A Shaggy-Bag Story

When we were planning how to celebrate Linda Ligon’s 50 years in publishing, the exuberance of this project that she designed and originally published in the September/October 2008 issue, caught our attention. Linda’s voice comes through loud and clear: “You can weave this! Have fun with it!"

About this Project

Linda Ligon’s goal for this little bag was to give you ideas to try out. She planned to use fleece locks for the pile, but her stash didn’t have the right lengths. A bulky knitting yarn from the shop down the street was her Plan B.

Contents

• A Shaggy Bag Story Project Instructions PDF

Details

Structure
Plain weave with Ghiordes knots.

Equipment
Rigid-heddle or 2-shaft loom, 8" weaving width; 10-dent rigid heddle or 10-dent reed; 3–4 stick shuttles.

Yarns
Warp: 12/6 cotton (1,430 yd/lb, Halcyon Yarn), natural, 160 yd.
Weft: 12/6 cotton for hems, 8 yd. Shetland (100% wool; 1,800 yd/lb; Harrisville), Marigold, 384 yd; Azure, 28 yd; Blackberry, 20 yd. Bulky (50% alpaca/50% wool; 205 yd/lb; 45 yd/100 g; Blue Sky Fibers), Claret, 108 yd (three 45 yd balls for two bags). Yarn notes: 12/6 cotton is still available from Halcyon Yarn, listed as Seine Twine or Swedish Cotton Warp. The alpaca/wool blend is still available from Blue Sky Fibers, but colors are limited. Lion Brand’s LB Collection Fifty Fifty, available in a wide range of colors, is very similar.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 8".
Woven length: 9" for each of four sides for two bags.
Finished size: 9" × 6" each bag, plus a 22" strap.

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