Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

Weaving

Which loom to buy, part 3 – the Floor Loom

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It’s hard to know where to start the discussion on floor looms for a few reasons. There are many, many types of floor looms available from many different loom companies. Out of the three types of looms I have discussed in this series, a floor loom is the one that requires the most research on the part of the buyer to ensure the right loom is purchased.
My floor loom is the David 2 by Louet
There are 3 main types of floor loom available –
* Countermarch
*Counterbalance
*Jack
 
I’m not going to go into the specifics of each loom here, (my Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving course does that) but there are obvious differences between each one that should affect your decision making. 
 
Lets have a look firstly at the benefits of a floor loom in general:
*Complex patterns can be achieved
*There are many choices for how many shafts, with many looms having upgrades to more shafts later.
*They are large and sturdy pieces of equipment
*They can take long warps and most looms have the ability to install a second warp beam for even longer warps.
*You can weave fast because your feet are operating the treadles, which in turn operate the shafts and there is no need to set the shuttle down in between picks.
*There are many resources available for floor loom weaving, in the form of books, online classes and face to face classes.
*Materials and parts and generally readily available.
*There are so many choices, from a basic 4 shaft to a computerised loom (depends on your budget!)
 
 
 
And, the negatives:
*Many floor looms are large and heavy, so not portable
*Depending on the loom, it can take up a lot of space – so you need to have room to house the loom as well as clearance space so that you can move around the loom for warping etc.
*A floor loom can be very expensive.
*The warping/threading process can be hard on your back.
*Warping is a long process, it takes a while to get used to this fact!
 
 
 
Would I recommend buying a secondhand floor loom? 
Yes and no! If you already have a working knowledge of floor looms so that you can make an educated decision, then absolutely look for a secondhand loom, which can literally save you thousands of dollars.
BUT…
If you are completely new to floor loom weaving, have never used one and are not familiar with the parts and what they do, I would be very cautious about buying secondhand. Many people sell looms from a deceased estate or similar and they really know nothing about weaving or looms – even whether it is in working order. This can actually work in your favour if you are educated because the vendor may sell cheaply, not understanding the value of what they are selling!
 
When looking at a second hand loom ask yourself – 
*Does it have all the necessary parts? If not, what is the make of the loom? Are these still made? Am I going to be able to get replacement parts? If the loom is in pieces – when was it last put together? Am I able to put it together? If the reed is rusty, am I confident that I can return it to it’s former glory? Am I going to regret this purchase because I have not researched enough? And, so on!
 
A great way to buy second hand can be through a weaving guild. The loom will generally have been well cared for and in use. The seller may be willing to give you a lesson on setting up. You can try it out before you buy in many cases. They will know the history of the loom. 
 
Try not to be impatient, wait for the right loom at the right price.
 
The best advice I can give to someone who is in the market for a new or used loom is DO YOUR RESEARCH! Talk to people, read articles, get advice.
 
I hope this series has helped you to understand more about different types of looms.
 
For more on floor loom weaving, check out my free Youtube videos:
 
Tools for floor loom weaving
David 2 by Louet Review
Just me weaving
 
How noisy is the David 2?
 
Or have a look at my Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving Course. 
 
Until next time, Happy Weaving!
 
 
 

Which loom to buy, part 2, The Table Loom

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The table loom is often purchased by either rigid heddle weavers on brand new weavers who want to experience working with multi shafts but don’t wish to commit to a floor loom.


My second loom purchase was an Ashford 8 shaft table loom. (Affiliate link).My back issues at the time were very troublesome and I didn’t want to invest in a floor loom only to find I couldn’t use it. It was a great decision for me at that time.



The table loom is a perfect loom to progress into floor loom weaving – I am grateful for my time on the table loom for this reason, I picked up the floor loom very quickly because I gained a good understanding of multi shaft weaving first. 

