Rigid Heddle Weaving Patterns

What can I weave on a small loom?

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!

Krokbragd 101 Online Course

by Kelly 13 Comments

It’s been in my mind for a long time to make a complete “from start to finish” style rigid heddle krokbragd class to add to my Online Weaving School.

My krokbragd videos on Youtube are some of my most popular videos, but many of you have asked me for more. Considering krokbragd is one of my favourite weave structures, I am more than happy to oblige!

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

My aim for this course is to introduce newer weavers to this fabulous weave structure, but also to help more seasoned weavers learn and enjoy weaving krokbragd. I provide two different loom set ups to accommodate for personal preferences, for the equipment you may have on hand and as an additional learning experience.

The first section is a sampler woven with a single heddle, a pick up stick and a heddle rod. This is how you will see me weaving krokbragd in my Youtube videos.

The second section is the exact same sampler, but woven using two heddles of the same size.

The student can choose to either weave the sampler twice, practicing both methods of setting up the loom, or weaving the sampler once, choosing the set up method they prefer.

Whichever set up method you choose, step by step instructions are provided.

In the sampler we learn to weave some really fun and beautiful designs, including:

Columns
Squares
Stripes
Flowers
Flame point, and even
Traffic lights!

You then have the space and freedom to practice these designs on the same warp or to try some of your own designs!

In this course we will be looking at common krokbragd issues like beating tension, appropriate yarns, colour and neat selvedges.

There will be additional visual threading diagrams as well as the video demonstrations.

The course culminates in a final project which will be a beautiful, one of a kind wall hanging. I have always wanted to weave a krokbragd wall hanging as an artistic feature for my home and I can’t wait to share this project with all of you!

Krokbragd is so fun, relaxing and rewarding, I just know you are going to LOVE this course!

Gold members of the Online Weaving School have early access to the course as it is being made and uploaded. If you are a Gold member, go to your curriculum list and look for “Krokbragd 101” under “K”. Alternatively, click here for the direct link.

This course will become available to other members upon the release date. It will also be available for single, non member purchase.

This class is now open and can be purchased here.

If you are interested in krokbragd and want to know more prior to the course opening, I have a lot of free resources for you! Start with this post for more information.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

How to read a rigid heddle weaving draft

by Kelly 26 Comments

Most of the time when you are weaving on a rigid heddle loom and following instructions, there will be written notes for how to weave a pattern.

For example, in any of my rigid heddle classes you will see threading instructions, telling you which holes and slots to thread, including colour order wherever it’s applicable. You will see any extra instructions for using pick up sticks if they are being used. All these things will be shown and often written in a file with step by step text instructions.

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

But, what about weaving drafts? Weaving drafts are not something that a rigid heddle weaver needs to know, because, as I mentioned above, most weaving patterns or classes for rigid heddle will have written instructions and won’t even mention a weaving draft.

However, learning to read a basic weaving draft can be really useful for two main reasons:

It helps you to gain an understanding of how your rigid heddle loom actually operates. You will discover this in a moment as we go through how to read a plain weave draft and how it translates to your RH loom.

2. Many rigid heddle weavers choose to venture into multi shaft weaving – either by adapting their rigid heddle loom or by purchasing a table or floor loom. Knowing how to read a draft is invaluable to the weaver who aims to weave with more than two shafts at some stage.

Today, we’re going to look at a simple plain weave, two shaft weaving draft. I chose to help you learn about a two shaft draft because I want you to focus first on learning the basic layout of a non complicated weaving draft, and also because a rigid heddle loom is a two shaft loom.

You can see that I opted for bright and contrasting colours so that you can distinctly see the pattern. Personally, I would probably not choose these colours for a project, but some of you may love them! 😬

This is the most typical layout for a weaving draft, but if it is an older draft you are looking at, the information may be in different places, for example, the line of numbers I have at the top may be at the bottom instead.

