Rigid Heddle Weaving Patterns

Krokbragd Reindeer Tutorial

It’s that wonderful time of year again, when thoughts start turning to festive project and gift ideas.

A number of years ago I released a How to weave Reindeer on a rigid heddle loom on Youtube and it has proved to be very popular! In that video we use pick up sticks in front of the heddle to achieve the shapes we need to build some little reindeer.

For my Christmas video this year, I decided to again weave reindeer but use a different weave structure for a different look. I already had my Sampleit loom warped for a krokbragd sampler so I set about designing some cute reindeer ensconced in a lovely Fair Isle inspired border.

This tutorial uses 4 colours for the weft – navy, white, red and beige. I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 4 play, which is a fingering weight wool. The warp should be a strong and thinner than the weft, I use a #12 seine twine.

Krokbragd-Reindeer-tutorial-PDF Download

Be sure to watch the free Youtube tutorial so that you can follow the weaving sequence along with the printable PDF.

If you’re looking for further krokbragd learning resources, check these out:

Krokbragd 101 Online Course…

Krokbragd Youtube Playlist…

All About Krokbragd…

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

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Simple and Complex Patterns on the rigid heddle loom

by Kelly 9 Comments

While the construction of a rigid heddle loom is simple, it opens the door to endless weaving possibilities. From basic plain weave to intricate patterns that rival those created on multi-shaft looms. It enables us to weave simple and complex patterns on the rigid heddle loom.

In this guide, we’ll explore options for weaving simple and complex pattern on the rigid heddle loom. Whether you’re sticking with simple patterns or diving into more complex techniques, there’s a world of creative opportunities waiting for you.

Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom: Choose Your Own Adventure

Remember the “Choose your own adventure” books from the early 1980’s? Gosh, I loved those books as a kid! So many choices, so much fun.

You could start out as a student on a regular school day, going to classes and planning to meet friends later and end the day by having fought and defeated incredible beasts and monsters! 😊

You are the weaver – you decide!

The beauty of the humble rigid heddle loom is that you, as the weaver, can choose your own adventure!

You can start out with the very beautiful plain weave. Then at some point introduce a pick up stick or two and before you know it, you’re wrangling multiple heddles, sticks and rods!

Maybe you just enjoy the plain weave so much that you choose to stay in that groove.

Or maybe you find that you need more of a challenge? So you start looking at multi shaft patterns and how you might adapt some of them to the 2 shaft rigid heddle loom.

Whichever ways suits you is the best way, remember, we all choose our own adventures.

Today we’re going to discuss simple and more complex patterns you can achieve weaving on a rigid heddle loom. We’ll see what is involved in the set up for each. What considerations you need to make before embarking on different patterns. I have so many resources and tutorials to get you started on either the simple or more complex path.

We’ll begin with the most simple patterns and work our way up to the more complex.

Start Simple: Mastering Plain Weave

The most simple pattern you can weave on your rigid heddle loom is plain weave. This is what the rigid heddle loom was built for, and excels at. To weave plain weave, you need only 2 shafts. This is made possible on a RH loom with just one heddle because of the unique design of the reed or heddle.

When we thread a rigid heddle loom, we thread both the slots and the holes. Then, once we’ve tied the warp onto the loom, we create 2 different sheds or spaces. This is where our shuttle passes through. It’s these sheds, or more specifically, what the warp threads are doing in those sheds, that determine the pattern.

Plain weave is achieved by first placing the heddle in the “up” position. We then pass the shuttle through the shed and beat the weft down into place (the heddle doubles as a beater). For the next shed, the heddle is placed in the “down” position. The shuttle is passed through and the weft beaten down. Then back to “up” again, and so on. Doing this gives you an over, under interlacement that is aesthetically lovely and also produces a very stable fabric.

This fabric can be used for a huge array of purposes, from a scarf to kitchen towels, to fabric for sewing.

Starting out on a rigid heddle loom can be a bit of a learning curve. It can be made so much easier if someone with a wee bit of experience shows you how. In my From Woe to Go! online beginner’s course, I share everything you need to know to get up and weaving on your rigid heddle loom. Plus I show you all the helpful things you didn’t know you needed to know!

Add some color

Some weavers will find that they tire of only weaving plain weave eventually. But there are techniques that can easily be introduced without the need to learn more specialist skills or purchase any extra equipment (let’s face it, that particular rabbit hole goes very deep!)

The first that comes to mind is the wonderful technique of colour and weave. In it’s most basic form, this is simply the introduction of colour, strategically placed in your warp and weft. You don’t need any additional tools, just a little bit of patience as the warping takes extra time. Boy, is it worth the effort when you get to the weaving though!

Log Cabin and Houndstooth are gorgeous examples of colour and weave. And yes, it’s still just plain weave!

Finger Controlled Techniques

Another option for taking your plain weave setup further is finger controlled (FC) techniques. These are just SO fun because again, you don’t need extra tools. You weave on a plain weave set up and can introduce them to your plain weave warp at any time. Some examples of how you might use FC could be:

Use as a border feature within the plain weave piece.
Combine the plain weave and FC technique.
Weave the entire piece using the FC technique.

Some examples of finger controlled techniques include Brook’s Bouquet, Danish Medallions and Leno. I have a free tutorial for how to weave Leno here if you’re interested in checking that out.