Lets look first at the benefits of a table loom:
* Portability. A lot of teachers use them for teaching, as they can fold up the loom (with the weaving still on it!), pack it into a bag and pop it in the car.
*Versatility. Table looms are available from 4 shafts right up to 16 shafts (Ashford make a 16 shaft), making your pattern possibilities huge!
*The levers are easy to learn. You operate the levers (which operate the shafts), throw your pick, place the shuttle down, then beat. Your brain and body don’t have to cope with co-ordinating too much.
*My table loom had a swinging beater, which was really easy to use and I liked the action of it.
*The perfect learning tool. I already mentioned this, but it’s a stand out feature for me. If I had moved straight to a floor loom I may have found it overwhelming, but the table loom was an excellent preparation.
*They are affordable. Some may not agree with me on this point, but when you compare the price of a floor loom you will see what I mean. My table loom cost approximately a third of the price of my floor loom!
*They are upgradable. You can buy a stand and you can also add treadles, making it more like a floor loom. Many table looms can be bought as a 4 shaft with the ability to upgrade to 8 shafts later on.

Now for a few of the not so positives (just my opinion!):
*It can be difficult to get a good, tight tension for throwing the shuttle. My boat shuttle took a lot of dives through the warp when I had my table loom.
*Moving heddles around can be a bit of a pain. For my loom, I had to collapse the castle and take each individual shaft out to arrange or move heddles. I found this time consuming and a little annoying.
*A table loom doesn’t have the strength of a floor loom. It’s excellent for scarves, towels, blankets etc but maybe not the best for say, a floor rug.
*When warping, it can be a little tricky to get around. Because my loom didn’t have a stand, I had to warp at the kitchen table. The loom was quite big (it was an 80cm) and I found it challenging to find the right positions for both the loom and me so that my back wasn’t compromised.
*It can be hard to find information on getting started on a table loom – when I started there was very little help available so there was a lot of figuring out to do. However, a lot of floor loom weaving information is very helpful for a table loom as well.
*The weaving is slower. Because the levers are hand operated, you have to put the shuttle down in between beats.

I have a number of free videos relevant to the table loom, it sure is a popular topic! 

Ashford 8 shaft table loom overview

Table loom weaving demonstration

Rigid heddle/table loom comparison

Table loom/floor loom comparison

And if you have already taken the leap and own a table loom, my Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving Course is very relevant to you.

I hope this post has helped you. Next time, we will discuss the floor loom.

Table loom, rigid heddle loom, floor loom?

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It is so hard to choose a loom when you are brand new to weaving! Without a doubt, the “which loom?” question is the one I get the most. And while I can’t tell you which loom is the perfect one for your individual circumstances, I can tell you a little about different types and their advantages/disadvantages.


Lets start with the humble hero that I recommend most often for absolute beginners:

THE RIGID HEDDLE LOOM

The little champion of the weaving world! That is how I think of this humble loom anyway. I believe it’s thanks to this loom we have seen such an enthusiastic resurgence in weaving. You can view the rigid heddle looms I own (affiliate links):
Ashford 24″
Ashford Sampleit 10″


They come in a variety of sizes, are lightweight and portable, are much more affordable than table or floor looms, are customisable by adding a stand and extra heddles, plus they are simple enough for beginners to get up and weaving quickly. The ability to direct warp means you don’t need a warping board to get started. Threading is straight forward and easy. There is very little yarn wastage. You can adapt the loom to weave tapestries.You can even weave 8 shaft patterns on this loom (I’ve seen it done, but I don’t intend to do it myself – waaay too much work for me!)




That all sounds great right? Surely there must be some drawbacks to this loom? 
Well, there are limitations to the rigid heddle loom. The tension, for example, is not like a floor or table loom. Weaving is slower, as you need to put your shuttle down after each pick in order to beat. I mentioned that you can weave up to 8 shafts, but it would take a lot of patience and mucking around that would have me personally reaching for my floor loom in a jiffy (though I realise that not everyone has that luxury!) 
I don’t really think of these things as negatives, the rigid heddle loom has too much going for it to warrant any real criticism. What I have listed above are more differences as opposed to negatives.






Want to know more about the rigid heddle loom? You may wish to watch my free Rigid Heddle Loom/Table Loom Comparison video. I also have a huge range of videos for rigid heddle weavers or those interested in starting out on my Youtube channel, so be sure to watch, like and subscribe to ensure you don’t miss new videos.


I also have a big range of rigid heddle weaving classes available on my Online Weaving School, I recommend you taking a look!


I hope this article has been helpful to you, next time I will discuss table looms!

Towels just for moi!

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 I recently completed a project that I undertook just for me. Most of my weaving is for classes, patterns or customers, so to set aside the time to weave something for myself was pretty special!


