Customer Reviews

Harness lace

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This book is a must if you want to learn to weave complex leno weaves/Tarascan lace without having to hand-pick every lace shed. The author first gives instructions for weaving simple one-over-one and two-over-two leno on either a frame loom or a floor loom. She then goes on to describe complex harness lace on both types of loom.

The complex lace weaves are, to my mind, much more beautiful, and, well, more complex than simple one-over-one or two-over-two leno. These complex weaves are also know as 3-thread leno, fancy gauze, peruvian gauze or tarascan lace. In this weave every warp thread interlaces alternately to the left and then to the right with another warp thread. You end up with warps and wefts that curve slightly, giving the cloth a sense of having "transcended the grid." They come off the loom slightly stretchy, almost like a knitted piece.

Her instructions include methods for making holes in different patterns such as triangles and diamonds, plus other patterned interlacements. You can also combine these with the simple leno patterns as well, thus making a visually varied woven structure.

The best photo of a sample is on the cover: it is a beautiful shawl woven with a number of the complex techniques, and looks almost as breathtaking as one of the ancient Peruvian gauzes. Within the book there are clear photos of loom set-up procedures, pick-up methods whilst weaving, and a few woven samples.

The book is something of a headache to figure out though. Not because she didn't do a good job of writing out her instructions. Indeed, she did the best anyone could do. It's just that it's really a technique that is better taught in person. Nevertheless, I managed to figure it out and weave an item similar to the shawl on the cover, simply by taking it slowly and reading the set-up instructions over and over again (once a day for several days). Finally it "clicked" and made sense.

The book is only 44 pages long, and the current price seems a bit much. But if you compare it to taking a workshop, I suppose it is comparable. It will certainly stimulate the formation of new neuronal patterns in your brain to undertake to learn on your own from the book. Your synapses will be firing right and left as you try to comprehend spacial concepts that are very different from any other harness controlled weaves!