The hairband described in my last post was modeled after a band of Heather Torgenrud’s, described in her new book, Norwegian Pickup Bandweaving. Lacking the Swedish yarn used in the original band, I substituted yarns from my stash that I thought would produce a similar result: For the 8/2 Möbelåtta wool, Harrisville Shetland; for the Bockens 8/2 cotton (natural color), a locally available 8/2 unmercerized cotton, bleached white. But my band turned out about 40% wider. Heather’s band had a natural twist; mine did not.
I ordered the Swedish yarns arrived from Vävstuga, The Möbelåtta wool was much smoother and more lustrous than the Harrisville, and thinner—so much so that I did not think that it would fully cover the pattern area. The Bockens cotton, although the same weight as mine, seemed thinner. The yarn was a pleasure to weave. Since the wool is smooth, hard, and less stretchy than Harrisville’s, it was easier to control the width and shape while backstrap-weaving Here’s a comparison:
The twist is definitely noticeable but not unpleasant. At about 1/2 inch, its width is comparable to Heather’s. I like the smoother look of the pattern—Harrisville is too frizzy for my taste. So far, for narrow bands, Möbelåtta is my favorite yarn for the pattern warps. It’s not cheap, but one skein will last me a long time.
Beautiful!
I really like that pattern.