Straw weaving

Straw weaving is an excellent introduction to the weaving process especially for young children. In this activity you only need a few supplies:

Four plastic straws: paper ones can be used but be careful not to weave too tightly otherwise it will be difficult to remove them.
Wool: any colour/s will do though I quite like using multi-coloured wool as it produces nice stripes without the hassle of changing colours.
Masking tape: to hold the straws together whilst weaving

In addition you will need scissors and a long bamboo skewer.

STEP 1: JOin your straws together

Place some masking tape to hold the four straws together on one end. Leave some gaps between the straws.

Tie your wool to the first straw with a double knot

STEP 2: START WEAVING!

Weave the wool over one straw then under the adjacent straw repeating the process until you reach the end straw. Wrap the wool around the end straw (i,e. “under”) and repeat the process. Remember to push the weave towards the masked off end when you finish a row.

Weave until you reach your desired length. Make sure you leave some exposed straw at the bottom.

If you want your weaving to be longer than the length of the straws, you can always push the weaving up towards the masked end every so often,

Pushing the wool down for a denser weave

STEP 3: FINISHING OFF

Leaving a long length, cut the wool and then tie a double knot around the last straw you weaved onto.

Cut four lengths of wool that are around double the length of the straws. Tie a knot on one end to secure the four lengths together.

For each length of wool place it through each straw.

My method to do this involves scrunching a tiny ball out of the open end of the wool. I then push it into one of the straws (on the masking tape end). The long bamboo skewer is used to push the wool through the straw.

Remove the masking tape off the straws. Carefully remove each straw off the weaving. Pull each straw out with one hand whilst securing the weaving with your other hand. Repeat for the remaining straws.