It must match! That is usually my philosophy when it comes to my selvedges and my choice for weft yarn. The little peek-a-boo of color that dots the sides when the weft color does not match the warp color disturbs my sensibilities. But then, one day while looking at all the eye candy on the inkle Facebook page I saw a post by the uber talented inkle weaver Annie MacHale, about a “braided” inkle band edge. Annie has such a wonderful eye for color, it is not a surprise she designed this ingeniously lovely edge. My philosophy quickly became a distant memory. I had to give it a try. The result is now one of my favorite bands! And with Annie’s okay, I share “how to” with you.

To “braid” your selvedges, you need three colors of yarn, preferably with a noticeable color differnce. Use color one for the first warp thread and color two for the second warp thread. Warp the rest of the band according to your pattern until you come to the last two warp threads. Repeat the same process for your last two warp threads as you did for the first two. Use color three as your weft yarn to create a “braid”.

However, beware. . . After I started weaving I realized my selvedges did not match. . .

How could this be? Here is a tip: remember to reverse the warping order of the last two colors when you get to the end. The first and last warp threads show as the “dominant” color. So, by warping the first thread with rust and the last thread with white, the edges where different. To make them match I should have warped the first and last threads with the same color. 

While I did not intend to make my selvedges different colors, I actually like the way it turned out and now, if I choose to, I can recreate the mistake- or shall we say, design element?

So, why is this my favorite band? It feels fantastic! It has the most pleasant hand of any band I have ever woven. And I love the colorway. I do not usually work with autumnal colors.

This was my first time working Patons Yarn. The warp is Patons Grace 100% mercerized cotton and Patons Grace Wool and the weft also is the Patons Grace mercerized cotton. I was a bit nervous that the wool would be “sticky” and I would have trouble making a shed. It stuck a very little, but nothing an extra shimmy of the shuttle at the fell line could not fix. I can not wait to warp another band with only the cotton for the warp. I really am a cotton girl at heart. I just love working with the stuff.

Cheers to “braided” selvedges! Hopefully, you will give it a try the next time you warp up your loom. 

 warp, weave, be happy! ~Jennifer