This is a how-to to make a piece with the Monk’s Belt pattern bar. The loom is warped with a thin cotton warp thread. For the weft I use four colors of yarn: two thick and two thin. I use the thin for the plain weave background and the thick for the Monk’s Belt patterns that “float” over the plain weave. However, you can try this with any combination of thick and thin, textured, monochromatic or contrasting. I have used four colors I have on hand. If you have others, try those.

You will weave plain weave for the entire piece, alternating between positions 1 and 3. BUT: as you go along, you will weave a row of Monk’s Belt after every plain weave row, to create the Monk’s Belt pattern floating over the top of the plain weave.

Step by step, the pattern is roughly as follows.

• A few rows plain weave with black yarn, alternating positions 1 and 3

• Then introduce your thick blue yarn to weave the vertical stripes with Monk’s Belt pattern. Weave one row in position 4 with thick blue yarn, then one row in plain weave with the thin black yarn (whatever plain weave position you wove the last row in, do the opposite). Repeat this sequence about 5 or 6 times. Be sure switch up your plain weave row position each time, between 1 and 3. Your Monk’s Belt position stays the same for this section — position 4.

• Now for a stripe with the thick red yarn. That is formed with position 2. So you’ll weave one row in red yarn in position 2, and one row plain weave in black yarn (whatever was the last position you wove with plain weave, do the opposite! Yes! You are getting it now)

• Next, we’ll make the section with thin vertical stripes in blue thick yarn and a background of blue thin yarn. Weave one row in thick blue yarn position 4, then one row of plain weave in thin blue yarn (whatever was the last plain weave row you wove…do the opposite!). Repeat this about 14 times. Be sure to switch up your plain weave row position each time, between position 1 and position 3. Your Monk’s Belt position stays the same for this section — position 4.

• Now, we’re keeping the blue background, but switching the vertical stripes to red. Weave a row in position 2 with thick red yarn, and follow with a plain weave row in the thin blue yarn, in the opposite of whatever plain weave position you wove the last time. Repeat about 14 times.

• Now for a stripe with the thick blue yarn. Weave one row in thick blue yarn in position 2, and one row plain weave in thin blue yarn (whatever was the last position you wove with plain weave, do the opposite)

• Now we switch the background to black and go back to the vertical stripes in thick red yarn. Weave one row in position 4 with thick red yarn, and one row in plain weave with black yarn (whatever was the last position you wove with plain weave, do the opposite). Repeat this sequence about 5 or 6 times. I know you’ve got it now but just in case: be sure to switch up your plain weave row position each time, between 1 and 3. And your Monk’s Belt position stays the same for this section — position 4, to create the vertical stripes.

I know you are tired of hearing me say it but I will say once more that you will be weaving a plain weave row between each and every Monk’s Belt row, alternating between positions 1 and 3. Here is one more way of thinking about it. If you are weaving, for example, a section with Monk’s Belt 4, the sequence is: plain weave (3), Monk’s Belt (4), plain weave (1), Monk’s Belt (4). And then, that sequence repeats, for however long you want.

Customize this: Change the number of rows of any Monk’s Belt section, switch colors, thicknesses and textures of the background and the Monk’s Belt yarns.