Weaving

October Inkle Challenge Gallery

The October Inkle Challenge was a huge success with many participants weaving bands in a variety of styles and methods.

Some chose to follow my Inkle Weaving class patterns exactly, some used one of my free inkle patterns and others either designed their own or used other existing patterns. Several weavers used the Weaver’s Inkle Pattern Directory.

Each week of the challenge included a live video and a giveaway. In the first week, Annie Machale generously offered a copy of her book “In Celebration of Plain Weave”, the second week was a copy of my Inkle Bag Ebook and Pattern, and the third week was a free inkle pattern I designed just for the challenge group participants.

In the live videos I discussed a variety of inkle related topics, including tension, dealing with selvedge threads, and ways to use your finished bands.

I was so thrilled with the challenge participants, their enthusiasm and their wonderful bands. Most participants woven on their Inkle Loom while one or two chose to weave bands on a rigid heddle loom.

Everyone was able to work to their own level. Many were beginners, others had woven a couple of bands already and then there were some who chose to use additional techniques like tablet weaving, pick up and turned krokbragd.

It was also extremely rewarding to see newbie inkle weavers gain confidence and dramatically improve their woven bands by seeking feedback through the group and implementing suggestions. That is what it’s all about!

The bands you see in this gallery are only some of the beautiful bands that were woven during the challenge. Many members (myself included!) wove multiple bands over the space of the month.

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

A huge thank you to all participants for making this challenge such an exciting success.

Now that the October Inkle Challenge has finished, I have been challenged to create another challenge! 😆

What a great idea, I’ll have to get my thinking cap on and see what happens!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Easy Sourdough Granola Recipe: A Delicious Twist for Healthy Homemade Breakfasts

by Kelly Leave a Comment

Looking for a delicious way to use up your sourdough discard? Try making homemade sourdough granola! This easy recipe combines the wholesome goodness of homemade granola with the unique flavor and crunch that sourdough starter adds.

It’s a game-changer for your breakfast or snack routine—perfectly crispy, flavourful, and a great way to reduce food waste.

Sourdough granola makes the perfect breakfast topping for fresh fruit and creamy Greek yogurt—a delicious and nutritious way to start your day!

Jump to Recipe

Personally, I love little clusters in my granola, and in the past I have used egg white (like in this recipe) to achieve a bit of chunkiness. But using sourdough starter binds all the ingredients together into clumps so well that there is no need for any additional binders.

You can control the level of crunch by experimenting with the baking times. For more crunch, bake longer. For less crunch, bake a little less.

You can also choose to have add ins or to just make the base recipe, depending on your own taste preferences. I love add ins and these are put in at the end of baking.

Some add in ideas that I regularly use are dried fruits like sultanas, apricots, figs, dates and apple. If you are a fan of nuts, any nut goes well with this recipe! One of my personal favourites is almonds.

This is such a simple and adaptable recipe, just mix wet ingredients and dry separately, then mix together before baking.

The dry ingredients all get thoroughly coated, making a clumpy, crunchy granola once baked.

Sourdough Granola

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

5 cups Rolled oats
1 cup Desiccated or shredded coconut
2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 cup Sourdough discard or starter
3 tbsp Olive oil
2 tsp Vanilla extract
1/2 cup Honey or brown sugar (or equal mix of the two)
Drizzle Maple syrup (optional)
3/4 cup Dried fruit of your choice
1/2 cup Nuts of your choice (optional)

Method

Pre heat oven to 160 degrees Celsius
Place all dry ingredients (except fruit and nuts) in a large bowl and mix.
Place all wet ingredients in separate bowl or glass jug and mix thoroughly.
Pour wet ingredients over dry and mix thoroughly.
Line a large roasting tray or a tray with sides. I use non stick baking paper. Alternatively, use a non stick tray.
Tip your mixture into the tray and even out to make an even layer.
Place in the oven for 10 minutes, remove the tray and turn the granola with a spatula.
Place back in the oven and repeat until desired darkness is achieved. I recommend a total cooking time of 30 – 40 minutes.

