Free tutorial

Clasped Weft Weaving Step by Step Tutorial

Just when you think you’ve tried everything in weaving, you come across something different, like Clasped Weft.

Clasped weft can be a great “next step” for newer weavers with a few plain weave projects completed and who are ready for something a bit more adventurous.

The cool thing about weaving clasped weft is that, similar to Colour and Weave, most of the work is in using colours to make your weaving look fancy, when in actual fact it is quite simple.

The clasped weft technique uses 2, 3 or 4 interlocking weft colours. Using 2 colours to begin with is the easiest and least complicated approach. If you have done any tapestry, you may already be familiar with the interlocking technique.

*This post contains affiliate links. for more information, see my disclosure policy.

We mainly use a plain weave structure (though clasped weft can actually be used in other structures, such as twill). It is a perfect technique for a rigid heddle loom, because, although it’s simple, it looks special and has big impact.

Before we go through the tutorial steps, let’s look at some (rather poorly drawn, sorry about that!) diagrams to get a clearer idea of how this works. The drawings are over simplified, as I haven’t drawn in the warp and weft interlacement, but I have drawn in the edge warp threads:

Clasped weft with 2 weft colours.

Clasped weft with 3 colours.

Clasped weft with 4 colours.

Now let’s go through the tutorial steps so that you can get clear on how clasped weft is actually woven. Today, we are just focusing on working the two weft colour technique, as I believe this is the best place to begin if you’re not familiar with clasped weft or haven’t attempted it before.

Begin with two contrasting weft yarns of the same weight. I have used one with a dark navy colour and another that is variegated with bright colours. See the tips section below for more on why variegated works perfectly.

My warp and weft yarns were all light worsted/dk/ Australian 8 ply weight. Wool, acrylic or cotton are all fine.

One weft yarn is loaded onto a stick shuttle, in my case this was the dark navy. The other colour is left in a ball or on the cone. My variegated colour was in a skein and so I wound it into a yarn cake with my ball winder.

A yarn cake (also known as a centre pull ball) is particularly good to work with for clasped weft, because it sits nice and flat on the floor and won’t roll away. The yarn also feeds off the yarn cake seamlessly, which makes the whole process that little bit easier. If you have a round ball or a cone, you may want to sit it in a box or basket on the floor to contain it.

Place the ball of yarn on the floor at your left. It doesn’t matter if you place it on the right or left, but for the purpose of this tutorial it’s on the left.

Because the ball (let’s call it the contrast yarn) is on the left, we enter the shed with the stick shuttle on the right. Again, it doesn’t matter whether you are in the up or down shed, but I am beginning in the down shed.

Take your stick shuttle across from the right hand side to the left as though you’re going to weave a regular plain weave pick.

When you get to the left, take your stick shuttle underneath the contrast yarn. An easy way to do this is to pick up the contrast yarn as the stick shuttle exits the shed and place it on top of the shuttle.

On the right hand side (where your shuttle entered), tidy up and prepare your weft yarn at the selvedge as though you’re going to beat the pick in. If you’re not familiar with how to do this, watch my free video on How to Weave Neat Edges. DON’T BEAT.

Take the shuttle straight back into the same shed. Don’t change sheds, and don’t beat! Take the shuttle through, back to the right where you first entered the shed.

As you return the shuttle to the right, you will find that the navy yarn is linked or clasped with the contrast yarn. This means that the contrast yarn is pulled into the shed. Now you get to decide how far you will pull the contrast yarn into the shed. A little? A lot? Your choice, depending on the effect you want to achieve.

Hold both yarns under tension on either side to manipulate where you want the two yarns to go.

When you’re happy with the yarn positioning, beat the picks into place. You will notice that both yarns are now doubled in the shed.

Change to the next shed (in my case I had been working in the down shed, so I go on to change to the up shed).

Continue weaving in the exact same manner in the new shed and repeat until you’ve finished weaving.

Isn’t your head just swimming with all the possibilities of this wonderful technique?

Clasped weft can be extremely planned or extremely random. It looks wonderful both ways and is just so much fun to weave.

Here are a few recommendations for best results:

1. Use contrasting weft colours.

Light and dark will make the weaving pop.

2. Use the same weight yarn for both warp and weft.

You will get better results and avoid the not so pretty lumps and bumps that can occur at interlocking points.

3. Variegated yarn is perfect for this.

For the 2 colour clasped weft technique, a variegated yarn with a contrasting yarn looks really cool! (See photos below and above).

4. Using the same colour as the warp for one of your weft colours works great.

Too much colour can confuse the contrast of the clasped weft lines. In the tutorial, I used the same navy yarn for warp and weft no.1. I then used a contrast yarn for weft no.2.

If you like the look of clasped weft as much as I do, I have some great news for you!

I have 3 free Youtube video tutorials that will teach you each of these techniques. Start with video 1 so that you can practice the technique, before moving on to the others.

Clasped Weft with 2 colours

Clasped Weft with 3 colours

Clasped Weft with 4 colours

I mentioned that the clasped weft technique can also be used for other weave structures. This can create really interesting and impressive special effects. One of my Etsy patterns, The Cityscape Scarf is a perfect example of a clasped weft combined with a twill.

Try it out and let me know what you think.

Leave me a comment here or under any of the Youtube videos, I love to hear from you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

How to sit correctly at a rigid heddle loom

by Kelly 16 Comments

In my last post, I spoke about my back pain journey and gave all my best hints to help you avoid experiencing pain while weaving on your floor loom.

