Choosing the right yarn for the right project can be a huge conundrum for newer weavers. There are so many yarn choices for weaving that it can be very confusing to know where to start.
If you want to know more about the basics of choosing yarns when you’re just starting out, you will want to read this post which includes a couple of super helpful videos where I walk you through some of my stash and the ways I’ve used certain yarns in my weaving.
I usually recommend specific yarns for new weavers to try, based on my experience with which yarns are the most economical, easy going and likely to give consistent, more predictable results.
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But today, I’m going to do the opposite. I’m going to talk about the yarns that a new weaver should not use, and even go so far as to say that a newer weaver should NEVER use these yarns to begin with!
Pretty extreme, huh? Trust me, you will thank me for it!
So, how do I know about these three particular yarns that should be locked up and kept in a closet marked with NO GO – NEW WEAVERS NOT PERMITTED?
Because I hear about it all the time! The anguish of a new weaver who unwittingly picked a yarn that “looked pretty” and now is in a terrible anguish, caught in the balance between the idea of cutting the project off the loom prematurely or giving up on weaving altogether because it “doesn’t seem like my thing“.
Friends, it does not have to come to that and I am here to tell you how!
There are three yarns that you should avoid at all cost. Not forever, just to begin with. Later, you will have the experience, know how and possibly patience to deal with these yarns, but to begin with you want to keep it as simple and achievable as possible.
Think of your beginning weeks, months, or however long it takes (remember we all learn at a different pace and that is absolutely fine and normal. If you have any qualms on this note, please take the time to watch the video on Slow Learning down below).
The first few projects at least should be devoted to getting to know your loom. It’s like a honeymoon period, hopefully a happy one! But, if you think of your beginning stages in this way, as the learning phase, it won’t matter so much if you don’t always get amazing results as you will be learning what you need to know.
You’re probably itching to know what these three avoidable yarns are. I won’t keep you in suspense any longer.
I’ve put this one at the top of the list for a reason. Don’t use it if you’re a beginner. I can’t be much more blatant than that. Just don’t do it. You will be sorry.
Meet Anna. Why do I have a random doll included in this post? I’ll explain. I made this doll for youngest daughter’s first birthday present, almost 10 years ago. She has stood the test of time pretty well, but is in need of a wig refurbishment. At the time, I was a dollmaker and sold my dolls on Etsy. I made the dolls from all natural materials, so their skin was a lovely soft cotton, they were stuffed with clean, carded wool and I would often use mohair to make wigs or hair. By the way, if you’re interested in a 10 year old tutorial on making a doll similar to this one, I have a two part tutorial here.
The point is, I used to have a huge stock of mohair but have used it all up in dollmaking. So instead of showing you a ball of mohair, I’m going to show you the back of the doll’s head to help illustrate why you should not use mohair as a beginner weaver.
Check out that fluff. Yes, mohair is uber fluffy! See that halo? (This is going to become a recurring theme!) Mohair sticks to itself. Very much. You carefully warp your loom and begin weaving, only to find that you don’t seem to be a able to get a clear shed. Sound familiar? Every. Single. Time. You change sheds, the warp threads stick to each other and you wonder how on earth you are supposed to get your stick shuttle through an either non existent or at the least, very messy shed. It doesn’t make for a fun weaving experience.
2. Fine, rigid threads.
By this I mean a weaving thread like an 8/2 cotton. These types of yarns will usually be sold on a cone rather than in a ball or skein.
Why do I think they’re a bad idea for beginner weavers? Firstly, they will have little to no elasticity. This is a problem for newbies (ahem, and veterans!) because they are difficult to warp with the correct and consistent tension. Which can be really frustrating. Especially on a rigid heddle loom where you can’t achieve as firm a tension as you can on a floor loom. When you’re not familiar with these types of yarn or don’t have much general weaving experience, you don’t want a yarn that won’t stretch a little. Yarns with elasticity (like, say a dk or light worsted wool) are so much easier to warp and work with. They will stretch out and contract back nicely on the loom and for that reason I call them very “forgiving” yarns. They help rather than hinder your warping and weaving process. They will be your newbie friends. The inelastic, thinner yarns can be your friends later.