Don’t forget to stir in your add ins at the end, if you’re using them! Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container (I like to use mason jars).

You can eat this granola on it’s own as a snack, on top of fresh fruit, with milk of your choice or one of my personal favourites, on top of yoghurt.

If you love to customise, here are some add in options:

Add ins (examples of)

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup chopped macadamias

1/4 cup chopped cashews

1/4 cup pistachios

1 cup LSA (linseed, sunflower and almond meal) mix

Chopped dried fruit eg. apricots, peach, paw paw, apple, dates, cranberries

Rules for add ins

*For seeds and nuts, add these in at the dry mix stage.

*For dried fruit add ins, mix in when the muesli has finished baking.

Allow the muesli to cool before placing it in an airtight container. Serve with milk or use as a delicious topping on stewed fruit and yoghurt.

Sourdough granola isn’t just a delicious treat for your own table—it also makes a thoughtful and delightful gift! Simply place it in an attractive jar, tie it with a ribbon, and you’ve got a homemade present that’s sure to impress. Whether you’re enjoying it as a crunchy breakfast topping or sharing it with loved ones, this recipe is a wonderful way to make the most of your sourdough discard while adding a little extra joy to every day.

I hope you love it as much as I do! 👩‍🍳

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

Healthy Hot Chocolate

by Kelly Leave a Comment

I started looking around for a healthy hot chocolate preparation recently with the desire to replace my not so healthy evening chocolate drink of Milo.

It’s not that I don’t love Milo – I really do, and I’ve been drinking it since I was a kid, but it contains a lot of sugar.

I’ve also started taking collagen powder recently and was looking for something I could incorporate the powder into to make it taste better. I’m not a fan at all of the flavour of unflavoured collagen powder!

What I found while looking for the ultimate healthy hot chocolate mix was quite interesting. I found that:

There are many, many healthier hot chocolate powders available
They are prohibitively expensive
Most have ingredients that you can put together at home yourself

So I set about making my own recipe, using simple ingredients that I had on hand.

The thing about a recipe like this is you can cater it to suit yourself in so many ways. For example, instead of using hot water you could use your favourite milk or milk alternative as the liquid. Just warm all the ingredients together, make sure they are stirred well and you have a deluxe version!

If you’re looking for a dairy milk alternative, any of the following would work for this recipe:

You could use your favourite sweetener in place of the honey (like monkfruit sweetener or stevia)

If you don’t like the taste of cinnamon, just leave it out. You could do other add ins like protein powder or magnesium powder to increase the health benefits. There are lots of options!

If you are a lover of dark chocolate (hello!) you could also melt and mix that in.

Kelly

Healthy Hot Chocolate

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Prep Time 1

Servings: 1 serve

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 tsp Cocoa powder
1 scoop Collagen powder
1/4 tsp Cinnamon powder
1 teaspoon Raw honey
250 ml Hot/warm liquid I use a mixture of hot water and dairy milk

Method

Add the dry ingredients and honey to your cup. Pour in the hot liquid and stir well. Add milk or other liquid, if using.

Ask Kelly – Is a rigid heddle loom ok for tapestry?

by Kelly Leave a Comment

One of the marvellous things about owning a rigid heddle loom is the ability to try out so many weave structures without having to upgrade looms if you don’t want to.

It’s a great way to try out a structure to test whether you enjoy it and want to pursue it further. This can help you to make future weaving and loom decisions.

One structure you may be interested in trying out is tapestry and that is what today’s Ask Kelly question all about. I apologise to the original author of the question, I have misplaced your name!

“I have a question about rigid heddle looms used for tapestry.

It is my understanding that the downside of using the rigid heddle is the fact that the use of the heddle causes the warp threads on the outside to be too loose and the threads in general are also too loose for tapestry weaving. If you wanted to use the loom without the heddle, would that be possible? And / or ok to work better.”

When I got started with tapestry weaving, it was on a rigid heddle loom. It was a great experience, as I was able to learn the basic tapestry techniques and it also taught me that tapestry was something I wanted to pursue, so I eventually bought a dedicated tapestry loom.

