Inkling Around: Turned Krokbragd

By Joan Sheridan.

I enjoy creating landscapes using the krokbragd weave structure. These designs are my interpretation of driving across the South Island of New Zealand. The sheep, distant mountains, and blue, blue sky remind me of the area around Ashburton. The selvedges are the corporate colours of Ashford.
Krokbragd is a traditional Scandinavian weaving technique that produces a twill-based, weft-faced fabric when woven on a multi-shaft loom. Turned krokbragd on the inkle loom produces a warp-faced fabric. To create a krokbragd-style band, the pattern must be “turned” so that the warp does the colour work. A turned krokbragd band has two distinct sides: one that shows the design and appears to be plain weave and the other with long floats over three weft threads. What you cannot see is a third layer that gives the fabric integrity and is hidden by the long floats on the back side. A krokbragd band has a plain weave selvedge to limit curling.
Krokbragd on the inkle is entirely loom-controlled. To create the weave structure, three heddle sets are needed: Heddle 1 (H1) is situated closest to the weaver and in front of the traditional heddles, Heddle 2 (H2) is the traditional heddle set that controls the thread that goes over the top peg, and Heddle 3 (H3) is behind H2. Once these are in place, starting with the shuttle on the right, lift H1 and pass the shuttle, down for H2, up for H3, and end the sequence with down on H2. This sequence of four picks produces the pattern. Notice that H2 is woven every other pick.
The first step to warping the loom is very similar to warping for plain weave. Both selvedges always begin and end with a heddled thread. The krokbragd portion of the band begins with two unheddled threads followed by one heddled and two unheddled threads repeated across the width of the band to the opposite selvedge.
The most expedient way to dress the loom is to use a discontinuous warp, in other words, you do not break the yarn and tie to the next colour with each colour change. Simply secure the end of the new colour and begin warping, changing colours as dictated by the pattern. End the thread by tying it to itself – beginning to end – either a) when that colour is no longer needed or b) when you have progressed about 10 – 15 warp threads. A helpful tool for holding ends as you warp is painter’s tape. Use a square knot to secure threads and keep tension even across the warp.
The next step is to isolate all the threads controlled by H3. Situate the loom in the weaving position perpendicular to your body. Push down H2 threads and wrap a card or piece of paper around them in front of the H2 heddle for visual contrast. Slide the paper up the warp until it meets the H2 heddles. Working from left to right following the chart, select the colours for H3. Make sure that the threads are lifted straight up and don’t cross a H2 thread. As you select each thread, hold it above the warp using your left little finger. If there are two threads of the same colour between heddled threads, it doesn’t matter which one you select. Once all the threads are collected, carefully fasten a wide clip to the H3 threads about 15cm (6ins) in front of H2. Compare selected threads to the chart for accuracy in colour and order. Raise the H3 threads and reach behind H2 to hold them. Taking care to fasten only H3 threads, add a small clip to these threads behind H2 and leave the original clip in place at the front of the loom.