My Current Weaving Obsession: Hexagons

Without a doubt, one of the best parts of my job is getting to see and feel projects as they come in. It is also one of the most dangerous parts of the job for someone like me who has never met a type of weaving I didn’t like. I recently read a post about people who are attracted to the next shiny object, as in giving up an existing project for a new project, and I commented that I just may be the mascot of that group.

All this is to explain why I have warps on two floor looms, but lately I’ve been happily weaving small elongated hexagons on a continuous strand loom. It’s all the fault of Greta Holmstrom. I fell in love with her Mount Wilson Shawl in Little Looms 2020 and couldn’t get it out of my mind. There are lots of great projects in the issue, but it is the one I fell for.

Greta Holmstrom's Mount Wilson Shawl. Photo credit: George Boe

The shawl is woven of course, but it also has a mosaic quality that I love and that I am trying to imitate using Harrisville Shetland wool yarns from my stash. In honor of the 19th Amendment’s 100th anniversary and the colors of the Suffragette movement, I chose white, gold, and purple as my colors, although I was a bit free in my interpretation of gold and in fact am weaving with gold, yellow, and light yellow. And, well, in full-disclosure, the purple is more lavender than purple, but you know, my shawl, my rules—otherwise known as weaver’s choice.

Some of my hexagons in one of my many arrangements. Photo by Susan E. Horton

At first, with only a few hexagons woven, I was a bit disheartened when I realized how many I had left to weave, but as the COVID-19 stay-at-home period stretches out, the stack is growing. I try to weave one every day, often while hanging out with the puppy in the backyard or watching Jeopardy. I now have plenty of hexagons to play with and enjoy arranging them in different patterns, although at some point, I will need to determine my final plan and weave enough hexagons in each color to fit it. I wouldn’t say it is fascinating to weave little hexagons once you have figured out the trick to it, but it is satisfying as each one you weave is a perfect little woven piece.

I’ll get back to my floor looms soon, but in the meantime, I’m enjoying myself and dreaming of finishing my “mosaic” shawl. I don’t know what shiny object is going to attract me next, but for now, this one has me captivated.

Weave well,
Susan

This post was originally published on 5/12/20. Updated on 5/30/24.