Sarah Knits and Weaves

The term log cabin is used in both weaving and quilting though they are different patterns. I'm sure you have seen the woven form many times in upholstery fabrics or in tiles and other designs. Weavers like it because it can be done using two color on two harnesses (or a rigid heddle). The warp or vertical threads are put on so that in one inch increments the a color is on top and the b color is in the bottom, then switched all the way across. In the weft you have a shuttle of each color, and alternate them then every inch run one color twice and that switches the pattern. In your completed fabric you have squares of vertical and horizontal stripes alternating the whole way through.

I love the appearance of log cabin so I do it fairly often but already in my year of weaving I've had problems. I didn't have a good chart to warp up to the first time I tried it, so I'm pretty sure the pattern had a few mistakes but it was pretty so I gave it as a gift. The second time I tried to use gold and pink together, when not woven together they look worlds different but together they are almost identical and you lose all definition.

Right now I have a gold and red rayon log cabin scarf on my loom. It's very pretty but I'm finding that the gold is a different thickness than the red (even though they are the same type and weight of rayon) so I'm not getting even squares. Only weavers would notice. That's what I have to keep reminding myself.

http://www.knitsandweaves.com/files/images/LCS.jpg