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Krokbragd Patterns Interview and Giveaway!

Have you all met Debby Greenlaw before? I hope you have, but if not, you may want to read over this post where I reviewed Debby’s first book, the wonderful “Krokbragd – How to Design and Weave”.

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

I am so excited to share the news that Debby has written and released a brand new follow up krokbragd book, titled “Krokbragd Patterns”.

I am doubly excited to announce that, thanks to Debby’s generosity, one of you lucky readers will have the chance to win a personally signed copy of Krokbragd Patterns! Entry details are available at the end of this post.

I thought it the perfect time to have a chat with Debby so that you can all get to know her a little better and find out more about the new book, so grab a cup of tea and get comfy!

Thank you for taking the time to be my blog guest today 😊 Can you start by telling us a little about your weaving journey so far?

“Weaving was my entry into the wonderful world of fiber arts. I am a relatively “late bloomer” in this area, not starting the journey until I retired in 2016 after a 40+ year career as a nurse/nurse practitioner. I purchased an Ashford Sampleit loom at a local fiber festival just to see if I would like this weaving thing . . . I loved it. That lead to a floor loom, a dye garden, a spinning wheel, and eventually knitting needles and crochet hooks!”

What looms do you have and which one gets the most use?

“I have a Leclerc Nilus 4-shaft floor loom, a Kromski Harp Forte rigid heddle, and a Louët Jane 8-shaft table loom. By far the Jane gets used the most!“

You are perhaps most well known for your krokbragd weaving. What is about krokbragd that you love?

“First, I’m drawn to the Scandinavian aesthetic. My heritage says I’m German through and through, but I think there must be some Norse hidden in there. I love the simplicity of design and the color combinations of Scandinavian weaving. Krokbragd embodies both of those characteristics.”

Your first book, “Krokbragd: How to Design and Weave” had been immensely popular. What lead you to write a book all about krokbragd?

“Simply, there wasn’t a book written on the subject. In fact, several years ago, there were very limited resources available on krokbragd. I saw a social media post that said, “someone should write a book,” and I thought I can do that!”

You are just about to release your second book, “Krokbragd Patterns”. Did you decide to write a follow up book based on the feedback received from your first book? What excites you the most about this book?

“You’re absolutely correct. I received emails, comments, and even a review asking for a krokbragd pattern book.

Hmmm . . . what excites me the most. It would have to be the test weavers. Eighteen delightful women answered my request to be test weavers for the book’s projects. Seeing my designs come alive in their talented hand was so exciting. Their feedback, enthusiasm, and encouragement were invaluable to me during the designing and writing process.”

You are blessed to live in a beautiful location. How do you most enjoy spending your days? What should visitors to your region look out for as a “must do”?

“God has graciously blessed my husband and me with a beautiful place to live, a small farm in rural South Carolina. We share our space with 21 dairy goats, a mini donkey, chickens, a barn kitty, and a playful pup! There are many routine farm chores to keep up with, along with the occasional urgency/emergency. I’ve found my nurse practitioner skills translate well to farm animals! In addition to fiber arts, I also like to garden.

South Carolina is diverse in natural beauty. It is one of the smaller U.S. states but stretches from the seashore to the mountains. It is also rich in history and historical sites and gardens.”

You can find more great weaving information on Debby’s blog, Flora & Fiber. Books can be purchased through the blog, on Amazon or in selected stores.

Purchase Krokbragd – How to Design and Weave

Purchase Krokbragd Patterns

Now, about that giveaway! To enter, leave a comment below that describes why you would love to win a signed copy of Krokbragd Patterns. If your comment doesn’t show up right away, don’t worry, I will approve it when I see it (I have to keep those spammers at bay!)

Open to anyone worldwide.

I will draw the lucky winner on the Saturday 17th of April, 2021.

THE GIVEAWAY HAS NOW CLOSED. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER, CHERI SUTHERLAND!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is your excuse?

by Kelly 20 Comments

Many years ago, there was a beautiful little yarn and embroidery shop in an upmarket seaside suburb around 30 minutes drive from my home. Visiting was a treat, as the shop was in an historic stone building, had several rooms and was wonderful just to look at.

I couldn’t afford to spend much on yarn or supplies back then, but I once splurged on some beautiful cashmere yarn to knit a hat for my newborn, and I even once went to the extravagance of buying a pretty floral handkerchief for each of my girls, just because I wanted them to have something pretty.

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

One time, my husband drove past this shop with a new work colleague. She pointed at the shop and said “that’s for people with too much time on their hands”.

My husband was slightly bemused, knowing that I was a customer of the shop. He also knew that, at that moment, I was at home, caring for and homeschooling our 4 young children. On a good day, I was able to take 30 minutes to 1 hour to work on a craft project. Many days, I was either too busy or too exhausted to even consider doing something creative. I certainly didn’t fit the profile of someone with too much time on her hands!

Time is a funny thing. Our ideas and beliefs about time are funny too. Often when people say they “don’t have time” to do something, it is really just a bit of a cover up. An excuse.

An excuse to not have to exert effort in order to learn something new. Maybe they know they have to save some money to buy the necessary materials to start learning and that is something they don’t want to do. Maybe (and I think perhaps this is the most common reason people make excuses) is to hide the fact that they are afraid of failing.

