Circles have a unique place in the traditions and beliefs of many cultures. They variously symbolize perfection, infinity, protection, completeness, and fidelity. Some are part of religious rituals, such as the mandalas of Buddhism and Hinduism. They appear in both ancient and contemporary art, often representing those ever-present circles, the sun, moon, and planets, including Earth. From the wheel to the bowl, circles serve everyday practical purposes, but they can project fun and whimsy too! The next few projects show off beautiful, creative ways to work circular frames into your weaving.
God’s Eye
The woven object we call a God’s eye originated with the Huichol people of the Sierra Madre mountains in what is now western Mexico. Traditionally, the four spokes of the crossed-stick frame represented the elements: fire, water, wind, and earth. The Huichol people believed these sacred objects offered protection and the power to see the unseeable and unknowable. When the Spanish came to the region in the 1500s, they called the weavings ojos de Dios, or “God’s eyes.” The religious significance of these objects has largely been lost over the years, but the infinite ways to weave them remain fascinating. —GS
You Will Need
Ruler
Pencil or pen
Four double-pointed knitting needles or bamboo skewers
Hot glue gun
Assortment of yarn of different textures and colors
Instructions
1.Measure and mark the center on each needle. Place a dab of hot glue at the center of one needle, and position another needle on the glue at a right angle to the first. Hold the two needles together until the glue sets. Repeat for the second pair of needles and set that pair aside.
2.Holding a 3" tail of yarn under the point where the two needles cross, lash the needles together by drawing the yarn diagonally over the center of the cross, starting at the upper left and moving to the lower right. Take the yarn under the bottom needle to the lower left and come up across the front to the upper right, under the top needle to the upper left where you started, as shown below. Rotate the needles one-quarter turn clockwise, as you take the yarn under the next needle to the left. Continue to rotate the needles and repeat the lashing in this manner as many times as necessary to establish a firm cross.
3.Continuing with the same yarn, draw the yarn over and around the needle arm to the right. Turn the crossed needles counterclockwise and draw the yarn over and around the next arm to the right. Continue in this manner until the width of the weaving measures about 1" from the center. You may find it more natural to turn the crossed needles clockwise. If so, draw the yarn over and around the needle arm to the left.
4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the second pair of needles to create the other half of the God’s eye. Make the weaving on this second cross slightly wider than that of the first.
5.To join the two halves, place the first God’s eye you wove on top of the second as shown, so that the eight arms of the needles are evenly spaced. Join a new length of yarn with a sliding knot and weave around each of the eight arms as you did in step 3. (Hide the tail ends of the knot in subsequent rounds.) Adjust as necessary to keep the symmetry of the design. Weave around until this section is about 1⁄2" wide (or as desired).
6.After a few rounds of weaving around each of the eight arms, you can increase the three-dimensional effect by weaving around every other arm for several rounds (four arms in all; see photo 6a) and then weaving several rounds around the alternate four arms. (see photo 6b). Mix it up further by weaving around each arm again. Change colors as desired, using a sliding knot for each join. Play with it!
Step 6a
Step 6b
I wove bands 1⁄2" to 3⁄4" wide, each one going around only every other arm and alternating the sets of four. In other words, for one band, I wove around arms 1, 3, 5, and 7, and for the next band, I wove around arms 2, 4, 6, and 8. Take care to draw the yarn under the yarns in the previous section.
7.When about 1" of each arm remains, weave around each of the eight arms again for about 1⁄2". Using all of the arms for the last band creates a border that completes the design. (You may wish to have a wider border — your choice!)8. Cut the yarn, leaving an 8" tail. Wrap the tail several times around the last arm, make a loop for hanging, and finish off with a double half-hitch knot at the base of the loop.
Alternative Weave
The weaving method described in step 3 creates a smooth surface on top of the God’s eye, with a clean line down the center of each needle where the yarn has been wrapped. I used that method for the entire God’s eye. To create even more dimensionality in your God’s eye, experiment with this alternate weave:
1.Take the yarn under the arm to the left of where you start, up and over it, and then under the next arm on the left.
2.Rotate the God’s eye clockwise and repeat step 1. (Note that you can also turn the arms counterclockwise and wrap the arm to the right.) With this alternative weave, the wrap is visible on top of the arms and the length of yarn between each arm is set back slightly.
