Thursday, July 16, 2020

Copying Patterns

I saved a few patterns on Facebook to hopefully be able to follow myself but I'm feeling a little guilty.  Is it wrong to look at a simple pattern and have the expertise to copy it?  I can't make up my mind how this could be wrong when we copy all kinds of things.  I used to sew and would often change the pattern a bit to look like an article of clothing I'd seen in the store.  We see photos of gardens and plant our own to look the same.  It's kind of confusing because I'm very aware that Swedish weaving pattern designers (and all designers, I guess) create for profit.

I've finally decided that I will copy the patterns and use them for my own projects but not display them on the Swedish weaving sites or the blog.  I'd like some of the readers to tell me what they think about copying patterns! 

Update:  I managed to figure out a difficult pattern I had copied and am pleased with the look of it.  Of course, I've added my own borders to make it unique but I have to admit I didn't get the same satisfaction in the process.  I happen to have a very strong guilt complex about copying the pattern and don't think it's worth my while to work that way.  I just bought  some patterns from Monk's Cloth Lady and I know I'll enjoy using them.  The cost (usually around $8 U.S.) is nothing when you think how many times you can re-use the patterns. 

Saturday, July 4, 2020

More Swedish Weaving Table Runners




I just finished these 2 and the white one is a gift for a friend.  The yarns used on it were scrap unlabeled pieces I kept because the runners don't use much yarn.  The colors are gold and brown, 2 colors I rarely use because I don't like brown, but they look great on this table runner.  The pattern is called "Country Trails" and it's in the booklet Learn To Make Monk's Cloth Afghans.  I altered it a bit because of space but it's a lovely pattern and very easy to follow.  The border was just something I made up and I think it goes well with the overall pattern.

With the burgundy one I used part of Christine Allan's pattern "Fiery Furrows".  This is a wonderfully detailed pattern that made it easy to choose only part of for my runner.  The yarn is Caron's Simply Soft Party in snow sparkle.  I like to mix and match and alter existing patterns when I'm weaving but the original pattern has to be a good one to start off.

This Covid problem we're having keeps me home more than usual and I'm so happy I have Swedish weaving to fall back on when I don't feel like doing anything else.  I've done many crafts in my lifetime but Swedish weaving is honestly one of the most enjoyable.