Since I started my Online Weaving School almost 4 years ago, I’ve heard from thousands of weavers all over the world from all walks of life. Many are brand new to weaving, some have been weaving for some time, and others have not yet begun but have a desire to start.

I’ve heard frequently from people who say they have been wanting to learn to weave for 20, 30, 50 years! Overwhelmingly, new weavers have told me that they wish they had started earlier instead of waiting for “the right time”.

You see, the majority of people live their lives in a box of societal expectation.

Finish school. Go to college. Get married. Have a family. Somewhere in amongst all of that, buy a house. A couple of cars. Work. Raise your family. Keep working. Kids are grown up and left home? Now you have more time to work! Accumulate more stuff with the money you earn from working. Indulge in expensive holidays in an attempt to recuperate from working. Go back to work, after all, someone has to pay for the lifestyle I’ve just described. And then…. one day, finally, you get to retire! THEN you have the time to do all the things you have been really wanting to all these years. You’re likely in your early 70’s by this stage.

None of the above are bad things, they are good things. It is good to get married and raise a family (in fact, I think it’s one of the best things anyone can do!) It is good and necessary to work. Holidays are lovely. Having things you want is nice. But these things are not exclusive, and they don’t have to be compartmentalised.

I have not approached my life as a checklist of things to be done before I can invest in myself and my passions. I am raising children right now, still homeschooling, caregiving and providing. My role as a wife and mother are very important to me. And yet, it is also very important that I get time to be creative and work on things I love. Doing so makes me a better wife, mother and person. It’s part of who I am.

When I began weaving, we had small children and very little money. Yes, I too had my mental excuses as to why I couldn’t learn to weave. Not enough time. No spare money. I needed to wait for the right time. I might not be smart enough to do it.

But, with my husband’s help, I became convinced that it was a good thing to do, and we worked past the excuses to make it happen. To say that the decision to save for and purchase my first rigid heddle loom has been life changing would be putting it very mildly!

And it’s not just me, only yesterday a student told me that learning to weave has been “life affirming” for her.

If you have been wanting to learn to weave, but for “some reason” have not started, I encourage you to look at your situation realistically. Are your reasons actually excuses? Are they a cover up for something else?

I want to talk just a little more about time. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. We also have choices about how those hours are used. Do you work all day, get home and collapse in front of the tv? This might seem a little harsh to some, but I am sure that if you have time to watch tv, you have a lot more free time than you might think. Do you spend hours surfing the internet or on social media? Then, guess what? You have time to learn something new!

Overrun with little kids? Yep, I’ve been there and I would use their nap or sleep times in order to do something creative. If that didn’t work out, I would involve them in what I was doing in order to get that time for myself. Sometimes that would be having a child sort through my button or ribbon collection, which they thought was awesome fun. Sometimes it would be having a child sit on my lap while weaving to “help” me beat.

Last year, I wrote a post about planning and prioritising in your days so that you could make time to do the things you really wanted to. I included a printable daily planner that I hope some of you might use to make some plans and goals.

What I want you to get out of this post at the very least is that you don’t know what you don’t know. You need to take that first step of trying and then another step, and then another. The point is to make a start, because retirement could be a long time away!

……………………………………………….

One more story that struck me when I read it in a magazine and has stayed with me for years. An older woman was sitting in a doctor’s waiting room. She was knitting while she waited.

A man who was also waiting and had been observing her, suddenly asked “Why do you waste your time doing that?”

The woman replied “When I leave here, I will have half a dish rag, what will you have?”

……………………………………………………

What I want you to get out of this at the very most is that you are worth it. You’re worth the time, money and effort investment and I know that if you truly want to, you can do it!

If you would like to view this post in video format (and watch me weave), I invite you to watch here-

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What do I need to get started in rigid heddle weaving?

by Kelly 9 Comments

I’m going to make a bold statement. 2020 is the year of the weaver!

Yes, this year has been very difficult, very strange, and frequently lacking in positivity. But as I’m the kind of person who likes to look for the good things in the face of adversity, I think in many ways it has been a really wonderful year, full of opportunity and promise!

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

I don’t have any exact figures, but I know that weaving, and rigid heddle weaving in particular has seen a massive popularity surge this year.

It totally makes sense. Most of us have been through some sort of lockdown (some of us multiple lockdowns!) and have found ourselves shut in our homes with a lot of extra time on our hands.

I’m so happy to see that so many people have used this unprecedented time to start something new or to dive in to something they always wanted to do.

Perhaps we can use this as life inspiration for going forward. So many of us are waiting for just the right time to do what we truly love. The fact is, for some, that right time may never come. If we have learned anything this year, I think maybe it should be – DON’T WAIT! START NOW!

So, if you are one of the many who have started weaving this year or are waiting on your new loom to arrive, welcome! It’s so good to have you on the journey.

I thought that it might be useful today, to look at the bare basics you need to get started in rigid heddle weaving. I’ll break down and explain each item you will need to get up and running.

A rigid heddle loom

That’s a can of worms right there! There are a lot of choices and in the interests of not keeping you here for the next 3 days, I’m going to keep this section brief and refer you to further learning resources if you need them.