Take It Up a Notch: Adding Pickup Sticks

Pick up sticks are a really natural progression from plain weave. Again, you can use pick up techniques on a plain weave warp. You do need extra tools this time, but these are very affordable. Some weavers will make their own from scrap wood or paint stirring sticks.

This humble length of timber can open up your design possibilities like you wouldn’t believe! And you don’t even need to understand what you’re doing to get started!

You use slot threads and a pick up stick to create extra sheds (spaces) through which your shuttle can pass. These spaces will be different to your regular plain weave sheds and will give you different weave interlacements. Some weavers feel intimidated by the idea of using pick up sticks but really, it’s so simple and easy.

If you want to see how non scary it really is, check out my free tutorial here. I also have an online class, Pick Up Perfection.

As I pointed out before, you don’t need to understand exactly what is happening on the loom when you use pick up sticks, just follow the instructions you have to get the results. The understanding can come later, if you want it to, or if you’re happy to keep following directions, do that!

The “Why” of Pick Up Sticks

But if you are interested in understanding the why, I can give a simple explanation. You know that the rigid heddle loom has 2 shafts available (holes and slots). By using a pick up stick, you are creating an extra shaft (shed/space). The slot threads that are already threaded in your heddle are free to move up and down, the hole threads are not. So, we can make use of those slot threads by placing some of them onto a pick up stick. When operate the pick up stick, I’m giving the loom a chance to make new interlacements beyond plain weave. This creates pattern.

Think of it like this:

Hole threads – shaft 1 (shed 1)

Slot threads – shaft 2 (shed 2)

Pick up stick threads (shed 3)

Now you have turned your 2 shaft loom temporarily into a 3 shaft loom! What if you add another pick up stick? Hello 4 shafts! 😀

Advanced Techniques: Multiple Heddles and Multi-Shaft Patterns

Now we come to the more complex component of this post – weaving 3,4 or more shafts on a rigid heddle loom. Is it possible? Yes, of course! Just like in the previous section on pick up sticks, we just need to make more shafts (sheds).

Let’s look at the 2 main ways we can do this:

Heddle, rods and sticks

We know there are 2 shafts available with a single heddle (holes and slots). If you want extra shafts, you’re going to have to make them! A simple and economical way to do this is with pick up sticks. However, after inserting one pick up stick, you will often find that the sheds you have created will not allow the pick up sticks to slide past one another to open up the new sheds you need to create your pattern. How frustrating!

But not to fear, this is where the heddle rod steps in to save the day. A heddle rod is just another way of creating an extra shaft. We place the threads from a pick up stick onto a rod with string heddles. The only materials you need to do this is some wooden dowel and extra yarns suitable for making string heddles. I have a lot of resources for making heddle rods but I recommend you start here. A heddle rod/s and pick up stick can be combined in the same project.

Here is just one example for how a 4 shaft pattern set up might look on your rigid heddle loom:

Shaft 1 – heddle holes
Shaft 2 – heddle slots
Shaft 3 – heddle rod
Shaft 4 – pick up stick

Let’s look at another method for weaving complex patterns:

Additional heddles

Most rigid heddle looms can fit 3 heddles. Many 4 shaft patterns can be woven with just those 3 heddles. A smaller loom may struggle to accommodate 3 heddles. Some 4 shaft patterns need to include tabby (plain weave). For these patterns it can be easier to use a combination of heddles and a pick up stick. This will help to make the lift combinations or weaving sequences possible.

Purchasing extra heddles if obviously not the cheapest option. One of the rules to weaving this way is that ALL the heddles need to be the same dent. So, 3 x 10 dent heddles or 3 x 7.5 dent heddles, depending on your individual project.

4 Shaft Pattern Example

Here is an example of how a 4 shaft pattern might be set up on the rigid heddle loom with 3 heddles. (Keep in mind that there are many ways to setup so this is just one example 😉)

Shaft 1 – heddle 1, holes
Shaft 2 – heddle 2, holes
Shaft 3 – heddle 3, holes
Shaft 4 – heddle 1,2 &3, slots

One of the challenges with rigid heddles is that they are, well… rigid! When you’re using them as multiple shafts, you as the weaver have to decide on warp thread placement. Rather than flexible heddles that are fixed to shafts, we have to make our threads fit within a fixed space. We also have to make sure that they don’t space too close together or too far apart. All these decisions will impact on the finished look of your pattern.

Interested in beginning to weave like this on your rigid heddle loom? I have made specific resources to help:

Converting Drafts to the rigid heddle loom, online course

Weaving 3 and 4 shaft patterns on a rigid heddle loom, ebook

Three Heddle Adventures, online course

How Many Shafts Can a Rigid Heddle Loom Weave?

I can’t give a definitive answer, but I’ve seen weavers set up for 8 shaft patterns. Have I done it? No.

I have many loom choices, so for anything over 4 shafts I commonly choose my table loom or one of my floor looms. After all, they are set up with 8-10 shafts already and are purpose built for that.

I keep saying that one day I will see how far I can challenge myself on the rigid heddle loom. But whether it’s moving up to 6, 8 or 10 shafts remains to be seen!

Choosing Your Weaving Adventure

Whether you stick with the simplicity of plain weave or dive into advanced techniques, the rigid heddle loom lets you weave your way. The best part? There’s no right or wrong path—just the joy of creating something beautiful with your own hands.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Click to support my work ❤️

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

Supplementary Weft Rigid Heddle Weaving Tutorial

by Kelly 16 Comments

What is supplementary weft in rigid heddle weaving?

