Kelly Casanova Weaving Lessons

heddle rod

Ask Kelly – Heddle rod or more heddles?

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Today’s question springs from the popular online Krokbragd 101 class for rigid heddle weavers. In that class I show you different options for setting up your rigid heddle loom. You can either opt for a single heddle with a heddle rod or pick up sticks OR you can choose to set up with two heddles.

In many of my classes at the Online Weaving School I try to provide more than one option for loom setup because, well, we’re not all the same! What suits one weaver may not suit another.

When I received this question from Milly I realised that no one had asked it of me before. I wanted to share so that all can benefit.

For context, method one refers to setting up the rigid heddle loom with a single heddle, a pick up stick and a heddle rod.

Method two is a two heddle set up.

“Hi Kelly,

Your video is very informative and very easy to comprehend, thanks for making this and I am glad that I have purchased it. Just a quick question. For Method 1 and 2, in terms of preparation of threading and set up and in terms of speed of completing project such as changing shaft 1-3 for each method, which do you feel more smooth to continue the project and which is faster and convenient do you think?

Budgeting wise, rather than purchasing two heddles, if you have a rod and buying a picking stick it is maybe a bit more cheaper right? But I just wondered about in terms of practical convenience, speeding of threading and completing the project which is better I wonder…?? Appreciate if you can give me your opinion on this:)“

Hi Milly!

It might depend a little bit on the weaver. If you prefer one method it’s probably because you can get it set up easily and quickly? For me personally, method two definitely trumps method one in terms of speed of set up and ease of weaving. I have quite a bit of experience with using more than one heddle now and I “get it”.

But many would say the opposite and say they prefer method one. Method one is undeniably more economical as buying additional heddles of the same dent can be expensive. I usually advise students to purchase the extra heddle if:

A) They are already weaving with pick up sticks/heddle rods and find it cumbersome for any reason (eg. some weavers, myself included, will get neck/shoulder strain from repeatedly picking up a heddle rod) then it could be worth investing in another heddle.

B) If they intend to do a lot of weaving that requires more than the regular 2 shafts it would be worth buying a second heddle.

I hope my response to the question is insightful for all of you but perhaps you are at more of a beginner level?

What is a heddle rod?

A heddle rod is a replacement tool for a pick up stick. When you wish to use more than one pick up stick to create texture or patterning on a rigid heddle loom you may find that the two sticks will not slide past each other.

This is a problem because one stick will need to be removed and the threads picked up again each time you need to weave that pick (row). Hello tedium! 😆

A heddle rod completely bypasses this issue because it can pick up the threads you want, sit behind the heddle and still leave a clear path for a pick up stick.

I have a full, free tutorial that shows you how to install a heddle rod, including how to make your own string heddles.

What About More Than One Heddle?

Weaving with a single heddle, lowering and raising it to weave with, can achieve 2 shafts. But we can add an additional heddle (or heddles) to achieve even more.

For weaving a 3 shaft krokbragd like we do in the Krokbragd 101 online class, this means we can set up the rigid heddle loom with two heddles to achieve the three shafts we need for the weave structure.

As I already pointed out to Milly, I love weaving with two heddles but I understand it’s not the best solution for everyone.

The heddles must be the same size, so if you want to weave your krokbragd with a 7.5 dent heddle, you need two of the exact same size. Naturally, this is a more expensive option than using a piece of dowel or similar for a heddle rod.

There are so many options for weaving with two heddles though, beyond just krokbragd. For some weavers, an additional heddle opens up the world of weaving on a rigid heddle loom in a new way, I know it did for me when I discovered it!

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

Let me know if you found this article helpful by commenting below ⬇️ Heddle rods or two heddles? Do you have a preference?

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is a heddle rod? Part 2- how to install the rod

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Last week we talked about how invaluable a heddle rod is to the rigid heddle weaver.

I showed you how to make string heddles for the heddle rod. If you missed that post, please click here.

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

Now that we know how to make our own string heddles, we can learn how we use them on a heddle rod.

The actual rod needs to be wider than the width of the piece you’re weaving. It can be either flat or round. It should be fairly lightweight and not so large that it is difficult to pick up. It should be smooth but not slippery.

