New World Textiles
PO Box 1484-W
Black Mountain,
NC 28711-1484
828/669-1870

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Since 1995


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copyright 2003-2009 Eileen Hallman

Skeinlet Mug Rug

I alternated a white skein with an orchid skein for this project.  You can do it in a single color with less than a spindle full of yarn.
 Make a mini-skein using the charkha skeiner, going around 4 times, and tie the ends together. Push the skein down a little on the skeiner to make room for the next skein. You will eventually make another 13 skeins this way, but all 13 will not fit on the skeiner at one time. Do three or four at a time, then start over.

Remove the topmost skein and allow it to fold back on itself by holding one end and hanging a light weight in the other end. You now have an 8-ply yarn with a loop at each end.

Don’t lose the open loops in the ends—connect this strand to the next skein by passing the strand under the skein still on the skeiner, folding it to enclose the skein, then passing one end through the loop in the other end of the strand and pulling taut. This is the same technique used to connect sock loopers. Take the skein off the skeiner and let it fold back on itself, keeping the end loop open.

You may continue until you have connected all of the skeins this way, or you may connect half, start weaving, then connect the second half when you are ready for them.

Follow the directions that come with the Weavette, except at the very beginning you can slip the loop around the first pin and start weaving. When you reach pin three and are ready to use the needle, on the first pass be sure to send the needle through the loop at pin 1.

If your skeinlet is too large to go through the needle eye, take a piece of yarn about 10" long, fold it in half and make a lark's head knot in the end of your skeinlet. Use this in the needle, then remove it when finished.

You will have a tail left when you are finished weaving. You can weave it in anywhere you want. Another option is to reduce the length of the tail by winding the last skein around only twice and tie the knot. Then, take this skein off, cross it in a figure 8 and fold it in half. Now let it fold back on itself to get a skeinlet half the length of the others.

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