You can alternate between this approach and the one described in step 3.
Delicate Dorset Buttons
Dorset buttons were first made commercially in the English county of Dorset in the seventeenth century. For the next 200 years, making buttons by hand was a thriving cottage industry in the region; anyone not capable of or interested in working in the fields could survive by making buttons. In one day, successful button makers could create as many as six or seven dozen buttons, which amazes me!
The invention in the mid-1800s of the button-making machine put an end to the Dorset cottage industry, but fortunately, Dorset-style buttons are still admired and the technique has survived through the centuries. In addition to buttons, the disks can be made into beautiful accessories — including necklaces, bracelets, hair clips, and rings — and adornments (see Crosswheel Ornaments below and here).
No matter how I end up using these small creations, I find making them fun — and a bit addictive. —DJ
Handcrafted Dorset buttons were used on European formal wear throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Plastic cabone rings the diameter of your desired buttons
Scissors
Sharp-tip embroidery needle
Wrapping the Ring
1.Thread the crochet cotton on the blunt-tip needle. Position the tail alongside the top of the ring, with the tail pointing to the left.
2.Put the needle through the ring from front to back and right to left. Continue bringing the needle up through the inside of the loop of thread above the ring, forming a buttonhole stitch or half hitch on the ring. This first stitch may seem a bit unstable, but you will be able to snug it into place after you work a few loops and the stitches are settled.
3.Continue moving around the ring clockwise, repeating the wrap described in step 2. When approaching the part of the ring that is already wrapped, catch the beginning tail inside the wrapping threads. To do this, hold the tail against the ring and complete the wrapping over it.
4.When the ring is completely wrapped, trim the beginning tail if any of it protrudes through the wrappings. If you are using a different color for the inside part of the button, thread the ending tail under the wrapped area using the sharp-tip needle. If you are continuing with the same color, just continue on using the same thread.
5.There will be a ridge around the outside edge of the ring. Slide that ridge to the back of the ring.
Creating the Spokes
6.Now wrap the thread completely around the ring like the spokes of a bicycle wheel so you have a total of eight spokes on the top and eight spokes on the bottom of the button. It will be a bit messy at this point. If you are using the same color, continue with the thread you were using to wrap the ring. If you are starting a new color, begin by securing the new thread under a section of the thread wrapping the ring. Try to keep the spokes evenly spaced around the ring.
7.Tighten and straighten the spokes by wrapping the thread a few times around the center hub of the wheel, between the spokes. The wrapping will form a cross shape and will gather the center of the spokes together. End with the thread coming out the back of the button. Tug the hub until it is positioned in the center of the ring.
Each spoke will consist of a pair of threads, one thread on the back of the button and one on the front. The spokes you create will not line up directly on top of each other. This is okay; they will be straightened out in the next step.
Wrapping the Spokes
8.Bring the needle up between spokes A and B. Move the needle to the right, over spoke B. Then take the needle down between spokes B and C. Tug the thread inward toward the wheel’s central hub. From underneath, bring the needle up between the spokes A and H.
9.Repeat the wrapping pattern in step 8, moving one spoke to the right and down, then under two spokes to the left and up. Continue until the space between all the spokes is completely filled in.
Finishing
10.Using the sharp-tip needle, bury the tail in the threads on the back side of the ring and trim off the excess.
11.If you need to add more thread or change colors, use the sharp-tip needle to bury the ends of the previous tail and the beginning tail of the new yarn.
Use Your Buttons on a Handmade Garment
After searching all over for buttons for a sweater that I was particularly proud of knitting, I eventually made my own Dorset buttons. I needed buttons that were very small and elegant but didn’t steal the spotlight from the lace patterns in the sweater. Commercial buttons I found were either too plain or too thick. My handmade buttons turned out to be exactly the right look. It is such fun to render the perfect closure for a handcrafted garment.
Sew the finished button(s) on the garment as follows:
1.Catch your sewing thread around the hub of the button’s wheel to create a shank, making sure to allow enough room for the fabric around the buttonhole to lie flat and not bunch up.
2.As you sew the button on, wrap the thread around the shank to make the connection more secure.
