I am presenting a session in a couple of weeks for art educators about Native American fiber art. So I started today to do a little research to write the background info on finger weaving for my handout. Many schools study the Voyageurs in Minnesota history and so finger weaving is something that comes up frequently. When I started googling, I was dismayed at how many techniques are being labeled as finger weaving. Can you spot the “real” finger weaving in the collage above?
In the top left you see finger knitting. I often have kids tell me they know how to fingerweave and really they mean finger knitting. What’s the difference? Finger knitting involves making loops. Loops go over your fingers and loops go over one another to make a stretchy knit fabric.
Next is backstrap weaving. This uses a small rigid heddle to hold the threads in place and to help you move them back and forth to create the weave. The warp threads are put through the heddles and you weave with a separate shuttle thread.
On the top right is loom knitting. It works the same way as finger knitting, just with more “fingers”. This is a sample made on a comb, which is a great idea and I know my summer camp kids will think this is groovy.
Bottom left is macrame. It has beads and square knots. (It’s a screen shot from a YouTube video so I could see the process as they were working it.)
And finally, finger weaving. Finger weaving is like an elaborate braid, where you are moving the warp and weft threads with your fingers. It is unusual in that the same threads are used for both warp and weft, they just change places as you work.