Balanced Weaving - Our Second Weaving Club Pattern Focussed on Weaving the Perfect Square
- Emma and Gillian
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Our second Weaving Club project had a focus on weaving a 'balanced weave'. During our workshops when we teach beginners to weave we recognise that this is often a skill that needs developing but once grasped has a transformative effect on the final woven fabric. This blog discusses why we wanted to focus on balanced weaving for this edition and why balanced weaving is important.
What is Balanced Weaving?
Balanced weaving (also called "balanced plain weave" or a "balanced weave structure") refers to a plain weave fabric where the warp and weft threads are woven with equal density. The results is a fabric where the same number of warp ends per inch (epi) as picks per inch (ppi) are used, and neither set of threads dominates the surface. When you look at the cloth, you can't easily tell which threads are warp and which are weft, because both show equally on the front and back.
Why is Balanced Weaving Important?
Even, stable cloth
A balanced weave distributes tension and structure evenly in both directions, so the fabric drapes consistently and doesn't skew or pull to one side.
Predictable behaviour
Because warp and weft are equally represented, the fabric's stretch, shrinkage, and hand (feel) are more uniform. This matters a lot for garments, since an unbalanced piece might stretch more in one direction than expected.
Foundation skill
For plain weave especially, achieving balance is often the first technical benchmark a weaver learns to hit. It requires getting your sett (thread spacing on the loom) right for the yarn you are using, and it means your beat (how hard you pack the weft down) has to be consistent - too hard a beat packs in more weft than warp and creates a weft-faced fabric; too light a beat does the opposite.
The Raspberry Ripple Scarf Pattern
The raspberry ripple scarf pattern was the second Weaving Club pattern. The pattern was written for weavers who are comfortable warping their own rigid heddle loom. It is straightforward enough to enjoy, but it teaches a skill that quietly separates hobby weavers from confident ones: the balanced weave. Both the pattern and the video resources for members supported the development of this skill.
The pattern is a rigid heddle scarf which we wove using WYS Colourlab in Plum, Very Berry, Wine Red and White with a central houndstooth panel framed by soft colourblocked ends. We recognise that members may wish to weave in other yarn colours and our members also received access to a colour selection tool so that they can substitute different coloured yarns into the tool with the final woven scarf being visualised.
It is the houndstooth panel in the centre which is crucial in helping weavers to identify whether they have achieved balanced weaving as the pattern should appear as small squares. It is for this reason that we always include this central houndstooth area on the warped looms that we use in our 'learn to weave a scarf workshops'. This houndstooth area of the scarf depends on the weft picks per inch matching your warp ends per inch. Beat too hard, and the squares turn into rectangles. Beat too gently, and the pattern distorts the other way. Getting it right is the difference between a scarf that looks accidental and one that looks intentional.
Other areas of weaving skill development
Reading and threading a symmetrical colour sequence across 82 warp ends on an 8 (or 7.5) epi heddle
Carrying colours up the selvedge for clean two-pick colour changes, instead of cutting and rejoining constantly
Weaving in tails neatly for the larger colour blocks
Proper finishing and wet-finishing technique, so the wool blooms into a soft, cohesive drape rather than staying stiff off the loom
All of it is exactly what turns "I followed a pattern" into "I understand what I'm doing."
Why Join the Club, Rather Than Weave Alone
Patterns you find scattered online rarely build on each other. The Weaving Club is designed so that each month's release adds a skill to the last one.
Weaving Club Membership also gets you:
Access to short video tutorials referenced throughout each pattern, including this month's dedicated balanced-weave video
A clearly written, tested pattern with materials, warping and weaving instructions laid out so there's no guesswork
A new pattern every month, each one written to build your skills
Already Missed It? The Back Edition Is Ready and Waiting
If you decide the join the Weaving Club after this month you have no need to worry. Each month's pattern is available as a back edition in the Weaving Club shop, complete with the full pattern and its linked video resources. It's a brilliant standalone project even outside the club, and a lovely way to see exactly what club membership looks like before you commit to future months.
Either way, here's what you'll need to get started:
DK yarn- the pattern includes suggestions
Your rigid heddle loom with either an 7.5epi or 8 epi heddle wide enough to allow 82 warp ends. From there, the pattern takes you the whole way to a finished, fringed scarf roughly 23cm wide and 150cm long.
Join the Weaving Club and keep building your skills every month, or head to the shop to buy the back editions to weave in your own time.
Thinking of Joining the Weaving Club?
The Weaving Club is open now. UK membership is £5.99 per month (postage included), and international membership for the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand is £10.49 per month. There's no minimum commitment - you can cancel whenever you like.
You will need a rigid heddle loom with a minimum weaving width of 10.5 inches (27cm) and both an 8epi (or 7.5epi) and 10 epi heddle. If you don't have one yet, you can browse our rigid heddle loom kits here. Some of our members joined the club at the same time as buying their first loom.