Regarding the possibility of looser outside threads, there is a trick you can use to ensure that your edge warp threads on your RH loom are under the same tension, I have a video on that here-

I guess the answer to your question about warping without a heddle is yes, you can. I haven’t done that myself, and I would use the heddle initially to warp, in order to space the warp to the sett I wanted.

Having said that, it is very handy to be able to change sheds quickly with a heddle.

I do have a tapestry class for rigid heddle weavers, if you’re interested in checking that out-

Tapestry Weaving on a rigid heddle loom…

I chose the Big Sister Tapestry loom from Mirrix because of their reputation for quality, the sizing options and the ease of set up and use. I have a review of the Big Sister Loom here and an interview with the CEO and founder of Mirrix Looms here.

So, you may wonder what the main reasons would be for a rigid heddle weaver to upgrade to a tapestry loom?

A dedicated tapestry loom means you are not taking up precious loom space. Tapestry is a slow process, and you may want to use your rigid heddle loom for other projects rather than wait until the tapestry is finished.

A tapestry loom has far superior tension to a rigid heddle, which gives a better result for tapestry weaving.

Most tapestry looms are upright, which is more suitable for working tapestry.

Tapestry looms are strong and suitable for holding high tension, whereas a rigid heddle loom is not designed for super tensioning.

I hope you enjoyed this article and until next time…

Happy Weaving!

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

Ask Kelly – Doubling sett in rigid heddle weaving

by Kelly 8 Comments

Doubling sett in rigid heddle weaving is relatively straightforward, but you might wonder whether there is more than one method for doing so. You might also wonder which projects or circumstances would call for doubling the sett?

Today’s Ask Kelly question is all about how to double the sett (or ends per inch) on your rigid heddle loom and which heddle size might be most useful.

Hi there,

“I just finished watching the what do all the numbers mean video and I have two questions for you- you suggest using a 10 dent heddle for 8/2 cottolin and indicated you should double the ends- when you said 2x 10 dent- do you mean use two ten dent reeds? I think I just figured it out! You mean use two 10 dent reed or double up the ends on one 10 dent reed- did I get that right? Also- I only have the one 7.5 reed that came with my rigid heddle loom (Ashford) would you suggest purchasing a 10 dent read next? Have a great day thanks!“

Cindy

****************************************************************

Options for Doubling the Sett

Hi Cindy,

Yes, you are correct that 2 x 10 dent means two separate heddles of the same size (in this case 10 dent). When you want to double your sett you have 2 options – you can simply double the number of ends in a single 10 dent heddle OR you can use 2 x 10 dent heddles to double the sett.

Whichever way you decide to go, you still need to double your total number of ends to double your sett.

For the second part of your question, I would ask what you weave the most or what you would like to. If you want to weave a lot of kitchen towels, a 10 or 12-12.5 dent heddle would be a very worthwhile investment. A 10 dent is also great for fingering weight yarn which can be lovely for scarves, runners etc.

*************************************************************************

Now that I’ve answered Cindy’s questions, I want to go a little more in depth on the idea of doubling sett for a rigid heddle loom.

Two Methods for Doubling Sett

The two methods I mentioned for doubling sett are:

Using a single heddle and doubling all warp threads.
Using two heddles to double and space warp threads.

Which Method To Choose?

The next thing you might wonder is which method to choose and what the differences are.

Well, the single heddle is really advantageous because not everyone who wants to double their sett has a second heddle of the exact same size in their weaving toolkit. It is quick and easy to learn and means that when you get to the weaving, you just weave as normal with the one heddle. When doubling your sett with one heddle, you thread holes and slots at the same time as direct warping, completely negating the usual requirement to thread holes separately.

Why would you opt to use two heddles then, if one heddle is cheaper and (some will find) easier? If you’re more of a particular kind of weaver (that is SO not me! 😆) it might be more important to you that all the doubled warp threads are correctly and evenly spaced. I’ve also heard that some weavers actually like holding the two heddles together or banding them together. Again, that is not for me!