That post was very popular and many of you asked if I could do something similar for weaving on your rigid heddle loom. A floor loom and a rigid heddle loom are quite different when it comes to seating, and while a lot of the same principles I talked about in my last article regarding posture still apply, I think it’s worth going over the options.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more details, please see my disclosure policy.

I’d like to point out that, even though some of these are not my personal preference, that doesn’t mean that they’re not right for you. And, if you are using a seating arrangement currently that works really well and allows you to weave pain free – don’t change it!

Regular chair-

Some weavers use a regular, straight backed dining chair to weave. This is what I started off with when I began my rigid heddle journey, but it did not suit me at all. I did find it better if I bolstered my lower back by wedging a cushion between my back and the chair when weaving, but it was still not comfortable for me.

Weaving bench–

I would not use a weaving bench or piano stool with my rigid heddle. The length of the stool does not allow me to get right in close to the loom, and there is no back support.

Office chair–

This is what I use and I’m going to go over in more depth why I think it is the best option in a moment.

With a stand-

I do recommend weaving with a stand for loom sizes 24″ and above. This is because the larger/wider the loom, the more difficult it is to prop against a table to weave, and the longer your reach distance will be. A longer reach distance means more stress on your body.

Without a stand-

I don’t use a stand for my Sampleit 10″ loom because it’s so small, light and portable that I can weave on it just about anywhere, it makes a great lap loom. You don’t have to have a stand for your rigid heddle, but I do think it’s really worthwhile investment. If you have or are looking at purchasing a really large loom, such as a 32 or 48″, I would definitely be wanting a stand.

I want to talk now a little more about my office chair and why I think it’s the perfect solution. I was lucky enough to get my chair for free when my husband’s workplace was closing an office and it was barely used!

Height adjustable
Contoured
Back rest adjustable
Tiltable

All of this means that I can sit right in close to my loom and adjust the chair to be as comfortable as I could possibly want to be. My back, shoulders and neck are not stressed because my body is so well positioned.

Because my chair is on wheels, it’s really quick to make minor adjustments to get closer to or further from the loom.

My feet are either flat on the floor or positioned on top of the stand’s stabilising bar, meaning the loom is very stable.

Now, just because we have a super duper chair with nice back support doesn’t mean we can get lazy about posture. Yes, it’s still possible to slouch, bend or tilt your body in ways that will wear on your back over time.

So don’t forget those good posture points – a straight back, level shoulders, elbows resting comfortably on the front beam.

Regular breaks are important, to give your body an opportunity to move about in a different way after being in one position for a while. If you want to read more about posture, breaks and stretching, I recommend you read over this post.

And to see my seating position in action, I’ve made a video for you. The video shows both how I sit with my loom on a stand and how I sit when not using a stand. You can click below to check that out:

I hope this post was helpful to you and gets you thinking about ways you can maximise your weaving time by minimising back, neck and shoulder pain.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Troubleshooting loose slot threads

by Kelly 31 Comments

Loose slot threads when weaving on a rigid heddle loom are very common. The fact is that a rigid heddle loom just does not hold the same amount of tension as a floor or table loom.

This means that the rigid heddle weaver can run into a bit of bother when warping up with fine, rigid weaving yarns. An 8/2 cotton is a floor loom weaver’s dream but can be quite a challenge on the rigid heddle.

*This post contains affiliate links. For further information, please view my disclosure policy.

Knitting yarns or slightly thicker weaving yarns with some elasticity work beautifully on a rigid heddle loom, as they don’t need a lot of tension and are very forgiving.

How do I know if my tension is good enough?

This can be a personal preference, but there are certainly a few guidelines for knowing whether your tension is suitable or not:

Too loose

Your warp threads bunch in between weft picks (rows)

You have floats or skipped warp threads often

Your stick shuttle keeps snagging on warp threads as you enter the sheds

Your heddle doesn’t click easily into the up or down shed

Too tight

You struggle to get your heddle/s into the up position

You have warp threads breaking

You feel a lot of resistance when trying to beat

Does this mean that rigid heddle weavers should not weave with weaving yarns? Not at all! There are too many wonderful weaving yarns in a massive variety of colours out there to try! With the right approach and strategies, all yarns can be used successfully.

Getting the warp right

The warping the loom stage is the most crucial time to get that tension as good as you can. Not as tight as you can, necessarily, but even, consistent and firm. When I have a good warping experience, I just know that the project is going to go smoothly.

There are a few key strategies for getting good tension during the warping process. I talk about it in this webinar but I also want to mention some of them here:

Have someone help you. Your helper can hold on to the end of the warp, providing great tension, while you focus on standing behind the loom and winding on.
Pack the back beam as you roll on. You can use cardboard or wooden sticks/ separators, a roll of thick paper, a blind or a drawer liner. My personal favourite here is the roll of paper which you can cut to size if needed. 125 gsm is a good weight.

For a wider warp, use more than one warping peg. This helps distribute the threads over the width of the loom in a more practical way and is more economical, as threads don’t have to travel as far to loop around just one peg.
Take your time. Extra time spent in warping is well worth the investment. Remember – good warp = happy weaving experience 😄
Pay particular attention to the middle of the warp while rolling on, particularly if warping independently. The middle is the most likely place to lose tension and get saggy threads.

2. Consider a shorter warp

A rigid heddle loom can take quite a lot of length in a warp, but I haven’t found a long warp to be best practice. If I have the opportunity, I will break a warp into smaller increments where possible.