The second point about these yarns is that they are thin. Which means they take longer to warp. Then they take longer to weave. When you’re just starting out you really want to choose shorter, approachable projects that don’t feel like a year long commitment to finish one item. Thicker yarns will be a huge help in this respect. They weave up quickly and with less problems.
3. Luxury Yarns
There are plenty of yarns that come under this category so I will point out a few specifics.
Baby alpaca is a gorgeous, sumptuous yarn. No, it doesn’t come from actual baby alpacas, it is classed and graded as a very fine fibre, and is extremely soft, hence the name. It also has a halo. It’s not fluffy in the same way that mohair is, and it’s not as difficult to weave with. But yes, it will still be a pesky, sticky yarn to weave.
The exact same rule applies here to Angora, possum and some cashmere fibres. Once again, save their scrumptiousness for a little later on.
Ah, silk, beautiful, shiny, luscious silk. I love weaving with it. Now. I didn’t attempt weaving with it until I had a lot of experience under my belt. I mean, have you seen how expensive silk yarn is? 😲 I knew I didn’t want to make that investment unless it was for something really special that I was ready for. Also, the fineness of the 60/2 silk above (similar to sewing thread in thickness) makes it doubly unsuitable for newbies.
Luxury yarns are just that – a luxury. Which means they will have a price tag to match. I’ve heard some newbie weavers say that they couldn’t resist a luxury yarn for their first project. I understand that your first project is a special one, but you need to be a realist about it too. Weaving is a learning curve. Skills like weaving neat edges and achieving good tension take time and are not likely to be perfected in your first project. You are really feeling your way with your first project. If you add the stress of having to make something nice with your very expensive luxury yarn on to the experience of learning to actually use your new loom, it will often be a recipe for disaster.
Let me put it this way: I’ve never heard a new weaver regret that they used inexpensive yarn for their first project. But I’ve had many, many, many messages from people in distress that things are not going according to plan and they spent so much money on the yarn. Save yourself the stress and start out with an inexpensive, light worsted/dk/Aussie 8ply wool.
Now, if I could only find a way to get this message to every new weaver in the world, I think there might be a lot more happy weavers out there.
This post is also available in video format-
So, time to fess up. Have you had a less than positive beginner experiences with one of these three yarns? Let me (and everybody else, just in case someone needs more convincing!) know about it in the comments.
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!
Sure wish I’d read this a year ago! I’ve taken your double width baby blanket class and have successfully made a baby blanket a few years ago but recently a cousin GAVE me two cones of pure alpaca yarn, so beautiful that i decided to make myself (after first knitting her a lovely triangle scarf from said alpaca) a double width lap blanket on my rigid heddle loom. Yikes was it ever difficult! my sheds wouldn’t open and it took me forever to get a blanket about 24″ long (not including fringe) and 36″ wide. I’ve never been so frustrated and have never before or since given up before using all the warp. Now I have many long pieces of alpaca that I cut off the loom and am trying to think of a way to use them. Possibly crochet… Anyway, I’m glad you’ve given new weavers the message about not using such frustrating fibers.
Oh no, what a shame you had to find out the hard way! 😕
I asked one of the sellers what was a good yarn to warp with for placemats and cushion covers as a complete newbie and they told me their 3×2/16 mercerised cotton will be best. Someone else mentioned 8/2 cotton. I haven’t even gotten my loom as yet so now I’m quite confused as you say I should not start out with that.
I have some acrylic and milk cotton yarn I can use to practice with for the first couple of projects…although personally I’m not liking the milk cotton, I feel it is too stretchy and the ply is very loose. But may be that will work out for practice.
But is it a good idea to get the 8/2 cotton to use after a couple of projects? Don’t see how wool will make sense in placemats.
I want to make placemats and cushion covers and when I have some motivation, go longer for a summer scarf. Any help in which yarns will work for warping and weft will be a great help.