Another difference between the two methods is the threading. With one heddle, you will have 2 ends in every hole and 2 ends in every slot. With the two heddle method, you will have a single end in the hole on each heddle and 3 threads in the slots.

The single heddle method is presented in this video tutorial:

Some weavers prefer the look of the cloth that is woven by the two heddle method, as it gives more of a basketweave effect.

Do I Also Double the Weft? 🤨

Another question that someone is bound to ask after reading this (because someone always does!) is whether to also use a doubled weft when using a doubled warp.

If you want to be technical, then technically you should double your weft for a balanced weave. But who says you always have to have a balanced weave? You certainly don’t!

For most of my projects I use a single weft. Why? Because I like the resulting fabric. It’s soft, it’s substantial but not too thick, it looks good to me. But I encourage you to experiment and find your own personal preference.

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

If you find you do prefer a doubled weft, then check out this video for an easy weft doubling method:

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Ask Kelly and

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

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Delicious light rye sourdough artisan bread recipe

by Kelly 5 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Make sure you follow the Light Rye Sourdough loaf recipe steps, but I am adding some further details below for clarity.

Start by whisking your honey (I use locally produced honey) into the water. I always make sure that my water is at room temperature. Then add your sourdough starter and whisk.

I like to use my danish dough whisk for this step, it helps to combine the starter and water beautifully. Ideally, you won’t have any lumps of starter. If you don’t have a dough whisk, you can use a balloon whisk or a regular old spoon.

In the next step you add the salt and flours and mix to combine, again the dough whisk works great for this. You don’t need to over mix, you just want the wet and dry ingredients combined so that there are no surprise pockets of dry flour left.

Your dough will look kind of rough and shaggy. Now that the flours are incorporated, cover the dough (I use plastic wrap for this as it creates some humidity and prevents drying out) and leave it to sit for around 1 hour.

Now we start stretch and folds at half hour intervals, for a total of 5 times. If you’ve never heard of stretching and folding dough, check out this Youtube video (though I don’t do it as neatly and carefully as they do!) Wet hands are a must for stretch and folds.

By the time you do your last stretch and fold you should have a lovely smooth and glossy dough. Cover and allow to sit until the dough has increased by around 30%. Setting it in a warm place helps. It’s tricky giving an exact time for how long this will take, due to room temperature variables. Suffice to say, it will take longer in winter than it will in summer!

When your dough has increased sufficiently, you can shape (again, Youtube is your friend for this – search “shaping a boule”).

Now you can complete the second rise, which can either be done in the fridge overnight (as detailed in the recipe below) or on the bench, covered with plastic wrap or a damp towel for a “same day” bake.

I only bake on the same day when the weather is warmer, otherwise the dough will take a long time to rise. On a warm day, I will let it second rise for around 2 -4 hours.

The refrigerator method can be convenient for “next day” baking as you can wake up in the morning, remove your dough from the fridge, warm your oven and have fresh bread by lunchtime (just remember to allow for cooling time).

Light Rye Sourdough

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

160 grams Active sourdough starter
350 mls Water (room temperature) * More water may be needed
1 tbsp Raw honey
200 grams Light rye flour
300 grams Strong white baker's flour
1 & 3/4 tsp salt

Method

Make the dough

Place water and honey in large bowl and whisk together to combine.
Add sourdough starter to water and mix until starter is dispersed in water.
Add flours and salt and mix until a shaggy dough forms. If the dough seems dry, add some water in small amounts.
Cover the bowl and allow to sit for around 1 hour.