Alright, let’s get into the nitty gritty by learning the different parts of the draft and what they mean, starting at the top.

The top section circled in red is the threading. For plain weave on a rigid heddle loom we use two shafts and these are represented by the numbers 1 and 2 that repeat across. The threading section is a horizontal bar on the draft, but indicates the vertical purple warp threads. You can think of these numbers as being like the vertical threads of your warp.

You can think of the holes on your heddle as shaft 1 (number 1 in the threading section) and the slots on your heddle as shaft 2 (number 2 in the threading section).

To find the start of the threading section, we read from right to left, beginning in the first box in the right hand corner, which is a number 1.

Also note the colour that appears above the number 1, which in this case is purple.

This tells me that my first thread for my warp is a purple thread that will be threaded in a hole. The second will be in a slot. Then a hole, then a slot, and so on.

This would be an easy warp as there are no warp colour changes.

Next I want to discuss the tie up box.

When using a multi shaft loom, you need to know which shafts need to be tied up to which treadles, this is where the tie up box in the top right corner of the draft comes in.

The circles you can see in the box match up with either number one or two on the threading section, indicating which shafts are to be used. The circle usually means that the tie up is for a rising shed loom. An “X” will often mean the tie up is for a sinking shed loom.

See how the first circle in the tie up box lines up with the shaft 1 threads in the threading section?

And circle 2 from the treadling box lines up with shaft 2 threads in the threading section.

How is this relevant to the rigid heddle weaver, considering we don’t have to tie up treadles?

It simply shows us which shafts need to be engaged in order to weave the pattern. If we thread our shaft 1 in the heddle holes and shaft 2 in the heddle slots, as described earlier, we don’t need to do anything else (like tie up treadles) in order to start weaving those shafts. The warping and threading of the heddle is all the preparation we need.

The long, vertical box to the right of the draft is the treadling section. The box is vertical, but indicates the horizontal part of your weaving, which is the weft. My weft is yellow, and this is indicated by the yellow box next to each number.

Again, as rigid heddle weavers, we don’t “treadle” but we do manipulate our heddle in order to open shafts, and this box gives us the correct order we need to use to weave the pattern.

On the rigid heddle, we operate the heddle for plain weave by either lifting it into the up position or placing it in the down position.

When you lift your heddle up, have a look at what is happening with the threads. All the hole threads are lifted up, and the slot threads stay down. The space in between the two layers of threads is our shed.

Now, when you place your heddle down, the opposite occurs – all the slot threads pop up and the hole threads stay down. This creates a second, different shed. In that case:

Heddle up = Shaft 1 engaged

Heddle down = Shaft 2 engaged

So, we understand that the heddle just goes up and down and that makes our 2 shafts. But let’s look more closely at the draft to ensure that we can visually follow the changing of shafts.

We start reading the treadling (or order of shafts) in the first box that appears under the tie up box. The treadling sequence will not always be indicated by numbers, there may be a filled box, a diagonal slash or similar.

Also, some drafts will use numbers to indicate how many times you are going to weave a certain pick. But, because we are just alternating between shafts 1 and 2, I have used the numbers 1 and 2 underneath the circles.

For this draft, the first number is on the left, underneath the circle that indicates shaft 1. For the RH weaver, shaft 1 means hole threads, which means heddle up.

When you have woven your shaft 1 pick you will then change to the next shed by following along to the next number in the next line down. It is a number 2 and so for the RH weaver, that means the down shed.

After weaving this shed, you then follow to the next row down, which is a shaft 1. And so on.

The last part of the weaving draft is the drawdown.

The drawdown is essentially a diagram of the fabric you will weave. It provides you with a visual representation of what your pattern might look like.

Naturally, elements such as your sett and chosen yarns can vary the look of the cloth greatly, so your finished piece will not necessarily look just like the drawdown. It shows the interlacement of your thread colours.

