Weave-It-Yourself Parol: the complete guide

Welcome to round weaving! In this quick tutorial you will learn how to weave on a rattan ring (or any hoop!) to create a very merry artwork resembling the iconic Filipino Christmas symbol, the parol.

Tap below or HERE to download the pdf version of the guide! You can also scroll down to see the webpage version of the tutorial.

Materials

I have a weaving kit available for this but you can still follow this project by using any materials similar in this list that you may find at home:

Round ring of any size and material
Yarns and fibers in different weights and styles
Scissors
Plastic needle (optional)

Warping the ring

Now that we have gathered our materials, we'll now start the most important step in weaving. Warping means we have to add the lines where we'll be weaving. In a round ring, it will look similar to the spokes of a bike wheel. Follow the guide below to add your warp threads:

IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE:

The number of spokes needed for a round loom is based on your desired design (the higher the number of spokes, the more intricate your designs can be).
For beginners, you can start by creating at least 17 spokes and up, and it must be an odd number. Even-numbered spokes can alter the weaving sequence but that's something you can explore design-wise as well.

Wrapping the ring

Before we get into the weaving process, you can opt to work on wrapping fibers around your ring. It's a nice way of decorating your ring especially when you're using a rattan ring. Follow the tutorial below:

Weaving our Parol

It's finally time to weave! Gather all your fibers and get ready to add decorations to your weave. I shared here how you can add your designs using the Plain Weave technique and to add some textures using the Rya Knot technique.

HERE ARE SOME TIPS:

Explore different designs and don't hold back! The round ring is very versatile as a weaving frame so as long as you leave a tail at the back side, your weave is pretty much secured so try any style you can think of. Of course, you can get inspiration from actual Parol designs that you can see outside.
Cut your yarn when weaving because it's easier to weave with shorter yarns rather than really long ones.

Finishing Steps

When weaving is done and you're happy with the design, you can simply cut the excess threads at the back side or tuck them in the stitches to avoid them from coming off. Add some strings at the back so you can also hang them as a wall hanging. Voila, your very own woven parol is done!