I love weaving on a little loom. The small scale and portability allows me to do experimental weaving on the go. One concept that I had worked on in the past but hadn’t yet perfected was warp-wrapping, and with Earth Day and Arbor Day occurring in the same week, I couldn’t resist using this technique to make a tree.

I pulled out my 8″ Easel Weaver and warped for a 6″ wide project.

I then chose weft in a limited color palette: blue for the sky, a green for the grass and leaves, and a dark brown for the bark/branches.

Taking the weeping willow as my inspiration, because it is one of my favorite trees, I drew a basic cartoon to map out my piece. This cartoon was placed behind my warp threads. I then set to work on weaving. I wove a few rows of green grass, then placed a row of rya knots. I repeated this process to form the little “hill.”

For the tree, I gathered 10 warp threads together, tied a surgeon’s knot around them using the dark brown, and then cinched them tight. Then I started wrapping my yarn around that bundle. After an inch and a half, I split the bundle into 6 threads and 4, and wrapped each of those groups for a while, and continued splitting the threads.

The following diagram shows how I split my branches, but you can split them in a different pattern.

After wrapping the tree branches up to about 2″ away from the top teeth, I went back to the left and right warp threads and wove each section using the blue. Once I reached the top of the branches, I used a weaving needle to weave straight across up to the top teeth. At this point I noticed some bare spots at the base of the trunk, and used a needle to wrap some exposed roots.

Weaving was finished, so I removed the work from the loom. With a crochet hook and green yarn, I used chain stitch and slip stitch to create the leaves of the weeping willow. I positioned them in such a manner that the branches could be seen behind the leaves.

I then trimmed the “grass,” wove in all my ends, finished the piece with a wash in warm water, and hung it up to dry.

I am very happy with how this project turned out, and can’t wait to make more!

What kind of tree will you weave? Share it with us on Instagram with the hashtag #schachtspindle.

Featured Product

Easel Weaver

Warp, weave, and display on the Easel Weaver, available in 3 compact sizes: 6″, 8″, and 10″. The Easel Weaver is designed for on-the-go weaving, creative projects, and classroom settings. Its unique kickstand can be folded flat into the center brace, folded out for comfortable weaving, or extended for display. Made of quality maple plywood with sturdy warp teeth. No-slip rubber feet keep the loom in place while warping and weaving.

Buy your Easel Weaver as a standalone loom or a kit! The kit includes all the tools needed to weave: Easel Weaver Loom, Shed Stick, Weaving Stick, Plastic Beater, Plastic Shuttle, Plastic Weaving Needle.