Crosswheel Ornaments
The basic Dorset button crosswheel pattern makes a perfect holiday ornament. Use these festive embellishments on trees, wreaths, candles, centerpieces, or wherever you want a bit of holiday sparkle. —DJ
You Will Need
Plastic and metal rings in various sizes: 3⁄4"–11⁄2" plastic rings and 1"–2" metal washers or 1"–2" welded metal rings
Assortment of threads, some with glitter; amount will depend on size of ring
Small tapestry needle
Scissors
Pliers
Instructions
Follow the instructions for Delicate Dorset Buttons, making anywhere between six and ten spokes.
Make a hanging loop by taking the final thread under some of the wrapping threads around the outer ring. Bring the working thread up, make a loop about 1⁄2" long, and bring the thread back into the wrapping threads. Wrap the working thread around the loop a couple of times to stiffen the base of the loop. Slip the needle under some of the wrapping threads and then backstitch to anchor the tail. Trim any excess.
16-Cord Kumihimo Braid
Kumihimo is a Japanese method of braiding threads together to make decorative cords. The technique has been around for 1,500 years, and the cords — which samurai once used to lace up their armor — are used today as ties for haori jackets and as part of traditional kimono sashes.
The cords can have extremely complex designs woven into them or can be quite simple. Traditional Japanese cords are woven with fine silk threads on beautiful specialty looms called marudai, but many modern kumihimo disks are made of thick foam. The foam disks are inexpensive, portable, and easy to use. Although this is technically braiding, the working threads are referred to as warp threads, and they are kept under tension as they would be if you were weaving fabric on a loom.
Warp: size 3 crochet cotton (3/2 pearl cotton), 8 yards in each of 4 colors
16 EZ Bobs
Kumihimo disk with 32 notches
Weight (This can be a large washer, a fishing weight, or an actual kumihimo weight.)
Finished Measurement
24"–28" long
In this project you will wrap the long warp threads around the core of weighted plastic bobbins. The top layer of the bobbin is then flipped down over the threads to keep them from unwinding. The two layers of plastic keep the warp threads from coming off the bobbin as they dangle from the disk. The bobbins keep the long warp threads from tangling as you work.
Instructions
1.Cut four pieces of warp thread from each of the four colors. Each warp thread should be twice as long as you want your finished cord.
2.Wind all but about 10" of each warp onto an EZ Bob.
3.Spread out the warp threads on the disk following the diagram below. Leave two empty notches between each group of two adjacent threads.
4.Pull the ends of all the warp threads through the center hole from top to bottom, making sure to keep the ends of the tails even, and tie a square knot on the bottom side of the disk.
5.Attach the weight around the knot to keep tension on the cord.
6.Adjust the length of the threads in the EZ Bobs so they hang evenly over the edges of the disk.
7.Beginning with the group of threads at the 6 o’clock position, lift the left warp thread and move it over the disk and position it in the notch to the left side of the two threads at the 12 o’clock position. Then lift the thread on the right side of the 12 o’clock position, and move it over the disk and position it in the notch to the right of the threads at the 6 o’clock position.
8.Turn the disk slightly counterclockwise so the threads that were in the 7 o’clock position are now in the 6 o’clock position, and move the threads as you did in step 7. As you use up the available thread, unwind more thread from the EZ Bobs and continue weaving.
9.Repeat steps 7 and 8 until your cord is the desired length. Remove the threads from the disk, and tie an overhand knot in each end of the bundles.
What a Lot of Hoopla!
An embroidery hoop makes a perfect loom for a circular weaving, and once the weaving is complete, it also provides the frame. Available in a wide range of sizes, hoops are lightweight and portable. Be sure to use a wooden hoop: plastic does not grip the warp yarns as securely as wood and is less attractive as a frame. —GS
You Will Need
Wooden embroidery hoop
Tape measure
Pencil or pen
Warp: 8/2 soft-finish linen warp, 100% linen
Weft: Yarn in a variety of colors, weights, textures, fibers, and fiber blends
Long blunt-tip tapestry needle, table fork, or tapestry beater
Warping the Loom
1.Decide how many warp threads you would like your weaving to have. Note that you must have an odd number of warps so that you can weave in a spiral fashion and maintain the under/over sequence. See Go Figure (below) for advice on how to determine the warp intervals, or spacing between each warp.
2.Set the outer hoop aside. The warp is wound over only the inner hoop. With a pencil, lightly mark the warp intervals all the way around the inner loop.
