Weaving can be an engaging artistic hobby that’s also practical, but selecting an appropriate weaving loom type for yourself depends upon your skill level, space availability and intended purpose.
Inkle looms are excellent tools for weaving narrow bands and straps into beautiful patterns such as floral motifs, Xs and Os, hearts or lettering. This method makes weaving narrow bands or straps even simpler!
Inkle Looms
Inkle looms (also called band or tape looms) are designed for weaving narrow strips of fabric like belts and straps. Being portable, they’re an excellent choice for beginning weavers who wish to experiment with various weaving styles and combine narrow strips together into larger projects such as bags, pillow covers or placemats.
Contrary to other types of looms, an inkle loom’s warp threads do not attach directly to a frame nor have any heddles (the device that lifts them when passing weft thread through them). Instead, they are secured to a paddle attached at one end of the inkle loom; when weaving begins, turning this paddle creates the shed (a gap in between warp threads where weft passes).
An inkle loom can be constructed out of any piece of wood with pegs sticking out from it, and purchased or built as a kit. Once assembled, this basic inkle loom can create bands 11 cm wide by 250 cm long that can be used for creating hats, belts and other accessories.
Inkle weaving allows you to express your creativity by combining various yarns and colors into original patterns and designs. It’s a fantastic way of stimulating creativity while simultaneously honing critical thinking and problem-solving skills, since inkle weaving requires consideration of how the pattern will be created along with optimal tension for your yarns and which size inkle loom is needed to do this work.
Fixated Heddle Looms (FHLs) are another popular type of inkle loom, which feature fixed heddles in one position and are ideal for beginners due to their ease of use – quickly warping heddles and beginning weaving, as well as for advanced weavers who don’t wish to spend their time adjusting heddles as they weave.
Fixed Heddle Looms can be constructed out of wood or small table-top models and feature fixed heddles arranged in one position to make starting weaving easier, though later adjustments might prove challenging as you acquire new techniques. You could also try setting multiple fixed heddle positions so as to create multiple designs simultaneously.
Tapestry Looms
Tapestry weaving is an ideal technique for producing large, durable textiles. This form of weaving entails interlacing weft yarns with warp yarns to form intricate designs from simple shapes to detailed landscapes, and many types of yarn such as embroidery yarn and wool work well when creating tapestries.
Selecting the ideal loom depends on both your skill level and what you plan to weave. When starting out in weaving, a small inkle or rigid-heddle loom may be useful as this allows you to get acquainted with the process before determining if this activity is something that interests you enough for continued practice.
Inkle looms are ideal for beginners because they’re portable and user-friendly. Most models feature long front to back lengths with bases designed to sit on tables; there are also floor models which can be used while sitting.
Rigid-heddle looms are great starter looms because they’re easy to set up and offer direct warping systems, while also offering plenty of flexibility as you learn weaving techniques. Rigid-heddles can also be used to craft various projects from scarves and shawls to pillows and table runners!
If you want to explore more complex patterns, a multi-shaft table loom is your go-to tool. This loom allows you to weave intricate twills, diamonds, and geometric designs for weaving rugs or blankets.
Some weavers prefer jack looms, with harnesses that rise when pressure is applied to the treadle (foot pedal). This reduces preparation time and speeds up weaving time; however, some find they cause discomfort in their knees or hips.
Small Frame Looms
There is a range of small frame looms available on the market to choose from, ranging from basic inkle looms to long inkle looms. These typically use pegs or notches that regulate and limit warp spacing so they require less skill when used compared with rigid-heddle looms – an excellent way to explore weaving if you are new or have doubts as to whether weaving will become your passion before investing in an adjustable tapestry loom or larger floor loom.
These looms are used for creating braided straps, tapes, strips and bands for various projects. Constructed out of wood or cardboard they either feature a fixed sett (5 dent per inch) or can be adjusted with variable sett (i.e adjusting the dent count for different projects). Weaving on an Inkle Loom involves raising or lowering warp yarns as you pull back on a lever called a Heddle to create shed space; and weaving yarns through with a shuttle held between feet of the Weaver
One more advanced type of small frame loom is one using tablets – also known as card weaving – often used for wall hangings but capable of also producing rugs and mats. This type of loom requires more advanced skills to use effectively.
Other types of looms include circle looms, which can be used to weave circular textiles like scarves and hats without needing patterns; making these an excellent alternative to knitting or crochet. There are also various looms designed specifically to weave garments like shawls.
At its core, selecting the ideal loom depends on what kind of fabric you wish to produce and your level of experience. For tapestry projects requiring larger tapestry or frame looms, an option with multiple shafts might be preferable; whereas floor or table looms may provide better solutions when working on large-scale projects.
Large Frame Looms
There are various types of weaving looms, and choosing one depends on what kind of weaving you wish to do. Frame looms are simple options with fixed structures that define how large or small your weaving should be; tablet weaving, inkle looms and tapestry looms are other popular choices that provide flexibility in their use; for those just getting started with weaving an inkle loom or tapestry loom can provide great start.
An inkle loom, also referred to as an inkle shuttle or band loom, is a simple type of weaving loom designed for creating narrow bands of cloth such as bag straps, shoelaces and hatbands. They work best when used with thicker yarns than those typically used for knitting.
Inkle looms are available from major weaving companies such as Ashford and Schacht, as well as smaller manufacturers and sellers on Etsy and at local fiber events. Some inkle looms are even designed to be portable with removable pegs to allow warping on-the-go.
A tapestry loom is similar to an inkle loom, except much larger. These versatile machines are used for creating works of art or simply for personal adornment; yarn, fibre or even shells may be used on them to weave pieces of beauty. Warp threads are controlled using indentations on the loom while weft threads are added using tapestry bobbins or stick shuttles.
Tablet looms are another type of weaving loom that can be built by hand or purchased from various sellers. Their tablets are made from sturdy material like stiff paper; wood or bone can also be used. Squares with four holes make up this style, though hexagonal options allow more than just one warp thread to go through them at one time. Tablets can be woven in multiple ways – backstrap weaving or with rigid heddle looms are two other common options.