The Blue Stroller Blanket

 

My RH loom

This stroller blanket is the best thing I have ever created on my Ashford Rigid Heddle 32" loom so far. This loom never disappoints - I love it! There are so many possibilities, and so little time to explore them. I would spend all day, day after day, weaving, if I could. Maybe some day in the future it will be possible, when my son is little older.

Plaid pattern

To design this plaid pattern, I used one awesome online tool - PlaidMaker. After playing with it for a while and studying different tartans for some inspiration, I created this design. It is not very traditional plaid, where you see colors mirror each other horizontally and vertically. I would say, it's a simplified version of it. 

In my version weft colors come with blocks wide enough to create a square, and then they are separated with a string of purple color. And this simplification was inspired by a Craftsy class Startup Library: Rigid Heddle Weaving with Deborah Jarchow, where she's sharing her pattern of dishtowels with a similar approach of creating a plaid pattern.

Yarn

It was important to me to use 100% wool material for this blanket, to make it as warm as possible. I have a stroller blanket for my son made of the same type of wool. We use it every day, it is incredibly warm and he loves it.

For the weft I used Wool of the Andes Worsted and for warp I used Wool of the Andes Bulky yarn. This wool softens after a wash, but still it's not suitable for anything close to skin. Bulky yarn help to finish the project fairly fast and the finished result is not too stiff for a blanket, but thick and warm.

Finishing up

I consider a project done, once it's wet finished and ready to use. And I start finishing up in the very beginning. After a few picks, I hemstitch one end (the very beginning) of my project. I'm hemming the loose yarn strands creating bundles of four. 

I really have to create a video about my favorite hemstitch that I really like, because you can find only one YouTube video about hemstitching the very end using this technique, just one side of your project, but not the beginning.

Once the blanket is off the loom and hemmed on both sides, the fringe will be trimmed and twisted - and this makes a huge difference. Suddenly, my project looks more complete. I'm using a fringe twister with four clamps. Each clamp is holding two strands. So, every time I use my fringe twister, I'm completing two pieces. So nice and easy!

Now, the blanket is ready for a wash. Hand washing everything made of wool is really recommended. With a shampoo, warm water, and a mild agitation. Drying on a flat surface. And now it's done!

And the good news is that this lovely blanket is available in my new Etsy store WonderingThread. Here, I'm planning to sell my weaved creations.

More detailed technical info about this project you can find on Ravelry.