Weaving TAEA 2015 Mini conference presentation

Hey teacher people! You found it! This is my post that goes along with my presentation for the Region 13 mini conference RECHARGE. I hope between this and the packet of lessons and things we gave you you can find something to do with your kids.HERE is a link to the lesson plans, packet from the conference, and some further reading on weaving.

 Weaving is important because it helps with hand eye coordination, and helps build neural pathways in the brain that nothing else can quite make.  I teach weaving in some form or fashion to just about every grade level most years. It is a great end of the year project. You can just bliss out with your classes making things out of yarn, everyone is usually pretty chill and quiet when weaving. Or you can make it an ongoing project for people to pick up at the end of projects all year.

Here are all of my weaving projects from K-5. Feel free to grade up or down as you see fit. If I do more at any point in the future I will be sure to put them (or link to them) here.

Kindergarten paper weaving
This is a great intro to weaving. You could also do this at the beginning of another weaving project if you were so inclined (in fact I do just that as a review often.)

Start with a sheet of paper

Fold in half

Draw lines about an inch apart

Cut (make sure you leave space at the top.)

It should look like this

Take some inch wide strips

And weave in an under over pattern

Making sure that the pattern works in all directions.

Don't forget to tighten everything up.

Squeeze one last strip in

Glue everything down.

Done!

And here is a lovely video on Youtube of someone making one from start to finish!

Straw weaving
This can become so many different things, and become quite complex, it just depends on how you teach them.

You need pipe cleaners (or yarn) and straws

put the pipe cleaners in the straws

Twist together the top and kink the ends.

Tie a piece of yarn to the first straw.

Weave over under, over under.

Make sure to weave back the other way too.

Its easy to do it too loose and messy.

Tighten everything up.

Keep going, tie another string on when needed.

Tie off the string when done.

Pull out the straws.

Twist the other side closed.

The lovely Cassie Stevens whose blog you should really be reading made a great video series of the whole process. She uses yarn as the warp, so It is a little different. And here is a video of another way to do this all together.


Circular weaving
Its Circular because of the shape of the weaving when it is done. You can use a square loom if you want, or make it into a circle, or use a plate.

Start with your loom base.

You want an overall odd number of notches around the perimeter. Make sure they are at least finger width apart.

Cut your notches.

Start your weft on the back and then pull it across the front to the opposite side of the loom.

Keep going around until you have one notch left.

You want to loop around that notch so that your warp string ends on the front.

Run the end of your warp under the mess of strings in the middle.

Use itself to tie a knot.

Use the leftover string to begin weaving

Keep going until you are happy with it. 

Another Cassie Stephens video series explaining how to do this, again it is a little different then mine. 

Tube weaving

I have every intention of putting process photos of this up. I just didn't have time to get to it. You can watch this video here to see how to do this type of weaving on the plastic loops. It is the same as on the tubes, just bigger and nicer. I think she makes casting off more complicated then she needs to, but over all it is a good video.

Cardboard loom weaving
You don't have to use cardboard! You can buy chipboard looms that are already notched. I happen to have a ton of cardboard in my life, and no space to store chip board looms.

Start with the size you want

Measure notches, I like them to be about a centimeter apart.

Move the ruler to the bottom, don't flip the board, your notches will be crooked. cut your notches

Start your warp strings with the end of your yarn on the back side.

Your loom will look like this on the front.

If you want fringe on the ends of your weaving your backside should look like this.

If you want to be able to just take it off and be done make your yarn go around the notches and look like this on the back.

Make a "Cartoon" or "Map" of what your weaving is going to look like to keep everything on track.

Slip the cartoon under your warp strings.

Begin weaving! If you need more dexterity you can use a blue embroidery needle, or tape a Popsicle stick to your yarn and use as a needle.

Make sure to "Beat in" the weft with a tongue depressor aka "Beater"

See how the cartoon helps guide your weaving.

Here is a NEAT video that I just found and will be showing to all of my 4th graders before weaving from here on out. (Uses some vocabulary that doesn't match the standard, but very cool stop motion.)

Hemp Jewelry

There might be some disagreement about weather or not hemp jewelry/ macrame should be included in a weaving presentation, but personally I am always ending projects with 5th grade at weird times, and need something for the last few days right at the end. We don't always get there, but when we do it is so much fun. I did not take process photos when I made my samples, but here are some videos that would explain the whole thing better then me anyway.

Making a wish bracelet would be a good easy way to introduce this project, pretty much every 5th grader knows how to braid. Once you get into real macrame you have the spiral knot, the slightly more complicated square knot, and the much more complicated alternating square knot. Here is a text website with process photos of the first two, if you would prefer to not look at a video.

To finish the whole thing off you have a few ways to finish off a macrame jewelry piece, and a sliding clasp if you are feeling fancy.

For more resources you can also visit Susan's Wiki. She first taught me several of these techniques so you should check that out.

And here is a basket weaving I did once.

Aztec Masks

I love making myself crazy. 

So when the other art teacher on my campus was ready to settle into weaving for the next 9 weeks with 4th grade I should have taken a deep breath and done the same. BUT, I thought, 9 WEEKS? That is a life time!

I'm terrible at reminding myself that I don't have 9 weeks with a group, I have what, like MAYBE 7 classes left with them? Much of which is interrupted by the art show, talent show, passing back art etc. 

But I love to be crazy, so I squeezed one last project in. I never expect them to finish weaving anyway. 

OMG you guys I LOVE THESE! They are sooooooo cute! I am going to do them next year when 4th grade is actually learning about the Aztecs.

In truth though, we learned about the cultures of Mezo-America, not just the Aztecs. We watched a few Brain Pop videos, and this really cool video from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts to learn about the culture. I also checked out a bunch of books from the library. 

We watched some videos on YouTube to learn how to actually tool the metal as well

This is a good one, so is this, and this.

My main concern for these is that they showed a face (It didn't have to be human) and the face have details on it, as that looked more Mezo-American, and more interesting. 

To finish them off, they cut out the mask, with a half centimeter around the edge to fold over so they don't cut anyone, and glue it on black paper. 

I found this lesson plan on Artsonia.

Until next time.