In honor of her faith, Sandee Jaastad designed and wove placemats that show the progression of the lighting of a menorah during Chanuka. The plain-weave Chanuka Placemats from Handwoven March/April 2018 use an 8-shaft point threading to facilitate the inlay process. You can set the table with plain old placemats, but these really set the stage for the 8 nights of Chanuka. —Susan Horton
Structure: Plain weave with inlay.
Equipment: 8-shaft loom, 16" weaving width; 12- dent reed; 1 boat shuttle and 2 bobbins; 3 stick shuttles; pick-up stick (optional).
Yarns: 8/2 unmercerized cotton (3,360 yd/lb; Yarn Barn of Kansas); 3/2 pearl cotton (1,260 yd/lb; UKI); Sewing thread or 20/2 cotton for hems.
Sett: 24 epi
Woven length (measured under tension on the loom): 102".
Finished size after washing and hemming: 4 placemats, 14" x 16¼" each.