I do want to say, you do not need the biggest, most expensive loom if you’re just starting out. If you’ve never used a rigid heddle loom and are not sure what to expect, start out small. A Sampleit (I have one of these!) or Cricket is a perfect size for practicing weaving, and you might be surprised at the range of items you can weave, even on a small loom.

If you have already tried out a loom and have goals for the types of items you want to weave, you may want to go with something larger. As a general guide, a 24″ loom is great for scarves, towels, table runners and bags. A 32″ and larger is great for large shawls, baby blankets and yardage fabric.

For a larger loom you will also want to consider purchasing a stand for ease of use.

If you want to know more about various looms available, how to choose a loom that will suit you and what you can achieve with a rigid heddle loom, go here.

2. A heddle/reed

You will receive a heddle/reed with your rigid heddle loom. It will either be a 7.5 or 8 dent, depending on the brand. This is a great size to start out with and you don’t need to purchase any other sizes initially unless you are really keen to work with some lighter (fingering weight, 8/2 weight) yarns.

If you do want to grab an extra heddle, I recommend a 10 dent – it’s a great all rounder.

3. A stick shuttle

You should also receive a stick shuttle appropriate to the size of your loom when you purchase. This is what you wind your weft yarn on to in order to weave.

If you want to weave with more than one weft colour (say if you’re weaving stripes) you will want more than one stick shuttle. They are quite affordable, and some weavers even make their own.

If you need to know how to wind a stick shuttle, check out this video:

4. A threading/reed hook

You may or may not receive a threading and reed hook with your loom, but you will definitely need them! They can be purchased as a separate threading hook or reed hook, but I love to use my double ended heddle hook.

These are two tools in one, they are cheap, I like that they lie flat and don’t roll off surfaces and I find the flexibility of the plastic great when threading. I have also found that metal hooks tend to split my yarn when I’m using a thicker yarn, whereas the plastic is a little kinder.

If you need tips on how to thread your rigid heddle loom, check out this video:

5. Separators

You will need something to separate your warp with when rolling it on to the loom. This is crucial for good tension. You have a few options for separators.

Cardboard stick separators
Corrugated cardboard
Roll of thick paper (this is my favourite)
Drawer liner

6. Warping peg

Most weavers start out warping their looms directly, using a warping peg. This is a really fast and easy way to warp and also means you don’t have the added expense of a warping board, frame or mill. A warping peg and clamp may come with your loom, as well as an extra clamp for fixing your loom to a table.

7. Inch ruler

This is used to determine the correct sett of your yarn. This is particularly important when you’re starting out and getting to know how different yarns behave in different projects.

You could also use a wraps per inch tool or yarn gauge or a sett checker.

If you need to know how to determine sett for your yarn, have a look at this video:

8. Scissors

A nice, sharp pair of scissors will save you a lot of headaches. I have a large pair of dressmaking shears for cutting off the warp and cutting my handwoven fabric and a smaller, embroidery sized pair I keep close to the loom for snipping weft threads. Some weavers like to use thread snips as their smaller pair.

9. Tape measure

You will need a tape measure to measure out your warp length and to measure your weaving as you advance your warp. I am frequently seen with a tape measure hanging around my neck, I use them so often!

They are very affordable, so I like to have a few that I can leave in different places and always have one near at hand.

10. Yarn

We’re not going to be able to achieve much with our looms and equipment unless we have the yarn to play with! Many of you will have come to weaving from knitting and crochet and will already have a healthy stash to delve into. Knitting yarns are great for beginning weaving.

For those of you with no stash, don’t worry, just start out simple. Don’t go out and buy all the yarns – plan your project and just get the yarn you need to begin with. Or weave a sampler with small amounts of yarn.

But wait, you say! I have no idea where to start with yarn. You’re not alone in that, but relax, I have created resources to help you with that:

Choosing and using yarns in weaving

3 Yarns beginners should avoid

Which weight of yarn should I choose?

If some of the terminology I’ve used in this article is confusing to you, why not head over and check out my Weaving Glossary? I suggest you bookmark it so that you can refer back to it as much as needed.

Once you have all the tools you need to begin, then it gets really exciting! If you are ready to dive in and get weaving, I recommend you check out my Online Weaving School. You will find classes for all levels, including free and paid classes.

If you are an absolute beginner, you definitely need to enrol in my best selling From Woe to Go! Beginner Rigid Heddle Weaving course.

If it’s a free project you’re looking to start out with (or for a second or third project perhaps), have a look at my list of free tutorials here. In particular, I want to recommend a project that has been massively popular this year, the Wash Your Hand Towels.

I hope this article has been useful to you, if you have any questions or comments, leave them down below!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

Troubleshooting loose slot threads

by Kelly 31 Comments

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

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

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

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

How do I know if my tension is good enough?

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

Too loose

Your warp threads bunch in between weft picks (rows)

You have floats or skipped warp threads often

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

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

Too tight

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

You have warp threads breaking

You feel a lot of resistance when trying to beat

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

Getting the warp right

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

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

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

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

2. Consider a shorter warp

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

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

3. The tie on

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

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

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

4. Know your yarns

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

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

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

Choosing and using yarns in weaving

What is a superwash wool yarn?

3 yarns beginner weavers should never use!

5. Stuff it!

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

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

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

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

6. One sided looseness

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

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

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

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

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

7. Warping in down shed

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

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

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

3 Ways to Jazz up Plain Weave

by Kelly 8 Comments

I love plain weave, I really do. But sometimes I just think that it is so fun to jazz it up with something special!