As you may already know, I make bread for my family. I use kitchen towels to cover the rising dough and to cover the finished loaves as they cool. Perfect! Bread towels were what I needed!
I warped with 22/2 cottolin in natural with a red cotton stripe to accent.

Then I decided on M & W threading and some 2/2 twill variations.


I changed up the colour for each new towel so that some have bold patterns and others subtle.


For this one I changed both the colours and the treadling for a feature border.
To finish off, a little embroidery.


I am very happy with my new set of towels. Being hand woven with quality yarn, I know these will last many years in my kitchen.

How about you? Do you find that you’re always weaving or making for someone other than yourself? Perhaps you want to follow my lead and put aside some time to make something special just for you!

Spring Table Runner Free Rigid Heddle Project!

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Winter is fast approaching us here in Australia, but for those in the Northern Hemisphere, you are looking forward to the mildness and beauty of Spring. It’s a wonderful time to be freshening up household linens and table decor with new hand wovens!
 
*This post contains affiliate links
 
The Spring Table Runner project was initially run as a weave along, but can of course be undertaken at any time. I chose light and pastel colours to give that spring feel and also embroidered a delicate spray of flowers on either end of the runner to really make it feel like Spring.

 
The table runner is woven with lovely thick and soft cotton for easy care. The design is worked by using colour in the warp and weft, plus some simple pick up for additional interest.
 
You can download the free, printable PDF for the Spring Table Runner right here-  
Spring-Table-RunnerPDFDownload

What you will need to complete this project:

*A rigid heddle loom, 20″ or wider

*A 7.5 dent reed/heddle

* 2 x stick shuttles, at least as long as the width of your project

*A pick up stick, longer than the width of your project

*A double ended reed and heddle hook or a separate threading hook and reed hook

I know that many of you do not have access to the same yarns that I do. Let’s have a look at some suitable yarns you could use to complete this project:

For the 10 ply/ worsted/aran weight:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 10 ply

Lily Sugar n Cream cotton

Lion Brand 24/7 Cotton

Knit Picks Dishie Worsted cotton

Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton

For the 8 ply/ light worsted/dk weight:

Bendigo Woollen Mills Cotton 8ply

Cestari Old Dominion 100% cotton

Maurice Brassard 8/8 cotton

Yarnsub.com is also an excellent resource for finding a variety of yarns with similar characteristics to what I used. It is a simple site to use, but if you’re unsure, here is an example:

On the homepage, enter into the search box the yarn than you wish to substitute. Here I’ve entered “Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply cotton”.

Hit “enter” on your keyboard or click on the little spy glass. Choose the correct yarn from the list below. In this case, I will click the top yarn.

When you see this page, start scrolling down for all of the listed possible matches or near matches. This particular search gave 50 results!! You will see after each suggested yarn there is a percentage match – that will tell you how well the suggested substitute matches your original search. It’s brilliant!

You can of course substitute colours depending on availability and individual tastes. One of my favourite runners that I’ve seen is this one, woven by Juliet.

A very different colour scheme is used here, but still feels very Spring like and is absolutely beautiful!

The entire playlist of videos for the class can be found here-

The video series plus PDF can also be viewed at my Online Weaving School, if you prefer.

I really hope that this Spring Table Runner brings a little freshness to your table and joy into your home!

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them under this post, I would love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Fear of the loom!

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I am sometimes surprised by the fear that can exist in newer weavers (and often not so new weavers as well). The fear that you will get stuck and not know what to do, the fear that the project won’t turn out the way it’s supposed to, the fear that you are not smart enough to learn how to use your loom, the fear that you will waste yarn if you make a mistake… I could go on.





I know people who have abandoned a new loom into a corner, a spare room or (dare I speak it?) a dusty garage. The fear is too great to make a start and they feel they have failed before even beginning.


I say that I am surprised, but I really shouldn’t be. All it takes is a few moments of thinking back to when I was a new weaver. I was so excited by this beautiful piece of equipment, but silently terrified! What a privilege, but what a responsibility! 

Is that fear still with me? No, although I do sometimes feel an apprehension when trying something new with very expensive yarn!



So, how to rid yourself of the fear? It’s actually very simple. You arm yourself with the knowledge you need and you practice! Read books, find resources, take courses, find weavers, join groups and network. And practice! Start simple and work your way up. Think of how an athlete trains. That is you, at your loom. Training, practicing, learning from mistakes and building knowledge.

