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Now we get down to the nitty gritty. Doramay Keasbey gives us "Tips for the Rug Weaver," This is a "must-read," even to the illustrations. I made a copy of the finishing and techniques page and put in a plastic sleeve to keep handy.

Wendy Regier shows a magnificent "Double-Faced Twill for Rugs," Using a 4-shaft 3/1,1/3 twill, she makes wonderful color blocks appear, dark on one side, light on the other, using rags as weft. The first rug pictured can be woven after the technique has been mastered.

The next rug, a Weaver’s Project, is "All That Color!," by Claudia Olson Hicks. A simple, 4-shaft plain weave can produce wonderful variations when using painted warps. Alternating rags and 8/4 rug yarn for weft, a true rep emerges. More rep rugs are produced by Lynn Smetko in "‘Calypso’ and ‘Lauren’s Dream’." Here are ripsmatta rugs you can design as to color and effect. Be careful when making the warps, since two warps must be used for each rug. Study the article, and perhaps you can make it in one.

If you want to use Jane Doyle’s "Taquete Rugs" idea, be sure to read the full draft on the following page. The one shown on the first page of the article is the profile draft, which can be adapted to many weaves, even a 2-block weave on four shafts. This one is done in 8-shaft Summer & Winter and is very beautiful.

Another Weaver’s Project is the "Samitum Rug" by Su Butler. This can produce a variety of effects, using rags, by cutting some rags half the width of others and using a clasped weft method. The rug pictured is stunning–and in six shafts.

The next Weaver’s Project is a sewing challenge as well as a weaving one. It actually can be woven on two shafts, but careful handling of the material is necessary. The fabric must be pieced according to directions and then sliced up to weave. The effect is gorgeous in "Que Seurat, Seurat Rug," by Debra K. Sharpee.

We all try to economize, but Katherine Cranston has us beat. In "Wool Selvedge Rugs," she weaves pile rugs using selvedges trimmed from the blankets woven at Pendleton Mills. The source is given. These must be tried.

Do you have a lot of leftover yarns from weavings? Even more economical is weaving "Corduroy Rugs from Thrums," by Rosalie Neilson. Using double corduroy, the author explains how she has 23" to 24" thrums collected in small bouts from her warp rep weavings. These are inserted into the rug warp and create wonderful color combinations.

Here’s a terrific tour-do-force of weaving: Edith House combines "Shaft Switching with Inlay." Please take special note that the inlay is the Theo Moorman technique. If you are "into" shaft switching, read the following article, "Shaft Switching Extended," by Peter Collingwood. He explains how you can get more than 50 variations on four shafts.

There’s another Weaver’s Project: Halcyon Blake’s "‘Aurora Borealis’ Rug"–a beauty on three shafts, Krokbragd produced a thick, durable rug and wonderful colors can be incorporated into great designs. Another Weaver’s Project is "Shaker Rugs," by Mary Elva Congleton Erf, who, as a descendant of the Shakers, has a life-long interest in reproducing and teaching Shaker techniques.

The third in the series on ply-split braiding by Peter Collingwood, "Single Course Oblique Twining," shows wonderful braids with unusual methods. This would make a terrific study group. The Book Collingwood wrote on this technique is reviewed in the Reviews section, and it offers an intriguing look into a possibly 2000-year-old craft.

"Four-Shaft Fantasies," by Jane A Evans, requires close reading. Originally "split shed" meant threading uneyed threads which would always be in the center of the shed. Ms. Evans has taken this to new heights–read it and see what you can do with four shafts. Be sure to study her method of "Preparing a ‘weaver friendly’ cartoon."

To quote:"The design in ‘Celtic Twist Two’ is woven using the Theo Moorman inlay technique adapted for weft-faced rugs." Joyce Harter and Nadine Sanders call this a "double warp overlay" and create a two-sided rug. A very colorful rug follows which used the tapestry technique called Rolaken interlock. It can be done on two shafts. This Weaver’s Project, called "Tapestry Rug," is explained by Joanne Cromley,

For the final rug, Alice Schlein gives us "Reversible Rug with Network Drafting." Ms. Schlein is known for her networking, and her methods (this one using 16 harnesses), are followed by a few multi-shaft weavers.It does make an excellent two-sided rug.

Begin reading January/February Handwoven on the back page, where Editorial Director Linda Ligon writes the Unravelings column, "*B*I*G*," asking for readers’ ideas on "how to celebrate, commemorate, and glorify handspinning and handweaving in the year 2000."

Now for this lovely doubleweave issue, starting with "A Passion for Pick -Up," an excellent explanation of pick-up by Alison Irwin called "Doubleweave Pick-Up." Ms. Irwin follows it with "Fun With Finnweave," another pick-up technique which uses pairs rather than single threads.Both articles will guide the reader through the process.

Marie Westerman explains "My Visual Approach to Doubleweave Pick-Up." Using a cartoon pinned to the fabric enables her to "recreate the cartoon’s details faithfully without having to work from a graph and count threads."

The Gallery highlights six wonderful Doubleweave Pick-Ups. The following Doubleweave Delights section starts with a lovely silk doubleweave vest which used two warps handpainted by Wendy Kowynia. Please read about her marvelous methods in the Project Index.

Kathleen Moore Farling’s "Mint Squares Baby Mat and Case" instructions are given for four and eight shafts. Again, read the Project Index for her great ideas.

In "Double-Faced Plain Weave with Overshot Patterning," Virginia Reisner’s reversible jacket fabric has no floats on the surface, works with any overshot pattern, and requires only four shafts. It is beautiful on both sides.

The January 1999 Shuttle Scuttle from the Rocky Mountain Weavers’ Guild has an interesting spinning sample. It is from an unknown variety of sheep. The coloring method is unusual. The fleece was laid out in Lucille Hinds’ yard on a hot August day and sprayed with Setacolor dyes in the three primary colors, overlapping the spraying and leaving the center white.It was spun into some lovely pastels.

The weaving sample by Rosmarie Amstein is from A Weaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns." Two chains of painted warp purchased at the Wool Market were woven with different colors of weft. An interesting twill pattern was used. All cotton, it was used for four pillows.

Be sure to stop at the Library Table and look at these beautiful samples. Be inspired to make samples for Pinellas.