INTERVAL: Inkle Weaving

So, I haven't started any new projects since my last update. I'm still working on the Christmas decorations and the ribbon for the Christmas cake, but I felt that I needed to put up something here. As well as all the cross-stitch discovery, I have recently been on an inkle weaving course with my Mum. It was only three hour-and-a-half sessions but we have both become completely addicted to it. So much so that Mum is now going to get a full-sized loom for her birthday.

I should explain what inkle weaving is. An inkle is a long, thin piece of woven material, made on a wooden loom, like this one (which was mine from the course):

This is a mini one, the full-size ones need a whole table to stand on and have to be clamped down to stop it moving. A bit scary!!

Inkles are a medieval craft. It takes ages to get the loom set up ready for weaving, and then the fun bit, the weaving, is actually pretty quick. It's a really fun craft to do, and there is an infinite number of patterns you can do. They can be any width, it's only limited by the length of the wooden pegs. Our teacher had some examples of some really tiny ones. The inkle on the photo above was my first attempt and was a middling-width. In total, I made three inkles, then the loom had to be returned:

The inkle on the far right was the widest that could be done on the mini-loom. I'm hoping that, when Mum gets hers for her birthday, I can have a go and try to make a really wide, detailed one.

Anyway, I'll leave this with some more photos for the inkles I made. Can you tell I REALLY love this craft? It's definitely one I would recommend to anyone :D