Weaver Introduces New Class To Seniors

By Nancy K. Crevier

Sarah Mazzuchelli introduced Swedish Monk’s Cloth Weaving to a small but enthusiastic group at the Newtown Senior Center, Monday, February 23. Ms Mazzuchelli, a one-year resident of Sandy Hook and a new member of the Senior Center, first learned the weaving skill while living in Arizona four years ago.

“I joined the knitting group at the Senior Center, and then I brought in a sample of the Swedish weaving to show Marilyn [Place, Senior Center director], and she thought it might be a fun group to start,” said Ms Mazzuchelli.

The centuries-old craft is also known as Swedish huck weaving or embroidery, according to nettiesneedlework.com, and was a popular appliqué for toweling in the 1930s and 1940s. Similar to needlepoint, but on a larger scale, Swedish Monk’s Cloth Weaving is something just about anybody can do and very easy, said Ms Mazzuchelli, as she got the new weavers started on a 72-by-60-inch blanket. “As long as you know how to count, you can Swedish weave,” she said.

Weavers use monk’s cloth, a sturdy cotton cloth with a wide basket weave, and using worsted yarn and a large sewing needle, create a decorative pattern on the cloth. Weavers generally rely on patterns from books that dictate the number of stitches placed on a line to create a design, which is where the careful counting comes into play, said Ms Mazzuchelli.

While Swedish weaving can incorporate any of dozens of intricate patterns, for the first project Ms Mazzuchelli chose a simple diamond or Christmas tree design. Variegated yarn, a blend of several harmonious colors all on one skein, is a good beginner’s choice, she said, but once the art is mastered, weavers can select any combination of yarns to make up a personal color scheme.

Demonstrating with white yarn on a bright red cloth, Ms Mazzuchelli showed the class the “ins and outs” of Swedish weaving, poking the needle in just beneath the surface of one small stitch of cloth and up and over the next, all the way up the middle of the cloth to mark the center point for her design. “Make sure to go under the full stitch,” she cautioned her new followers. The center point is necessary as Swedish weaving crafters work from the center of the material out to one edge, and then return to the center to work to the other edge. Doing so prevents the fabric and design from stretching out of shape when working on a project as large as a blanket or lap throw.

The hobby is not only a great way to get together with other needleworkers, said Ms Mazzuchelli, but a wonderful therapy for those who need to work out their hands and fingers. Plus, she said, “It’s very calming, a very relaxing thing to do.”

The Swedish Monk’s Cloth Weaving group will meet at the Newtown Senior Center every Monday at 2 pm. Newcomers are welcome to join at any time. For more information, call the Senior Center at 270-4310.