Stretch and folds

With wet hands, stretch and fold the dough, rotating the bowl 4 times total.
Cover and sit for 30 minutes.
Continue the stretch and folds, followed by a 30 minute rest for a total of 5 times. (Total time – 2 hours).
Cover and allow the dough to prove at room temperature. The amount of time will depend on how warm your kitchen is. This stage may take 1 hour, it may take 6 hours. You want your dough size to increase by around 30% – not to double.
At the end of this step, your dough should look light, slightly puffy and glossy. You may see bubbles, this is a good sign.
Tip the dough onto a well floured surface and shape. Place into a bowl lined with baking paper/non stick parchment paper or a banneton basket and place in refrigerator overnight, covered.
In the morning, remove the dough and place on bench.
Heat a cast iron dutch oven with the lid on at your hottest oven temperature. I use a fan forced oven at a temperature of 240 degrees celsius. I place the dutch oven in the middle of the oven.
After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven and take off the lid. Careful, it's very hot!
Slash the dough using a knife or lame. I do this before it goes near the dutch oven, to avoid the possibility of burning myself. Use the baking paper as a kind of sling to move the dough to the dutch oven.
Turn the oven down to 220 degrees.
Place the lid back on and put the dutch oven back in the oven for 20 minutes of covered baking.
Remove the lid and continue to bake uncovered for another 25 minutes.
Take the dutch oven out and again, use the baking paper to pick up the loaf and place it on a cooling rack, removing the baking paper as you do.
Allow the loaf to cool completely before slicing.

I hope you enjoy this bread as much as my family does!

Until next time…

Happy Baking!

Ask Kelly – Which cotton weight for kitchen towels?

by Kelly 5 Comments

Appropriate yarns and cotton weight for kitchen towels is a subject that pops up regularly in the weaving world. Seasoned towel weavers usually have their favourites and have good reasons for doing so, I know that I certainly do!

Today’s question is specifically about a good yarn weight for kitchen towels, but it provides a good opportunity for discussing other important aspects of yarn in general for kitchen towels.

“Hi Kelly! I have a question that I just cannot seem to get answered!

Would it work to get a decent weight kitchen towel if I use 8/2 cotton, double weave and a 10 dent reed? I do not have another size of reed. I have an Ashford Rigid Heddle loom.

I just worry that it won’t be a good weight…I so appreciate your help. I love your classes and have several of them! “

Hi Vicki,
I have woven a few sets of towels on my rigid heddle loom with a 10 dent reed just by doubling the warp and then using a single weft.

While I do think that a 12-12.5 dent heddle gives a slightly better result, the 10 dent towels still work out fine 😊

To elaborate on my answer to Vicki, I find that a sett that is a little closer is better than a sett that is a little too loose. A kitchen towel is a hardworking asset to your kitchen, so you want to make sure that it will not only do the job well, it will also last a long time.

An appropriate sett will also ensure suitable absorbency, which is very important for a kitchen towel!

Still addressing Vicki’s question, you have a couple of options for how to double your sett when weaving with a rigid heddle loom.

I usually go for the easiest option, which is to simply double your ends using one heddle. An example of this would be similar to what Vicki planned to do – use 1 x 10 dent heddle and double the warp. A really simple way to do this is to thread one warp loop through every hole and every slot for the width of your project. That way, when you get to the threading part you are one step ahead and can progress to the tie on without threading the holes separately.

Another option is to use two heddles of the same size for your warp. When actually weaving, you can hold the two heddles together to beat or just beat with the front heddle. This technique is outlined (along with a threading chart) in Jane Patrick’s Weaver’s Idea Book and also Syne Mitchell’s Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom.

I do have a lot of resources for which yarns are best for which projects, but I will share with you my favourite “recipe” for kitchen towels.

I love to use 8/2 cottolin which is a blend of cotton and linen. This works so well because you get the benefits of using linen without some of the difficulties. It’s just like weaving with 8/2 cotton except it can be quite hairy and shed fibres while it’s on the loom.

The cottolin softens up beautifully after a wash and is very absorbent.

My second favourite yarn for kitchen towels is the reliable 8/2 cotton. I love that it comes in such a huge range of colours. I frequently combine cottolin and cotton in one towel project and it works out great.

If you’re looking for some more resources relevant to this article, check these out:

Which cotton yarn should I use?

What yarn is best for weaving?

My tips for weaving with cottolin…

Or if you’re looking for some towel patterns to weave:

Bright & Beautiful Towels…

Diamond Stripe Towels…

Happy Fibonacci Towels…

I hope you have found some helpful information here today and until next time…

Happy Weaving!

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

How to Make a Potholder Loom – Free Instructions!

by Kelly 12 Comments

Remember the potholder looms from back in the 70’s?

Well, I actually think the humble potholder loom is a little under rated! I mean, it’s simple to use and it must be one of the cheapest looms out there if you make it yourself.

That’s what today’s post is all about. Recently, my husband and I teamed up to make a cheap and easy potholder loom and now we want to share it with all of you!

We’ve put all the information you need to make one of these simple looms into a simple to download file (you can access that below).

Not only that, but I’ve also made a series that you can find on Youtube that will show you two different ways you can weave on your own potholder loom.

You only need some simple materials to get started. Wood, nails, a hammer, some yarn, some wire (or a Tunisian crochet hook) and a regular crochet hook, I find the 5.75mm size is good. A tapestry needle can also be handy for sewing in any loose ends.

So, go ahead and grab your instructions file below and then check out the video tutorial for weaving further down.

Constructing-a-potholder-loom-2023 Download

I hope you have fun with this project and until next time…

Happy Weaving!

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

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Should I abandon my project?

by Kelly 22 Comments

The other day, I cut the warp off my loom way before I was finished the project.

But let me explain!

This project was literally months in the making, from dressing the loom (which I did in stages and just that step alone was worked on over weeks!) to tweaking the loom, to the actual weaving.

This was my first “big” project on my countermarch loom and I felt I was ready for it. I ordered the threads and made my plan – a full width warp (almost 60″), very long (I don’t even remember how many yards I initially put on), fairly fine threads and a 4 shaft, straight draw twill. The plan was to weave enough yardage for 2 skirts. I like long skirts, so wanted plenty of fabric.

So, what went wrong with this grand plan?

Probably too many things to include here, but here were the main issues:

I warped at my warping board and then used the plain beam to warp. Given that it was such a long and wide warp, this was very difficult to do on my own and achieve a suitable tension.

I discovered what weaving a wide warp is like. It’s harder than I thought. It put a lot of strain on my back, having to reach and shuffle across my weaving bench with every throw of the shuttle.

My sheds were… not good! A result of my poorly tensioned warp.

I really should have practiced more with the “new to me” countermarch loom before attempting a project of this magnitude.

It was just a struggle from the beginning and there were no real “ah” moments of settling in and getting into a happy weaving groove with it. It was mostly troubleshooting and battling.

I spent a lot of time at the loom, trying to work through it. I did not want to waste all that warp yarn I still had left.

But eventually it became too much, a built up stress in my mind and I took the scissors and cut the warp off.

PHEW! What a relief! At this stage, I have a little bit of useable fabric and no regrets for the wasted warp. I chalk it up to a learning experience, and boy, did I learn a lot!

I decided to make a list of positive and negative outcomes of this whole experience to see how they balanced out:

The positive outcomes

In my attempt to make this project easier, I attached the flying shuttle race, which I had not yet tried on this loom. I was hoping it would improve my edges and speed up my weaving. Guess what I learned? I don’t like to use a flying shuttle! My edges were worse and the flicking action required for the shuttle irritated my old wrist injury.

2. I bought an end feed shuttle. This was my next attempt to improve my weaving experience, and yes it did and I’m super glad to now have an end feed shuttle in my weaving tool kit. I will be using it frequently!

3. There was a lot of loom/tie up/tension problem solving to do. So, even though it wasn’t a good project for me, it did help me to get to know my loom better and fine-tune things that needed it.

4. I learned that large and long projects in a basic twill are boring for me. I still love the idea of weaving larger projects like blankets, but would choose my weave structure and pattern more carefully.

5. Here is something really important this project taught me. It’s OK to abandon a project!

The negative outcomes

I did feel guilty for wasting yarn. I’m a careful, frugal person in general – I use the material goods I’m blessed with wisely and it went against my natural inclinations to waste yarn when I know there are others who would just love to be able to afford some yarn.

