Branch Weaving Obsession

Living in Wisconsin, there is no shortage of trees around so I decided to try my hand at branch weaving which quickly became a full blown obsession.

I was introduced to branch weaving from Kate’s blog post @theweavingloom and loved how organic the look of her completed work was. Also figured this medium would allow for me to experiment with different textures and weaving techniques without having to follow a pattern (which I am horrible at doing!)

Went on a walk and found some good candidates. My first one was a long branch with a large Y on the end. To mimic the texture of bark, I used brown, cream and black yarns and mixed in some silk ribbon, burlap and wool roving as well.

The second one had fantastic lichen on the stick. I had just purchased some bright green wool yarn from a craft show that would look great as the star of the show. I also had some tweed wool from @Hearthsidefibers out of Johnson, Creek Wisconsin that was gray with black speckles that was perfect for this. Definitely my favorite so far!

Different Techniques

The third branch had quite a bit of give in it so I wired the ends together and did a circle weaving. I didn’t really have a plan, just kept adding and subtracting until I liked how it looked. This one looked like a fish, so I incorporated some fringe for a golden fin.

My final branch weaving example is a work in progress but cool even in a partially done state. I am using a red dogwood branch that has a feel of the “tree of life” to me. Building on that structure by weaving in some red yarn for additional branches. I plan to add more and leave multiple long strings that I will stiffen so they branch off for a 3D effect.

Completed weavings are available for sale in my etsy shop. Feel free to fuel the branch weaving obsession by purchasing one. I found a lovely birch branch on my walk this morning. Should I do a black and white theme or go bold with a completely different color like purple? Let me know what you think!