Technique Spotlight: Krokbragd

One of the many things we love as fiber artists is to try new things whether that be through experimenting or learning new techniques. Annie has been working on this table runner using the Krokbragd technique and three colors from our line of Ashford Triple Knit Wool yarn! She goes into detail below about her journey with this weaving technique and knowledge to help you learn this amazing technique and the many beautiful motifs it can create!

Ever since I learned to knit I have been infatuated with the clean crispness of Scandinavian textiles. It started with the beautiful color work and patterns of Norwegian sweaters and mittens and when I learned to weave I instantly gravitated towards Halvdrall towels and Krokbragd rugs. 

I was always scared to try Krokbragd, but I am so happy I finally jumped into the book Krogbragd: How to Design and Weave by Debby Greenlaw which was very helpful in my new weaving journey. The Ashford Triple Knit Wool yarn has been excellent to use with this weaving technique due to the loftiness and strength of the yarn. If you are interested in learning Krokbragd, I strongly suggest the book listed above and I highly recommend the Ashford Triple Knit Wool!

Krokbragd is actually very approachable once you understand how it works!

First thing to know: multiple picks will create one line of the design, which also ties into how many shafts the pattern calls for. Traditional Krokbragd uses 3 shafts, which correlates to using 3 picks per line of design. 

One of the only parts of the technique I struggled with was my selvedges. Since 3 picks creates one line of the pattern, that means you do not need 3 picks to wrap around the outermost warp threads of your project, just one pick. If you were to wrap every pick around the outermost warp end, it becomes a bulky mess. 

Also, carrying colors you will not be using for an inch or so up the side will create a bulkiness you may not find appealing. With that being said, Krokbragd is a slow weave with a lot of starting and ending of yarn to keep the edges clean (the book has some great techniques for how to create the best selvedges too), but I found it to be very enjoyable! We hope you give it a try!