Some beginner weavers will use 8/2 cotton for their first project and it goes ok. But I really don’t recommend you do. A thicker yarn, like a knitting yarn is just so much easier to start with and will help you get to know your loom without dealing with the issues that arise with 8/2.
You can weave lovely placemats with a fingering weight cotton (you’re right, wool is not suitable for placemats).
For scarves it’s good to use something that will drape nicely and not be stiff. Wool is great (as long as it’s a soft wool that feels nice against your skin). Wool blends can be great too. A thicker cotton works well for a scarf as well. Bamboo is awesome for scarves and comes in a variety of thicknesses and colours, as is silk (silk is trickier to work with than bamboo though). Tencel is great, once again I’d recommend you try bamboo first.
Well actually my first project was a scarf done using fine homespun alpaca yarn in 15/ inch. Sticky, four breaks, no regrets, I love it and I will use linen , same heddle for the second project. Homemade loom too, no lessons needed. When there is a will… so newbie weavers, do not despair.
Hello Kelly,
Thank you for this post. I read it when it first came out. As it was,I had just started a sample with 8/2 cotton. I was frustrated with how loose the bottom threads were compared to the upper threads and how tight the pushed was. Read your post and realized I had not done any too wrong. Just finished the sample and must say I am glad I did. The cotton is really wonderful. Off the loom it was just what I wanted. If I had not read this post I probably would have taken the warp off and been angry with myself. Glad I didn’t. Thank you for all you do.
Robert
I’m so glad to hear that Robert!
I think cotton dishtowels with a thicker cotton is a perfect beginner project after your first sample. I did a tiny sample first to work through the warping process so I could get a feel for it, then moved to a dishtowel. Then I did a linen/cotton doubled shelf liner that worked up lovely and wasn’t too awful, even using the pure linen yarn.
I also find that difficult or “impossible” weaves start to find a flow after a few feet. I have only cut one weaving off early, it was a complex pick up stick pattern that required a different stick formation every pass and it used linen and cotton threads that sagged. After several days of weaving I wanted to move onto a new project.
I’m glad you’ve had success with linen, it is a really lovely fibre 😊
I am another who benefited from the old saying, ‘fortune favours the foolish’! My first project was a silk warp with a fingering weight baby alpaca weft! I had started the warp with the alpaca, but it was not plied and just fell to pieces. I was able to salvage a large part of what I had used (through much patience), and had a second skein on hand. Having no clue what i was doing, I warped with some silk and off I went. The selvedges are NOT pretty, but I got a workable scarf from the project and I was quite proud of myself … maybe even moreso, now! 😀 Pure luck, not skill!
Wow, well done for getting through that!
My first project on my RHL was using acrylic yarn both for the warp and weft. It was a practice piece, however I turned it into a short scarf with knotted fringe. Second was a small purse, warp was worsted wool and weft was a bulky wool that had 15% mohair. I really like this purse, the bulky wt with mohair packed it in well. These first two were from my stash and both went well. My third project was the place-mats that I did from your lesson for beginners. Turn out well, learned a lot. I didn’t have trouble with the cotton. I now have a wool blend for the warp in three colors and will do a variegated wool blend for the weft for a scarf on my small RHL and about to warp the larger loom for cotton towels. Thanks again for your lessons. Always I learn a lot from these lessons and from the things that work well and a few trials along the way.
I’m glad it’s all going so well for you Linda 😊
I was going to be a house guest and wanted to make my hostess a triangular short scarf in a thin, light , blue mohair as pictured in a weaving book. Up until that point I had been a knitter and had a yarn just like that in my stash. I couldn’t get a shed and did have to cut it off the loom. Honestly, there was no going forward or back. What a mess! Fortunately I have made many scarves since then with many other yarns in my stash. I don’t know why but I seem to have nearly 12 balls of eyelash and lesson learned, I’m donating them to the Senior Center in my town.
I love your classes and posts Kelly. My membership has been worth every penny. Thank you!
Thank you Joanne!