Today I’m going to show you three ways that you can jazz up your plain weave, and have some fun with it.

I’ve written several other articles on simple things you can do on the loom for major impact. Things like Colour and Weave , Rigid Heddle Patterns for Beginners and techniques for Making Pictures with your Loom.

*This post contains affiliate links.

I’ve structured this lesson as a sampler for those of you who want to follow along with me and weave a sampler of your own. I used my 10″ Sampleit loom, but any rigid heddle loom will do as we’re only weaving an 8″ width.

All of the yarns, calculations and warp details are contained within this printable PDF, so please download that to access all of that information:

3-Ways-to-jazz-up-plain-weave-part-1 Download

STRIPES

The first example for the sampler is a pretty easy one, but has many variations that really pack a punch visually – stripes!

My example doesn’t look much like stripes because I was using one weft colour in blue and the other matched the maroon warp – so rather than traditional stripes you can end up with dots, dashes and squiggly lines. Pretty cool!

2. LOOPS

This is a super fun technique that requires a bit of patience but is not hard to do. You use a knitting needle to pull up loops of weft between warp threads. This gives a really interesting and textured look, but also has practical applications, like for wash cloths. I employed this technique as a feature in my Lux Hand Towels pattern.

3. BUTTERFLIES

Admittedly, my first attempt at butterflies looked rather spider like, but the second lot were much better. Whatever the case, this is a fun and unique technique where you use a pick up stick to make extra long floats and then CUT them while on the loom! Pretty wild, huh?

In conjunction with the PDF I have for you here, you will definitely want to check out the corresponding video for a full demonstration of all the techniques. You can view that here:

In the video, quite a few links were mentioned. I’m putting them here so that they are easy for you to find-

Online Weaving School

Sampleit loom

Woe to Go! Beginner Rigid Heddle Weaving class

Neat edges for colour changes video

I hope you really enjoy this little sampler project and that it gets your creative weaving juices flowing over! Which of the three techniques is your favourite? Will you weave a sampler of your own?

Stay tuned, as next week I will have part two of this series ready with even more techniques for jazzing up your plain weave!

Until then…

Happy Weaving!

How is a knitter’s loom different to a rigid heddle loom?

by Kelly 41 Comments

As you probably already know, I’m a big fan of Ashford looms, I have four of them myself. I have found their looms to be reliable, easy to obtain, excellent learning tools and affordably priced.

Ashford make a variety of looms including the rigid heddle, knitter’s loom, inkle looms, table looms and floor looms. They also make a big range of weaving tools, yarns and accessories, as well as all their other supplies for fibre artists.

*This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details.

Ashford rigid heddle loom, photo courtesy of Ashford website.

I also love that the Ashford factory is based in New Zealand, my second favourite country (after Australia, of course!) and all the wood used is sourced from there too.

But today I want to focus on two of their looms that are very popular but also cause some confusion among new weavers – the knitter’s loom and the rigid heddle loom.

If you’re interested in knowing more about looms prior to purchasing, or just out of interest, I have a list of articles and videos that will be a big help to you.

Ashford Knitter’s loom, photo courtesy of Ashford website.

Having never actually used a knitter’s loom myself, I knew it was time to call in some expert knowledge on the subject, and who better to answer my questions than Kate Sherratt from Ashford.

Kate was very generous in not only answering my questions but in giving me extra information for all of us to learn from. Let’s start with a little history of the rigid heddle and knitter’s looms:

Ashford’s have been making Rigid Heddle looms for over 70 years. Pictured below is Richard Ashford’s mother, Joy with one of their early looms.

The Knitters looms are a more recent addition and were introduced in 2005. These looms are a type of rigid heddle loom but with some differences.

One of the aims of the knitters loom was to change the mindset that you can only weave with weaving specific yarns. It paved the way for knitters, who already had a healthy stash of knitting yarn, to ease seamlessly into weaving and continue to utilise the yarn they already knew and loved.

The release of the knitter’s loom brought a whole new wave of crafters and fibre artists into the weaving world. It had features that were very attractive to the brand new weaver who wanted to get up and weaving really fast.

It folded with weaving in place, it was lighter and more compact than previous rigid heddle looms, it had the factory lacquer finish and it was assembled.

So, which loom is the right one for you?

Ashford now make three types of rigid heddle looms – The Standard Rigid Heddle looms (RH), the Knitters looms (KL) and the SampleIt looms (SL).

Kate points our that all these looms are exactly the same in the way they function – you warp and weave on them in the same way.

The difference comes down to personal preference:

What size do you prefer? What do you intend to weave the most?

How much money do you want to spend?

How much space do you have?

Will you want your loom to be as portable as possible?

Let’s take a look at the differences between the three types:

RH come in four weaving widths 40cm (16″), 60cm (24″), 80cm (32″) and 120cm (48″).

KL come in three weaving widths 30cm (12″), 50cm (20″) and 70cm (28″)

SL come in two weaving widths 25cm (10″) and 40cm (16)

KL come assembled and have a factory lacquered finish and include a carry bag, making it very convenient to take to a class or outing.

RH come kitset and unfinished timber. This means you need to do your own lacquering, painting or waxing and assembling.

