January 2026: Better than Basketweave

Woven by Mimi Dillman

Robyn Spady’s lecture “Wicked Good Weaving” at the June 2025 ANWG Conference was the inspiration for this sample. It is a 6-shaft basketweave structure, named by Mary Black in The Key to Weaving (page 301 in the 1957 edition). Robyn called it “Better than Basketweave.” When I saw the sample at the lecture, I resolved to make it when I got home.

Because the repeats are neither small nor large, I found the threading and treadling easy to memorize, and the threading and weaving seemed to me to go quickly. Also, I found beating to square to be easier than usual, something I did not expect from 24 epi and 8/2 cotton until I realized that this structure has 6-end floats. They are not excessive on these towels in my opinion. There has been no snagging or major deflection with use. Other students in the class mentioned that this structure had worked well for them in baby blankets. I have to agree, since the cloth is lovely.

Drawdown

Unlike the blanket, my sample has only three picks of half-basketweave instead of five between sets of treadle 2, since I couldn’t beat hard enough to fit in 5 picks and the pairs of ends instead of a single thread made for a stiffer fabric overall. The repeated picks of treadle 2 required floating selvedges. (see Figures: smocked leno drawdown, smocked leno sample).

This was a fun if sometimes frustrating project. It was interesting to find that a lace weave doesn’t necessarily have to be lacy. I expect to do more with leno in the future.

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Structure: 6-Shaft Basketweave

Pattern source: Robyn Spady’s lecture “Wicked Good Weaving” at the June 2025 ANWG Conference, and also Heddlecraft #21 (May/June 2019).

Warp and weft yarns: 8/2 cotton by Brassard in Orange and Black, and Georgia Yarn Company 8/2 Natural.

Sett: 24 epi, 24 ppi

Wet-finishing method and shrinkage: Warm water wash, tumble dry, and press. Shrinkage was 16%.

Loom: Louet Spring I 8-shaft

Bio:

Mimi Dillman has been multi-shaft weaving since 2017 when she had her first lessons with Karen Chabinsky. She says: “I’m not sure why I came to it so late, because all my life, my interests have always been about yarn and thread: knitting, tatting, bobbin lace, spinning. Maybe I was just working my way up? The best part of all this is that I have met many fun and talented folks in the guilds devoted to these crafts. Then inspired by their work, I get to play with my various accumulations of string and tools.”