Tutorial – A yurt band border in two-color warp floats

This is a tutorial for weaving designs using two colors of alternating simple warp floats. Here I will show you how to weave the border design from a yurt band which you can see below.

Four versions of the yurt band border design.

WARP FLOATS GALORE-(alternating warp floats in two colors)

THE TUTORIAL

This is a warp-faced weave.

You need to wind a warp and rearrange the cross so that it looks like the picture at left. The warps in shed 1 will go in heddles and shed 2 will be controlled by a shed stick. I have 4 ends in each of my borders. I am working with 18 warps, or 9 pairs of warps in each shed. This tutorial gives instructions for weaving the first 10 weft passes. Start by simply passing the weft through sheds 1 and 2 and weaving a few rows of horizontal stripes. I recommend passing your weft from left to right in shed 1 to be in sync with these insructions.
FIRST WEFT PASS: Start the design by passing your weft through shed 1. My weft is passing here from left to right through shed 1.
SECOND WEFT PASS: Select the warps from shed 1 that will float. These are indicated on the chart as pairs numbered 2, 4, 6 and 8. Add these to all the warps in shed 2. Pass the weft from right to left.
THIRD WEFT PASS: Pass the weft from left to right through shed 1.
FOURTH WEFT PASS: Select the warps from shed 1 that will float and add them to all the warps in shed 2. Pass the weft through this shed from right to left.
This is where the designs overlap so we need to float warps again for this weft pass and will be selecting them this time from shed 2. FIFTH WEFT PASS: Select the warps from SHED 2 that will float and add them to all the warps in shed 1. Pass the weft from left to right.
SIXTH WEFT PASS: Pass the weft from right to left through shed 2.
SEVENTH WEFT PASS: Select the warps from shed 2 that will float and add them all to the warps in shed 1. Pass the weft through this shed from left to right.
EIGHTH WEFT PASS: Pass the weft from right to left through shed 2.
NINTH WEFT PASS: Select the warps from shed 2 that will float and add them to all the warps in shed 1. Pass the weft through this shed from left to right.
This is where, once again, the motifs overlap so we need to select warps to float again but this time from shed 1. TENTH WEFT PASS: Select the warps that will float from shed 1 and add them to all the warps in shed 2. Pass the weft from right to left through this shed.

And there it finishes. We are back to step 1 – the first weft pass.

Here is a suggested project using this patterning technique…a cell phone pouch.

5 thoughts on “Tutorial – A yurt band border in two-color warp floats”

  1. I am a beginner and still confused as to thread the warp and what to do with the flat stick. Do you have a very basic tutorial for pick ups with side views and warping?

    Reply

    1. This is not a technique for beginners, Reggie. You should start by looking at the “starter” page and follow the progression. I show warping and more basic pick ups elsewhere on this blog with video but you need to start at the beginning. You should start learning to make a single color warp and work your way up. Here is the link to the starter page…

      http://backstrapweaving.wordpress.com/tutorial-starting-out-in-backstrap-weaving-steps-to-success/

      Reply

  4. Thank you so much! Absolute beginner… I watched most of your You tube videos and read your articles on this site. Wish me luck, have tried the plain waive… onwards to make this band.

    Reply

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