This doesn’t bother me, because the rigid heddle is so quick to warp for more simple projects, so it doesn’t take much extra time. I find that the longer my warp on the rigid heddle, the harder it is to keep a good tension for the duration of the warp.

3. The tie on

The tying on step is also important for your overall tension. Whether you tie directly on to the apron rod (as I do 99% of the time) or lash on, this step is another opportunity to “get it right” before beginning weaving.

Once again, I don’t aim for really tight tension when tying on, but I do aim for the best consistency I can manage. This means going over the tied on threads once, twice, thrice if needed so that they all feel about the same.

I gauge this tension by bouncing my hand across the warp (like a trampoline!) Any bunch of threads that feel much looser than others will get a re-tighten.

4. Know your yarns

There are certain threads that are harder to tension due to their inelastic structure. I already mentioned 8/2 cotton, but many plant based or cellulose fibres (cotton, linen, hemp, etc) are quite rigid and easier to weave with a higher level of tension. Animal fibres or protein fibres (wool, alpaca, etc) generally have a little more stretch.

The amount of twist, number of ply and thickness or weight can also effect how rigid a yarn is. It helps to know your yarns – to sample yarns you’r unsure of and accustom yourself to all their particulars.

If you need a little more guidance with yarns, I have some resources that will help:

Choosing and using yarns in weaving

What is a superwash wool yarn?

3 yarns beginner weavers should never use!

5. Stuff it!

Packing, stuffing and wedging your back and front beams will always help with tension. If, despite your best efforts, your warp is just not tensioned well enough then start packing! You can use stiff paper, cardboard, sticks (either separators or pick up sticks) or whatever else you can come up with that works, to wedge under or between your warp at the beams.

When advancing your warp, start packing the front beam. This will prevent the knots from the apron rod from sticking into your weaving as it rolls around them beam (which can damage or distort your weaving and mess with your tension) and provide overall better tension each time you advance.

You can insert a pick up stick or something similar into a shed that is giving you particular trouble (usually the down shed) and slide it to the back beam. Push it right back so that it becomes wedged between the thread layers and tightens that shed for you.

You can also wedge something directly under the warp at the back beam to increase overall tension. To see this in action, watch this video, which also includes additional tips for working with fine threads:

6. One sided looseness

Perhaps your loose tension problem is at the selvedge? To be more specific, one selvedge is fine while the other is loose? You end up with neat edges on one side and not so great edges on the opposite side.

If you want generally to improve the neatness of your edges, check out this post for more resources.

One thing you can try in this instance is to begin and finish threading in a hole. When we thread for plain weave, we usually thread one thread in a hole, one in a slot, and so on. Most of the time we are threading an even number of threads.

But for this technique, we thread an uneven number of ends on purpose, so that the last thread gets threaded through a hole. The reasoning behind this technique is twofold. Firstly, the threads are threaded in holes, which hold better tension than the slots. Secondly, the outermost threads will be under the same or similar tension (both being in holes) so the results of your woven edges should be more similar looking.

If that sounds confusing, check out this video where I show you how to thread both selvedge threads in holes and you will see how simple it is:

7. Warping in down shed

As a disclaimer, I have not tried this technique, I have only heard about it. The idea is that it’s the down (slot) sheds that have looser tension, so warping your loom with the heddle in the down shed potentially tightens the slot thread tension. If you decide to give this a go, I would be interested to know how it turns out for you!

I hope this article was useful to you. As always, questions and comments are welcome, please leave them down below! ⤵

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Baubles and Candles on a rigid heddle loom

by Kelly 11 Comments

With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to gift you all with something fun and achievable, as well as having a festive theme.

I came up with some simple baubles and candles that I’m confident is suitable for any level of rigid heddle weaver.

This project is very decorative and better suited to low wash items.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

For the project, I just wove a sampler to illustrate the patterns, but you can use the designs however you please.

What you will need:

A rigid heddle loom (any size is fine if you just want to weave the sample.

A 7.5 dent heddle

A threading/reed hook

A stick shuttle wider than the width of your weaving

A pick up stick wider than the width of your weaving

A tapestry needle

Yarn options:

For my warp I used a light worsted/dk weight wool in white. I used this same yarn for my plain weave. The same yarn, but in different colours was used for the pattern weft. Please see the video for colours used.

For embellishments, I used small amounts of DMC embroidery floss.

Sampler Specifications:

If you wanted to weave a sampler just like mine, here are the basic measurements.

Number of ends: 64 (32 slots)

Approximate width on loom: 8″

Sett: 7.5

Total warp length: 35″

The baubles and candles use the same overshot weaving technique as my reindeer, snowmen, gift boxes and winter trees.

There is a pattern weft that forms the picture or design, and in between every pattern pick is a plain weave pick (either an up or a down shed).

Weaving Instructions:

The Baubles –

I left a border either side of my designs in order to centre them and make sure that none were inadvertently cut in half! I left 6 threads on each side. This is optional, and you an adjust the border threads to suit.

I’m not including the border threads in the weaving steps, but if you watch the video you won’t have any trouble following along with these instructions.

Remember that you need to weave a plain weave row in between every pattern weft.

Step 1. 6 up, 2 down, *7 up, 2 down, repeat from * (7 up, 2 down for the rest of the way across)

Step 2. *5 up, 4 down, repeat from *

Step 3. 4 up, 6 down, *3 up, 6 down, repeat from *

Step 4. Repeat row 3, with a contrast colour

Step 5. Repeat row 3, with the original colour

Step 6. *5 up, 4 down, repeat from *

Step 7. Repeat row 1

The Candles:

For the candles, I left a border either side of 5 threads instead of 6, to work in better with the required calculations for the design.