If you do this, the magic will start to happen. That magic is CONFIDENCE! And with confidence, the sky is the limit.


If you are at that frozen with fear stage with your loom, perhaps you need some extra resources to help you out. 


My Youtube channel has a plethora of videos to help you get started in weaving.


My Online Weaving School is a great place for learning and gaining confidence. 


My Facebook Group is a friendly and welcoming place for weavers of all levels.





I hope this post will inspire you to go out there and weave beautiful things!



New Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving course

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I am so excited to bring you the news that this course is now available! The Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving course is my biggest class yet, with almost 4.5 hours of video instruction plus printable PDFs.


I designed this course for new floor loom weavers, or those who simply want to “make friends” with their loom and gain confidence weaving. 
The topic list is huge, but includes loom anatomy, calculations, reading drafts, warping, dressing the loom, the mechanics of weaving, and much more! 


The course is project based so participants will end up with a beautiful 3 shaft double cowl scarf. 

I hope to make follow up classes to take students through 4 and 8 shaft projects in the near future.

If you’re interested in this course, visit my Online Weaving School, where you can watch a preview for the class. It is available as a single purchase, or, if you are a subscriber, this course is included in your subscription, simply login to view.

Happy Weaving!

DIY natural hand softener

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Do you ever have problems with dry hands that become rough?

Gardeners are very familiar with this issue, but it can also happen if you frequently use soap for hand washing or are often in a heated environment.

 
 If you work with your hands, dry skin can be frustrating – you will have threads catching on rough skin and if it gets bad enough it may become painful to use and wash your hands – not nice!
 
*This post contains affiliate links. For further information, please see my disclosure policy.
 
 
 
So today I am sharing with you an old embroiderer’s trick to smooth and silky hands in no time, using  natural ingredients that most of you should have in your pantry. And, it really works!
 
 
2 tablespoons white, granulated sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Yep, that’s it!
 
If you want to really treat yourself, you could add a drop or two of essential oil. I use oils from Eco Modern Essentials and my personal favourites to use are lavender, peppermint or rose.
 
 
Mush the two ingredients together in a bowl until it comes together.  Now, with both hands, rub the mixture all over the fronts and backs of your hands. There is not set time for the rubbing, but if you do it too long it may over exfoliate and start to hurt – less is probably more!
 
 
Wash your hands in warm water (you may need just a little soap or wipe on a paper towel or similar to help dissolve the excess oil). Pat your hands dry with a nice soft towel.
 
Follow up with a moisturiser if you wish, though I don’t find it necessary. Enjoy your soft and silky hands!
 
P.S. This towel is the underside of one of my hand woven Lux Hand Towels, the pattern is available in my Etsy shop.
Until next time…
 
Happy Weaving!


Weaving for Christmas

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My favourite time of the year is coming and what better way to celebrate the festivities than by weaving for family, friends and your home!


I have quite a few free video tutorials to get those creative juices flowing:
                                                Christmas Table Runner
 
Christmas Bunting

I hope these inspire you to add some beautiful hand woven

Christmas cheer to your home or someone else’s!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

🎄 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

Overshot uh-oh!

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I tried overshot on 4 shafts for the first time. I put on a massive 8/2 cotton warp (my first mistake – too wide, too long!) thinking I would have a couple of table runners or plenty of baby blankets by the time I was done.
The threading was somewhat complicated, but I got through that and started weaving.
I don’t know, maybe I just don’t enjoy weaving overshot or maybe it’s a bit of inexperience, but this project became a struggle.
Some threading errors became apparent and then the breaking warp threads started. My progress was slow, very slow!
The errors stick out like a sore thumb, but I still wanted to share these photos, firstly to share the disappointments and imperfections, but also in appreciation of the pattern, which is actually pretty cool. The above piece was woven with black bamboo for the pattern and white bamboo for the tabby.
The back of the same piece. 
This was my favourite piece, I used a hand dyed, variegated tencel for the pattern and a mercerised cotton for the tabby.
The back of the same piece.
And this piece I quite like also. I used a thicker hand dyed cotton (8ply) for the pattern and a white bamboo for the tabby.
 
So, what did I learn from this humbling experience? That I’m not as good as I thought I was? Definitely. That my slow progress on the floor loom is starting to frustrate me? Uh huh. That I want to do something about it? Yes!
I’m not giving up, I’ll keep trying and I think that, for now, that is the best I can do.