[Bionic]

Can I weave a weft faced fabric with an aran weight yarn?


I have just done a sample of weft facing, with a different yarn, and like it so want to make a cushion for my sister for christmas which is weft faced.
The only yarn I can find in the colours I want is a knitting yarn in aran weight. 

[winkhound]

Yes, if the warp is thick it will be very thick, if the warp is a widely spaced cotton it will be fine

[Bionic]

Thankyou winkhound 

[Dogwalker]

Glad someone knew the answer, it was starting to bug me.

[Mad Goatwoman of Madeley]

Using a much thinner warp, widely spaced as winkhound says, but of any yarn will work. I'd recommend using the same type as the weft (wool on wool, acrylic on acrylic, etc) if you don't use cotton, to reduce the risk of uneven shrinkage.

[Bionic]

Lesley I am going to use a cotton warp but what exactly does widely spaced mean? I keep reading it but can' t find an explanation of how wide

[Mad Goatwoman of Madeley]

Depending on the thickness of the warp, you could thread it at around six to the inch to use aran weight for a weft. I would wrap the cotton round a ruler so there are six threads covering once inch and see what it looks like but that should do it. If your reed is ten to the inch try it with five threads.

[Bionic]

Lesley, I have been reading that you can try wrapping the warp and the weft around a ruler for a inch, leaving just a tiny gap between them and then however many times the warp wraps that is roughly what you should go with. I can't do it yet as the weft hasn't arrived.


My reed is 8. I only have 2 reeds 8 or 14, so both extremes. The 14 would definitely be too narrow.


Hmmm, maybe should think about getting another reed but they are so expensive.

[SallyintNorth]

I'm still very much a beginner, so calibrate my input accordingly!  I'm interested to understand more about it all myself, so am as much asking for comment/clarification as I am making suggestions.

1.  I have been taught that to determine ends per inch for a balanced weave, wrap for half an inch, use that as your ends per inch.  (Allows room for the weft threads to go in and out.)  Since you are wanting weft-facing, I am understanding that you need less ends per inch for the warp?  (And presumeably beat harder?)

2.  If you want more epi than your reed allows, you can double up ends in slots. Conversely, if your reed is finer, you can miss out slots.  (Provided there's room for the yarn to travel through the slots, of course.) 

Lesley is suggesting 6 epi with Aran weight, which I would think you would sley on your 8dpi reed 1-1-1-0-1-1-1-0, wouldn't you?  I assume the warp threads will even themselves out as you beat and the weft finds itself places between the warps, so you wouldn't get gaps where the empty slots were.

[Bionic]

I'm still very much a beginner, so calibrate my input accordingly!  I'm interested to understand more about it all myself, so am as much asking for comment/clarification as I am making suggestions.

1.  I have been taught that to determine ends per inch for a balanced weave, wrap for half an inch, use that as your ends per inch.  (Allows room for the weft threads to go in and out.)  Since you are wanting weft-facing, I am understanding that you need less ends per inch for the warp?  (And presumeably beat harder?)

2.  If you want more epi than your reed allows, you can double up ends in slots. Conversely, if your reed is finer, you can miss out slots.  (Provided there's room for the yarn to travel through the slots, of course.) 

Lesley is suggesting 6 epi with Aran weight, which I would think you would sley on your 8dpi reed 1-1-1-0-1-1-1-0, wouldn't you?  I assume the warp threads will even themselves out as you beat and the weft finds itself places between the warps, so you wouldn't get gaps where the empty slots were.

Yes, that last piece sounds right to me Sally.


I was at a weaving lesson today and did some double weave. Very interesting. Might do some more 

[SallyintNorth]

I am very envious of you finding weaving classes.   Nothing structured around here, but a super teacher who will go anywhere with her Katie looms - just need to find a few others to make up a regular classroomful for her.

I got an 8-shaft precisely because I knew I would be wanting to do doubleweave   (And I like twills.)

I am working my way through Deb Chandler's book 'Learning to Weave' - doubleweave comes quite a bit later and I am chomping at the bit!  In fact, I am struggling to think of a project that isn't doubleweave!  lol.  (Not really, I expect I'll do tea towels next, as most people do, lol.)

[Mad Goatwoman of Madeley]

Lesley is suggesting 6 epi with Aran weight, which I would think you would sley on your 8dpi reed 1-1-1-0-1-1-1-0, wouldn't you?  I assume the warp threads will even themselves out as you beat and the weft finds itself places between the warps, so you wouldn't get gaps where the empty slots were.

Exactly what I was going to suggest.


I love double weave as well. You can do so much with it. I'd love to have an eight shaft loom so I could do double weave in twill but will have to put up with my four shaft. Still lots I can do though. Once, I've cleared a route to my loom, that is, through all the fleeces. 

[Bionic]

I've only got a 4 shaft, as do the rest of the group but we managed to do double weave on that. I am making a 'pocket' for my mini ipad. One side is yellow and the other side dark blue. 


I did have a problem when I went wrong, without realising, and closed the picket so had to take a few rows out. I am careful to check that I still have an opening after every few rows now.

[SallyintNorth]

Oh, yes, you can do lovely doubleweave tabby on 4 shafts, it's just I like twills; you need 8 shafts to do doubleweave twill.