Step 1. *4 down, 4 up, repeat from *

Step 2. Repeat row 1, alternating plain weave rows with pattern rows.

All of these details are available in a handy PDF for you to print out. You can download and print that right here:

Baubles-and-Candles Download

And you will want to watch the video and follow along with the instructions. You will find the free and detailed video here:

I hope you enjoy this project! Thank you all for your AMAZING support this year!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! 🎄

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

How to weave Leno on a rigid heddle loom

by Kelly 14 Comments

Leno is a finger controlled weave that gives a lovely airy and lacey look to your weaving.

You can set up Leno on a plain weave threading, as all of the pick up is done at the front of the heddle with a pick up stick and your fingers.

I love that this is a fancy looking but easy to implement technique. Yes, it’s a little slow, but there ain’t nothin’ wrong with that! It can be worked either on an open or closed shed. Today’s tutorial shows you how to work Leno on an open shed.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please read my disclosure policy.

Leno can be used for any project you want an open weave for, but some suggestions are:

Curtains

As a border on a table runner, coupled with plain weave

A bag (my Farmer’s Market Bag pattern is available in my Etsy shop).

For my Leno sample I’m using my Sampleit loom with a 7.5 dent heddle, a worsted weight wool, a stick shuttle and a pick up stick. I didn’t use the full width of my loom, I just wanted a smaller sample.

Leno and plain weave are great friends and I like to combine them for aesthetics. If you don’t plan on using plain weave bands within your Leno, at least start with a few picks of plain weave to begin with as a base.

*Handy Tips:

You will want to advance your warp forward a little more than usual. This is because we are going to be building up warp twist and then making a shed with the pick up stick to pass the shuttle through. If your last row of weaving is too close to the heddle/reed, it will be difficult to find the space to pass the shuttle through.

2. You will want your shuttle to enter from your dominant side. I’m right handed, so I have woven my last pick of plain weave so that the shuttle is on the right of the warp.

3. Your outer most warp thread on the side you’re starting from (in my case, the right) should be in an up position. That doesn’t necessarily mean that your heddle will be in your up position – you will need to try the up and down heddle positions to see which is suitable for that outside warp thread to be up. I placed my heddle in the down position to ensure my outside thread (a slot thread) was up.

Begin by holding the top warp threads aside so that you can see the down shed threads underneath. Take your pick up stick underneath the first thread in the down shed so that sits on top of the stick.

Now release the next warp thread along, which is a top or “up” thread. It will naturally go underneath the pick up stick, which is just what you want.

You now have 2 threads picked up and you may notice that they twist around each other. Dive the pick up stick back down into the warp, holding those top threads out of the way still. Take the point of the stick underneath the next down shed thread so that it sits on top of the stick.

Release the next top thread along, and as before, it naturally springs underneath the stick. At this point you have 2 warp threads on top of the stick and 2 underneath. Dive the stick back down into the warp and repeat the steps, right to the other side.

As you continue your pick up across the warp you should notice that the warp threads are twisted in pairs both below and above the stick. This is how you know that you’re picking up correctly.

When you’ve completed your row of pick up, slide your pick up stick back towards the heddle and leave in place.

Turn the pick up stick on edge and pass your stick shuttle through the shed.

Be sure to fix up and pay attention to your edges, just like you would for straight plain weave. If you need to know more about techniques for weaving neat edges, please watch this video:

Remove the pick up stick and beat. You will feel resistance as a result of the twists being in place, so be gentle and try to beat straight. Remember, this is an airy fabric, we’re not going for densely woven fabric here!

Change to the next shed. I was in the down shed, so now I change to the up shed. Enter the shuttle from the left and pass through the shed, fixing up your edge to weave neatly as before. You will note that the second row of twists that was above your pick up stick when working your pick up has now transferred underneath your new pick.

Beat the new pick, remembering to be gentle and not too firm with your beat. You now have two rows of Leno.

Now you can choose whether you go back and repeat more rows of Leno, or you can do what I’ve done in this photo – alternated bands of plain weave with bands of Leno. Both are very effective, it just depends on the look you’re going for.

If you would like to see a video version of this tutorial, you will find that here:

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial, and if so, please leave me comment to let me know. Also feel free to ask any questions you may have down below, I’m happy to help.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving

Italian Hemstitch

by Kelly 4 Comments

You all know that I love hemstitching, right?

I have quite a lot of resources available on the topic, including articles and videos, some of which you can find in this post.

In addition to the basic hemstitch we all know and love, there are variations for an even more visually decorative, but still functional hemstitch.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

The hemstitch doesn’t have to just be a way to secure your warp threads so that the weft doesn’t unravel when you remove your weaving from the loom. It can also be used within the weaving as a feature.

In the member’s only “How to Hemstitch” series, I have a separate class just to highlight and demonstrate how you can use hemstitch as a feature in your woven piece.

That brings me to today’s topic – the Italian Hemstitch. This is a gorgeous, decorative and functional stitch. It secures your warp ends just like an ordinary hemstitch does, but it stands out as a real feature. Embroidery lovers, this one is right up your alley!

Italian hemstitch looks great either as a single row at each end of your weaving or as rows within the weaving. It can be stitched in a variety of sizes, depending on how large you want it to look. It looks wonderful both from the front and from the back.