For this tutorial I’m using a smooth but not lacquered wooden dowel measuring 9mm (3/8 of an inch) around. The dowel was purchased at a local hardware store.

Begin by picking up the threads you want to place on the heddle rod according to the pattern or instructions you’re using. It is easiest to pick up the threads in front of the heddle first using a pick up stick. Make sure your heddle (or if you’re using more than one, heddles) are in the down position. This brings slot threads up, and it’s the slot threads we want to pick up.

Once your threads are picked up, slide the front stick towards the heddle and place it on it’s edge. This props up the heddle rod threads at the back of the heddle and differentiates them from all the other threads.

Now you can insert another pick up stick (or stick shuttle if you don’t have the extra pick up stick) into the shed that has been created by the propped up threads behind the heddle/s.

You will need your piece of dowel or whatever you’re using for the heddle rod plus your string heddles handy.

You may find it easier to sit or stand behind the loom for this next part. Working from either right to left (it makes no difference) pick up the threads in order from one side to the other. Keep your pick up stick in place as your visual guide – you can clearly see which threads need to be picked up. Have a string heddle ready at this point.

Bring a string heddle underneath the first thread so that it has a loop on either side of the thread. One loop will be smooth, the other will contain the knot. It is very much preferable not to have your knot near the thread. You want to arrange it so that it will sit on top of the heddle rod.

Bring the two loops of the string heddle together at the top. Note how my knot is sitting at the top rather than at the bottom or underneath the warp thread.

Bring in the heddle rod and slip the loops of the string heddle over it.

Now repeat this step with each warp thread that is sitting on your pick up stick, sliding them onto the heddle rod as you go.

Some of you may like to put the rod down on top of the warp as you organise each string heddle, I like to keep the rod in my left hand while managing the string heddles with my right. It’s a bit fiddly, but I do find it faster. You might need a bit of practice under your belt before you use my approach this though.

Once you have all your string heddles on the rod, you will want to secure them as it is all too common for that heddle rod to slip and then you lose all your hard work!

Some weavers like to use some masking or painter’s tape and place it across the top of the heddle rod.

I have a different and perhaps peculiar method, but it sure does work! I place a rubber band on each end of the rod, close to the string heddles.

Then I run a piece of waste yarn right through the middle of the string heddles, pulling each end of the waste yarn through a rubber band on each end. Then I pull the cut ends of the waste yarn up and tie a bow.

Using this method, my string heddles don’t move and are completely secure on the rod. And no annoying, sticky tape.

If you want to see a video tutorial of this process, you can watch here-

I have a number of classes that make use of heddle rods:

Converting Drafts to a rigid heddle loom

Overshot on a rigid heddle loom (coming soon)

Pinwheels on a rigid heddle loom

All of my free Krokbragd videos on Youtube are set up with a heddle rod too-

I hope you enjoyed this two part heddle rod series, don’t forget to catch the first post on making string heddles here if you haven’t already.

Be sure to leave any questions or comments below, I love to hear from you.

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!

What is a heddle rod? Part 1 – how to make string heddles!

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Never heard of a heddle rod? If you’re a rigid heddle weaver looking to expand your repertoire of skills by using pick up sticks, a heddle rod is a must learn!

There are lots of lovely patterns you can weave with just one pick up stick, but introducing a second (even 3rd, 4th!) pick up stick opens up so many more pattern possibilities

When you start experimenting with pick up sticks you will discover very quickly that when you are using more than one, the two sticks cannot slide past each other at the back of the warp.

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

This leaves the weaver with a conundrum. One of the sticks can be left in place, but the other has to be removed and the threads re-picked up each time you want to weave that pick up stick row. See the picture below for an example.

That can be incredibly tedious, especially when using finer threads or a more complicated pick up pattern.

Luckily for us, there is a relatively quick and easy way to navigate this problem – a heddle rod.

A heddle rod replaces the second pick up stick and sits behind your heddle. The first pick up stick can slide back and forth behind the rod and sit at the back beam when not in use. Hey presto, now you’re weaving a 2 pick up stick pattern with only one stick and a heddle rod!

So, what is a heddle rod exactly?

