Weaving Techniques || Weaving with Mohair (part 2)

I had my ups and downs but over all I think I actually like weaving with mohair. It was definitely a change of pace from my normal weaving. My style is usually heavy with texture, so this was a challenge to make something lighter. Mohair is much more tacky then the yarns I usually weave with, so this was a little hard to get used to, but there is also a huge benefit to it’s velcro-like quality, it stays where you put it. There is little worry of your weft climbing up or down your warp threads. I look forward to experimenting with mohair more in the future. Here is what I did:

step1| to make my mohair weave, I warped my loom with the mohair thread. You could use your normal warp thread, but I found that using the mohair thread gave the whole weave an airy lightness which I liked. It also aided in holding my mohair wefts where I put them.

step 2| I started with a single thread plain weave and found that the mohair didn’t pack down the warp threads easily. When I normally weave, I will weave my row above the previous row, where the warp threads are loose and you can maneuver your tapestry needle easily, then I pack the weft down together. The mohair did not let me do this easily. I do like the spacing that was created, but if you want a tighter weave, then you’ll have to place your thread tight next to each other as you go.

step 3| I tried weaving with two mohair threads together and this gave me a bulkier look, which I liked. At first I wove it with the same spacing as I did with the single mohair thread. After a few rows I wove the two threads tighter together, leaving little space which created a neat ombre effect. Again trying to pack the rows down after the fact is hard because the fibers grip each other like crazy. But this works in your favor when you want the wefts to space apart.

step 4| I wove another single row of mohair to even out my design.

When I was done weaving I tried a few finishing techniques and found the simplest worked best for me, but there are many different ways to weave and you might find a different finish works better for you.

step 5| to finish my yarn tail ends, I simply wove them through two warp threads in the back, following the same over/under pattern as in the front of the weave. This worked very well with the double thread yarn tail end which was well hidden in the front of the weave. For the single row, I made sure to pull the yarn tail through directly over the already woven row. This helped hide it as much as possible, but it’s still somewhat visible from the front.

step 6| I cut my bottom warp threads and tied two warps together across the bottom. I was surprised at how hard this was, those little fibers slowed my progress way down as they kept catching and getting in the way, but I made it to the end (haha).

step 7| I tied off my warp loops to finish the top, and again it was slower and harder due to those little fibers. Find my post on how to tie warp loops here.

After I accepted the fact that mohair responds differently then my usual wool and cotton yarns, I actually liked it in the end and appreciated what you can make with mohair due to it’s velcro-like properties. My next step would be to try mixing mohair with my normal yarns and see what happens.

I think it’s always a good idea to push yourself out of your comfort zone and try new things. What are some new-to-you weaving techniques you have been trying? Or what is a technique that you are planning on trying for the first time?

Happy Weaving!

Kate

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