Supplementary weft in rigid heddle weaving is an extra weft yarn added to your fabric in addition to your regular weft. This extra yarn sits on top of a plain weave background and is used to create decorative patterns, texture, and visual interest.

Unlike your regular weft yarn (often called the tabby weft), the supplementary weft is not required for the structure of the cloth. Instead, it is used purely for design purposes. Because of this, supplementary weft is often referred to as a pattern weft, especially in pattern-based techniques such as overshot weaving.

In most cases, the supplementary weft yarn is thicker or more prominent than the tabby weft and warp yarns. This allows the pattern to stand out clearly against the plain weave background, making supplementary weft an ideal technique for adding bold design elements to your rigid heddle weaving projects.

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

This technique is a great way to use a handspun or novelty yarn to really highlight the beauty of the yarn and is also an excellent way to use up leftovers.

A pick up stick is usually used with a supplementary weft – this helps to make a pattern through the use of weft floats.

Using supplementary wefts is a really versatile way to showcase pretty yarn and weave a truly unique piece. I love to design on the loom, trying out different pick ups and different yarns, it’s so much fun and it suits my creative preferences to not have to plan ahead too much.

To weave a sample like I have in the tutorial, you will need the following materials:

A rigid heddle loom (I used my Sampleit loom)

A 7.5 dent heddle (of course, you can adapt this by using a different sized heddle with a different yarn weight)

Threading/reed hook

A stick shuttle or several (use one that is the right size for your loom)

A pick up stick (again, use the size that is suitable for your loom or the width of warp you have on)

Something to separate your warp (cardboard stick separators, thick craft paper on a roll etc)

Scissors

Yarn Requirements:

I’m not giving exact yarn amounts, obviously you need more yarn for your warp and tabby (plain weave) than you do for the supplementary weft, but just experiment with what you have.

For my warp I used Bendigo Woollen Mills Luxury 8ply (this is a dk weight wool) in Navy. I used this same yarn for the majority of my tabby.

For supplementary wefts I used Noro, handspun and some of my hand dyed wool and cotton – most of these were around a dk to aran weight.

Sampler size suggestion:

When I warp for a sampler like this one, I like to warp around 8-10 inches in width and at least 30″ in length (total length of warp). For my 7.5 dent heddle this was 47 ends.

Weaving and Pick Up Sequences:

You will find all the information you need to follow the video sampler in this downloadable, printable PDF.

Supplementary-weft-youtube-tutorial Download

There are three ways to use this tutorial. You can either:

Warp your loom and then follow my examples exactly according to the video and PDF.
Warp your loom and follow some of my examples to gain confidence, then try some of your own designs.
Use my designs as inspiration but go your own way by using the techniques and ideas to create your own unique fabric.

Whatever you decide to do with this tutorial, don’t forget to relax and have fun – that’s what it’s all about!

The 45 minute video tutorial is available here-

As always, comments and questions are very welcome in the section below.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Diamond Stripe Towels Weave Along Gallery

by Kelly 2 Comments

Last year I ran a Weave Along based on my Diamond Stripe Towel pattern.

This rigid heddle pattern is a best seller in my Etsy shop (over 1000 copies sold at the time of writing this article!), but many weavers requested that I put together a class or weave along to compliment the PDF pattern.

The first Weave Along was such a huge success and I had so many students ask me to run it again this year. The second weave along ran throughout January 2022 and just like the first one in 2021, was a raging success.

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

Similar to the Wash Your Hands Towels Gallery, I wanted to be able to showcase some student’s beautiful work from the weave along.

The individual choices of colours and styles is so impressive and inspiring!

In this project we use two heddles to create the diamond pattern. It is a challenging technique, but so many participants completed their towels successfully.

Many participants told me that finishing the Diamond Stripe Towels and weaving with two heddles has opened up a whole new world of weaving for them. That is so exciting to hear!

In addition to the community interaction at the Online Weaving School, participants were also invited to join a private Facebook group to share and troubleshoot. This is a wonderful group with a true spirit of willingness to help.

In the first weave along and in the pattern, there was only the option to use 8/2 cotton for the towels. Following feedback from the first participants, I updated the information to include a supplement video section for those who wished to use 8/4 cotton instead. This has allowed weavers to use what is readily available to them, either from their stash or from local suppliers.

*Please note, these cottons are available in Australia from Thread Collective.

The 2022 Diamond Stripe Towel Weave Along is closed for enrolments, but here is the good news.

If you are a Gold Member of the Online Weaving School, this Weave Along is available to you at any time, following the purchase of the pattern.

And who knows? Maybe if I start to get requests, I will run this weave along again sometime in the future 😉

I hope you enjoyed viewing all of these beautiful towels.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Crazyshot Book Review and Giveaway

by Kelly 408 Comments

Myra Wood is a well known fibre artist with an impressive array of artistic skills and talents. In fact, I’m quite amazed by all her achievements in teaching, writing books and creating. She is a huge inspiration!

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

Myra has just released a wonderful new weaving book that I am so excited to tell you about – “Crazyshot! Creative Overshot Weaving on the Rigid Heddle Loom”. “Crazyshot” is creative overshot weaving for the rigid heddle with bold patterns and colours.

The book provides beautiful colour photo, step by step instructions and explanations. The patterns look extremely complex and yet are achieved with just one heddle and one pick up stick! There are 14 stunning projects included.

You may be thinking “this looks way too advanced for me!”, but that is the beauty of it. All you need is the basics, plus a good dose of patience and an adventurous attitude.

