When you started weaving you probably started with a weaving kit or an assortment of yarns that you found at a craft or yarn store.
Did you know that there’s no limit to the types of materials you can weave with?
10 non-yarn items that you can weave with
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Weaving with bamboo & merino blend roving |
Different types of roving (not just merino wool)
Roving is unspun fiber. I’m sure you’ve seen weavers use it in their work before, you probably have too. The most common type of roving is merino wool roving, but there are so many more types that you can experiment with.
Just look for spinning fibers and see what you find. My favorite place to find new roving and unspun material is Mohair & More. They’re local to me but they have an excellent online shop.
Not only do they have merino wool roving in every color but they have other unique fibers like muga silk roving, wool roving combinations (try the bamboo & merino it's my favorite), cotton roving even camel and alpaca roving!
Merino wool may be the most common type of sheep wool that people know of for roving but there are many different sheep breeds you can try. You may find that you like a different breed’s fleece better.
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Weaving with raffia. Image via A Pretty Fix |
Raffia
Raffia is a type of fiber made from palm tree leaves. It’s very papery but surprisingly strong. You can weave with raffia to create an interesting texture. It’s stiffer than wool and cotton yarns and will have more structure on your loom.
Make sure you look for raffia string or yarn. You can weave with other types of raffia but they may be shorter, the raffia string or yarn will be longer and easier to weave with.
Ribbons
Velvet and chiffon ribbons are very popular to weave with. They come in beautiful colors and create soft crinkly textures.
There are a lot of shops on Etsy that offer velvet and chiffon ribbons in weaving kit bundles or in smaller quantities if you don’t want to buy a large spool.
You can even buy your own fabric at a fabric store and cut it down to the size you want.
Feathers
Yes, you read that right, you can weave with feathers.
I wouldn’t recommend it for anything that‘s going to see a lot of wear like a piece of woven cloth but if you’re making a woven wall hanging feathers can bring a really unique texture.
Longer feathers will be easier to weave into your warp. Definitely go slowly and gently since feathers aren’t fiber. Their structure is way more delicate.
You may even want to skip multiple rows of warp so that the feathers have less stress on them from multiple warp threads.
When you add more yarn or fibers after the feathers are careful not to push down too much on your new weft rows so you don’t crush the feathers - unless that’s the look you’re going for!
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Weaving with paper |
Paper
Paper is more delicate but still a unique weaving material to try. You can weave with just paper or use paper as an added element to a woven wall hanging.
For more color and texture opportunities try handmade paper, scrapbook paper, or even paper with words or images to create interesting effects.
Leather
Try using strips of leather large or small in your weaving project. You can find leather cording at craft stores which is similar to yarn or you can use pieces of leather and insert them in your warp threads as structural pieces.
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Weaving with wool locks |
Locks
One of my personal favorites, weaving with mohair locks.
Mohair is the beautiful curly fleece from the angora goat (look at them! They’re so cute). It's very silky and holds color beautifully if you want to dye them.
I like to use a small bunch and weave them around a few warp threads at a time. You might find it helpful to add some yarn support rows over the mohair to really lock it into the weft. Just look at that texture!
Sari ribbon
Sari ribbons are made from leftover sari fabric that has been cut into long strips. This silk fabric comes in beautiful colors. The ribbons are made of leftover pieces of silk sari fabric so this is a great fiber if you want to use recycled fibers.
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Weaving with embroidery thread |
Embroidery thread
Embroidery thread can be fun to weave with if you’re weaving on a smaller scale. I was able to get these smooth gradients because the fibers are so thin you can easily pull them apart and put pieces together to create color gradients.
It's the same process as with thicker yarns, it just looks incredibly smooth because of the size of the fiber. You can also add embroidery thread as an embellishment to your weaving projects.
Where to find unusual fibers and materials
There are so many unique fibers you can weave with, these are just 10 to start you off. My favorite places to find unique fibers are Mohair & More, Weaver House, Habu Textiles, and Etsy.