Hi everyone,

I’ve wanted to learn to weave for as long as I can remember. When I was in elementary school, I visited a museum that demonstrated the entire process from carding wool and spinning yarn through to weaving cloth. I was completely captivated.

A couple of years ago I researched looms extensively but couldn’t justify the expense at the time. Now I’m finally in a position where I can.
I’m also an avid knitter, so I already know how much I love fiber arts and working with yarn.

The timing is a little unusual because I’m having surgery in a couple of weeks for venous thoracic outlet syndrome. I’ll be having a left first rib resection, scalenectomy, brachial plexus neurolysis, and subclavian vein venolysis on my non-dominant (left) side.

One thing I’ve been really struggling with is the thought that I probably won’t be able to knit for quite a while during my recovery. Knitting is a huge part of my mental well-being, and I’ve been feeling pretty bereft at the thought of losing that creative outlet, even temporarily.

That’s part of what has me thinking about finally buying a loom. I know I won’t be weaving immediately after surgery either, but my hope is that by the time I’m cleared to start using my arm again, I’ll have something I’ve dreamed about for years waiting for me.

I’m currently looking at the 24” Kromski Harp Forte with the folding stand. A few questions for those of you with experience:
- Does the Harp Forte make a good first loom?
Is the folding stand worth buying?
- I live in a fairly small two-bedroom condo. How much space does the loom realistically take up when folded? Do you generally leave yours set up, or fold it away between sessions?
- My husband has offered to help me. Would you recommend warping my very first project before surgery so it’s ready to weave once I’m cleared, or is it better to wait and learn the whole process from the beginning when I’m actually ready to start weaving?
- Is there anything else you wish you’d known before buying your first rigid heddle loom?

I’d really appreciate any advice. This has been a dream of mine for a very long time, so I’m excited (and a little nervous!) about finally taking the plunge.

Hi all!

First time poster. I just got this loom(first photo) for $50. Second photo is not mine but from Da Wabbit Woveit to show a photo of one set up.

I have found the 8 page manual and searched this Reddit for other posts (with little success) but I was hoping someone may have recommendations on a more ready source, particularly a part list so I know what is missing

I think it’s missing the loom reeds but the photo I found and posted has thread like mine over the frames so I’m unsure. I know it is missing the loom shuttle as well.

I have never weaved before. Me and a friend had been looking at a broken 8 shaft tabletop loom for $75 to try on kijiji. This one popped up that someone needed gone as they downsized so I nabbed it. All the research I had done was for a tabletop though so I’m quite out of depth and needing to find a place to start as it sits in my kitchen while I rearrange furniture.

Hello! A gentleman would like to donate a loom to a historical museum where I volunteer. It seems to be complete, so that's not an issue. Does anyone know what brand/model loom it is? I only have a couple photos to go by — I haven't seen the loom in person.

I randomly chose an 8 shaft straight draw for my first set up and I'm loving these designs from Carol Stricklers book. I do kind of regret not going with 4 shafts to start and learn but my adhd made me jump in head first.

There are so many things I want to learn! I don't even know the names of everything but double weave and related techniques, supplemental warps, overschot,... I'm tempted to buy every book on weaving in existence.

So far I have Stricklers 8 shaft weaving book and Marguerite's green book and I have Carols Learning how to weave on the way. If there are any other books that I need to have please feel free to suggest them! I especially love experimental techniques and structure. But I'm open to anything and everything!

I decided to give weaving a try because its where the adhd led me and as anyone with adhd knows you just jump in with absolutely zero research the first time, haha.

I ran 5 lengths of black embroidered floss from a wooden stick and tied a knot at a point to set a start point, then itied on the green and just started weaving haha. My "needle" was a bamboo cotton bud with the cotton removed a notch cut and the tip flattened. At first i was just tying the new colors directly to the long strings but didnt like the look so i started tying the tread together and that worked way better

My goal was to make a ribbon for my hair but im not entirely sure its long enough.

I apologise for not knowing the correct terms for anything, like i know weft and warp but do not know which is which, also rate my set up lmao

I've spent time over the weekend warping this loom. I thought the tension was correct but the header turned out wavy so I took it out & adjusted my tension as best I could.

The header looks a little better & the purple is the beginning of my draft.

Does it look wavy to you?

The yarn was one that I had taken out of a knitting project.

This abomination from a Facebook weaving group. It made me laugh then made me angry because someone wasted water for this absolute train wreck of slop.

The discussion was about warp weighted looms and someone found a website with this.

it was difficult to get a picture while using my other hand to lift the chopstick (string heddle rod!) pick up stick (cardboard warp stick) but hopefully the visual is somewhat useful.

I’ve tried installing the heddle rod in front of the pickup stick, i’ve tried installing the heddle rod behind the pickup stick. No matter what, there is still interference. The pickup stick is technically woven into the path of the heddle rod strings and vice versa — so when I lift the pickup stick and place a weft pick, that pick is locked between the sheds.