Let’s have a chat with Myra and find out more about her and how the new book came about.

Tell us a little about your background in fibre arts.

“I was a pretty crafty kid. My mom taught me how to sew and crochet and we made tons of Barbie doll and kid’s clothes. I continued crafting through adulthood, adding new crafts every couple of years- more sewing, quilting, embroidery, tapestry and bead weaving, tatting, you name it, always with an emphasis on creative expression. In 2003 I started teaching knitting classes at a local yarn store and within a couple years I began teaching knitting and crochet on the US national circuit for XRX/Stitches, Vogue Knitting, guilds and special events. Along the way, I taught 5 classes for Craftsy and wrote 3 books and published lots of patterns. Up until Covid, I was traveling around the US almost every month. ( I don’t miss the airports but I do miss seeing everybody in person).“

When and how did you first become interested in weaving?

“In 2012, I saw my first rigid heddle loom at a trade show and had to have one. I dove right into the deep end buying a 20” with a stand while I was there and all the rigid heddle books I could find. Needless to say, my yarn stash was already a bit ridiculous so when I found out I could use the same yarns I was ready to go. My loom arrived a couple weeks later and it’s been a love affair ever since. I now own 4 rigid heddle looms, all of which are usually warped with some experiment or another.“

Crazyshot is not the first book you’ve published, but it is your first weaving book. What was the inspiration behind the book?

“In all honesty, your Branoe class blew me away. I kept thinking about Fair Isle and Mosaic knitting and other charted needlework while I was learning. I looked for more info on Branoe and found very little but I did discover a rich history of supplemental weft weaving from all different cultures throughout time. So I started experimenting and this book is the result of combining lots of different ideas from various charted needlework. Many times my books have come out of wanting to see the book I wish was already out there.“

Something that students often ask me about is how to choose colours for a project. I noticed that in “Crazyshot” your project colours are strikingly beautiful and harmonious. Do you have any tips for those who are nervous combining and choosing colours?

“Absolutely! I love color and I’m not afraid to use it but lots of times I find myself in color ruts. Give me some blue, green, aqua and purple yarn and I’m off to the races. When I want to step outside my comfort zone, I like to take a skein of a long color repeat yarn like Noro Kureyon and match up all the solid colors I have in my stash to the colors in the yarn. The dyers are very experienced with color and often put together colors I’d never think of combining. I’ve also used variegated yarns to start with and even printed fabrics I love. Color is the most essential element for me so before I start any project, once my colors are chosen, I stick to that palette. I always say you have to love the colors together before you start or you won’t like the end result. I always start with color.“

With all of the creative pursuits you are involved with, how do you organise your time effectively in order to achieve such variety?

“I tend to get fairly obsessive about one craft at a time. I’m passionate about learning as much as possible and experimenting with all the different ways I can express myself with it.

Eventually something else strikes my fancy and I abandon the previous one for the latest obsession. Many times I’ve rediscovered my love for a particular craft years after I thought I was done with it. I feel like I have a great toolbox to work with and I love combining ideas from different crafts.

I’m so lucky to have a dedicated studio and spend my days in it from morning till night. (I told you I was obsessive). As I’m aging, I find I can’t spend the hours I used to working with my hands before they start aching so I try and take breaks and do other things like clean the house and exercise. I did say try. I spend more time reflecting and relaxing now but my wheels are always turning with new ideas so I’m actually planning another book already!“

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And now for some more exciting news. Myra has one signed print copy of “Crazyshot” to gift to one of you lucky readers!

To enter, leave a comment below telling me what appeals to you most about this technique.

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO CATHY MURPHY! THANK YOU TO ALL WHO ENTERED.

You can purchase “Crazyshot” in either digital or print version from Amazon or from Myra’s website.

If you would like a video course on the Branoe technique, check out my Exploring Branoe course at the Online Weaving School.

I also have some free videos on Youtube to help get you started:

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

How to weave little trees on a rigid heddle loom

by Kelly 7 Comments

This is a project I’ve never shared here before but it’s so darn cute, I just know you will love it!

You may have seen some of my overshot style, “branoe” video tutorials on my Youtube channel before. The Snowmen and Reindeer are the most popular.

Well, today’s tutorial follows the exact same technique. You can use this technique on just about any loom, but this tutorial focuses on the rigid heddle loom. If you want to read more about this overshot technique, I’ve written the details for how it works in this post.

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

Here is what you will need to weave your own little trees in pots:

A rigid heddle loom (I used my 24″ but a Sampleit size is fine if you just want a small sample)

7.5 dent reed

A pick up stick wider than the width of your woven piece

Yarns-

There are no set yarns for this project, but I will share what worked well for me:

For the warp I used a light worsted/dk weight (Australian 8 ply) wool in white.

For the weft I used the same wool in a variety of colours. You will need one colour for your pots, brown for the trunk, green for the leaves, and then orange, red or yellow for the fruit (depending on whether you want orange, apple or lemon trees!)

I’m not including specific calculations or measurements for the piece, as this is adjustable and depends on what you’re weaving, but to give you a guide, my sampler was around 8″ width on the loom. It can be a good idea to wind on a 35 – 40″ warp and experiment with my other branoe/overshot tutorials.

You simply warp up and tie on as you would for plain weave. Then you’re ready to pick up.

You can find the pick up sequence PDF here:

Little-Trees-pick-up-sequence Download

Unlike other pick up, we leave the heddle in NEUTRAL and pick up the warp threads IN FRONT of the heddle.

You can begin by weaving some plain weave to support your pick up design and give contrast. There are nice little borders you can work as well, if you want to. The border that I have here in pink is just 4 up, 4 down but there are many variations you could do.

When you’re ready to begin weaving your pattern sequence, make sure you follow the pick up outlined in the PDF provided, starting with Row 1. Heddle in neutral, pick up in front of the heddle. Once all the threads are picked up across the warp, slide your pick up stick towards the heddle and place it on edge.

Your picked up threads will be propped up, changing the interlacement from plain weave. You can then bring in your pattern weft (whichever colour you’re using for the pots as designs are worked from the bottom up). I’m using a blue wool for my pots.

When your weft reaches the other side, take it around the edge warp thread and back into the shed, doubling your weft.

Take your pick up stick out of position and beat the doubled weft into place.

Follow this up with a plain weave pick in your background weft. Choose the plain weave shed (either up or down) that you were up to before you wove your first pattern pick. For me, that was the up position.

Each plain weave pick will be a single, not double weft.

Continue following the pick up and weaving sequence for the pots.

We follow up now with 6 picks of background weft in plain weave. This is because we need a surface to embroider the trunks onto. Weaving narrow trunks (and centering them to match the pots!) is quite difficult, so embroidering whilst the piece is on the loom is a much easier option.

Rather than embroidering right now, we instead move on to the pick up for the tree foliage.

That way, we have sturdy fabric to embroider onto and we can line up the trunks really nicely with the other design elements. So, we move onto step 6 of your pick up instructions.

Continue following the sequence to form the tree foliage. The pattern weft for the foliage is also doubled. Don’t forget to weave a plain weave pick in between every pattern pick. Now we can thread a tapestry needle with some brown wool or embroidery floss to embroider the trunks.

Knot your embroidery yarn to prevent it pulling through the fabric. Come up from the back of the fabric in the middle top of one of the pots, as shown.

Work a straight stitch to the bottom of the foliage. Take the needle down through the fabric and knot it off at the back, burying the tail in the back of the foliage. This prevents your from having super long threads at the back of the work. Knot the end of the yarn again to work the next trunks.

Once all your trunks are done, you can think about embroidering the fruit. I did this by threading up the colour I wanted and working French knots in the foliage – about 3 French knots for each tree.

If you would like to see the video version of this tutorial, including a graph chart for the design, it is available as a part of the Exploring Branoe class, available at the Online Weaving School.

I also have a low cost downloadable PDF ebooklet available. In this resource you will find written instructions for my free video tutorials on Youtube that use the Branoe technique, all collected and outlined for you in one place 😉

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Surface embroidery on weft floats

by Kelly 12 Comments

Embroidery was one of my first crafty loves and I still have a very soft spot for this beautiful art.

When my children were young I was very immersed in the world of embroidery. I loved it for several reasons:

It costs next to nothing to get started, and at that time of life we had no extra money!
It is incredibly portable and you don’t need a specific space to set up.
I could easily pick it up and put it down, very important when you have little kids around.
There are many styles of embroidery to explore.
With a bit of practice, you can improve very quickly (like some other fibre arts I may have mentioned previously, wink wink 😉)

Besides the fact that that weaving kind of took over my life, I’ve also not spent much time doing embroidery in recent years due to the deterioration of my eyesight. I definitely took that for granted when I was younger and even though I now have reading glasses to wear, the clarity is not the same.

Like many of the arts and crafts I’ve enjoyed over my life, I’ve found that embroidery can be married beautifully with weaving, and in many different ways.

One example is my bread towel project from a couple of years ago. I wove the towels and then embroidered some “bread themed” text on them.

But if you feel that you can’t embroider a straight line to save yourself, that doesn’t mean you have to strike embroidery off your list completely.

One time I was experimenting with some weft floats on my rigid heddle loom and thought to myself “these look nice, but if feels like something is missing” 🤔 I felt that I needed to introduce some more colour, and I just happened to have some lovely hand dyed rainbow yarn handy. A little while later, I had some gorgeous diamond shapes happening!

This technique is a surface embroidery, meaning that unlike the usual needle in and out from front through to back of the fabric, the embroidery yarn sits on top of the fabric and is incorporated by “tie downs” or anchors.

Today, I would love to show you how you can achieve this patterning with just a tapestry needle and some contrasting yarn.

Firstly, you will need to work some weft floats. These form the basis for your embroidery thread and gives it a path to travel. The weft float sequencing that I’m using for this tutorial is detailed in this video:

Start by threading your tapestry needle with a good, long length of your embroidery thread. You don’t need to specifically use embroidery floss (though that certainly looks lovely!) I used some light worsted/dk weight wool that was hand dyed and my warp was the same weight of wool, commercially dyed. I think ribbon would look lovely too.

Knot the end of your yarn so it doesn’t pull through. Starting on the first horizontal row of weft floats,(the second row of floats from a vertical perspective) bring your needle through from the back, at the bottom right hand corner of the pair of floats.

Now, take the needle underneath the float pair but not into the fabric itself. Pull the yarn through.

Now take the needle to the pair of floats on the right, they are in a diagonal position from where we just were. Take the needle underneath this pair and pull through.

