This project kinda started out as a saguaro cactus kit

The yarn is the softest of wool - and it has little tiny sparkles of gold. I thought the gold sparkles would look like spines... 

I still think it was a good idea, but the problem was that I bought the yarn about five years ago and there wasn't enough of it to make a bunch of kits. 

So I decided to weave a tree. Just for fun. 

Then I decided it should be a Christmas tree - I'd woven one years ago in college when I first learned to weave. I'd just learned the loopy-pile weave.

I had planned to sew some tiny ornaments onto it, but that never happened. 

My 1980 tree was woven on a floor loom and it's kind of large. This one would be for my minimalist daughter - nice and small! 

All of this planning happened months ago, last July, and  I was just about to go on a long road trip to a weaver’s conference in Durango, Colorado. So this was the perfect project - it was a fine weave and would take a bit of time. I don’t like to drive, but I love to be a weaving passenger!

I wove this on my Annie Loom - you can get one of your own in my shop!

The warp is 8/2 cotton, and wound 8 threads per inch.

I used superfine cotton yarn for the white background, and the red accent is the same yarn. 

The border pattern is easy, I wove two rows white, then the third row red.

The trunk is the same red yarn as in the border. 

I often use a "cartoon" or picture pasted to the loom that I follow as I weave. but this time I just went free form.

 In case you're wondering, all of the messy hanging weft threads are hidden under the weaving. Sometimes I hide them when I weave, sometimes I don't.  

Here's the tree all woven

I had to redo the top half - that's a weaver's life sometimes!

Good thing it was a long trip.

Well that was what I got done in eight hours on the way to Durango.... and here's my weaving on the way home. I thought the map made a nice effect. 

When I got home I sewed in the hanging threads on the back, and tied the warp threads. 

I made the decorations with silk french knots and gold metallic embroidery thread.

Then came a silk pom-pom for the star on top and I  tied the warp threads to a hanging rod. You can get the hanging rod in my shop.

And here it is, looking very minimalist for my daughter.  

I know... the edges kind of bulge out - but I still love my little weaving. 

Besides, the class I took at the weaving conference taught me that uneven edges are fine - it makes it look handmade. The most important thing is to have fun when weaving. 

And I did!

Would you like to weave a Christmas tree?  

I've got a kit for you, and you can weave it up in just an afternoon.

Click here to see it in the shop.