Creative Weaving (Beautiful Fabrics with a Simple Loom) Book Review

Creative weaving is a weaving book I especially like. It's for beginner weavers and shows various weaves by color and yarn type. What struck me as prominent about this book, is it shows in closeup detail-photos, the actual lineup of yarns used, categorized by warp, then weft. This feature takes the mystery out of how to achieve a certain look in a fabric. I have poured over many weaving books and left mystified about how to achieve the look I desired-in a weave-specifically, regarding the type of yarn I needed to use, in the illustrated project. For the beginner weaver-like me-this feature provides real help. Weaving fabric is not just about weaving, but about the type of yarns used, and how to line them up on the loom, as well.

In Creative Weaving, there's 30 projects; all are vibrant, eye-appealing designs. There's full page photos on every page with text thereupon. Creative Weaving is not a hardcore weaving book or "weave-opedia" on looming, but a must-have addition to the new weaver's library on how to tie effects and weaves and colors via an "infomat" of instruction.

Creative Weaving is categorized by;
1. weaving technique
2. color scheme of finished item
3. individual detail photo of weft, then warp yarns used
4. weave effect desired

This elementary reference book starts with a primer on looms, to include: washing the fabric, warp yarns, warp calculations, winding the warp, counting the threads, setting up the loom, tying to the back/front stick, winding on the back roller, and making the header. Also this section includes: how to achieve arching in the weft, creating an even selvedge, interlocking threads at the selvedge, joining a new weft thread, mending a broken warp, weaving with unspun fibers, three examples of embellishments, and Ghiordes (Turkish) Knots.

Types of weaving
A. rigid heddle loom weaving
B. card loom weaving
C. peg loom weaving

Creative Weaving is divided into sections by color primarily. At each section there are three-four swatch examples. Within each respective section are two pages of instruction for materials/techniques needed to re-create each swatch. The instructions include;
a. equipment needed
b. reed gauge dpi
c. warp gauge
d. weft gauge
e. threading
f. weave type and other clarifications for looming
g. special features: on the loom, how to weave, and, the resulting characteristics of the fabric.

Included is a "Gallery of Weaving," a glossary, a list of international suppliers, and an index. Creative Weaving shows weaving in a spectrum other weaving books overlook.