With our plain weave, checkerboard pattern you can easily see that the alternating colours in each row of purple, yellow, purple, yellow represent our warp and weft colours, and also our shafts one and two.

If you would like to use this draft, as well as the fabric view, to print out, I have made a printable PDF for you, which you can download below:

Plain-weave-draft Download

If you would also like to see this post in video format, please visit my Youtube channel:

If you are interested in knowing more about reading weaving drafts, I have two members only classes at my Online Weaving School.

Introduction to reading weaving drafts

Reading a 2 shaft plaid draft for rigid heddle weavers

I hope this was helpful to you. Questions and comments are welcome, I love to hear from you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Clasped Weft Weaving – Step by Step Tutorial

by Kelly 19 Comments

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

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.

So, What is Clasped Weft Weaving?

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.

The Mechanics of Weaving Clasped Weft

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.

Clasped Weft with Two Colours

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 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!

Support my free content 😀

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!

Diamond Stripe Towel Weave Along

by Kelly 88 Comments

The Diamond Stripe Towel Weave Along is a very popular project that usually runs in January.

My Diamond Stripe Towel pattern has been such a popular seller that many buyers requested a video series as well. I love running weave alongs as they are so much fun and foster a huge amount of enthusiasm.

January is usually the perfect time, after the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year’s have died down and weaving folks are looking to settle in with a new project.

This year enrolments will open on January 15th (Australian calendar).

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

Let’s go through some questions I know may be springing to mind for you.

So, how will the weave along work?

All participants will need to purchase the pattern to join in. The pattern is available here as a digital download and can be purchased anytime in the lead up to the weave along.

For those who are members of my Online Weaving School, participation in the weave along is free (but the pattern needs to be purchased separately.)

For non members, there will be a small purchase fee of $5USD to join in to the weave along, in addition to the purchase of the pattern.

Can you tell me about the pattern?

The pattern is for weaving two kitchen (tea) towels on one warp. We use two heddles to weave the pattern, and both towels are the same apart from the weft colour. The design is reversible and looks wonderful on both sides.

I find that using bright and strongly contrasting colours works really well and shows up the diamonds beautifully – but of course, as the weaver you can choose whatever colours you wish.

What level of weaver will this project be suitable for?

If you have never woven with two heddles before, I highly recommend that you first go through my Weaving with Two Heddles class. This will give you the knowledge, practice and confidence to leap right into the weave along.

Some weavers will be able to follow the weave along just fine with the videos and the pattern – others may find the introduction of two heddles in a project a bit overwhelming. In the Two Heddles class you weave a sampler and explore all the different things you can achieve with two heddles before you ever commit to a project.

What kind of loom will I need to participate?

You will need a rigid heddle loom with a 20″ weaving width. Yes, you can make skinnier towels on a smaller loom if that is what you’re working with, but obviously they will be a little different to mine.

What other tools will be needed?

As I mentioned, we will be weaving on two heddles. Yes, you can weave these towels on one heddle with heddle rods, but I will not be providing instructions on how to do that.

I have used 2 x 12.5 dent heddles. Yes, you can use 2 x 10 dent if that is what you have, your sett would just be a little looser than mine.

You will need a stick shuttle, threading and reed hook, scissors, etc.

I use a serger and a sewing machine to hem my towels and will be showing how to do this in the weave along. My preference for kitchen towels is to not have a fringe. I understand however, that not everyone has a sewing machine and knows how to use it, so hemstitch with a short fringe is perfectly acceptable.

I only have a 16″ rigid heddle loom. Can I still participate?

Yes! I have provided some helpful instructions to assist those with a smaller loom.

I already have 2 x 10 dent heddles. Do I need to purchase the 12.5 dents to participate?

No. I’m a big fan of using what you have on hand and not making unnecessary purchases. I will be providing some helpful details for adjusting the numbers to suit 10 dent heddles.

What yarns will I need?