I love the way Italian hemstitch looks on a plain weave background, using a contrasting yarn so that it stands out and takes centre stage. You could choose to use a weight of yarn that matches the weight of your warp and weft, or something thicker, or something thinner. Experiment and see what your own preferences are!

For this tutorial I’ve used a light worsted wool for warp, weft and hemstitch, just in different colours. I’m going to be working a 2 x 2 Italian hemstitch.

Start by threading up a tapestry needle with the yarn you want to stitch with. Make the length around 5 times the width of your warp (I like to have a little more rather than run the risk of running out part way through).

I have to take a moment to extoll the virtues of this Clover Jumbo Bent Tip Needle. I used a regular tapestry needle for a long time before I purchased a pair of these needles, and wow, what a world of difference it’s made to my hemstitching! The large size, the coating that slips through your weaving just beautifully, and the bent tip all come together to make it a perfect tool to hemstitch with.

Secure the hemstitch yarn in your weaving, bringing the needle through to the front from the back. You can see one way that I work lock stitch in this free video. I work this about 2 – 3 warp threads in from the edge on the right hand side.

Count 2 warp threads in from the edge (above your last woven pick) and take the needle down through the gap to the back of your weaving.

When you pull the yarn through, there will be a loop around those first two warp threads, right at the top of the fell (where you last wove your weft).

Count across 2 warp threads again, but this time count down 2 weft threads. Bring the needle up from the back through that space.

Here is how this step looks once the needle and thread have been pulled through.

Take the needle and yarn back to the right edge. Now bring the needle up from behind, through the exact same hole that your last stitch came out of. This will make a new loop as you pull the needle through once more.

Pull on this loop to tighten it up a little. That gives us 2 horizontal lines – 2 sides of our box shape. Now we need to make the 3rd line as a vertical to close the box shape.

To get the vertical stroke of thread, we take the needle straight up to the left of those first 2 warp threads and pull through.

Now you can see your first block/box shape. Each box at the very edges of your weaving will be open ended on one side, the rest will be closed.

To continue working the boxes, count off the next 2 warp threads, bring the needle up and pull the needle and yarn through.

Take the needle back to the start of the second set of 2 warp threads and underneath.

Bring the tip of the needle (this is where that bent tip makes your life a whole lot easier!) up 2 weft threads down, in line with the 2 warp threads you have counted off.

Pull yarn through and tighten the loop. Take the needle back to the start of the pair of warp threads and down into the previous stitch’s hole.

Now bring the needle back up (thank you again bent tip needle!) through the hole that the working thread is in and pull through.

Finish off the box shape with a vertical thread again, by taking the needle down to the left of the warp threads just worked. Continue on across the warp and before long you will have something that looks like this:

It may seem a little complicated at first, but it’s really only a couple of steps more to complete than the regular hemstitch, and once you’ve “got it” your needle will fly!

If you would like a detailed, step by step video on how to work the Italian hemstitch, you may want to consider signing up for a membership at my Online Weaving School to access this and other great tutorials and classes.

The Italian Hemstitch class is available to all members of the Online Weaving School. It is a bite sized, technique focused class to further your learning in the wonderful world of weaving!

Thanks for stopping in for a visit today, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below, I always love to hear from you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Frequent weft colour changes

by Kelly 20 Comments

Changing weft colours frequently in one project usually occurs when you’re weaving stripes, blocks or bands of colour.

Today I’m going to talk about the problems that can spring up and show you three different options you can use when you need to change your weft colours often.

Here are some common questions and confusions surrounding weft changes:

“Should I cut the old colour when introducing a new one? If so, what do I do with the cut tails?”

“Should I not cut the colours, but weave them continuously, swapping shuttles as I go and carrying the colours up the edges?”

You may be wondering about which method is the best?

Well, that all depends on how wide the stripes or each band of colour are going to be. I’ll explain further.

If you are weaving wide bands of colour, it will likely not be practical to carry the yarns up the selvedges as you weave. This will create long floats. Now, floats at the edges can look great as a design feature, but the length does need to be practical. Floats that are too long will get caught or snagged once the woven piece is in use – they will get stretched and end up looking, well, a bit ragged!

Weft floats a design feature in the Candy Store Scarf.

There is no hard and fast rule with what length of float is too long or how wide a stripe should be before deciding on which method is best. But, one example that I use would be, if I’m weaving with light worsted weight yarn and intended to carry the yarn up the side, I wouldn’t make my stripes more than 4 picks wide.

Another example might be that I’m weaving 3 picks of a colour before changing, weaving another 3 picks in a different colour and then going back to the original colour. For this situation, I would choose to keep the yarn colours continuous and carry them up the sides.

Let’s have a look at what the basic method for thicker stripes would be:

Introduce the new colour and leave a tail of a couple of inches on the cut end. Weave that pick and change to the next shed.

Take the cut tail around the edge warp thread and into the new shed, around 3 warp threads deep. Pull down to the back of the warp, making sure that it is nicely arranged at the edge warp thread.

Weave the new pick, and continue to weave until your stripe or band of colour is as thick as you want it to be. Finish the pick on the opposite side to the one you introduced it on.

Cut the yarn, again leaving a tail of a couple of inches. Change to the next shed.

Tuck the tail into the new shed as before.

Bring the new colour in, ensuring the tail is on the opposite side to where you finished the last colour. Continue with the initial steps for each colour change.

Pretty straightforward?

The only thing you need to pay particular attention to here is to alternate the sides that the tails are on to prevent a build up on one side. Leave the excess parts of the tails hanging from the back as you weave (they don’t get in the way) and when your piece is wet finished and dried, cut them close to the fabric, being careful not to cut the fabric itself.

Now let’s go over the two methods you can use when your stripes and thinner or colour changes are more frequent:

In my demonstration I’m using 3 different colours and weaving 2 picks of each colour.

The first technique is to make the colours go around each other at the edges. This ensures that every colour is carried up the edges while it’s not actively in use.

This method does have its drawbacks. I was using 3 weft colours for my stripes and found that, for the picks where all 3 colours were on one side, carrying up the side created bulkiness in the form of a noticeable bump where all the colours meet.

While this method would work well for 2 weft colours, for 3 it is not the method I would naturally choose. I can’t live with those bumps – to me they just stick out like a sore thumb!

So, for my 3 weft colours, this is my preferred method:

Weave the weft colours in the same way but don’t make them go around each other at the edges. Just weave them independently of each other and ignore the colour that you’re not using at the time, let it just sit where it finished off and wait.

When you’re ready to weave a new colour, you can just pick up the colour you want and continue weaving. Obviously, this works best for repetitive colour patterns so that your edge floats look harmonious and continuous.

I find this method gives a very neat and pleasing finish to the edges.

To the left you can see the first method I used of taking the colours around each other. On the right is how the second method looks – much neater, I think!

When you are using a thinner yarn (say an 8/2 or 10/2 cotton) it is much easier to hide what you’re doing at the edges and it won’t be very noticeable in your finished piece. But for thicker yarns, like the light worsted I’ve used here, these techniques are a “must know”.

If you’re interested in exploring these techniques further, I have a detailed video demonstration available in the Weaver’s Knowledge Library. I have put this library of “bite sized” classes together for members of my Online Weaving School. It is a great new space where members can learn new techniques quickly and effectively – and of course, refer back to them over and over. I intend to build up a lot of classes in this library in the coming years.

As an additional resource, you may find this video helpful. It shows how I weave the wefts for log cabin:

Have you tried any of these techniques? Which one do you prefer and why? Let me know in the comments, I love to hear from you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

All about hemstitching

by Kelly 10 Comments

I learned how to hemstitch early on in my weaving journey and use it now in most of my hand woven pieces.

I love that it is so decorative but entirely practical as well – that suits my tastes perfectly!

There are many things to love about the humble hemstitch, it is easy to learn, it looks lovely, it allows your woven piece to sit really flat once off the loom (great for table linens), it is very strong and secure and it can be used as a feature within your weaving, not exclusively at the start and end of your piece.

This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for further details.

So, what is hemstitching?

It is a way to secure your warp ends in order to remove your weaving from the loom. It is worked by hand, with a tapestry needle and while your piece is still on the loom (not absolutely necessary, but boy, does it make life easier!)

When you remove your piece from the loom, the weaving will naturally begin to unravel (at different rates, according to the yarn and the project). You need to either secure those warp ends on the loom or promptly after removing from the loom.

Do I have to leave a fringe if I hemstitch?

Not necessarily. It is most common to leave some sort of a fringe when you have hemstitched your ends. A twisted fringe looks stunning with hemstitch but a medium to short fringe is also lovely.

But if you don’t want a fringe at all, don’t have a sewing machine and want those ends secure you can hemstitch on the loom, then needle weave the warp ends (or fringe) back up and into the work. I have used this approach for some of my tapestry projects and on these mug rugs. It gives a very neat and attractive finish – it takes a while to weave all those ends in with a needle though!

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty and have a look at how hemstitch works.

You begin by choosing the number of warp ends you want in each bunch and how far into your weaving (how many weft picks) you want each stitch to go.

My go to is a 4/1 hemstitch, which means that there are 4 warp threads in each bunch and I stitch in 1 weft thread deep. There are all different number configurations you can do depending on the effect you want, the project and the thickness of yarn you have used.

In this picture I am working a 3/2 hemstitch. I count off 3 warp threads at a time, and bring the needle up 2 weft picks deep.

Here is a breakdown for how to work hemstitch, step by step. Heddle is in neutral. Ideally, you have left a long tail of weft yarn (around 4 x the width of the project) on the right hand side (left side if you are left handed). Thread this yarn in a tapestry needle.

Remember, in this demonstration I’m doing a 3/2 hemstitch.

Take the tapestry needle underneath the first 3 warp threads.

2. Count up 2 weft threads and bring your needle through the space that aligns with the 3 warp threads you counted in.

3. Pull the full length of the yarn through.

4. Take the needle back to the start of the initial 3 warp threads and underneath, coming up on the left hand side of the 3rd thread.

5. Pull the yarn through, making sure that the needle goes under the tail yarn on the left so that a loop is created. Pull the loop firmly to make your first bunch.

6. Take the needle down in between the first bunch and the next group of 3 warp threads and repeat the steps.

You can see a video of this tutorial here-

I mentioned that hemstitch can also be used decoratively within your weaving, not just as a hem securer.

In this image I have worked adjacent rows of hemstitch on bands on plain weave, leaving a gap between the bands. I’ve then woven in some ric rac and ribbon as a feature. This can give a very pretty and unique look to your woven piece. This demonstration is available in a member’s only class – Hemstitching as a Feature.

Do I hemstitch both ends of the piece in the same way?