However, the positives have outweighed the negatives considerably and I am glad that I made the decision.

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

So, what is my advice to you?

I am frequently asked about abandoning projects, which is the reason I’m sharing this in the first place. I always encourage a weaver to press forward with a project if they can. But I spend a bit of time troubleshooting with them first, because, more often than not all they need is some encouragement and to try a different technique or two before they are on their way again.

I also encourage you to think carefully and reasonably (as I did with this project) before making any decisions. Getting to a point of extreme frustration and grabbing the scissors before you’ve really thought about it is not a good idea and could lead to real regret.

Here are the things I recommend you consider before making the decision to abandon your project:

If the project is preventing your from moving forward, cut it off. I have heard of weavers who will put a loom away for years because they can’t bring themselves to finish a project – not a positive solution.

Imagine cutting the project off the loom. How does it make you feel? Relieved? Anxious? Happy? Unhappy? Defeated? Enthusiastic?

Is the project sapping your weaving joy? Would starting a new project alleviate that?

What is happening in your life right now? How is your mental health? Do you need to strip things back to basics?

One more thing.

If you are the type of weaver who has the problem that you find it difficult to NOT abandon project after project, that is a separate issue and needs to be addressed. I do think it is important to have discipline and finish projects rather than constantly “project hopping”.

I hope this post has given you some points to think about and make the right decision for you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Ask Kelly – What is the difference between bobbins and quills?

by Kelly 8 Comments

The world of boat shuttles is a vast one, with lots of choices to suit your weaving situation. Today’s Ask Kelly question is about the differences between bobbins and quills used for boat shuttles.

Pictured above – Schacht end feed shuttle (requires pirns).

“Hi Kelly, I was wondering if you could explain the difference between a quill and a bobbin- I have my heart set on using a boat shuttle, finally purchased one only to find that with the bobbin the shuttle I bought, is to high to go through the shed (rigid heddle loom). I found some low profile boat shuttles, however, many of them say they take quills- so- I come to you to find out the difference and if you know of any low profile boat shuttles that take bobbins.
Thanks, Cindy.”

Pictured above – Ashford boat shuttle (requires bobbins).

Hi Cindy,

That is disappointing about your boat shuttle!

The main differences between quills and bobbins are:

Quills are made usually of paper or cardboard, bobbins are generally hard plastic.

Quills are smaller, lightweight and noiseless. You will usually see low profile shuttles require quills, as bobbins are too big for the lower width.

Quills are so named because originally quills from feathers were used to load up yarn in the shuttle.

You can either purchase quills or make them yourself, which makes them a great lower budget option. Usually when you purchase a new boat shuttle online, there will be information included as to what kind of bobbin or quill you need. Even if you’re buying a shuttle second hand, you can google the shuttle type to find out those extra details.

Pirns were not mentioned in the original question, but they are definitely worth noting here too, because again, they are another way of loading some boat shuttles.

A pirn will usually be used with an end feed shuttle and is generally made of wood or plastic. It is long and tapered, so it looks different to both bobbins and quills.

Loading a pirn with your weft thread is not done in the same way as a bobbin or quill. Bobbins are quite simple to load and can be done with either a manual or electric bobbin winder or even an electric drill (I have a video that demonstrates how to do that here) for super fast loading!

Loading a bobbin is a back and forth action, moving from one end of the bobbin to the other as it rotates.

A pirn, on the other hand needs to be started from the larger end and wound in little bouts and repeats. It’s hard to explain without showing! It’s also best to wind a pirn with a purpose built pirn winder (I wish I had one of those!) which holds the pirn at both ends, holding it very steady, but also leaving you with one hand free to tension the yarn as it winds on (which is another difference – a pirn needs very firm tensioning as it’s wound).

I hope this post has helped to clarify bobbins and quills for you. If you have a question you would like to see in a future Ask Kelly post, leave it in the comments section or feel free to email me directly.

If you would like some further resources on boat shuttles in general, have a look at these resources:

Boat shuttle comparison…

Can I use a boat shuttle with my rigid heddle loom?..

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