Spinning for Bandweaving: 3 Ways to Weave Gorgeous Ribbons

In her post “Roving Reporter: Spinning for Bandweaving,” Kate Larson confessed that she’s smitten with bandweaving. The possibilities for spinners to explore fiber, yarn, and weaving are endless! In this excerpt from her article “Spinning for Warp-Faced Bands” from Spin Off Spring 2018, Kate offers 3 ways handspinners can use handspun yarn to enhance the designs of woven bands.

Fiber preparation, drafting style, and twist management are important factors in designing successful warp-faced weaving yarns. There are many combinations to explore, and some will work better than others. Read on if you’re interested in creating beautiful, useful cloth that challenges your spinning skills and helps lay to rest the myth that handspun cannot be used as warp!

Option One: Add Twist in the Opposite Direction

We handspinners can make use of a surprising design element that some traditional bandweavers used to create surface texture: twist direction. The first time I noticed this was in poring over some of the older pickup bands in Vesterheim’s collection. Most are made with a mixed warp of millspun cotton or linen (spun Z and plied S) and handspun wool pattern threads (spun S and plied Z). The difference in twist direction makes the pattern threads stand out dramatically from the background. Nilda Callañaupa Alvarez mentions in her video Andean Spinning and book Secrets of Spinning, Weaving, and Knitting in the Peruvian Highlands that changes in warp-yarn twist direction are also used in Peruvian regional traditions to add texture to warp-faced cloth.

Left: The orange and tan yarns are spun and plied in opposite directions. The opposing twist gives this band a chevron texture, but this is just plain weave! Right: The second band shows the background thread and pattern thread spun in opposite directions. In pick-up bands, the twist direction differences in the warp are less obvious at first glance but allow the pattern yarn to be visible even in a monochromatic band such as this one.

Option Two: Explore Yarn Structure

Most bandweaving yarns are two-ply, but your explorations can take you in many directions. Some of my favorite bands combine fine-gauge two-ply yarns and larger, rounder three- or four-ply yarns in the warp. This usually works best if the larger yarn is also less dense and a bit squishy. Not all of these yarns will be successful mixed together so sampling is important, but don’t be afraid to jump in and experiment.

Using chain-plied yarns, also called Navajo-plied yarns, can also create interesting color effects in the warp. When spinning a chain-plied yarn for bandweaving, I choose a bouncy wool and prefer a final yarn that is fingering weight and has high twist. This combination helps to produce a yarn that is lightweight but strong and reduces the possibility that the little bump created during chain plying will be visible.

Option Three: Change the Weft Size

Weft yarns for weaving bands need to be strong and fairly smooth so that they slide easily through the compacted warp during weaving. Most of the time, the weft is nearly invisible in warp-faced bands. Most weavers choose a weft color that matches the warp threads at the outside edge of the band so the weft will be completely hidden. However, by changing the size of the weft, you can alter the thickness of the band as well as the edge effect.

The most common weft choice is slightly smaller than the warp. Here are three bands, one with the weft slightly smaller, one with a same-size weft, and one with a weft larger than the warp threads. Notice how the red weft creates a decorative effect at the selvedge.

Get Weaving!

Now that you have options for your handspun, let’s talk about how you can get weaving. A simple way to get started is using a rigid heddle and a backstrap weaving setup. The setup and tools are simple, and you can use short warps that don’t require much yarn to sample and try these methods. If you’re new to bandweaving, we have two courses to help you get started. Start with Backstrap Rigid Heddle Basics. This beginner video is free to anyone and will get you weaving quickly.

Then, when you're ready for part two, check out Backstrap Rigid Heddle: Weaving Pick-Up Bands, where you’ll learn two methods for pick-up to create even more interest in your bands. Both videos are sponsored by The Dancing Goats, supplier of many of the tools you’ll see in the videos (and tools that we’re all now hooked on).

Check out Backstrap Rigid Heddle: Weaving Pick-Up Bands to get started weaving pick-up bands. Photo by Matt Graves

Resources

• Dixon, Anne. The Weaver’s Inkle Pattern Directory. Loveland, Colorado: Interweave, 2012.
• Rand, Piia. Eesti Kirivööd. (Estonian Pattern Bands.) Tallinn, Estonia: Saara Kirjastus, 2013.
• Torgenrud, Heather. Norwegian Pick-Up Bandweaving. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer, 2014.
• Backstrap Rigid Heddle Basics
• Backstrap Rigid Heddle: Weaving Pick-Up Bands

Originally published July 6, 2018; updated December 31, 2026.