Now take the needle to the pair on the left diagonal, go underneath the floats and pull through. Starting to see a simple pattern here? We’re basically zig zagging the embroidery yarn back and forth between the weft floats. Pretty simple, huh? 😉

When you get to the top of the row and have no more weft floats to go to diagonally, take the needle down through the fabric to the back. Do this just underneath the top of the last floats you went through, so that it’s not visible. This is to help anchor and secure the row of stitching you’ve just completed.

At the top of the next vertical row of weft floats, bring your needle up through the fabric from the back. The needle should be positioned to the top right of the pair of floats, as shown in the photo above.

Instead of travelling upwards through the weft floats, the time we’re travelling down the vertical row. Take the needle underneath the top floats and pull through.

You may start to guess what comes next. Take the needle underneath the weft floats to the right, on the diagonal. Pull the yarn through. Continue in this fashion, zigzagging downwards until you reach the bottom. Remember to take the needle down through the fabric each time your finish a row, in order to anchor the thread and prepare for the next row.

Once you’ve practiced a couple of rows, you can speed up the process by taking the needle under 2 pairs at the same time. This makes it go much faster and is a natural progression from embroidering under one pair.

There are further variations on this theme that are possible. Experiment and see what you can come up with!

Would you like a free video tutorial so that you can see this surface embroidery in action? I already have that covered, check out my video on Youtube:

Don’t forget to like and subscribe, thank you!

I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Let me know if you love this technique and intend to give it a try by leaving a comment below, I love to hear from you.

Other resources you may be interested in:

Troubleshooting loose slot threads

All about finger controlled techniques

Weave neat edges on the rigid heddle loom

How to weave clasped weft

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What are finger controlled techniques?

by Kelly 6 Comments

Just when you thought you had tried everything in weaving, you discover there is more! Finger controlled techniques can add a whole other dimension to the way you’ve been weaving and offers new and exciting possibilities.

So, what are finger controlled techniques?

Also know as “finger manipulation weaving”, finger controlled techniques is a kind of umbrella term for a group of weaving techniques. It basically means that, rather than using just the shafts on your loom to control the threads and achieve patterning, you are also bringing your hands directly onto the warp to perform manipulations.

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

Often the finger manipulations will involve using a tool of some sort to aid you in holding the pattern created. Some examples of tools used are pick up sticks, knitting needles, threading hooks and crochet hooks.

Why use finger controlled techniques?

There are many good reasons to introduce finger controlled techniques into your weaving.

It increases your pattern possibilities.
You can achieve patterns that may not typically be associated with traditional weaving.
You can weave a drastically different pattern to what you normally might.
It is an exciting, interesting and sometimes meditative way to weave.
It can be used in small sections or borders to accentuate a plain or other weave structure.
It can be incorporated seamlessly into any loom set up.
You don’t need extra shafts or a bunch of extra equipment to give it a try.
You can set up your loom for plain weave and introduce the finger techniques on the same warp.
The techniques are good for an adventurous beginner. Make sure you have a plain weave project or two under your belt first though.
There are many different types of techniques to try, all with different effect. And each one has variations!

Which kind of looms work for using these techniques?

That is the beauty of it! Most finger controlled techniques are worked at the front of the loom, on the warp directly in front of you. This means it’s suitable for rigid heddle looms, table looms and floor looms.

Today I’m going to discuss the 3 most popular and well known finger controlled techniques in weaving:

Brook’s Bouquet
Leno
Danish Medallions

Brooks Bouquet was made popular by Marguerite Brooks when she wrote a book that included variations on this weave structure. You can see the “bouquet” component, where the yarn wraps around bunches of warp threads (the number of threads is adaptable) and pulls in tightly.

Reminiscent of lace knitting, the finished fabric also has some interesting qualities. Most of the time, woven fabric lacks “stretch” but using Brooks Bouquet produces a fabric with definite stretch. It is mildly open and airy, and yet has a beautiful and intricate pattern.

You don’t need any extra tools, just your stick shuttle (the same one you’re using for your weft) to pick up groups of threads in a repeat pattern and loop the yarn around the bunches as you go.

I love Brooks Bouquet in solid colours, using the same yarn for warp and weft, however I’ve seen some really beautiful pieces using variegated yarns too.

If you’re interested in trying it out but would like some step by step instructions, the Garden Path Scarf digital PDF download pattern is the perfect place to start. I have included lots of colour photos in this pattern as well as all the yarn and calculation details you need to complete a really beautiful scarf. I’ve woven two Garden Path scarves in merino yarn for myself and they are my go to for cold weather.

The next technique I want to share with you is Leno.

This also creates a light, airy fabric, but even more so than Brooks Bouquet. It is a very slow weave, as you twist threads using your fingers and a pick up stick and then hold the twists in place by beating in the weft thread.

Leno also has variations, for example, it can be woven on an open or closed shed. You can weave it in rows, with plain weave in between. You can weave Leno for the whole piece or just in border sections (it looks fantastic as bordering on a classic scarf or table runner).

If you like the look of this technique, I have good news for you! I have a complete tutorial on weaving Leno and it’s totally free. It is aimed towards rigid heddle weavers, but is completely adaptable to other looms as well. You can find that tutorial here.

That brings us to Danish Medallions.

This is a highly decorative technique. I love to showcase strongly contrasting yarns to really make those medallions pop out of the piece. It is a really interesting and fun technique to work on your loom.

The basic idea is to run a contrasting weft thread through bands of plain weave in another colour. The width of this band of plain weave will partly determine how large your medallions will be. You then bring in your contrast colour weft, threaded on a tapestry needle (at least, that is how I like to do it).