The full yarn details and amounts are provided when you purchase the pattern, but you will want to use plant based fibre for kitchen towels. Here are a couple of my favourites for kitchen towels:

Maurice Brass ard 8/2 cotton

Maurice Brassard 8/2 cottolin

Can I weave these towels with 8/4 cotton?

Yes, you can! In fact, in last year’s weave along, I updated the content to include a supplementary section for those who wish to use 8/4 instead of 8/2 cotton.

I highly recommend that you use 12 or 12.5 or even 15 dent heddles, if you have them. I feel that 10 dent heddles would be a bit looser than I would like for this size of cotton.

You can also double 8/2 cotton in the weft if you like. More information on this is available in the class. Here are the yarns I used:

Maurice Brassard 8/4 cotton

Ada 8/2 cotton

Will there be a deadline for completing the weave along?

Enrolments will be open to non members for several days before closing and commencing the class. Members will be able to access the class permanently, as long as their membership is active.

Once you are enrolled, there is no time limit on completion of the class. It is always fun to weave along with all the other enrolees so you can share progress photos and troubleshoot, but the choice is yours.

So, what if I’m away when the weave along starts, can I still participate?

Yes, you can still participate, but if you are a non member you will need to enrol in the class within that opening window. Members can enrol anytime.

Where will the weave along take place?

At my Online Weaving School. Weaving School members will undergo automatic enrolment and non members will be able to purchase the weave along as a separate class.

If you already have an account with my weaving school, it will be quick and easy for you to join in the weave along. If you don’t have an account, I recommend that you make one (this is free) so that you are ready and familiar with the site when the weave along begins. I also have a short, free class on using the site if you need that extra input.

There is also a weave along community group on Facebook, and the link to join that group is contained within the weave along course.

How will I know when the weave along is released?

You will need to be on my mailing list, where I’ll be giving updates and reminders in during the time leading up to the weave along. If you are already on my mailing list, all you have to do is open my emails when they arrive in your inbox.

If you need to purchase materials for this weave along, I recommend the following suppliers:

The Woolery (US)

Revolution Fibers (US)

Thread Collective (Australia)

I participated in the last weave along, can I join in this one as well?

Absolutely, I would love to have you back! If you have an active membership at the time the Weave Along is running, you can jump in and participate. If you purchased the class as a single purchase when the weave along was last open, you can also just jump back in.

I hope this post has you super excited about joining in to the weave along!

This year there will also be some fun giveaways in the Facebook group 😉

Please do leave any additional questions you may have in the comments sections so that I can address them for you.

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

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!

Wash Your Hands Towels Photo Gallery

by Kelly 3 Comments

The Wash Your Hands Towels have been such a successful project.

Weavers from all over the world, most of them in some form of lockdown at the time, took up the challenge to weave some beautiful towels.

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

If this is the first time you have come across this project, you can read all about it in this post.

Basically, I wanted to share a free rigid heddle project to help weavers re-focus and occupy themselves in a positive way during the beginning of the pandemic, when none of us really knew what to expect or how it was going to pan out.

When brainstorming for a project, everywhere I turned I was hearing “wash your hands” and that became my inspiration for the towels.

It was also important that the project be easy enough for beginners but lovely enough to interest more seasoned weavers. It was thrilling to see that weavers of all different levels threw themselves so enthusiastically into this project – and that 3 months later towels are still being produced thick and fast!

Almost every day I’m seeing a new set of towels shared on social media. Many of them are so varied and in a myriad of colour ways.

Some weavers have chosen to follow my instructions exactly, others have changed the colours, and some have merely used my towels as inspiration and put their own spin on the design. I love them all!

One of the yarns I recommend for these towels is Sugar n Cream but I’ve also been hearing really good things about I love this Cotton! It’s not readily available here so I haven’t tried it, but from all reports it’s a really lovely yarn and suitable for this project.

I wanted to create another space to showcase at least some of the towels in a gallery: