Deborah Jarchow’s Visit to the Guild.
Deborah Jarchow presented a program titled “Working with Yarn the Weaving Way”. Deborah is a knitter, as well as a weaver, and she enjoys teaching knitters to weave. She pointed out the benefits of adding weaving to your hobby of knitting, one of which is you use different muscles in weaving than you do in knitting. When your wrist or hands get fatigued from knitting, switch to weaving. Deborah began her career in weaving as a “production” weaver, meaning she produced large pieces of fabric, which she then sold or displayed at various galleries. At first, she looked down on the rigid heddle loom and thought of it as a “toy”. She has since changed her mind, although she continues to work on both types of looms. She told us she now has four large looms; she used to have NINE.
Deborah explained the different types of yarn that are “good” for weaving. Surprisingly, the once popular ladder yarn works very well as the warp and she showed samples of this yarn used in scarves. When asked which rigid heddle loom is a good one for beginners, Deborah was quick to say the Ashford Sample It Loom is a good choice and runs about $149.00. When purchasing a loom, the tools needed to weave are included with the loom.
Deborah’s talk was followed by questions and answers and then members were encouraged to browse through her samples of weaving.
— Laura Brubaker