3.Use a square knot to tie the linen warp around the inner hoop at one of the marks. Draw the yarn straight across the hoop to a mark on the opposite side. It won’t be exactly opposite; choose the mark to the right of where the first warp is tied. Wrap the warp thread over the hoop and back to the opposite side to the next mark just left of where you tied the first warp. Again wrap the warp thread over the hoop and take it back to the opposite side to the right of the first wrap. Continue in this manner, crisscrossing the warp threads at the center, until you reach the last mark.
Don’t be concerned if the threads aren’t precisely matched up at the center; you will take care of that in step 4. Keep an even tension as you wrap the thread around the hoop. The tension should be consistently moderate rather than extremely tight.
4.When you get to the last warp mark, there will be no corresponding mark on the opposite side of the hoop. Take this last warp to the center, and loop it around all the other warp threads to gather them together. You can position this gathering point either at the center of your circle or off-center, for an even more asymmetrical design. Take care to catch them all; you may have to go around the center a few times to secure them (a). Secure with a half-hitch knot, loop the warp again around the gathered warps, tie another half-hitch knot, and then take the yarn back along the only single warp and tie it to the hoop (b). Trim the end. Note that you now have 21 doubled warps. You may need to adjust them a bit to get them evenly spaced.
Each warp consists of two threads, one in front and one in back.
5.Slide the outer hoop over the inner and tighten the adjusting screw firmly to secure the warp.
Weaving
6.Prepare your weft yarns as described in Preparing a Color-Blended Weft.
7.Leaving a 4" tail, use the weft to cover the center warp in this manner: draw the weft directly over the center, down into the space opposite, under the center, and then up into the space to the left of where you began. Repeat this process until you have worked around the entire center, or until the warp is entirely covered.
8.Weave about 8 rounds in plain weave (weaving under and over adjacent doubled warp threads). Continue to spiral out without stopping. As the weaving progresses, pack each round down with a tapestry needle, table fork, or tapestry beater to completely cover the warp.
The best way to weave the first couple of rounds is to work a bit away from the center, where it’s easier to see which warp pairs belong together. After 2 rounds, tease the weaving down toward the center, pulling the working yarn and the tail to get close to the center and cover as much of the warp as possible.
9.When the weaving is about 21⁄2" wide, the warps are now far enough apart that the under/over approach is not as attractive or as stable. At that point, switch to a technique similar to that used for weaving a God’s eye: Wrap the yarn around each warp and then move to the next warp. Take care not to weave too tightly, and periodically use a table fork, tapestry beater, or your fingers to pack in the weft so that no warp shows. Note that you can achieve a different effect if you wrap from front to back (a) as opposed to wrapping from back to front (b). You may occasionally want to wrap the weft yarn more than once around a warp before moving to the next one (c). This creates little yarn “beads” along the warp.
Step 9a
Step 9b
Step 9c
10.To achieve asymmetry, weave only partway around, then turn and weave back in the direction you just came from. To soften the contours of these bump outs, make each turn one warp short of the one before. For example, weave across eight warps, turn and weave across 7 (a), turn and weave across 6, and so on. When the bump is as deep as you want it (b), weave the next round all the way around.
Step 10a: Turn and start weaving in the opposite direction.
Step 10b
11.Your weaving is complete when you reach the rim. Tie off the weft yarn, leaving a tail to weave in on the wrong side. Weave in all remaining tails. Use the rim to hang the piece, or make a hanger by tying a loop of strong yarn around the rim.
Preparing a Color-Blended Weft
Use the color wheel to achieve a wash of color like that shown in the project here.
You probably learned about primary colors — red, blue, and yellow — at a very early age. If you arrange the primary colors in a traditional color wheel, what sits between them are secondary colors. For example, purple sits between red and blue because purple is the color you get if you mix red and blue pigments together. Similarly, blue and yellow make green, and red and yellow make orange. You can mix secondary colors with primaries in varying ratios to get more and more subtle and interesting hues. We can use this blending phenomenon in weaving without touching paints or dyes; instead, we’ll let our eyes do the mixing.
For the project, I chose beginning and ending colors that I particularly like, a light greenish blue for the center and purple for the outer edge. I then searched my stash for yarns in colors that lie along the color wheel between those two hues: teal, blue, blue-purple, moving finally to a darker, reddish purple. You might decide to start with yellow, then move through oranges, to reds, perhaps ending with a purple-red. Or, you could start with yellow as shown below and go the opposite direction on the wheel, through greens and end up with blue. The possibilities are endless! In addition to considering the hues (colors), pay attention to the value of the colors — that is, how dark or light they are.
