Somehow I skipped the whole knitting trend and never picked up a pair of knitting needles, although I always loved getting a handmade hat or a scarf from a friend. When I saw Weaving for Beginners offered by The Ruby I was happy for a chance to see what this whole fiber arts things is all about. I'm way more experienced in drawing and painting and I hoped that meant I wouldn't bring all my art school not-good-enough baggage to the weaving workshop.

In class, we each received a pegLoom for Beginners Kit. It comes with (mostly) everything you need, although I'd argue that a shorter needle is necessary for finishing work. Our teacher, Jenny Lennick, was perky and helpful. She brought an assortment of yarn for us so that we didn't have to use the default yarn that came with the kit. Selecting colors and textures felt like an important part of the process.

Jenny taught us a basic weave, how to make tassels (rya), how to create a triangle pattern, and a decorative braided element called soumak. She also taught us a technique she called Mountain and Two Hills (also know as the bubble technique) for avoiding the beginner's tendency to weave too tight.

It was a fun class–I wished it were three hours instead of two. However, I went home with enough knowledge and enthusiasm to stay up late to continue on my piece. I found when I was concentrating hard to remember a certain weaving pattern (I'm looking at you soumak) I'd end up undoing and redoing my work over and over. When I tried not to think too hard about it, it came naturally. There's some kind of life lesson in there.

I stopped by Jenny's shop, Jenny Lemons at 3043 24th Street (between Treat Ave and Balmy St) where I picked up a pair of cute ornithoid sewing scissors. Jenny has a great calendar of upcoming workshops: macrame, embroidery, block printing and of course, weaving.