SL come kitset and unfinished.

KL fold in half for storage and transportation, can fold with weaving in place. Are made of the lighter timber.

RH are made of thicker more solid timber and do not fold.

SL are smaller, lighter and more compact – the most prominent difference is the depth of the loom – which will only effect the weaving when using non elastic yarns like cotton.

RH have more accessories available – the freedom roller, the table stand, and the warping pegs are exclusive for the standard rigid heddle looms.

What these three looms have in common:

6 different dpi reeds are available for all.

Vari dent reeds are available for all.

Stands are available for all.

They all can be warped the same.

They all can be woven on the same ways.

They all are affordable.

They all work extremely well, are well designed and do what they are supposed to do.

I also had some specific questions for Kate. These are things I am often asked by students.

*Can you use two heddles on a knitter’s loom?

All our rigid heddle looms come standard with the double heddle sideposts – as far as using three heddles go, I cannot personally comment as I have not tried it myself but I have seen people using three heddles on all our rigid heddle looms – including the SampleIts (see Amy McKnight’s recent posts).

I will also add here that I have several classes available on using more than one heddle. The most popular classes are Three Heddle Adventures and Weaving with Two Heddles

* Students have told me they have trouble when weaving the down shed on their knitter’s loom. They say that the heddle slips out of place.

On the Knitters loom the reed is held in the bottom position by the warp tension. It does not click into place or stay there when there is no warp on it, it is not supposed to. (the standard rigid heddle reed does not either, it only hangs from the upper rail, and as the KL has to fold the rails needed to be different).

*Students have also mentioned that they need to angle the back of the knitter’s loom in order to weave. Can you explain this?

See the attached snippet from the Learn to Weave on the Knitters loom booklet (that comes with the loom) – the design of the loom, so it could fold etc, requires the back half of the loom to be angled up when weaving. This is probably the number one issue people have when starting out “help I have no shed” – to which the simple answer is lift the back up into the correct position.

*Are the heddle positions the same on each loom?

The heddle position are actually the same on all the looms – the distance is the same from the top to the bottom and to the neutral positions – it has to be the same as our reeds (the distance from the top rail to the eye and to the bottom rail) are all the same. And the sheds are the same…..

*How long a warp can you fit on each of these looms?

This does depend on a few things – yarn type, sett, warp separators etc. The limiting factor is the distance the cross rails are from the rollers – which varies from 7cm to 10cm. So you can fit quite a length!

*Is there anything else you think is important that people know about the looms?

You can do the same things on all the looms – there is not one that performs better technically – it really does come down to personal preference – and my personal preference is the good old work horse – the standard rigid heddle.

The question when buying a rigid heddle loom should not be “what can I do on a rigid heddle loom?” it should be what can’t you do! And although I do have Jack and Katie (and a couple of table looms) – my Rigid heddle looms (of course there are several) hold a special place in my heart – my love of weaving came not only from being taught to weave on a rigid heddle loom but more from all the possibilities there was from a simple piece of equipment – I know it sounds corny but there really are unlimited possibilities!

I get a little cranky when I here people say “oh you are limited on what you can do on a rigid heddle” – because really when you control the type of yarn (or fibre) you use, the colour you use, the texture you use, the sett you use, the patterns you create – the limits don’t really come from the loom they come for your imagination. And as 75% of the woven fabric in the world is plain weave – do you really need something else?

Wise words, thank you Kate!

One more thing I want to clear up is how to clamp the knitter’s loom to a table. This can confuse new weavers, because although clamps do come with the knitter’s loom, there are no holes present to insert the clamps into, like there are with other RH looms.

The answer is very simple, as you can see here:

These instructions, and more, are available from the Ashford website.

I hope this post has helped to clear up any confusion and answer some of your burning questions. Of course, you are welcome to leave any additional questions in the comments.

Do you own a knitter’s loom? A rigid heddle loom? A Sampleit? Was it a difficult decision for you? What helped you decide? Let’s keep the conversation going!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is a superwash wool yarn?

by Kelly 20 Comments

I have talked quite a bit about yarns in weaving recently, but now I would like to get a little more into the specifics of individual yarns. Superwash wool yarn is a somewhat controversial yarn for fibre artists. In this article, I’m going to attempt to outline what superwash woollen yarn is in a factual manner.

I contacted my local, much loved woollen mills (Bendigo Woollen Mills) where I buy a lot of knitting yarn to use in my weaving projects. They were very helpful in explaining how their superwash yarns are treated and in pointing me towards further information to aid my own research. Interestingly, they said that although they offer both treated and untreated yarns, due to customer demand, 80% of their yarns are superwash.

I want to start by pointing out that I think it is very important for each weaver to decide whether they want to use a particular yarn or not, based on their own personal preferences. I have a huge number of students from all over the world and all different backgrounds. I pass no judgement on a weaver’s personal choice and I do not support yarn shaming in any shape or form.

If you’re in the beginner phase, and your head is swimming with confusion in regards to yarn choices, I have some helpful and free resources for you. You can begin by eliminating possibly troublesome yarns, at least for your first few projects, by reading 3 Yarns Beginner Weavers should Never Use! Then move on to the in depth Choosing and Using Yarns in Weaving.

