Creativity Journal - Day 12 (Camouflage)

Camouflage. Create or alter something so that it disappears into its background.

I pinned this video quite some time ago for making a woven bangle or bracelet.

This week I finally got around to buying to plain, wooden bangle to work with. At the time I didn't think to buy appropriately coloured floss to work with, so I'm working with some stuff I had on hand.

Today, I decided to make a start. And how is this camouflage? Simple the wooden bangle will completely disappear when I'm finished.

The video shows the weaving sequence, but it doesn't actually tell you how to do the entire thing. This is what I've worked out so far.

1. Cut your 'warp' strands about one and half times the circumference of your bangle. Warp is the longitudinal strands - the coloured ones running around the bangle. The 'weft' is the cross-ways strands - in the original bangle, the black; in mine, the white.

2. If your floss is kinked from being wrapped on a bobbin, iron it before starting. The easiest way to do this is to take about five strands (too many and it's not as effective). Hold one end, place the iron near the end you're holding, and pull so the threads are pulled under the iron from one side to the other. Hold the other end and repeat.

Notice the difference between the ironed yellow and the unironed purple and pink.

3. Use a double sided tape (I used ordinary scrap booking tape), stick a single layer of warp floss onto the bangle. My bangle is about 1.5 inches across, which worked out to be about eight or nine strands each of four different colours. Put another layer of double sided tape over the top of the strands, and add a second layer of floss. The two layers ensures you don't get any gaps.

4. Number your warp colours 1 to 4 from left to right, weave the following pattern:

• under 1, over 2, over 3, under 4, wrap waft three times
• over 1, under 2, over, 3, over 4, wrap waft three times
• over 1, over 2, under 3, over 4, wrap waft three times
• Repeat

You could make any pattern you wanted. This is the pattern shown in the video. Watch the video to understand how to weave and wrap the waft threads.

I'm not quite sure how to finish it just yet. I ran out of warp thread (white). I used two, or part of two, skeins. I will need one more. When I'm finished, I'll post how I did it.

I don't wear bangles a lot, which is okay, because my Teen has her eye on this one. I am thinking that this would look good with ribbons instead of floss. I'm tempted to find a few more bangles. Of course, you needn't buy a new wooden one. I'm sure old ones that would work could be picked up in thrift shops for next to nothing.