Kelly
I thank you very much for you video above about learning slowly! I’m struggling with understanding the weaving charts. I have watched your lessons about charts over and over but still not grasping the concept of the 3rd and 4th heddles.
You’ve given me encouragement to keep trying!
Thank you
Marian
Understanding weaving drafts came much later for me in my weaving journey. Don’t worry if you can’t figure out drafts by looking at them. I try to structure my classes so that even if you don’t fully understand what you’re doing, you can learn through performing the actions and getting the results.
Great advice for new weavers. My first yarn was an acrylic, second was wool – happy with both outcomes but I think wool was the easiest to work with. Since then it has been cotton all the way… I love cotton but in 8ply & 4ply, I have cones of 8/2 cotton but still a bit afraid of it. I enjoy looking back at your posts so will check out the doll and those recommended on yarn. There is some great info in the posts you made before I found you, I’m gradually working through them. Thanks again!
Thanks Gai, I’ve been blogging for a really long time- except now I’m very intentional and consistent with my posts, whereas they used to be quite haphazard. I’ve learned a lot in 12 years of blogging!
Hi Kelly,
A great article full of good advice. I have not tried warping with Mohair, because I thought it would be sticky, but I have woven with it as part of my weft, and it works beautifully. I love knitting with fine Mohair and Alpace and it comes out beautifully. I have not been very successful with cotton and really don’t like it as much as wool. But, I am still learning and hope to improve my skills with cotton.
Thank you for your advice.
Veena
I did several scarves with 10 percent silk early on and they worked really well. Then I tried one with mohair.. OMG I finally cut if off my loom and hemmed what I did have. It was soooooo disappointing. Since then I have tried linen (couldn’t get the tension right) and finally the cotton and it was okay. Maybe by then I had the tension better. Towards the end I did have a couple weights on a few threads but at least I made it through and am proud of the table runner and towels. I have only tried one project with mostly wool and it was the easiest.
I’m laughing. My very first rigid heddle project used Boyce mohair as a warp and weft. With a ribbon yarn here and there. It was a balanced weave. I used a size 5 heddle. At some point after I started I drciddd perhaps I should see what people said about weaving with mohair. Weaver’s freaked when they heard what I was doing. I suppose I was a lucky beginner. I’d been a knitter for a long time and was a new-ish spinner. I instinctively knew that I needed a large heddle and I beat lightly. I’m happy to say it turned out well! The boucle kept the yarn under control, and it wasn’t hugely hairy, nor was any of the hair long. I’ve since used all manner of yarn and I particularly like novelty yarn. Even using it as a beginner weaver. I’m not trying to weave in multiple shafts or warp anything other than a rigid heddle. The more interesting the yarn the more Ai like it. 😁
That’s great, I’m glad mohair and other fancy yarns have worked out so well for you 😄
1st project. 8/4 cotton warp with 8/4 cotton weft and some linen weft too
not bad, but the sett was way off for that warp thread
2nd project. left over cashmere too fine and weak for warp – abandoned!!
3rd project. I used a bunch of aran weight yarn that my mother in law gave me and made a throw.
super easy and fun!!! I wish I had known.
4th project. lace weight linen scarf with new 16/inch heddle. it was hard!!! warp kept breaking! but got it done. result was good!
present project. Linen towels. fingerling weight linen warp. Did not get the warp wrapped as well as I should have. Next time I weave with linen I’m getting 2 people to help with the wrapping the warp. Its going ok with the thicker warp.
Next project will be with some acrylic yarn from my Mom. She was a knitter and passed 2 years ago. My sister just gave me a big bag of mixed yarn
Thanks Kelly. Your newsletter and you tube videos are great!!!!
Thanks Peter!
Cotton is one of my favorites to weave with. I usually start newbies in my class on cotton because it has no stretch. The class I started with when I got my rigid heddle also used 8/4 for the warp.
Mohair – I don’t even knit with it!
As I read this blog post, I found myself remembering a couple of things–my Guild recommended starting with something a bit stretchy (I chose wool) because I was weaving on a rigid heddle. Since then (2013), I’ve found that I like cotton in 6/2, 3/2, or 5/2 for my rigid heddle. I also like sock yarn (fingering weight) because I can get it in many colors.
