When starting to learn to weave, there are a few essential tools and equipment you’ll need. This checklist outlines what items will typically be required when weaving on either a new or pre-owned table loom.
-Yarn for your “warp”, which are vertical threads woven through your loom’s “warp”. -A tapestry needle with an eye at its end for precise control of yarn tension.
Spool Rack
An integral component of weaving, spool racks are essential equipment and tools. A spool rack holds yarn spools upright so that thread can unwind without twisting, and can be purchased from most weaving shops or created yourself out of a plastic file crate.
Spool racks are essential tools for sectional warping, which requires setting your loom with different lengths of warp for every segment of fabric. In addition, they serve as convenient places for storing yarn tubes and bobbins of various types – Leclerc as well as standard types.
There are various kinds of spool racks on the market designed for specific uses, each optimized to meet them. Some feature pivoting center posts to facilitate loading and unloading while others remain stationary. Leclerc has developed specifically tailored racks to their purpose that can hold up to forty 4-inch spools with its center post that locks into place during use.
Spool racks can also be used for other studio tasks, including holding standard yarn tubes and bobbins as well as clamping a swift or ball winder. Furthermore, they provide an ergonomic working position in front of a loom for long periods of time.
Once your spool rack is in place, you can begin weaving the weft – yarn which passes over and under warp threads to form the finished product – the part of woven band visible and which gives fabric its texture, pattern and design.
Cotton wefts are popular, though you could also use silk, wool, or other yarns. In order to pass easily through a warp, an ideal weft should be strong yet smooth enough that it flows easily. Before beginning weaving, it is a good idea to beat your weft so it is even and dense; beating can be done using either a peg that moves back and forth in a slot or paddle/block beaters which push or press against warp loops to form evenness or density in density.
Spool Winder
A weaver has several choices when it comes to their weaving technique. Some prefer “Back-to-Front”, in which warp threads are fed through Reed and Heddles from back to front; other prefer “Sectional Weaving”. Whichever option they select will have an impactful decision on what thread or yarn will be needed as well as equipment requirements needed to complete their projects.
No matter the weaving method of choice, a tool to wind warp threads off their cone or tube and onto reusable plastic Spools is an essential requirement of weaving. Spool Racks help organize them for use when weaving starts; additionally a Yarn Counter should be kept track of to avoid overuse of Spools.
Once thread is wound off of spools and onto a loom, the next step is to create the warp that will remain on it throughout the weaving process. On most looms, warping squares or wheels are used to set one cross of warp on each beam before gradually moving it forward as needed to allow weft threads between threads in the reed – this process is known as “Warping Your Loom”.
Raddles are boards the width of the loom with physical dividers spaced every half inch that help spread and evenly tension warp across its width. In either instance, tension must be maintained so as to allow weft threads to pass easily through heddles without creating too much friction which could break or twist threads and cause uneven thread lengths.
Based on the pattern being used, it may be necessary to add extra Heddles to a loom to accommodate all of the warp threads needed for weaving. While this makes the pattern more challenging to weave, some weavers prefer this as it eliminates having to tie off or remove Heddles after threading their loom.
Reed and/or Heddle Hook
When weaving projects require warp thread insertion and removal from looms, reed and/or heddle hooks are an indispensable tool for quickening this process. Camilla Valley Farm offers these essential tools in all sizes to fit rigid heddle looms as well as shaft looms for ease of use and speedy weaving projects.
Your loom’s reed (or heddle) creates an opening between vertical warp threads to form the shed that forms its basis; without this structure, weaving would be impossible! Without it, weaving would simply not be possible!
When warping a loom, it’s essential that your shed stick can accommodate all the threads being warped. A wider shed stick means an even and stronger warp when it’s time to weave!
A heddle/reed brass hook is an effective solution for simplifying this task. This two-in-one tool features both a reed hook and heddle hook on one end, making for an ergonomic experience in your hand at only 6 1/2 inches long – it has become the go-to tool of many weavers!
An essential tool for threading heddles and reeds is a sleying hook. Similar to its counterpart, this time-saving tool features both large hooks for sleying reeds as well as smaller ones that help thread heddles – saving both time and effort in warping process.
Our selection of heddle and reed hooks features models from Leclerc, Ashford and Louet – three industry leaders who epitomize modern weaving innovation with stunning designs that complement any crafter’s aesthetic while providing durability to navigate heddles and reeds seamlessly. When used together seamlessly weaving becomes an exercise in precision and innovation!
Yarn Counter
A yarn counter is an indispensable tool for fiber artists, indispensable for weaving, spinning and crochet. Derived from fishing industry technology, these devices count yarn or thread by feet (up to 1000 before they require reset). Simply clamp the platform holding the counter onto any solid surface, place your warp thread into its slot, turn off side lever before lifting ON side lever to count thread. A yarn counter helps you keep track of how much warp thread you have as well as plan finishing touches such as fringes or extra plain weave to fold under.
Reducing the number of weft tails you encounter directly relates to how long it will take for you to complete your project. Minimizing this factor is one way of speeding up weaving processes – not only on frame looms.
Before purchasing a loom, there are numerous factors to take into account – what type of fabric, rug or tapestry do you wish to weave; what size piece do you intend to weave; your available space; if this will be your first loom or not. No matter the answers provided above, it is still important to carefully consider your desired width, number of harnesses (some people call them shafts), depth of shed as well as any special considerations like safety issues that apply.
When choosing a floor loom, shed depth is of particular significance. To facilitate rug weaving with high warp tension (important for rug making), elastic as well as non-elastic warps must fit comfortably within its depth. Floor looms are heavy yet strong machines which offer faster results than table or jack looms but tend to be more costly than their alternatives.
Countermarch looms (Glimakra’s Ideal and Standard Looms, Leclerc Nilus II and Schacht Cranbrook Looms are ideal choices for experienced weavers as they provide quiet treadling with excellent shed formation, as well as easy treadling that allows for balanced or unbalanced weaving.)