visibility
Move the slat near to the fell line.
With the slat under or near the fell line, it presses the cartoon up to the warp. By doing this, I can easily see what comes next as the tapestry weaving develops row by row.

Placing the slat under the fell of the weaving raises the cartoon to visibility where it is needed most.
I wait for my ordered yarn to arrive. Meanwhile, I dream of this tapestry becoming a reality as cartoon meets wool.
May you have the alignment, security, and visibility you need.
All the best,
Karen
6 Comments
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Good morning, Karen. I learn so much from your posts! This one is very timely for me as I have enrolled in the workshop for transparency weaving. Now I feel a little better prepared.
I never thought of applying the words alignment, security and visibility to life before but they are exactly what everyone needs. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
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Wonderful system! In future perhaps I should do my tapestries on my Glimakra, instead of my Lillstina on which it now languishes. The Lillstina has no beater cradle! Just goes to show, as Roseann Rosannadanna said, “it’s always something.”
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Thanks for the idea of the rubber bands. I will do that next time and I can see it will work better. You inspire me to start weaving something. I’ve been busy moving. Just curious who is teaching the transparency workshop?
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Tools Day: Eliminating Warp Knots
- By Karen
- January 9, 2018
- 23 Comments
You are not going to believe how many knots I came across in this 16/2 linen warp! Too many. As I wound the warp I made the decision to leave most of the knots, and deal with them on the loom. (I did remove knots that were close to the beginning or ending peg on the warping reel.) I lost count, but I’m sure I have spliced the warp on this five-and-a-half-meter project at least a dozen times. (To see more details about how I splice the warp, visit this blog post and video: How To Splice the Warp – Video.)
I do not weave over warp knots. A knot introduces a spot of vulnerability to the fabric. Knots can fray, loosen, or come undone over time, even if the knot is originally imperceptible.
In a couple instances, a knot distorted the tension of the warp end because of catching on a heddle or passing through the reed. For that reason, I now try to eliminate knots in the warp before they reach the heddles.
Tool: Warp Separator
- Identify the warp end that has a knot, and insert the warp separator between warp ends to isolate the thread.
- With a length of repair warp thread, follow the path of the original thread to splice in the new warp end, feeding it through the heddle of the original warp end.
- Bring the repair warp thread through the reed in the same dent as the warp end that has a knot.
- Attach the repair warp thread near the fell by wrapping it around a flat straight pin.
- Remove the warp separator from between the warp ends.
- Place a weight on the floor below the back beam. Wrap the repair thread around the weight two or three times to hold the thread at tension that matches the rest of the warp. Loosen the wrapped-around thread before advancing the warp, and then re-tighten before resuming weaving.
- Weave one to two inches with both the original warp end and the repair warp thread in place.
- Then, cut the original warp end with the knot (behind the heddles) and let it hang over the back beam.
- The original and replacement warp ends overlap in the weaving for about one to two inches.
- Remove the straight pin when it reaches the breast beam.
- Re-attach the original warp end when it is long enough to secure in front of the fell line with a flat straight pin.
- And then, cut and remove the replacement warp thread.
- Trim all the spliced warp tails after wet finishing.
This warp separator was a gift from The Weavers and Spinners Society of Austin, included in the goodie bag from last summer’s Contemporary Handweavers of Texas Conference. It would not be hard to make a warp separator like this from wood or sturdy cardboard. I have not been able to locate a supplier online.
If you know where to find a warp separator tool, please put a link in the comments.
May you have very few warp knots.
All the best,
Karen
23 Comments
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Here’s one! Do you think the “handle” on yours makes it easier to manage?
https://www.etsy.com/listing/250890539/warp-string-separator-for-isolating?ref=shop_home_active_6
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Hi Karen,
Great post as always. I found one at Windhaven Fiber Tools on Etsy. Yours is cuter, though.
Thank you for all you do.Pam Graham
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I took Basics at Vavstuga last summer. We had knots in the wool blanket warp, and Becky taught us to fix them. I’d see one coming and get ready, and at 5 PPI, and working so fast, by the time I thought about it again it was long past the fell line. In a fulled wool blanket that doesn’t get a lot of use in South Texas, hopefully it will be okay.
