How to Weave a Belt with Yarn- Part 1 of From Braid to Belt- Drop Spindle and Color Theory
How To Weave a Belt With Yarn-
Part 1 of From Braid to Belt- Drop Spindle and Color Theory
Do you love the idea of making something that is truly unique and all your own? Well this is a great time to try. My lovely and super talented friend Jessica Jane Patterson of Spinning Shadows YouTube Channel is a pro at using simple at home tools to create really top notch fiber arts projects. I just love her ability to really walk a project though from beginning to end with a well thought out plan. I loved the idea of being able to not just spin your own yarn( shown on a drop spindle) but weave your own belt with simple at home tools.
Before we get started with the drop spindle section here are some basic yarn belt tips
=Alright, darling, let’s dive into the wonderfully tangled world of weaving a yarn belt. Yes, you heard it right. We’re about to make that piece of art you can casually brag about at your next brunch. “This old thing? Oh, I just weaved it myself.” Cue the gasps and awed expressions. Let’s get those creative juices flowing and your fingers tangling — in a good way, we promise.
1. Choose Your Yarn Like It’s The Last Pick on Earth: This is were all of the fun of spinning your own yarn with color sections comes into play! Look for something durable yet soft enough to wear. And color? Go wild. This is your art piece; make Picasso proud.
2. Embrace the Loom: If you’re anything like me, the word ‘loom’ might send you into a slight panic. But fear not! Looms are more friend than foe. Find one that’s easy to handle and fits your project size. It’ll guide those threads like a GPS of yarn.
3. The Tension Tug-of-War: Getting the tension right in weaving is like finding the perfect pair of jeans — a miracle when it happens. Too tight, and you’ve got a yarn dictatorship on your hands. Too loose, and it’s anarchy. Aim for that sweet middle ground.
4. Fringes or No Fringes — That’s the Question: Once you’ve got the main part of the belt down, to fringe or not to fringe is entirely up to you. Remember, fringes can add a little flirty flair to your outfit. But if you’re going for that sleek, clean look, feel free to skip. You're the boss, applesauce.
5. The Finish Line — Don’t Rush It: When you see the end in sight, it’s easy to rush through like you’re on the last stretch of a marathon. But this isn’t a race. If you’re adding a buckle or finishing touches, take your time. This is where champions are made.
6. Flaunt It: You've just created a masterpiece. Wear that belt with pride. Dress it up, dress it down — strut into brunch like you own the place. Because let's face it, anyone who can weave their own belt pretty much does.
Remember, the whole point is to have fun and maybe, just maybe, create something you love in the process. Or at least have a good story to tell. Who knows, your yarn belt might just be the start of your indie crafting empire.
Her lesson will show you how to use one of our braid of the month braids in a mindful way to make a yarn with a color pattern you will really enjoy weaving. The braid she uses in this lesson is a color blocked braid from our braid of the month club this one was Corriedale I believe. If you have a braid that has the colors a bit more mixed up you may need to divide the colors up a bit more yourself before spinning or just have a yarn that is a bit more mixed in color instead of blocked. With our monthly braid clubs we try to mix it up from month to month with projects like this in mind. So not just alternating from warm to cool colors, subtle to neon Etc.,but also color blocked vs marbled. That way you always have something new to experiment with!
As seen in these pictures the first step she took was unbraiding her roving all the way and then pulling the roving into long strips.
Next she pulled the long strips into sections broken at the color changes to section out her color breaks.
You could choose not to do this if you weren’t looking to have your yarn sectioned by color.
Both looks would make for a lovely final belt it’s just a preference.
If you’re doing color blocked sections, pick which color you want to start with and gently predraft each section by pulling slightly to loosen up the fibers.
If you are using a drop spindle the first step you’ll want to do is sandwich the fiber with one end around the hook and then twist enough to build up some tension.
You’ll need to have enough “ rough twisty yarn “ to bring it down and wrap at least once around the rod under the whorl and then bring it back up to the hook.
Once you’ve made yourself a leader thread in this manner you’re good to go with spinning you’re yarn in a finer more practiced manner.
For this project you’ll want to spin a fairly fine even yarn as much as you can. It will be woven so it can have slight variation , have fun with it.
If you’d like some free help with drop spindling check out this video from my YouTube Channel.
I hope you have enjoyed this part one overview of learning to weave a belt from your own hand spun yarn. Please make sure you check out the connected blog post in this series found for free in the blogs section of this website.
Since 2016 I've been collecting a vault of info on the fiber arts. Most of this has been limited time exclusives or offered as bonuses for paid courses or material. I'm really excited to have the opportunity to have a permeant place for it to live here on my website as an ever growing resource for our favorite fiber besties. It's free just sign up to log in so you can be notified when new free content or opportunities are added in the future because you never know what will be next.
