This winter, I saw a wonderful lesson on weaving on There's a Dragon in my Art Room. I really liked the idea, especially since students are often more willing to try hard on something they can use, as opposed to a picture they can put on their fridge. I contacted Phyl with a few questions about the project, and she said her students had been doing weaving every single year, so they were already quite adept at weaving by the time she introduced this challenging project. Phyl suggested that I do a more simple weaving project with my students, who have never done weaving before. So, I started with the simplest form of weaving: paper weaving. After my students mastered that, we jumped right into weaving with yarn. It was quite a struggle for a while, but looking at these finished pouches makes it all worth it!
Jessica, I'm so proud of you for having the nerve to jump in. I love it! They came out great! And now a simple tip for your handles/ropes that is MUCH quicker than braiding. To make a rope, cut two or 3 colors yarn a little more than double the length you want. Have a student take each end, and start twisting it tightly (like a candy cane). When it is tight, grab the middle and fold it half, holding both ends together (and tying them in a knot). Let the other hand go, and it will twist up like a rope. Take your hand and smooth it down and it will NOT come untwisted, as long as you remember to tie that knot when you fold it in 1/2. We then used the loop at the folded end to loop it through the pouch to attach it. The kids thought that this process was cool and easy, and as a matter of fact when they had extra time they made themselves bracelets and necklaces too.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound really simple! I actually taught my students to crochet a chain if they finished early; that way they were occupied while other students were still weaving.
Delete