Yes and no. You are still using the same hemstitching technique, but when you hemstitch the first end you are stitching underneath the weaving and when you stitch the final end, you stitch on top of the weaving.

In my earlier days of weaving, I would take my loom off the stand, turn it around to face the other direction and then replace it on the stand. That way, I had the weaving facing me in the same way that it does at the start of the piece and I didn’t have to change the way I stitched at all.

These days, I have a different technique for hemstitching the other end that means I don’t have to rotate the loom and is just as fast and easy as the beginning of the piece hemstitch.

I’ve made a video to share with you how I do this. You will see that its not difficult and just as effective:

Does hemstitching only work on certain types of weaving?

I have used hemstitching on all different types of weaving, even tapestry. I’ve used it on my rigid heddle loom, table loom, floor loom and tapestry loom. I haven’t used it with my inkle loom but inkle bands don’t unravel in the same way and the warp threads are so close together that hemstitching would be quite difficult!

Does the type of tapestry needle matter?

You can use any ordinary tapestry needle. A larger one is easier to thread and use. I recently bought some of these Clover bent tip jumbo tapestry needles, and they have been a game changer! They are large and smooth plus the bent tip is just perfect for hemstitching. Plus they are gold, so hopefully I’m less likely to lose them!

I think a lot of new weavers and a bit overwhelmed by the thought of hemstitching, I mean, it does look quite intricate and complicated on the piece.

Hopefully, by breaking the steps down and making these videos, I will convince you to have a go at hemstitching. Maybe you will find that you love it just as much as I do!

Oh, and by the way, I’ve talked today about basic hemstitch but there are variations that are even more decorative. A great resource for this is The Weaver’s Idea Book, which has a whole section dedicated to hemstitch and it’s variations and possible applications.

All this information plus an extra page of tips and links to 3 hemstitching videos is now available in one convenient e-booklet. The Hemstitch Basics Guide can be purchased in my Etsy shop.

Be sure to leave any questions or comments below, I love to hear from you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is a heddle rod? Part 2- how to install the rod

by Kelly 4 Comments

Last week we talked about how invaluable a heddle rod is to the rigid heddle weaver.

I showed you how to make string heddles for the heddle rod. If you missed that post, please click here.

*This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please see my disclosure policy.

Now that we know how to make our own string heddles, we can learn how we use them on a heddle rod.

The actual rod needs to be wider than the width of the piece you’re weaving. It can be either flat or round. It should be fairly lightweight and not so large that it is difficult to pick up. It should be smooth but not slippery.

For this tutorial I’m using a smooth but not lacquered wooden dowel measuring 9mm (3/8 of an inch) around. The dowel was purchased at a local hardware store.

Begin by picking up the threads you want to place on the heddle rod according to the pattern or instructions you’re using. It is easiest to pick up the threads in front of the heddle first using a pick up stick. Make sure your heddle (or if you’re using more than one, heddles) are in the down position. This brings slot threads up, and it’s the slot threads we want to pick up.

Once your threads are picked up, slide the front stick towards the heddle and place it on it’s edge. This props up the heddle rod threads at the back of the heddle and differentiates them from all the other threads.

Now you can insert another pick up stick (or stick shuttle if you don’t have the extra pick up stick) into the shed that has been created by the propped up threads behind the heddle/s.

You will need your piece of dowel or whatever you’re using for the heddle rod plus your string heddles handy.

You may find it easier to sit or stand behind the loom for this next part. Working from either right to left (it makes no difference) pick up the threads in order from one side to the other. Keep your pick up stick in place as your visual guide – you can clearly see which threads need to be picked up. Have a string heddle ready at this point.

Bring a string heddle underneath the first thread so that it has a loop on either side of the thread. One loop will be smooth, the other will contain the knot. It is very much preferable not to have your knot near the thread. You want to arrange it so that it will sit on top of the heddle rod.

Bring the two loops of the string heddle together at the top. Note how my knot is sitting at the top rather than at the bottom or underneath the warp thread.

Bring in the heddle rod and slip the loops of the string heddle over it.

Now repeat this step with each warp thread that is sitting on your pick up stick, sliding them onto the heddle rod as you go.

Some of you may like to put the rod down on top of the warp as you organise each string heddle, I like to keep the rod in my left hand while managing the string heddles with my right. It’s a bit fiddly, but I do find it faster. You might need a bit of practice under your belt before you use my approach this though.

Once you have all your string heddles on the rod, you will want to secure them as it is all too common for that heddle rod to slip and then you lose all your hard work!

Some weavers like to use some masking or painter’s tape and place it across the top of the heddle rod.

I have a different and perhaps peculiar method, but it sure does work! I place a rubber band on each end of the rod, close to the string heddles.

Then I run a piece of waste yarn right through the middle of the string heddles, pulling each end of the waste yarn through a rubber band on each end. Then I pull the cut ends of the waste yarn up and tie a bow.

Using this method, my string heddles don’t move and are completely secure on the rod. And no annoying, sticky tape.

If you want to see a video tutorial of this process, you can watch here-

I have a number of classes that make use of heddle rods:

Converting Drafts to a rigid heddle loom

Overshot on a rigid heddle loom (coming soon)

Pinwheels on a rigid heddle loom

All of my free Krokbragd videos on Youtube are set up with a heddle rod too-

I hope you enjoyed this two part heddle rod series, don’t forget to catch the first post on making string heddles here if you haven’t already.