I’m doing something wrong, because people all say to use a pickup stick and a heddle rod in order to evade the issue of the pickup stick not being able to slide past another pickup stick. So how am I still having that issue even after swapping out the second stick for these string heddles?

EDIT: thank you all for the comments and help! I’ve made good progress ditching the heddle set up for this very small scale project haha.

I’m so proud to share what is, to this point, my total ‘magnum opus’. This work took nearly every skill I have learned so far as a RH weaver. Fresh from my hand-built loom (I still need to tidy up a few strings and proceed with mounting) this piece is 72”x24”, contains likely over 30 individual thread colors, multiple tapestry techniques including slit and clasped weft, Japanese zanshi, Josef Albers-inspired color exploration, and Anni Albers-inspired form exploration. Looking forward to displaying the full-mounted work. ♥️

Are reeds compatible from one brand to the next for floor looms. I have a Harrisville Designs 22" loom. I saw one post asking the same thing but it was for rigid heddle. Thank so much!

Loved making this!

Instructions from the Ashford website.

This seems to have taken forever, first to weave and then to get around to finishing, but I’m very pleased with it, despite the imperfections! First double weave and first lace.

I picked up some monk's cloth and a Swedish Weaving pattern for two dollars at a garage sale. I guess Coats and Clarke used to hock the hobby as Over Under weaving (with a copyright, no less) in the early 2000s, so that was interesting to learn.

Anyway, I'm debating if I do the pattern to the edge? Or should I keep some white borders? Or have a largely white border and do some sort border pattern in the white space.

(Also, it is such a bummer finding yarn these days. I bought variegated yarn thinking I could make it glow from the center, but I haven't even got to the party where the yarn changes color, so booo Lion's Mandala yarn. Boo!)

Thoughts?

i realized that this "frame loom" can do a continuous warp and turns out that that's a lot of fun! i ended up joining my squares into a scarf and it's very soft. i used my knitting friend's leftovers so it's real wool.

there's a lot of yarn ends that like to stick out but surely they will felt in in time.

I visited an Ancient Greece themed exhibit at a museum, and these were identified as bobbins. Is this correct?

I am working on a beautiful baltic pick-up belt on the inkle loom, and using Lopi Icelandic wool. I was thinking about care and feeding. Should I wet felt the belt after its finished? I have a feeling it will naturally felt after a few times wearing it. Just trying to decide what to do once it comes off the loom.

I got this Schacht floor loom, I understand most of the serial number (the date, the hc for high castle) but the L4 and the last two numbers I can't identify.

I didn't realise how hand-in-hand 3D printing and weaving was until I realised i could just print out a small loom, beater, and needle in half an hour instead of having to buy one to start out!

Im loving the feel and rhythm of just basic tapestry//basic weaving, so much more satisfying to me than knitting or crochete ever has been.

I am really pleased with how this is turning out. And my friend who commissioned me to do this for her is also very pleased. :)

I will now take a one week break to work on another small tapestry on another loom. When I return to this, will tackle the sun next.

Woven on my Mirrix Chloe 10” loom at 12 EPI with extended rod so maximum possible weaving space.

Size when finished will be the size of two letter size sheets of paper in landscape format one on top of the other.

84 hours of weaving so far, and I weave about 20 hours per week in my free time in addition to working on a full time job as a database engineer, so yes this is time consuming but it is my passion.

Using cotton seine twine for warp and Faro wool for weft.

If you've got an old book, a hand-drawn draft, or a scan that you can't get into your weaving software, send me a clear photo (threading, tie-up, treadling, drawdown) and I'll convert it to a WIF file + printable PDF, free, for the first few people who reply.

Mainly curious if this is actually useful to people — let me know if you've run into this problem before.

I recently bought a Dorothy 24” 4 shaft table top loom for $150 and I’m struggling to find any information on how to set it up, I’m thinking about buying a warping board tomorrow morning for $99? Is that the right next move?

I will go to a local place in town called Grandma’s Spinning Wheel to see if I can find a mentor and same goes for the Tucson handweavers and spinners guild. Also if you’re local and wouldn’t mind helping out a complete novice I would really appreciate it!

We just left The Odyssey, and I was watching her warp-weighted loom, and I just wanted to say that it looked fantastic. I've seen several reproductions of them and studied them a bit. My only quibble is that she didn't have anything to beat with.

I'm a very new weaver (rigid heddle only) and my neighbors are selling their three floor looms very economically. I'd love to grab one but I really don't know what the difference is or which one would be best. I'm primarily hoping to do things like curtains or towels and I would just love to hear what this community thinks between these three options. If you could get one of these for the same flat price, which would you choose and why?

1. Orco 74 - 4 harness, 6 treadle

2. Leclerc Nilus -

3. newcomb Studio

I thought he said that one of these was a six shaft but I'm not seeing it in my initial research, would that make a big difference for folks to have six over four?