My Handwoven Thoughts

Leno Weave is the general term applied to a weave structure in which some of the warp threads do not lie parallel with, but are twisted partly around other threads. It is also know as gauze weave. In the process of weaving a leno fabric, the warp threads are pulled out of their normal straight line in the cloth. They are pulled off the either the right or left of the warp thread next to them and held in that position by the weft thread.

The method of interlacing results in several features peculiar to leno weaves. Leno weaves have an open work effect since the threads to not lie parallel to each other in the fabric. A leno or gauze fabric will have an open or lace-like appearance, be light in weight and yet posses sufficient strength to wear well. Leno fabrics have a zigzag effect, due to the twisting of the ends. This effect is more noticeable in fancy gauze weaves that in plain gauze.

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Soon after I started weaving I discovered a very nice weave structure known as ‘Huck Lace’. It is primarily a plain-weave cloth with either warp floats, weft floats, or a combination of both. Floats are made when the warp or weft is not woven in the plain-weave fashion, but lays on top or under the cloth for 3 or 5 threads depending on the type of huck lace you are weaving. In the diagram below shows the areas of ‘plain-weave’ and areas where either the warp and weft threads are not caught in the plain-weave structure. This is a five-thread huck meaning the warp or weft will skip over or under five threads before it will return into the plain-weave structure. In the areas where there are blocks of warp floats next to blocks of weft floats, the fabric is very loosly woven and there will be open lacy places in the cloth. This type of lacy area is much less obvious in three-thread huck patterns.

Huck lace fabric can be used for several things. I have woven curtains for my kitchen and my daughter’s room. I have a red table cloth woven in huck lace that gets used during the holidays. A special project happened when one of my step-daughters had her first child. I wove huck lace fabric and her mother made a christening gown for the baby. Soon I would like to weave baby blankets using cotton and the huck lace patterns I have been developing.

I also weave kitchen towels from 8/2 cotton using huck lace patterns. The towels are very absorbent and wash up nicely. I get a kick out of watching them slurp up the water left on the ‘top’ of things after the dishwasher has stopped. Take a look at the huck lace towels I have on my web site.