I have the same warp separator tool. 🙂 That was my first conference and the goodie bag blew me away.
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What a great tool – I can see a great gift for weaver friends for this coming year!
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How long and wide is your warp separator guy? He’s really cute!
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Heres a link for a video on the Windhaven warp tool. My daughter makes them, its her shop. thanks for the interest!
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I found ghis on Etsy. https://www.etsy.com/listing/250890539/warp-string-separator-for-isolating?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=warp%20separator&ref=sr_gallery-1-5
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Hi! Excellent post. Handywoman on Etsy has the cutest warp separators with alpacas, dogs, and cats! https://www.etsy.com/listing/587756163/warp-spreader-separator?ref=shop_home_active_10
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hi karen, i made those for the wssa using the lasers at makeatx, my laser cutting studio in east austin. the wssa may have some spares they are selling, but if not, i am happy to make more! our website is makeatx.com, and inquiries can be sent to workshop@makeatx.com.
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So where can I get one and how much?
I had seen it before and liked the idea then. But did not have my loom up and running at that time.
I have been waiting to see the final results and they are super! What a cool idea!
Enjoy using them, I’m sure they will feel wonderful!
Hi Geri, They do feel great in hand. I didn’t know what to expect for sure, but I’m pleased with the outcome.
Happy weaving,
Karen
I love that you made these beautiful washcloths out of “useless” material! I consider leftovers a precious resource, and I find so much joy in finding a purpose for them whether it’s yarn, thread, fabric, or food 🙂
Hi Elisabeth, It’s satisfying to put some scraps back to use. I’ll save all my linen thrums again, and in a few years I’ll have enough to use them up again.
Happy weaving,
Karen
Those are great! I’ll bet they’ll feel great on your skin as well.
I made waffle weave towels several years ago and loved how they came out. Unfortunately I gave them all away, so if I want some for myself, I’ll have to weave more. Maybe washcloths would be better. Or both!
Hi Betsy, I made enough that I can keep a couple of them and use the rest as gifts. I would enjoy having this linen waffle weave as towels, or even bath towels.
Thanks,
Karen
I too have saved my 16/2 linen thrums from my tapestry warps. This would be a fun project for making a couple bath towels. Thanks for the film.
Hi Joanne, I can’t get myself to throw linen thrums away, so I was glad to have a way to use them up. Bath towels would be wonderful! I’m glad you enjoyed the film.
Happy weaving,
Karen
Very creative! I like the end result. Did you weave the hems in plainweave, and then fold over, or just fold over the waffle ends? I also like that you left ends as a reminder…..
Hi Laurie, I did weave the hens in plain weave and folded them under twice. It turned out to be a very narrow hem. The little weft tails add an interesting touch, and makes the washcloths look a little…rustic. 🙂
Thanks,
Karen
I’ve used waffle weave for baby blankets out of cotton and it makes a cozy blanket!
Linda, I think cotton waffle weave baby blankets would be amazing! I wouldn’t mind having a full-size one for myself.
Happy weaving,
Karen
An interesting use of thrums.
I’m wondering why you didn’t use a simple slip knot to join the pieces? It would make it much faster than untying square knots. I use them all the time if I have a break in my thread when winding bobbins.
Hi Jenny, A slip would work great for this. I like the square knot because I can tie it with less thread, and it makes a small knot. Also, surprisingly, it’s one of the easiest knots to untie.
I just pull one end straight, and the other end slips off. That’s not the best description, but it’s a snap to undo a square knot…most of the time.
Happy weaving,
Karen
Hi Karen,
It was fun to watch the video. I wonder if a one of a kind scarf could be made with the hodge podge of thrums? Or, a gypsy skirt ala Stevie Nicks? LOL.
Thank you.
Hi Nannette, A hodge podge of thrums would make a terrific scarf. I’d like a linen waffle weave scarf, in fact. Maybe next time.
All the best,
Karen
Wow! These turned out so fun! And I love the ki mark on the shuttle!!
Love, Emily
Hi Emily, Thanks for dropping by! I am thrilled with the way these turned out.
Steve woodburns my initials on my shuttles and tools for me.
All the best,
Karen