You’re quite the inspiration for me to go back to my rigid heddle; it had been a couple years since I used it, so I decided to subscribe to your weaving lessons! Glad that I did!!
Thanks for joining up Judi! 😊
Hi Kelly, your advice to beginning weavers is really spot on.
I luckily happened to have a good, non-sticky DK yarn on hand for my first project on the rigid heddle loom, BUT I was not content to weave something simple to get started. And what an adventure I had! At the time I was obsessed with plaid, so of course I made up my own tartan using the colors I had available, and of course, because the traditional way to weave a tartan is in twill, I had to learn how to do that on a rigid heddle loom. Of course, I had to modify the only instructions I could find because I had two heddles (essentially 3 shafts instead of 4) so it was a 2/1 and not a 3/1 twill. What was I thinking?
Of course, I made some mistakes in the threading! I was making a set of placemats. While weaving the first one, I realized I had threaded the warp wrong and my stripes weren’t working out correctly. So of course, I cut the first odd-looking placemat off, keeping the warp threaded through the reeds, adjusted that threading to fix the color order, and tied it back on the front. I could only get two more placemats out of the warp at that point, and of course the edges were horribly wavy, but I still use them anyway, and they make me smile every time (partly with embarrassment, but also pride and lessons learned)! Kind of like when Mom used to put my art on the fridge, the beginner in me enjoys seeing my first not-so-great attempts in actual use.
My point is, for new weavers, the mistakes and issues you encounter do not need to signal the end of your weaving life. I made one placemat that didn’t have the colors in the right places, but I figured out a way to fix the threading before I made the others, and they came out great, not counting the “beginner’s selvedges.” I know I unnecessarily over-challenged myself for my first project; I do tend to do that, and I don’t recommend it for most people. The important thing is not to let those mistakes or issues stop you. I did it because I really had nothing to lose; I was using yarn from my stash that wasn’t needed for anything else, so if I could learn something with this project, it didn’t matter whether the end product was usable or not. I just had a huge hankering to weave a traditional tartan, so I went for it, knowing I might not succeed, but also that I would learn.
That’s why it’s important to pick an inexpensive yarn, as Kelly says, or something you already have, and to keep your mind open to finding solutions to your issues rather than just quitting.
Excellent advice which really highlights the importance of choosing a project according to your skill level as well as the right yarn!
Kelly I recently purchased your Garden Path scarf pattern. Would you share the dimensions that you used to make it into the wrap that you are wearing in your video of yarns not to use?
I’m afraid I didn’t write down the dimensions when I wove the piece, but the finished dimensions (including fringes) are 14 x 90″.
I’ve been using 10/2 cotton on the inkle loom for about six months. I can understand why this type shouldn’t be used on a regular loom – they are thin and rigid. The saving feature on the inkle loom is that they are tied end to end, so I get an even tension throughout the piece. I still have the drawback of needing a lot of warps per inch. My 81 warp band is 1 1/8 inches wide. I look forward to using a thicker yarn.
Yes, the inkle loom is a different thing all together, thin yarns are great for that!
Fortunately I have not, I used some cheap acrylic yarn that I had left over from a crochet project for my first project. Then I tried some sugar and cream for my second (which was a dismal failure), but I learned a lot. I saw a video that recommended you do at least 6 projects prior to trying anything with good yarn and that is what I did. My first successful project was a wrap I did for my sister in a houndstooth pattern. I learn so much from you Kelly and appreciate you so much.
Thank you,
Elizabeth
❤️
I would add bamboo to the list, I’m not a beginner anymore since I’ve been weaving for 9 months and have made many many projects, but I used the Bamboo you recommend in your Morrocan Dream pattern and it was so slippery and terrible. I love the pattern itself, and I want to try it again with wool, but I did not love the Bambu.
Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, I’ve always found it Bambu 7 very agreeable. I would love to see how it looks in wool though, that would be lovely!