If you’re really baffled about yarn sizes, I have two other resources that will really help you out. The Weaver’s Toolkit is an e-booklet that provides you with yarn conversion charts, recommended heddle sizes and a bunch of other quick reference information. I also have a short class What Do All the Numbers Mean? that will take your through an explanation of what all those numbers on your weaving yarn cone mean and various measuring systems that are industry standards.

Alright, let’s have this superwash discussion.

When you purchase woollen (usually a knitting yarn), if you read the care label instructions, it will either say “hand wash” or “machine washable”. This is how you know whether it’s a superwash yarn or not – machine washable means that it is superwash. And that means that the yarn is treated. Let’s investigate the treatment process further and why the wool is treated in the first place.

We all know that wool is quite hairy and clingy. Woollen yarn just loves to grab onto itself – the surface is scaly and these scales want to be joined as one! This is accentuated in the washing process. If you wash a non superwash wool yarn in hot, soapy water and create some friction, you will end up with felted fabric.

The superwash process removes these outer scales of the yarn with chemicals. The yarn is then coated with a synthetic coating (Hercosett is the industry standard) which smooths the exterior of the yarn. Because the scales are no longer present to interlock with one another, and the additional synthetic coating has been used, it becomes impossible for the yarn to felt in the washing process. It also means that, under the right conditions, a finished woollen piece can be washed in a washing machine (always follow care instructions for temperature specifics and correct steps). The superwash process generally leaves a yarn with a soft, smooth feel.

So, what is all the controversy about? There are a few main issues that some people have with superwash wool.

Environmental impact
Is the treated product still “natural?”
Economic impact

*I need to put in a disclaimer here. This information has been collated from my own internet research. I have tried to only include facts without opinions. Some of the things I’m going to mention here are difficult to talk about with a lot of accuracy as it may not be measurable and also I only have access to information I can find on the internet. If, for example, I mention potentially toxic waste water, I have no way of quantifying what level of toxicity or if the toxicity is actually present. I don’t work in the industry, I don’t have inside information. The intention of this article is just to share information so that weavers can make informed choices when purchasing yarn and do some further research if it’s a concern for you.

Environmental impact:

The superwash process uses large amounts of water. In addition to the quantity of water used, some consumers are concerned that the waste water leaving the yarn processing plants could be toxic.

Then there are the chemicals themselves. Hercosett is a polyamide-epichlorohydrin polymer and some argue that it is a highly dangerous substance, while other sources will state that the chemicals used to create the polymer are toxic, but this doesn’t mean that the end product (the polymer itself) going through the correct chemical process is not safe.

Is the end product still natural?

The end product, in its basic form, is a woollen yarn that has a very fine exterior coating of polymer. As polymers are a type of plastic, some will argue that the yarn itself, following superwash treatment is now a plastic product and no longer natural. I have also seen some insistence that this type of polymer is not a type of plastic. You begin to see what I mean about conflicting information and opinions!

Others will hold the view that the product is still very much wool, it just has an artificial coating that is not actual detectable. This could be seen in the same light as many commercially available textiles in which “sizing” is used. This involves the application of resins (these can come from various sources, including petroleum) to fabric or clothing prior to retailing. Sizing is used to make clothes or fabric hold their shape and look good prior to purchase. This may be a poor example on my part though, because as far as I know, the sizing can be removed when you wash the fabric or clothing prior to use.

Economic impact:

Many woollen yarns are processed off shore for superwash processing. The country of choice in which to have yarn processed is often China as it is cheaper for businesses to send they yarn, have it processed, then have it sent back again. Many countries just don’t have the facilities for this type of processing.

I know that I’ve only covered the basics in this article, and given the differing information and opinions on the use of superwash wool, I’m going to provide a varied list of links from other people’s websites here in case you want to do some further research of your own:

Superwash and its alternatives

What’s Wrong with Washable Wool

The Truth about Superwash Wool

About Superwash Treatment

In Support of our Australian Wool Industry

Is Superwash Yarn Environmentally Sustainable

And of course, if you want to find even more information, then google is your friend.

Thank you for joining me today! I invite comments on this topic, but as it can be a sensitive one, I ask you to keep it a respectful and helpful discussion. Thank you for keeping this a happy and informative space 😊

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

10 Tips to improve your weaving today

by Kelly 19 Comments

Learning to weave is a real journey and it takes time. There is no magic potion or secret ingredient to becoming a better weaver. It takes persistence, time and dedication.

I’ve written a post addressing these facts already – 5 Steps to Successful Weaving, but today I want to give you some short and simple tips that you can do today to improve your weaving.

*This post contains affiliate links

Let’s launch right in!

Don’t run before you walk.

It’s easy to look too far ahead in your enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is great, in fact, it’s essential, but don’t let it blind you. Start at the level you’re at and work your way up. If you choose something too difficult for your weaving level, you may be setting yourself up for frustration.

2. Don’t choose the best yarn for your first project

The temptation of a gorgeous yarn with a big price tag is real. A beautiful yarn can be the perfect inspiration for a new project. But not as a beginner. And not until you’re confident that the picture you have in your head of your next project is likely to turn out how you want it to. Once again, the frustration will kick in if all doesn’t go as smoothly as you hoped. You have the extra pressure of the yarn price tag hanging over you. Keep the fabulous yarn for when you’re ready.