It is often quite effective to weave with colors that lie next to each other on the color wheel. Known as analogous colors, they have a natural affinity toward one another.
Arranging My Color Sequence
For the weaving shown below, I started by making a pile of several blues, yellows, and greens from my yarn stash. I laid out several dozen yarns in a long line, with light blue at one end and pale yellow at the other end. I tried to imagine how each one related to those next to it. For the center of the weaving, I planned to use only one strand of yarn, but as the circle widened, I wanted to use fatter wefts, and so I planned to double or even triple the number of yarns in each round of the weaving. I often mixed yarn textures in the bundles.
The next step was to make yarn butterflies to help make the weaving go faster. To create a more gradual color blending, I used two or three yarns of different colors in each bundle and varied the number of strands according to the thickness of each yarn:
A. Four strands of bright yellow
B. Two strands of bright yellow and two strands of light yellow
C. Two strands of light yellow and two strands of variegated green
D. Three strands of variegated green and one strand of light yellow
E. Four strands of variegated green
By gradually increasing and decreasing the proportions of color in each package, I achieved the subtle changes I was looking for.
I was careful to keep my butterfly packages in the order I created them. Although preparing all the yarns in advance is time-consuming, it makes the weaving process pure pleasure. It goes quickly, leaving you the luxury of concentrating on the shape of the weaving you are creating, without having to stop and decide what yarn to use next. I made a few adjustments as I wove, particularly as I neared the edge of the circle and saw that if I didn’t eliminate some of the prepared packages, I wouldn’t have the pale blue that I wanted at the edge. It’s a bit difficult to prepare exactly the right amount of yarn, but it’s always better to have too much than not enough.
Winding a Butterfly
Yarn butterflies are a useful way to manage small amounts of weft.
1.Cut lengths of yarn about 3 yards long, then start with a 4"–5" tail. This will be the working end that you draw out of the center of the bundle while you’re weaving.
2.Anchor the tail across your palm with your fingers, then wind the yarn figure-8 fashion around your thumb and little finger 15 to 20 times: heavier yarn limits the length of yarn that makes a manageable bundle; you can have more wraps if you’re using a finer yarn.
3.Pinch the bundle at the center, and cut the yarn, leaving a 4" tail. Wrap this tail tightly around the center (“waist”) of the butterfly several times, and secure it firmly with a half-hitch knot.
Spotlight
Tammy Kanat
Tammy Kanat’s weaving journey began in 2011, when she enrolled in the highly regarded Australian Tapestry Workshop to learn and refine the complex skill of tapestry weaving. Her 2014 exhibition, The Spirit, consisted of handwoven wall art, vessels, and sculptures that established her as an intuitive and original textile artist. Tammy has gained international recognition through social media for her vibrant, uplifting work and has since produced commissions for local and international clients.
She believes weaving is an ever-evolving, timeless art and an enchanting way to share the impact of her surroundings. I particularly love the way Tammy uses a variety of textures to enhance her wonderful choice of color in each of her pieces.
About her work in general, Tammy says, “There is always so much control in our lives, so it is important for me that my works are not forced or contrived. They are always a free-flowing, genuine, natural process. They come from a deep place within me, and this is a therapeutic way for me to express myself, similar to the way one may write in a personal journal or gratitude diary.”
Wilderness, 2018
Wool, linen, silk, and other exotic fibers; copper frame 150 cm diameter
Wilderness evolved from her love of Australia’s nature — the undulating landscapes and rich, earthy colors. Tammy says that “working on a larger circular scale created a sense of freedom and space similar to my experience in the Australian bush. I wanted the completed piece to be one that makes you feel calm and peaceful.”
Pattern Play, 2018
Wool, linen, silk, and other exotic fibers; copper frame 100 cm diameter
In this joyful piece, Tammy explains that she “was experimenting with color and shapes and how they play and interact with each other. It was a spontaneous work, and there was no plan as to which direction the piece would take. The process of creating this work was freeing, as there were no limits or rules — it just happened instinctively. I just knew I wanted the end result to be a happy piece that makes you feel good.”
