Project 4-SHAFT
FOR OUR EXHIBIT at the 2017 Midwest Weavers’ Confer-
ence, the Northwest Arkansas Handweavers Guild decided
to honor the talented and inspirating Madelyn van der
Hoogt. We challenged ourselves to weave projects using a
new-to-us weave structure or fi ber, in a color palette of
primarily black and white. (Editor’s note: see the Letters page
to check out all of the guild’s Madelyn-inspired projects.)
I had never woven overshot and was not overly fond of
it at the time. I had also never woven with wool. I decided
for this challenge I should become familiar with both
overshot and wool. With inspiration from Ozark Coverlets
by Marty Benson and Laura Redford, a piece on Weavolu-
tion by the weaver Artist in Nature, and Madelyn van der
Hoogt’s “Understanding Overshot” in Handwoven Novem-
ber/December 2015, I began planning my project.
I used a single motif of the overshot design Whig Rose,
to which I added both a partial repeat to balance the
pattern and a border. After a lot of trial and error (and
sampling), I found just the right combination of warp
and weft. As is often seen in traditional overshot, I chose
a thick wool pattern weft. In a departure from tradition,
I used both black and white in my warp and a cotton
tabby weft that was thinner than the warp. Once the
project got under way, I found that I liked overshot.
Thinking about this project, planning, and then
rethinking it caused me to bond with it in a way that I
hadn’t previously experienced. Most of us often do some
form of recipe weaving using “vetted” patterns, which is
fun and usually quick. I encourage you to plan a project
from “near scratch” to extend your skills and confidence.RESOURCES
wBenson, Martha L., and Laura Lyon Redford. Ozark Coverlets.
Springdale, Arkansas: Shiloh Museum of Ozark History, 2015.
wvan der Hoogt, Madelyn. “Understanding Overshot.” Handwo-
ven, November/December 2015, 16–18.STRUCTURE
Overshot.
EQUIPMENT
4-shaft loom, 12" weaving width; 12-dent reed; 2 boat
shuttles; 2 bobbins.
YARNS
Warp: 8/2 unmercerized cotton (3,230 yd/lb; Bockens),
#522 black, 348 yd; bleached white, 338 yd.
Weft: 16/2 unmercerized cotton (6,429 yd/lb; Bockens),
#522 black, 439 yd. Fårö 6/1 wool (2,976 yd/lb; Borgs),
#1059 black, 418 yd.
OTHER SUPPLIES
Color catcher or textile detergent.
WARP LENGTH
274 ends 2½ yd long (allows 5" for take-up, 28" for loom
waste).
SETTS
Warp: 24 epi (2/dent in a 12-dent reed).
Weft: 44 ppi (22 ppi pattern and 22 ppi tabby).
DIMENSIONS
Width in the reed: 115 Š 12 ".
Woven length: 57".
Finished size: (after washing and hemming) 9½" x 52½".1
Wind a warp of 274 ends 2½ yd long following the warp
color order in Figure 1.2
Using your preferred method, warp the loom following
the draft in Figure 2. Sley 2 ends per dent in a 12-dent
reed centering for a width of 11^5 ⁄ 12 ". Note that in the black-
and white borders, the 6 single white ends are threaded on
shaft 3.3
Spread the warp with scrap yarn. Wind a bobbin each of
6/1 wool and 16/2 cotton.4
Start by weaving 1" plain weave using only the 16/2
black cotton as shown in Figure 2.Ask Madelyn Overshot Scarf
LOYANNE COPE5
Weave the body of the scarf using wool for the pattern
picks and 16/2 cotton for the tabby picks, following the
treadling in Figure 2.6
Finish by weaving 1" with the 16/2 black cotton for the
second hem.40 | HANDWOVEN http://www.interweave.com