Absolutely agree! And may I add another yarn to the list? Linen. It’s more rigid than cotton!
Yes, definitely!
I bought a kit and then experienced mohair! Soooo frustrating but I learned a lot. It came out beautiful and it was a gift so I don’t know how it’s held up. But I’m thinking, never again. This was great advice to save a lot of tears!!
I’m glad it came out well, that is some consolation at least! 😊
Guilty! I spent over 100$ on several fine ( coned ) threads that did not warp or weave well for this beginning weaver. In my frustration, I almost just cut the warp off the loom. Instead, I thought “why not use it to practice clasped weft?” My choice of yarn may have been a mistake, but the practice has been invaluable! Thank you for sharing your hard earned knowledge.
Good for you! When life gave you lemons you made lemonade 😄
12/4 linen thread! Not my first project or even my 30th, but not ready to work with it yet for warp. Been weaving for about 18 mo now. Tried this gorgeous thread about 3 mo ago. We got several cones at a sale and it kept taunting me. And I saw projects using it that I really wanted to try. Well. No. Tension was awful! Took forever to warp! Nothing was right about it! Cut it off. I glare at all the beautiful little cones sitting under my table that holds all my stuff. Someday. Maybe. But not now!
Oh dear. But at least you’re willing to come back to it at some point 😊
Kay, I got some 40/2 fine linen thread and so far find it impossible to work with, I think it is more suitable for a floor loom than my rigid heddle loom. I’m planning to give it a second shot using tencel for the warp and either using the linen as a single thread or doubled up in the weft. I’m also having a lace weight linin warp on my RHL right now, and when I tried to use the 40/2 linen for weft, it wasn’t pliable enough to give a good weft, I had huge gaps between each pick. So again, I’m going to try resue the linen yarn and project by using tencel, just this time for the weft. I’m waiting for the tencel yarn to arrive and will share in the weaving group about my success or lack thereof.
I’ve made some lovely mohair shawls for auctions at the Oregon Right to Life annual fund raisers. The main trick I use is a sett of 4 epi, and weave a balanced fabric. The shawls are like clouds of color.
But yeah, not even as a bit added to a scarf would I use mohair – continuous nightmare if that strand has others to snuggle up against.
Linen is another fiber that is not stretchy and is difficult (but not impossible) to weave nicely.
You know, it’s like wool likes to be woven.
Great to hear you’ve had some success with mohair, your shawls sound really lovely!
So helpful! Thank you!
I belong to the people who did a silk scarf as their second project, but I used tussah silk, which is much more giving and forgiving than the more common mulberry silk. It came out well. Till I started using mulberry silk for warp I had woven several scarves.
My new learning experience is with linen, weaving with a linen warp is not the easiest even with some experience. It has no give, warping with even tension isn’t easy, and despite my best efforts some threads droop a little, fortunately not enough to cause a problem.
It sounds like you’re doing pretty well Barbara!
Thank you so much for your video. I am a fairly new weaver and have an old Norwood 4 shaft demonstrator floor loom. I still have trouble figuring sett and starting a new project and am still intimidated each time I warp my loom. I have warped it twice by myself. My last project was three towels using 8/2 Cotten. They came out great and I loved working with the Cotten. Can you recommend some easy patterns for beginner floor loom weavers or a book? I want to weave more, but am just not sure of myself! Thanks. Wanda Bennett
Hi Wanda, I have a post with a few of my favourite books, the Ann Dixon is the one I use the most -http://kellycasanovaweavinglessons.com/2018/10/my-favourite-books-for-multi-shaf.html
It doesn’t seem to make any difference what yarns I use, the result is the same, VERY DISAPPOINTING
☹️ Sharon, what do you feel are the main problems you’re having?
Kelly, you are an absolute legend! What you have described is soo true! Yep, I learnt the hard way! My first experience with silk ended up in the bin, as did my first try with cotton! Lol.
I now love cotton and often weave with it. Still learning with silk, haven’t tried mohair. Hope all new weavers take your advice!
Silk in the bin? Noooooooooo!!! 😆