For my first foray into coverlets, I decided to weave ‘A small coverlet is within your reach’ from the November/December 2011 issue of Handwoven Magazine. As the name suggests, it is a small coverlet or lap throw, no seeming of panels required for this project (baby steps).
The weave structure is Summer and Winter and requires six harnesses. Summer and Winter is similar to overshot in that it uses two shuttles, but instead of the long floats that overshot is known for, the floats are tied down, thus requiring two more harnesses (four for the pattern and two for the tie-down). Since there are no floats to get caught on jewelry, little fingers or pets, Summer and Winter is a great choice for coverlets and throws.
I used the same yarns as called for in the draft for the warp and tabby weft (10/2 pearl cotton for warp, 2/16 cotton for tabby weft) but chose Brassard et fils Blue Mountain Wool 2/8 for the pattern weft.
I beamed the 24 sections required on my sectional beam (2 inch sections) for a total of 48″ on the loom, threaded the 1,150 ends, sleyed the reed at 2/dent in a 12-dent reed and tied on, it all went pretty smoothly.
When the weaving began, I started to panic. This required a heavy beat to get the 43 ppi required, I wasn’t sure my loom was up to the task, but it was. As I beat the warp fervently, and the warp inched along, I began to think I might end up with something the size of a doll’s blanket. But as I neared the end, I began to worry that I might run out of warp, did I measure my warp correctly? I did, and it all worked out fine.
I cut the warp off the loom, hemmed each end by hand for a more traditional look (I hope), then a soak in the washing machine and laid out flat to dry. I gave it a light pressing with an iron when it was all done.
I am very happy with how this turned out, and look forward to weaving more like it.
Happy weaving,
Kelly
Fairs Creek Farm 
