It is this close to being finished. Some major decisions like, what pictures to put on the front cover have yet to be made. Funny how you can spend so much time putting a book together and then get totally stuck on a point like that….and don’t get me started on the title!  The content far outgrew the working title a long time ago…And, what has been holding up this project?? Well, I just keep finding more and more cool stuff to include!

So far…it has over one hundred new pattern charts for pebble weave.

 I say “so far” because there is still a pile of charts of lovely patterns on my table and woven samples all over the floor begging to go in but one has to stop somewhere, right?

And part of my reason for blogging about this today is to finally put a cap on all the material and get this project out there for people to use!

There are also over thirty charts for other complementary-warp weaves some of which you will recognize from here on the blog…let me just say “eyes”, “stars”, “rolling river” and “Tarahumara” and those of you who are regular readers will immediately know what I am talking about. Pick-up, pick-up, pick-up. And that’s not all. There are things that have yet to make an appearance on this blog and I know that you will love them.

But, first I would like to tell you that this book does not stand alone as a how-to type of book.

You need to have worked your way through my first book Andean Pebble Weave to be able to use the patterns.

It is a “follow-up” book…unless, of course, you just like looking at patterns and pretty pictures…then by all means, please buy the new book 😉

It also includes new tips and tricks for how to handle the pick-up for pebble weave and other complementary-warp weaves and creative ideas for making the most of  even the simplest patterns.

Those of you who worked your way right through to finish Lesson Four in Andean Pebble Weave will be in for a nice surprise too. For you guys, I will just say the word “Moisy” and, again, if you are a regular reader you will know to what I am referring. Skills learned in Lesson Four in my first book will put you in the perfect position for learning a  new complementary-warp pick-up structure in the new book with bold and beautiful patterns from Bhutan, Mexico and the lowlands of South America as well as a simple yet attractive alphabet.

A Guarani weaver from lowland Bolivia meets two weavers from the highlands of Peru in a gathering in Santa Cruz.

It has been such an adventure putting this together with research that has taken me from the Guaraní weavers in my own backyard to the highlands and lowlands of other parts of South America and beyond….to places across the globe.

I am more in love with the pebble weave structure than ever as I see how stunning ethnic patterns from textiles around the world can be adapted to this technique.

Thanks to two visits to the Textile Museum in Washington D.C to see their fabulous exhibits on Central Asian yurt bands and Kuba cloth of Central Africa, you can expect to see charts based on the motifs on textiles from these regions….and more.

And, something which I really treasure is the fact that I have had contributions of  patterns from readers of Andean Pebble Weave who have brilliantly captured aspects of their  lives and cultures  in places like Mexico and Greece, for example,  in their own original designs. The new book will show how you, too, can create your very own original designs with a new charting system that will take you back to those “connect-the-dot” activities you did as a child.

There’s always the problem of how much information to give away and how much to hold back….it has been tough as I have been working on this a loooong time. I weave a test pattern and get so excited about it and have to……WAIT.

Well, it won’t be much longer!

So, that is all the action behind the scenes.  Meanwhile I have been seeing projects on Ravelry and receiving some in my inbox that are very inspiring. If all my talk above of pick-up weaving has your head spinning, don’t ever overlook the beauty of good old warp-faced plain weave.

Take a look at what Andreas has been weaving….there’s nothing plain about his plain weave…

And see how the tiniest of pebble weave patterns can be incorporated so beautifully into a wider piece.

Take a look at what he has done with supplementary weft…

Oh my gosh!!!!! Okay, so maybe pick-up patterns are not for you but patterning with a supplementary weft is just one step beyond plain weave. Basically you open your shed, pass your weft as usual and then drop a few warps out of the shed to create “holes” through which your pretty supplementary weft can be seen. Then you pass your supplementary weft. If you haven’t tried this technique before, surely this will inspire you! Take a look at the tutorial here.…

As for simple warp floats, well, you KNOW that I am always saying that it is a sadly overlooked technique. Get inspired and give it a try. Andreas has gone one step beyond the basic technique here and created floats with two colors…

After that splash of color, I have something in a more natural and rustic style from Rob in the Ravelry group…

Double weave! I love those tassels which, by the way, he says he is going to re-do…don’t do it, Rob!  He used the little ”single thread” trick for double weave on the edges which I write about in the tutorial. It really helps you achieve neater edges.

Well, that’s it for this week. Back to putting some more finishing touches on the book and hopefully by this time next week there will be a cover and a final title!