3. Begin with yarns that have some elasticity

It just makes beginner weaving life so much easier. A yarn with some elasticity (a woollen knitting yarn is perfect) will stretch just enough and is so forgiving that you should not have real issues with tension. Rigid yarns eg. cotton is much harder to tension on a rigid heddle loom. Wool, on the other hand, works with you, rather than you feeling like you’re working with (or for) it.

4. Start with thicker yarns – knitting yarns are perfect.

A thicker yarn (I recommend a light worsted/dk/ Aussie 8 ply) is great to begin with for a couple of reasons. The thickness is usually the perfect match for your standard 7.5 – 8 dent heddle/reed that came with your loom. So, no need to purchase extra sized heddle/reeds right away. It also weaves up much faster, and I think it’s important to make your first few projects very achievable and not be a massive time commitment. This will make you feel better about tackling the next project.

5. Commit regular time intervals to learning by doing

If your loom sits in a cupboard or your garage, guess what? You’re not going to learn how to weave. You’re not going to improve. And you will probably feel bad about it. If you are a busy person (let’s face it, who isn’t?!) then you may even find it beneficial to plan and schedule your weaving time so that it’s enough of a priority that you will weave regularly. I’m of the opinion that it is more beneficial to your learning journey to weave little and often than a big chunk of time occasionally. You’re training your brain to do new things, so consistency is important! Also, if you can have a dedicated space or at least not have to completely pack up everything after every weave session, that will be a great help and motivator.

6. Expect little – you might surprise yourself.

Hope for the best, but don’t place unrealistic expectations on yourself. Learning new skills takes time and patience, there is no way around that. Yes, some will learn quickly and some will take longer and that’s completely normal. If you haven’t seen my Slow Learning video, you should check it out:

7. Record your project information

You’re not being your own best weaving friend if you don’t take the time to record information from your projects to refer back to. You may think you will remember all the details, but chances are you won’t. I learned early on to write things down before, during and after my project. It is so worse the time. It helps you to not repeat annoying mistakes but also allows you to repeat the things that were desirable. My Weaver’s Toolkit downloadable e-booklet is a great help for recording purposes, it includes warping and weaving calculations sheets plus a project record sheet.

8. Sample.

It took me a while to become a true sampling convert. I do it often now. It’s a guaranteed way to know that your project will turn out well. You have to invest a little yarn and time, but it is very satisfying beginning a project with that kind of confidence.

9. Find the right resources for you.

If you need help, find help. The kind of help will be different depending on your needs. You may find weaving books really helpful, (check out my Amazon shop for my favourites) you may want to access some online lessons, or you may be lucky enough to either live near to face to face classes or know someone who weaves already.

10. There is almost always a fix

If you mess up, it’s not the end of the world! Most mistakes can be rectified. You may need to find extra resources when you encounter a problem but that is a positive part of your learning process. I always say that if I hadn’t made so many mistakes I wouldn’t have learned as much as I have. Make sure you’re subscribed to my Youtube channel where I have many, many videos that can help you out of a tricky situation.

11. Do not use sticky yarns if you are a beginner. I repeat, Do not use sticky yarns if you are a beginner!

I know, I said “10 tips” and this is number 11. But I must make this point, it’s that important.

Please! Just don’t do it!! You wouldn’t believe the number of emails I get from students stuck (pun intended) in their project because of a sticky yarn that won’t let them get a clear shed and causes all kinds of angst and hair tearing activity. Even bad language, so I’ve heard.

So, just don’t do it. No fluffy, sticky yarns (just forget all about that mohair for now). Save the stickies for later (if you really want to – I just generally prefer to avoid them!) and plan the project carefully.

If you need more information on choosing appropriate yarns, check out these other articles I’ve written on the topic:

Choosing and Using Yarns in Weaving…

3 Yarns Beginner Weavers should NEVER use!…

What is Superwash Woollen Yarn?…

I hope these tips are useful to you! If you have any questions, please leave me a comment, I love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

The Weaver’s Toolkit for rigid heddle weaving

by Kelly 2 Comments

There is a lot of information available for newer rigid heddle weavers nowadays, not like when I started and almost felt that I was on my own. But the problem that arises when there are so many resources is trying to make sense of them and put them all together. I thought it was time for me to do something about that!

I created the Weaver’s Toolkit e-booklet as a quick reference guide and go – to resource. It is invaluable to newer weavers, but also to seasoned rigid heddle weavers as a way of having important and useful information all together in one place. As with all my content, I’ve packed in as much information as I could for a really affordable price.

Oh, and it’s pretty too! ❤️

The thing that I really love about teaching weaving and having a large online audience is that my people tell me what they need. I hear about the most common weaving difficulties and the problems that plague them the most. And then I get to help by offering advice, links and resources like the Weaver’s Toolkit!

*This post contains an affiliate link

So, let’s have a look at what is actually in this e-booklet.

Available as a digital download from my Etsy shop, the Weaver’s Toolkit is a 22 page e-booklet that covers some really important information and guides.

I wrote the e-booklet for rigid heddle weavers, so all of the information applies to the rigid heddle loom.

I started out with calculation sheets. These are just so important when you’re starting to weave, the mathematics takes a little getting used to, but once you are, you can plan to weave anything. I use these sheets with every single project I weave. Not only for planning purposes, but also as an important record of the project specifics once I’ve finished.

