While following along with a weaving-focused class taught by Laura Devendorf (check out the Unstable Design Lab!) one of the first things we did was try out this method of weaving which just requires a book, yarn, and everyday materials like popsicle sticks. Here's the video we learned from:
I used small popsicle sticks, chopsticks, and a disposable fork for my first weavings.
Next, Laura encouraged us to try incorporating conductive materials into our weavings. I used stainless steel conductive thread, typically used for sewing e-textile projects and wove a few lines of it into my next book weaving.
I felted some "buttons" that had conductive wool incorporated, and attached them to my weaving. I also connected a coin cell battery, and an LED to create a simple circuit.
Video demo of the felted buttons in action. When the button is pressed, the conductive fibers connect the rows of conductive thread incorporated into the weaving, and complete a circuit, turning on an LED.
The book weaving method was delightful to experiment with, and incorporating circuits challenged me to think in an interdisciplinary way to combine weaving and aesthetics with electronic materials and functionality.