Rigid-Heddle Projects from the Pages of Handwoven

One of the hardest parts of working on Handwoven as a contributing editor is not claiming “dibs” on any interesting rigid-heddle, inkle, or pin-loom project sent in as a Handwoven proposal. As a result, quite a few fantastic small-loom projects have appeared in the pages of Handwoven, something to which Easy Weaving with Little Looms readers might not have ready access.

Recently, I had the opportunity to go through the past few years and pick out two projects I thought might interest Little Looms readers to offer as All Access Subscriber exclusives! (Not an All Access subscriber? Learn more here.)

It was extremely tough to pick out just two, but in the end, I was able to narrow it down. The first project I chose is the Retro Chain Scarf by the late, great Nancy Peck. Though Easy Weaving with Little Looms is a young magazine, we were able to feature more than a few of her incredible designs before she passed, as was Handwoven. This scarf was featured in the Mid-Century Modern issue (March/April 2021) and is just absolutely gorgeous. The patterning is created using a pick-up stick and string heddles on a rigid-heddle, but with an optional draft for multi-shaft looms. (Nancy often “translated” 4-shaft patterns for her rigid heddle.) I love this scarf so much, and I hope you do, too!

Retro Chain Scarf by Nancy Peck from the March/April 2021 issue of Handwoven.

The second pattern I chose is Carla Hubbart’s Wrap Me In Houndstooth (featured at top). Originally published in Handwoven May/June 2021, this houndstooth wrap is bright and beautiful. Carla uses color beautifully to create a color-and-weave design that looks complicated but is actually simple plain weave. It’s such a good example of how a cleverly planned warp or weft color order can create something spectacular.