Years ago, when I was doing fine embroidery through a guild, I quickly learned that it was a world sometimes governed by strict, unyielding laws. While my particular guild was very encouraging and inspiring, there were very particular rules about what was or wasn’t acceptable.
Stitches had to be correct and beautiful, your work was highly valued if the back was as pristine as the front, and deviating from traditional stitch placement was not generally favoured. I enjoyed the challenge, but it sometimes felt less like a creative outlet and more like an exam.
Thankfully, weaving is not like that.
Or at least, it shouldn’t be. While we don’t usually have guild inspectors checking the back of our fabric, some people in the weaving community do hold rigid ideas about how weaving should be done.
If you read old textbooks or scroll through online forums, you’ll find an abundance of “shoulds” and “musts” that can make a weaver feel utterly paralysed rather than encourage them to just make a start.
When it comes to the great debate between strict traditionalism and chaotic experimentation, I land somewhere right in the middle.
I do believe you need enough technical knowledge so that your project is successful – no one wants a scarf that falls apart in the wash or a warp that frays completely under tension. But you should never be stifled by technicalities that don’t serve your joy in the process. The rules should be a springboard, not a suffocation.
Once you understand why a rule exists, you gain the superpower to break or bend it intentionally, safely, and beautifully.
So, let’s unpack 5 traditional weaving “rules” that you have full permission to brazenly ignore in the pursuit of creative joy.
1. Rigid Heddle Looms Are Not For Fine Threads
The Myth
People are often told that rigid heddle looms are strictly for chunky, rustic scarves, and if you want to weave fine cotton towels or a more complex weave structure, you must upgrade to a floor loom.
The Reality
You can absolutely weave beautiful, fine, structural cloth on a rigid heddle loom using finer threads. No, the experience will not be just the same as a multi shaft loom and yes, there will be challenges.
A rigid heddle loom does not hold as much warp tension as a floor loom, so tensioning finer threads (especially plant fibres that don’t stretch) requires careful warping. You may also find that you need to employ additional techniques and troubleshooting when you start weaving.
But still, it is absolutely do-able!
2. A Yarn That Snaps Can Not Be Used For Warping
I used to completely avoid any warp yarn that didn’t pass “the snap test”. I felt it was too risky. But I have learned.
Yes, there are definitely yarns that I still avoid using as warp. I once used a beautiful 28/2 merino to warp up my floor loom for a “dream luxury blanket” I had in mind but it quickly became a nightmare project. No matter what I tried, those warps kept breaking over, and over.
After a really solid attempt at weaving I had to abandon the project. It was really sad because it was actually beautiful.
And yet Rayon Chenille – another yarn that easily snaps when tested is wonderful for warping and weaving with. You can weave beautiful scarves like this one. But it does require some extra care to ensure success.
Consistent and even warp tension, achieved by taking care at the warping stage, is the key to warping with a less reliable yarn. The more evenly your warp is rolled on, the better your chances of no broken warp threads.
Another method used by weavers, especially those who love to warp with singles (un plied yarn) is to use sizing. Sizing strengthens the yarn temporarily and washes out later. Common sizing agents include starch or gelatine that the warp can be dipped into or painted onto.
One more workaround for an unreliable warp yarn is to pair it with something stronger. Using this method, you would make your warp with 2 threads – one your weaker warp and one your stronger. Then warp them together as one thread.
3. Weaving Patterns Must Be Followed Exactly
Weaving patterns are such a wonderful way to help you get started weaving. Depending on the pattern, it may be very detailed or less detailed.
Think of a written pattern as being like a recipe – you gather all the ingredients and then follow the method to make the dish. But you don’t always have the exact ingredients. Or maybe you are not so fond of one of the spices used. In that case, you can feel free to deviate from the recipe, understanding that your dish will be slightly different.
It’s just the same with a weaving pattern. If you are an absolute beginner, following a pattern as closely as possible makes sense, your results will be more predictable.
If you have a little more experience, you can be free to use the pattern more as a guide for essential elements, but place your own touch on it and really make it your own.
You can come up with some very exciting woven pieces just by wandering off the set path and exploring your own style.
4. Never Mix Different Fibres In The Same Project
You’ve heard more talk about sampling before. Before you roll your eyes at me, hear me out! Sampling really is the only way to be sure of your results.
If you are experimenting with yarns you haven’t used before, a weaving draft or structure you’re unfamiliar with, or you want to combine different yarns in the one piece, sampling is the way to go.
An example of using different yarns together could be a cotton warp paired with a wool weft. This is my favourite combination to use for weaving krokbragd – you have the strength of the cotton for a sturdy warp and the loftiness of wool that just looks perfect to me for krokbragd design.
If you love texture and movement in weaving, combining different yarns can be the perfect way to explore. Not all yarns have the same shrinkage rate, and this is where the cool effects come in. Weave your piece, wet finish and then watch the magic happen as the piece dries and the differential shrinkage becomes apparent.
You can achieve textures from subtle ripples to bumpy and lumpy by using yarns with different shrinkage.
If you want to combine yarns without achieving texture, this can also absolutely be done providing you choose your yarns with this in mind and…. guess what? Sample!
5. Loom Waste Is To Be Discarded
I admit that up until recently I have been terrible at making use of my thrums, or loom waste. There is always some amount of warp waste and the amount is dependent on the loom type.
I had read about weavers using their loom waste to stuff pillows, pin cushions or anything else that requires stuffing, but admittedly this did not appeal to me in a practical sense.
But then I stumbled across an article all about the Japanese method of Zanshi Weaving (or zanshiori). This deals directly with repurposing thrums by tying the lengths together in order to make a continuous yarn that can then be used for a unique weft. I was really excited to read about this method – it’s so simple yet solves a waste issue perfectly. I wrote more about this, and other Japanese waste reduction methods in this Substack post.
So, what kind of weaver are you? Rule breaker or rule follower? Whatever the case, the most important thing is that you work in a way that is intuitive and enjoyable for you.
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!
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