It can be as simple as a piece of round wooden dowel or a flat, narrow piece of wood. It needs to be wider than the width of the piece you’re weaving and it needs to be smooth but preferably not slippery. The circumference is a personal preference, but not too thick is better – you want it to be light and easy to handle, as you’re going to be lifting it often.

You make string heddles for the rod. These strings, once made, looped around your picked up warp threads, then looped around your rod, will replace the second pick up stick.

One you have your rod installed, you lift the rod each time you want to weave that pattern pick. The string heddles lift up with the rod and in turn, lift up the warp threads they are looped around.

Let’s look at a 2 pick up stick pattern as an example:

Pick up stick 1 sequence – 2 up, 2 down, repeat

Pick up stick 2 sequence – 2 down, 2 up, repeat

Weaving sequence:

  1. Heddle up
  2. Heddle neutral, pick up stick 1 forward, on edge
  3. Heddle up
  4. Heddle in neutral, pick up stick 2 forward, on edge
  5. Repeat

To weave the above sequence with 2 pick up sticks in place would mean that for every 4th pick, you would have to pick up then remove pick up stick 2. Then pick up and remove again the next 4 picks. And that’s no fun!

Here is what your weaving sequence would look like if you left pick up stick 1 in place and installed a heddle rod to replace pick up stick 2:

Weaving Sequence:

  1. Heddle up
  2. Heddle neutral, pick up stick 1 forward, on edge
  3. Heddle up
  4. Heddle in neutral, lift heddle rod
  5. Repeat

Aha! So now our weaving goes much more seamlessly because we are flowing through the weaving sequence instead of having to stop and re-do that second pick up stick all the time.

Now that I’ve sung the praises of the heddle rod highly enough to have convinced you that you really need them in your weaving life, I’m going to show you how to install one.

Today (because this article is already getting long and I don’t want to keep you all day!) I will cover the string heddle component, and next week we will look at the rod and installation component.

To make string heddles, here is what you will need:

  1. A strong yarn suitable for string heddles. I use seine twine (in Australia it’s available here) and find it excellent for two reasons. 1. It is super strong. 2. It doesn’t get fluffy, sticky or static – y (I know, that’s not a word!) all of which will interfere with lifting your warp threads effectively.

2. A pair of scissors. Little scissors are handy for this job, but use what you have.

3. A string heddle template. This comes down to personal preference and how long you want your heddles to be. Too long and they are uncomfortable to lift, too short and they may lift your warp threads when you don’t want them to (for example, when you bring your pick up stick 1 forward) and confuse your shed.

You can use one of your heddle/reeds to measure around as a template, or my preferred method is a hardcover book measures at 10″ around – I like that length for my string heddles.

Something else that is handy but non essential is something to hold the cone of yarn as you wind off yarn to make the string heddles. My warping stand is perfect for this task. If you would like to make a warping stand for a fraction of the price of a store bought one, click here for our free tutorial.

Alright, let’s make some string heddles!

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Take one end of the string heddle yarn and wrap it around your template (remember, I’m using a hardcover book). Bring the ends together at the top of the template.

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Leave a good couple of inches to tie with and cut the end that is feeding from the cone. Be sure not to knot so close to the template that the string heddle is too tight to slide off when you’re done.

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Tie the two cut ends together using an overhand knot, then knot again. With a yarn like seine twine, this makes a really strong knot.

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Once the ends are securely knotted, you can cut the tails a little shorter which will just help to keep things neat and compact on the rod. Don’t cut so close to the knots that you risk them coming undone.

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Slip the completed string heddle off the template.

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There you have it – one completed string heddle! Make as many as you need and keep them somewhere handy for when you need them. The added benefit of using a strong yarn like seine twine is that you will be able to reuse these string heddles for many projects.

The next post will demonstrate how to actually set up the rod and string heddles, but if you can’t wait until then, or if you are more of a visual learner, I’m sure you will find this video most helpful:

If you enjoyed this post, I know you will love my Online Weaving School. With classes for all levels of weaver, there is something for everyone and you can start learning today, in your own time and the comfort of your own home. I hope to see you there!

Questions? I’m all ears! Leave me a comment to continue the discussion or just to let me know that this article was helpful to you 😊

Until next time…

Happy Weaving!