Using a crochet hook, or my preference, a double ended threading hook, you then hook this contrast yarn by taking the hook through the work at the previous contrast pick and pulling it though. This is where the tapestry needle comes in handy, as you can take it through the loop created.

Cinch up this loop and you have your first medallion. How tightly you cinch it will depend on the effect you want. A light cinch will give you medallions that seam to sit on the fabric with some minor gaps in between. A tight cinch will give you more separated looking medallions and will produce an airier fabric.

Both options look beautiful. You will notice in the sample above that I’ve also included beading between some medallions, just for fun. The Danish medallion technique lends itself beautifully to extra embellishments.

If you want to see this technique in action (because it’s so much easier to show it than to tell it) I have a very affordable online workshop that demonstrates both Danish Medallions and Leno, all in one place. Click here to check that out!

I hope that today’s post has helped you to find out more about finger controlled techniques and encouraged you to consider giving them a shot!

It can be fun to put on a short sampler warp, thread up for plain weave, and work your way through these techniques. You might find a really awesome way to combine the 3 to make a unique woven piece!

As always, I love to hear from you here and answer any questions you may have, so please let me know you visited by leaving your comment below.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What can I weave on a small loom?

by Kelly 15 Comments

Small looms may be compact, but they’re full of creative potential! Whether you’re just starting out or looking for portable weaving ideas, there are so many possibilities! But you may wonder – What can I weave on a small loom?

From quick projects like bookmarks and mug rugs to more advanced pieces like scarves or artful wall hangings, a small loom is a wonderful way to explore weaving without needing a large space. In this post, we’ll look at inspiring project ideas to help you get the most out of your little loom.

Today I’m going to be talking specifically about the smallest rigid heddle looms available.

Why Choose a Smaller Loom?

There are many reasons why weavers opt for a smaller loom. Some of these may include:

Affordability – a small loom is also a smaller financial investment to get started with.
Portability – you can literally pick these little looms up with one hand and take them with you
Space – some people have very limited space for storing a loom.
Testing it out – a small loom is a great way to test out weaving to see if it’s something you really want to pursue.

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

Many small loom weavers will later upgrade to a larger loom. Or some, (like myself!) will purchase a smaller loom later on, in order to have an extra loom on hand or just for sampling new ideas and designs.

Let’s have a look at the small rigid heddle looms currently available for purchase:

Ashford Sampleit 10″ (also comes in a 16″ weaving width)

Kromski Presto 10″ (also comes in a 16″ weaving width)

Schacht Cricket 10″ (also comes in a 15″ weaving width)

Beka beginners rigid heddle loom, available in 4″ and 10″ weaving width

I’ve come up with a list of finished items you can weave on a little loom as some ideas for getting started:

Get Sampling!

The number one function that a smaller loom serves is to make samples. If you are one of those people who think that sampling is a waste of time and yarn, I get it – I used to be exactly the same. But, throughout my weaving journey I have learned the true value of sampling before committing to a project.

In some cases, its actually a false economy to not sample and that is because the sample teaches you what you should and shouldn’t do for that project. In short, it guarantees the success of your project!

Make Your Own Clothing

You can make garments, even with a small loom, with a bit of creative design. Strips of woven cloth can be seamed together in order to make larger pieces of fabric, which can then be cut and sewn into garments. People often have the idea that only large, drapey garments (like a ruana) can be sewn with hand woven fabric, but that is not so. All kinds of clothing, including fitted pieces can be made, with a bit of planning ahead of time to ensure you are weaving an appropriate weight of fabric, with appropriate yarns for the garment you want to make.

In my Rigid Heddle Garment making class, we weave and then sew a loose fitting, open front cardigan. The class is not specifically for small looms, but it is easy to see how you can build a garment by building panels to seam together. A woven fabric with vertical stripes incorporated into the design would be perfect for camouflaging seams.

The Clasped Warp Quechquemitl class is another example of panels sewn together to construct a beautiful garment. Again, the class is not specific to small looms but the weaver could opt to weave 4 panels to join rather than the 2 demonstrated in the class.

The most obvious garment choice for a little loom would have to be a scarf, as you don’t need a wide width and you can wind on a warp that is long enough for one or two scarves.

Produce Art

I have created a variety of art pieces on my 10″ Sampleit loom. A small loom is perfect for a petite sized wall hanging, tapestry or framed piece. I discovered an added bonus to my Sampleit for weaving art recently. When not in use, I store this loom by hanging it on the wall. I was working on some krokbragd recently and noticed when I hung the loom up for the day, that it was a perfect way to display the work on the wall while it’s being completed!

Another thing I have not yet done, but desperately want to, is to frame some of my smaller woven pieces. I love the way krokbragd looks in a beautiful frame.

Tapestry can also be woven on a little loom. You can see a few of my small tapestries in this post. I will freely admit that nowadays I weave tapestries almost exclusively on my Big Sister, but prior to the purchase of that loom I honed my tapestry weaving skills on my Sampleit. I even made a class about weaving Tapestry on a Rigid Heddle Loom!

Freestyle tapestries are great on a small rigid heddle, as they are more of an “anything goes” project. They can be very planned or completely unplanned. My Freestyle Tapestry series and Van Gogh Inspired Tapestry series are both great starting points for some inspiration.

Craft Accessories and jewellery

You can weave some awesome gifts on your little loom. A bookmark is a quick project and a fantastic way to use up leftover yarn.

