Discover Swedish Weaving on Monk's Cloth

Do you have bits 'n pieces of leftover yarn from your crochet and knitting projects?

Before you toss them out, thinking they're useless, consider what you can do with them. My favorite way to use leftover yarn is by doing a Swedish Weaving pattern on a monk's cloth fabric.

Swedish Weaving is a form of embroidery that dates back several centuries. Today it's called by several other names, the most common ones being Swedish Huck Weaving, or Huck embroidery. This type of embroidery is known as"surface" embroidery because the floss or yarn is woven under the top threads of fabric "floats." Because it's woven on the top threads, the yarn barely shows through on the other side, making it much neater than cross-stitching.

Swedish Huck Weaving done on towels were a common sight of a well decorated home of the 1930s and 1940s. Just recently, Swedish weaving has been revived as a fun and relaxing needlecraft for today's modern home crafters. This decorative embroidery is done on Monk's cloth. An even-weave fabric, monk's cloth has eight squares to an inch (or four floats per inch). Most often, women purchase monk's cloth at fabric stores to make summer shawls. Besides shawls, monk's cloth is used to make other items such as baby blankets, afghans, pillows, and even bags. Some cross stitchers even stitch on it as the squares are larger than even 11 count Aida, and therefore more sight-friendly to aging eyes. The cloth comes not only in white, but also in colors including red, blue, pink, green, purple, wine, navy, and black. Or, you don't find your particular shade, you can always dye white monk's cloth.

However, monk's cloth is probably most used to for Swedish weaving. I first discovered Swedish weaving (or Huck Embroidery) about this time of year three summers ago just before we took a road trip down south. Restless for something to keep my hands busy while my husband drove for an upcoming vacation, I was looking for a new needlecraft. Days later, I spotted a book on Swedish Weaving at my local Michael's Arts 'n Craft store. After studying how to do, then experimenting on some scrap fabric, I was hooked! My first project was a wildlife design where I divided my fabric into four squares. After making decorative borders around each square, I then I weaved in a bear, a deer, an elk, and an eagle in each square.

The beauty of Swedish weaving is that it doesn't take much concentration at all. You can do it, without straining your eyes as you travel in a car, bus, plane, or train. All you need is monk's cloth, 4-ply worsted weight yarn, a plastic yarn (size #13-16) needle and a pattern.

Zigzag the edges of your fabric before weaving and then wash in cold water. When working on monk's cloth, start in the middle of your design and work to the edge; then go back and weave the second half of the yarn, working from left to right to the other end. Because of the fabric's loose weave, it will distort if you go from one side to the other. To end a thread, loop over the last float, then reweave the thread under several floats, going in the opposite direction.

It's difficult to understand without seeing a demonstration, so I suggest buying Avery Hill's "33 Contemporary Swedish Weaving Patterns for Monk's Cloth" by Jeanne Tams and Nan Duffin where you'll find a variety of patterns to get you started.

Once you get started, you'll find it's hard to put your project down. Besides creating a beautiful work of fabric art, it's also a great way to unwind after a hectic day, as well as keep you occupied on a long road trip.