Narrow Bands

I am not sure what is so alluring about weaving narrow bands. Cardweaving, kumihimo, pick-up bands, and just plain inkle bands are fun to weave and addictive. I try to actually *do* something with them, whether it's bag handles, a strap for my conference name tags, or, more recently, bags out of bands. But in fact, I have lots of bands that simply reside in the studio.



These are some bands in Central American pickup technique that I wove during my *I can't believe the political climate* phase this recent Fall. I think it helped to have something wonderful to work on, or perhaps time cures all ills, because my outlook is much improved (though the political climate is not).

This band:



is a random pattern, was quite fun to weave, and intended to become part of a bag with the other two bands. In the end, they didn't quite look right together, despite being of the same yarns: the patterns were too disparate. So I used it alone, to make a small bag:



The handle was cardwoven, out of the last remnants of those colors of silk, and I may yet bead the front edge of the flap (I tried some last night but pulled it out). It's just the right size to hold small things in the Big Bag from last week, the fabric for which is done, washed and ironed, and ready for cardwoven handles. I *still* have not dyed the yarns for the cardweaving, so, today being the last day of good weather, dyeing is on the agenda.

And for Laura:



The Conga Rats in knotted pile. Enjoy!