I remember the first time I saw Baltic-style pick-up bands. It was in a Handwoven project by Susan J. Foulkes. Susan wove beautiful towels with a lovely heart design and, as an extra touch, finished the towels with some inkle tabs featuring the same heart design. Because I’d only recently been exposed to inkle weaving, this design potential of the inkle loom was a revelation.
Fast forward 12ish years, and I finally got to try my hand at Baltic pick-up. I was lucky enough at Weave Together to take a rigid-heddle backstrap weaving class with Kate Larson, and one of the bands we wove used Baltic pick-up. I was instantly hooked, but I didn’t quite have the technique down the way I’d like. Fortunately for me—and everyone else interested in this technique—Angela K. Schneider’s new video Baltic Pick-Up on the Inkle Loom was released.
In her new video, Angela K. Schneider shows you how fun and easy it is to weave Baltic pick-up patterns on the inkle loom. Photo credit Tiffany Warble
I cannot say enough about this video and how much it has helped me learn and grow as a new band weaver. The way Angela shows the technique and explains each step makes bandweaving feel easy and approachable. I know pick-up can feel intimidating at first, but once you learn how to read the chart, suddenly it becomes simple. Don’t believe me? You can get a sneak peak of Angela in action as well as some inkle tips here.
Angela shows how easy it is to read a Baltic pick-up pattern. Photo credit: Tiffany Warble
Of course, I have an extra greedy reason for wanting to get my Baltic pick-up just right. In the most recent issue of Easy Weaving with Little Looms, we have two gorgeous projects that use this technique—including a set of bookmarks by Susan J. Foulkes. Inspired by the illustrations found within the famous Book of Kells, these bookmarks are perfect for learning to weave on the inkle loom. The first is a simple plain-weave pattern, no pick-up required. The second uses a simple pick-up pattern, perfect for anyone who wants to learn. In fact, I love these bookmarks so much, I’ve made Susan’s Bookmarks of Kells project available as a free download, which you can find in the Little Looms library here.
If you’ve been wanting to learn to weave Baltic-style pick-up on the inkle loom, this is the perfect time. Learn the basics from Angela’s video, then give them a try with this free bookmark project. I think you’ll become as hooked on bandweaving as I am!
Happy Weaving,
Christina