• Tool: Rigid heddle
  • Yarn: Mercenised 8/4 cotton yarn Nya Emma, x2 colours from Falkgarn

As I’m getting more into band weaving and learning how to make better use of the rigid heddle, I attempted making a pick-up band weave.

We’re creating a weft based rep weave (the weft, threads in the heddle, cover the “inner” thread used to hold them together). There are two different methods to this type of weaving. When looking at older books on band weaving (Swedish produced in the 70s) they refer to them as “Method one” and “Method two”. Method two is the type most commonly found on the internet when you search for pikcup band weaving or refered to as “Baltic style weaving”. You have one set of “foundation” threads (two per pattern thread) and a thicker yearn used for the pattern.

The first method is simpler. You have a ration of 1:1 and keep all colours on the same side. In my weave, I have two foundation colour threads on each side, then the colour threads in between. On the other side of this plain weave setup is a full row of foundation colour threads.

A band being woven on a rigid heddle in a simple pick-up weave
In the middle of weaving. All pattern threads are found on the same row, here the yellow is at the top.
Looking at a simple pickup weave in the middle of picking up the pattern. View from the side.
Band weaving seen from the side. As the foundation colour is on top, the appropriate pattern colour threads are picked from the bottom and replaced with a thread from the top. We can see two yellow threads close to the camera and two further away changing places with rust coloured threads so the amount of threads top/bottom will remain unchanged.
Looking at a simple pickup weave in the middle of picking up the pattern. View from the top.
The same view as the previous photo (from the side). This row would have been just rust coloured, but some threads have switched positions (top/bottom). This creates the shapes.

Video view of pickup

For those who prefer a video, here is how I worked the band.

Showing how I pick the pattern. For illustrative purpose, I pack it tight before changing colours. You can see that the rust colour is now on top, and to make the pattern I'm using a weaving motion to push down a thread and pick up a coloured thread to take its place. This can be done with one hand, but this pattern is symmetrical enough to allow working it from both sides after a bit of practice.

Final results

I made it way too short to be more useful than as a decorative headband, but it was due to me not measuring properly how much yearn was needed to make the pattern symmetrical (the squares and lines).

It was easier getting a good seal of the ends by using sewing threads to set up so you can pull in the ends (rather than same-weight yarn) and I liked the slimmed fringe decoration here as an alternative to braids or bigger tassels.

Indeed, pulling in the sides as you progress is what makes it more event. I still have some work to do on that front but am getting better at it!

The front of a weft based rep weaved band with pickup pattern in geometric shape
The final band with geometric shapes and a fringe-like end
the back of a weft based rep weaved band with pickup pattern in geometric shape
The same band but seen from the back.