The calculations sheets included in the e-booklet are similar to the free sheets you can find here, but are more detailed and much more attractive to look at!

There is a record sheet aside from the calculations sheet that will help you to properly record all the details from your project to prevent “project amnesia” (it’s not just me that suffers from this condition, right?)

The yarn conversion charts are so useful. Something I’ve found a difficulty as a weaver (and I know many of you do too!) is trying to decipher different yarn names from country to country. The names, the thicknesses, the appropriate uses of the yarn, it can be so confusing! The quick reference sheets in the Weaver’s Toolkit makes it easy.

I have a section on sett, which I thought was really essential to include in the booklet. One you understand how to properly measure your yarn for an appropriate sett, you will completely take the guess work and anxiety out of any project. The yarn will tell you what to do, you just have to know how to listen, and I explain it and give links for additional resources. It’s easy once you know how!

I also have information on tools you need for rigid heddle weaving, what you don’t need, and what could be handy for you to own down the track.

The measurement conversion sheets are another handy guide included, to help you quickly and easily translate patterns or projects into the terms that you personally know and use.

The glossary of weaving terms demystifies common terms used in rigid heddle weaving so that you can look them up whenever you need to and begin to memorise them over time.

Finally, there is a sizing chart for typical projects or items you might want to weave. Things like baby blankets, household linens, and bedding. This will help you to plan for the dimensions needed for many items you will be weaving.

To recap what exactly you get when you purchase the Weaver’s Toolkit, here is a list of topics covered:

*Detailed calculating warp and weft sheets

*Project record sheet

*Knitting yarn conversion chart

*Knitting yarns and the rigid heddle loom chart

*Weaving yarns size and recommendations charts

*Sett explanation and instruction pages

*Rigid Heddle Weaving tools pages

*Measurement conversions sheets

*Glossary of common weaving terms sheets

*Typical project sizing charts

All of this is collated into a digital file which, once downloaded, you can print out and keep as a quick reference guide.

The calculations and record sheets can be printed and used over and over for every weaving project you undertake. I’ve provided calculations sheets with and without artwork, for those who may wish to economise on ink.

The Weaver’s Toolkit is available to purchase, download and print right now by clicking on the link below.

Yes, please take me to the Weaver’s Toolkit…

If you have any questions about the booklet, please leave them in the comments below, I love to hear from you!

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

How to weave Reindeer on your rigid heddle loom

by Kelly 4 Comments

Weaving Reindeer on your rigid heddle loom is a fun Christmas project! This follows on from my recent post on weaving Snowmen on a rigid heddle loom.

*This post contains affiliate links

To weave reindeer, we use the same technique of a type of overshot. I was originally inspired to utilise this type of weaving on my rigid heddle loom when I was researching Russian Branoe weaving. I was completely taken by the types and varieties of designs I saw in the examples of Russian work. My mind began working overtime as I thought about how to chart designs and which designs might actually work. If you check out my Pinterest Weaving Board, you will see many wonderful examples of this patterning work.

Just like the snowmen, the pattern is all woven by picking up in front of the heddle, with the heddle in neutral. We weave tabby (plain weave) in between the pattern wefts in order to stabilise the fabric.

If this topic interests you, check out this playlist on Youtube to see all the videos I’ve made employing this same technique.

If you’re wondering how I came up with these designs, firstly I would have an idea for a design. Then I would try to map it out using graph paper by colouring individual blocks (1 block would represent one warp or weft thread) in and leaving others empty until I had a good representation of the image I wanted. Using graph paper also ensures that you can plan for the desired amount of space between each image. This is important because the empty spaces are just as important as the filled spaces to make the design. Some images do not translate well to the loom, as I’ve discovered, but it sure is fun to try!

If you want to weave some reindeer of your own here is what you will need

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

10 dent reed

A pick up stick (it needs to be longer than the width of your project)

A knitting needle is handy but not essential

A tapestry needle

Yarns-

There are no set yarns for this project, but I will share what worked well for me and give suggestions for possible alternatives.

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

My tabby weft (background weft) was a lighter but strong coloured light worsted/dk weight (Australian 8 ply) in wool.

For the pattern weft, I used a lovely brown alpaca in a light worsted/dk weight. Animal fibres work really well when you’re trying to depict animals in your weaving!

The red and green borders were made with some green and red light worsted/dk wool.

For the embroidered antlers, eyes and noses I used black and red wool in a fingering weight. You don’t need to be a great embroiderer as the details are all just worked in simple straight stitches. You could also use embroidery floss to work the features, if you prefer. Here are some suggestions:

DMC Embroidery floss (my favourite brand)

Anchor Embroidery floss

If you decide to use embroidery floss, don’t separate the strands, use all 6 of them for just the right thickness. Oh, and don’t forget a red nose for our friend Rudolph!

I’ve made the weaving sequence into a printable PDF to make your weaving life just that little bit easier 😉

Reindeer-weaving-sequence Printable PDF Download

And here is the link to the video that you can use together with this post and the PDF to weave your own lovely little reindeer.

If you’re interested in exploring this technique even further, I recommend my Exploring Branoe Online Weaving class.

I hope this post was helpful to you! I would love to hear your thoughts on this tutorial and answer your questions in the comments section below.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!