Which size inkle loom?

Inkle loom weaving has really taken off recently, and it’s not hard to understand why.

An inkle loom is portable, affordable and fun. Some weavers start their weaving journey on an inkle loom, others discover it and use it to compliment their other weaving skills and projects.

As with a rigid heddle loom, on an inkle you can start with the basics and weave just on two shafts, or plain weave. In fact, because the bands you weave are warped faced and all the colour is in the warp, you could weave plain weave bands for a very long time without tiring of the simplicity.

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If you’re new to the world of inkle weaving, you might be wondering about size. Not all inkle looms are the same size. You may wonder which one is best suited to your needs.

As I own and use an Ashford inkle loom, it makes sense for me to compare the two sizes Ashford have available.

The Ashford Inkle Loom is the largest of the two.

This loom is capable of a 110″ warp length and width of 3″. Bear in mind that your warp width is usually reduced by around half for the woven band.

The Ashford Inklette is the smaller size.

You can warp the Inklette with 70″ in length and 2″ in width.

So, the main differences between the two?

1. Size
2. Price

The Inklette is much more petite than the regular size. Here is a photo comparison of the two:

The inklette is extremely portable (you can throw it in a bag and take it with you). It is affordable ($60USD cheaper than the regular size).

But the trade off is the amount of warping space. The smaller size of the Inklette means a smaller band.

The questions you might ask yourself are:

• What sized bands do I want to weave? Do I want the flexibility of being able to weave a wider, longer band or am I happy to weave narrower, shorter bands?
• How much do I want to spend to start out in inkle weaving?
• Do I want a loom that I can easily take with me to weave on the go?

If you are interested in learning more about inkle weaving before you decide whether it is something you want to pursue, I have some helpful resources:

7 tips for inkle weaving plus a free pattern

How to weave on an inkle loom

I have just completed a new, comprehensive Inkle Course. The course covers everything you need to know to weave a plain weave band, tubular weaving and baltic weaving.

To find out more about the Inkle Weaving Course, click here!

If you’re looking for stockists of inkle looms in Australia, I recommend The Thread Collective or Knit, Spin, Weave.

I hope this post helps you to decide on the inkle loom that is right for you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!