Be sure to leave any questions or comments below, I love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is a heddle rod? Part 1 – how to make string heddles!

by Kelly 3 Comments

Never heard of a heddle rod? If you’re a rigid heddle weaver looking to expand your repertoire of skills by using pick up sticks, a heddle rod is a must learn!

There are lots of lovely patterns you can weave with just one pick up stick, but introducing a second (even 3rd, 4th!) pick up stick opens up so many more pattern possibilities

When you start experimenting with pick up sticks you will discover very quickly that when you are using more than one, the two sticks cannot slide past each other at the back of the warp.

This post contains affiliate links. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.

This leaves the weaver with a conundrum. One of the sticks can be left in place, but the other has to be removed and the threads re-picked up each time you want to weave that pick up stick row. See the picture below for an example.

That can be incredibly tedious, especially when using finer threads or a more complicated pick up pattern.

Luckily for us, there is a relatively quick and easy way to navigate this problem – a heddle rod.

A heddle rod replaces the second pick up stick and sits behind your heddle. The first pick up stick can slide back and forth behind the rod and sit at the back beam when not in use. Hey presto, now you’re weaving a 2 pick up stick pattern with only one stick and a heddle rod!

So, what is a heddle rod exactly?

It can be as simple as a piece of round wooden dowel or a flat, narrow piece of wood. It needs to be wider than the width of the piece you’re weaving and it needs to be smooth but preferably not slippery. The circumference is a personal preference, but not too thick is better – you want it to be light and easy to handle, as you’re going to be lifting it often.

You make string heddles for the rod. These strings, once made, looped around your picked up warp threads, then looped around your rod, will replace the second pick up stick.

One you have your rod installed, you lift the rod each time you want to weave that pattern pick. The string heddles lift up with the rod and in turn, lift up the warp threads they are looped around.

Let’s look at a 2 pick up stick pattern as an example:

Pick up stick 1 sequence – 2 up, 2 down, repeat

Pick up stick 2 sequence – 2 down, 2 up, repeat

Weaving sequence:

Heddle up
Heddle neutral, pick up stick 1 forward, on edge
Heddle up
Heddle in neutral, pick up stick 2 forward, on edge
Repeat

To weave the above sequence with 2 pick up sticks in place would mean that for every 4th pick, you would have to pick up then remove pick up stick 2. Then pick up and remove again the next 4 picks. And that’s no fun!

Here is what your weaving sequence would look like if you left pick up stick 1 in place and installed a heddle rod to replace pick up stick 2:

Weaving Sequence:

Heddle up
Heddle neutral, pick up stick 1 forward, on edge
Heddle up
Heddle in neutral, lift heddle rod
Repeat

Aha! So now our weaving goes much more seamlessly because we are flowing through the weaving sequence instead of having to stop and re-do that second pick up stick all the time.

Now that I’ve sung the praises of the heddle rod highly enough to have convinced you that you really need them in your weaving life, I’m going to show you how to install one.

Today (because this article is already getting long and I don’t want to keep you all day!) I will cover the string heddle component, and next week we will look at the rod and installation component.

To make string heddles, here is what you will need:

A strong yarn suitable for string heddles. I use seine twine (in Australia it’s available here) and find it excellent for two reasons. 1. It is super strong. 2. It doesn’t get fluffy, sticky or static – y (I know, that’s not a word!) all of which will interfere with lifting your warp threads effectively.

2. A pair of scissors. Little scissors are handy for this job, but use what you have.

3. A string heddle template. This comes down to personal preference and how long you want your heddles to be. Too long and they are uncomfortable to lift, too short and they may lift your warp threads when you don’t want them to (for example, when you bring your pick up stick 1 forward) and confuse your shed.

You can use one of your heddle/reeds to measure around as a template, or my preferred method is a hardcover book measures at 10″ around – I like that length for my string heddles.

Something else that is handy but non essential is something to hold the cone of yarn as you wind off yarn to make the string heddles. My warping stand is perfect for this task. If you would like to make a warping stand for a fraction of the price of a store bought one, click here for our free tutorial.

Alright, let’s make some string heddles!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.34.20-pm-1024x799.png

Take one end of the string heddle yarn and wrap it around your template (remember, I’m using a hardcover book). Bring the ends together at the top of the template.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.34.52-pm-1024x857.png

Leave a good couple of inches to tie with and cut the end that is feeding from the cone. Be sure not to knot so close to the template that the string heddle is too tight to slide off when you’re done.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.35.26-pm-1024x871.png

Tie the two cut ends together using an overhand knot, then knot again. With a yarn like seine twine, this makes a really strong knot.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.35.58-pm-1024x849.png

Once the ends are securely knotted, you can cut the tails a little shorter which will just help to keep things neat and compact on the rod. Don’t cut so close to the knots that you risk them coming undone.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.36.13-pm-1024x963.png

Slip the completed string heddle off the template.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Screen-Shot-2020-09-03-at-12.36.37-pm-1024x854.png

There you have it – one completed string heddle! Make as many as you need and keep them somewhere handy for when you need them. The added benefit of using a strong yarn like seine twine is that you will be able to reuse these string heddles for many projects.

The next post will demonstrate how to actually set up the rod and string heddles, but if you can’t wait until then, or if you are more of a visual learner, I’m sure you will find this video most helpful:

If you enjoyed this post, I know you will love my Online Weaving School. With classes for all levels of weaver, there is something for everyone and you can start learning today, in your own time and the comfort of your own home. I hope to see you there!

Questions? I’m all ears! Leave me a comment to continue the discussion or just to let me know that this article was helpful to you 😊

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!