I wove a tapestry necklace on my tapestry loom, but the same could be done on a rigid heddle loom. A wrist cuff is a great small loom project and very straightforward to make.

I’m often asked if inkle bands can be woven on a rigid heddle. I have not done it myself, but I have seen bands woven by others. My advice would be – if you want to weave a lot of bands, make the investment in an inkle loom. They are quite affordable and they hold the amount of tension required for weaving really neat bands. Click here if you want to find out more about inkle weaving.

Notebook covers are fun and useful to weave. You can make them to fit your notebook, like I did for my Stashbuster Notebook tutorial series. You can also view that series here:

Some more accessory ideas could include:

A clutch, a purse or small bag, a phone case or wallet, glasses case, gadget case, pouches, or a drawstring bag.

Get Into Homewares

The range of projects you could complete in this category really narrow down to how comfortable you are with seams in your finished piece (though I will mention double width weaving shortly!)

Small items could include kitchen cloths, drink coasters, mug rugs, small placemats, teapot rests, and napkins and pot plant or coffee mug holders.

If you don’t mind the idea of seaming pieces together, you can expand on this list of projects to include:

Cushions and pillows, kitchen towels, table runners, throws and blankets. My Rainbow Blanket project is the perfect of example of how seaming panels together to make a larger project can really work. It was woven entirely on my 10″ Sampleit loom. It is lap blanket sized, but could easily be expanded to become bed sized! I woven panels and hand seamed them together.

Weave For Children

Options for woven items for children could include little hats, vests, pants, baby blankets, toys and plushies.

Double Your Fun with Double Width Weaving!

I couldn’t possibly finish up without mentioning that you have the ability to weave double width on your rigid heddle loom. For my 10″ Sampleit, this means that instead of the 10″ weaving width available, I would have 20″ instead! Just to temper that statement, this doesn’t include draw in, so the actual finished piece would be narrower than 20″ – but you get the idea. Weaving double width is just that – you increase the width of your finished item to twice the size it would have been.

This is a great option to small loom weavers who do not have the option of upgrading to a larger loom but would love to weave larger items. Does double width weaving sound like some kind of sorcery to you? Well, it’s actually very practical and with the right steps, is very doable. I have some resources that can help you get started:

Weaving with Two Heddles Online Class

Doubleweave Baby Blanket Online Class

I’m sure I haven’t covered all the ideas that are possible on a smaller loom, so if you have any other thoughts for projects, please share with other readers in the comments below.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Can you weave plain weave on krokbragd threading?

by Kelly 9 Comments

My answer to this question is: “Yes… but are you sure you want to?”

There are times when you’re weaving krokbragd and you want to have a little area of just plain colour, whether it’s to break up a busy design or as a border section.

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

My wallhanging piece pictured above has some larger bands of solid white at the top and the bottom to act as borders. The top section was also woven in order to fold over and form the sleeve for my quilt hanger.

You might naturally think that for weaving a solid band of colour, you would choose plain weave. If you have your rigid heddle loom set up with a single heddle, heddle rod and pick up stick, plain weave is easy.

Single heddle, heddle rod and pick up stick loom setup

All you have to do to achieve plain weave on this setup is:

Heddle up
Heddle down

However, plain weave is definitely not the best option (in my opinion) and I’m going to tell you why.

Plain weave is a balanced weave

By it’s very nature, the amount of warp showing compared to the amount of weft showing is equal, ie. balanced! Now, consider the very weft faced krokbragd you have been weaving all this time. The weft completely covers the warp so that all you see is the colours of the weft forming patterns. If you suddenly throw a band of plain weave in there, it’s not going to match up so well with the krokbragd.

Compare the band of green plain weave just woven with the rest of the krokbragd underneath. See the problem?

The warp is showing through, and considering we have spent the rest of the piece carefully beating down the weft to cover the warp, the plain weave now sticks out like a sore thumb! If the entire piece was plain weave, it would be desired that the warp is showing through at the same rate as the weft, but not for krokbragd.

Plain weave is a lighter weave structure

It’s not only the visual aspect of the plain weave that is different to the krokbragd either. Weft faced fabrics are generally quite stiff and dense. There is a great difference in texture between the two weave structures on this piece, with the plain weave section being thin and light.

Changing the weave structures changes your edges

This difference in weight of the woven piece affects the fabric in other ways too. Krokbragd has more draw in than plain weave, so suddenly my edges are no longer consistent and look slightly bulgy in the plain weave section.

So, how do we solve this problem?

Thankfully the answer is extremely simple. All you have to do is keep weaving krokbragd!

Just use the solid colour that you want for your band of colour and move through the 3 step krokbragd weaving sequence. Don’t change your colour until you have the desired amount of weaving.

You can now compare the two sections of weaving in green – the part where the warp is showing is the plain weave and the more uniform looking part on top is the krokbragd. Also, because the green krokbragd follows the previous weave structure, it looks much more uniform and “like it belongs” there.

If you want to learn more about weaving krokbragd on your rigid heddle loom, check out my Krokbragd 101 online course.

If you would like to view this blog post in video format, please view here:

I hope you enjoyed this article! Perhaps it gave you some new ideas for krokbragd design? Or perhaps it has inspired you to give krokbragd a try? Let me know in the comments section below!

P.S. Have you seen the share buttons at the top of this post? You can easily share this article to Pinterest, Facebook or via email with one click. The more shares, the more weavers I can help! Thank you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!