Tip of the Month - February!

Sometimes you find that the sett isn't right when you've warped you rigid heddle loom.  Don't worry!  You can change the heddle without causing any problems.  Just secure your cross to keep the threads in the correct order.  This months tip is just that - Securing your Cross (and can apply to shaft looms too if you want to change your threading).

Open your first shed by putting the rigid heddle in the down position and insert a shed stick.

 Open the second shed by lifting the rigid heddle into the up position and insert the next shed stick.

Tie the shed sticks together so that they are secure.
Remove the wrong rigid heddle and replace with the correct one.
Now you can see the order that the warp ends need to be threaded.

Take bundles of warps and tie into a loose slip knot ready for re-denting.

Once you've re-dented in the new rigid heddle re-tie in bundles for security.

 Tie to the front warp stick.

Now everything is secure, you can add the packing like we did in Decembers Tip of the Month before you start to weave.

Stop Press - Week-end Weaving Course

Hi all

I'm running a rigid heddle (Knitters Loom) weaving course this coming Week-end at Willington Old School, where I run my Monday evening class.

Over the two days of Saturday17 and Sunday 18 October, from 10am to 4pm, you will learn to make warps and weave on a rigid heddle loom, which is ideal for those who want to dip their toe into the Weaving Adventure! On the Saturday you will learn to quick warping method to warp the loom and weave a scarf and on Sunday you will learn to make a warp before warping, use that warp to warp the loom and try one of a number of different finger manipulated weaves to make a second scarf or a sash or a table runner!

The price for the week-end includes tuition, use of equipment, all materials, refreshments and lunch and is £120. I have two spare places, so if you are interested in booking a place or would like to know more, please contact me at the following website: http://spinningandweaving.weebly.com/contact-me.html If you leave me your telephone number I will ring you back to answer your question or take your booking.

The images show some of the things that can be made on a rigid heddle loom, to whet your appetite.

Rhubarb and Custard!

Hi, do you remember the hanks of wool yarn and Shetland tops I dyed at the end of last month, well I've spun up the 2% Red Lac (Rhine-M) and the 2% Marigold (Ambrosia) and here is the result.

I'm really delighted with the hank which is pun on my Jumbo flyer. I took staple lengths of each colour, alternating each colour as I spun. The staple lengths weren't accurately weighed as I wanted some overlap of the colours.

I'm going to knit it into a diagonal scarf, from a pattern I was shown in The Hague at Dineke's workshop last month, which I'm hoping will give me some subtle diagonal stripes. If I have any left I might just get out my Knitters Loom and weave a narrow scarf, too.

Centre Pull Ball Scarves

If you can remember, I did some indigo dyeing in the summer (when was that!) and at last I've finally found time to photograph my indigo dyed "Centre-Pull Ball" scarves.


I wove them on a rigid heddle (Ashford 30cm Knitters Loom) with 2 "ends" of Blue Faced Leicester chunky wool that was indigo dyed as previously explained and 1 end of indigo dyed curled loop boucle.



The first scarf was woven with the same white BFL chunky yarn as the warp.













The second one was woven with the indigo dyed curled loop boucle.





I'm really pleased with them, I only wish you could feel how soft they are, oh and now I need to weave (or knit) the two "Shibori" hanks I dyed at the same time.

Rigid Heddle Loom Week-end

Back in October I tutored a week-end course for Skylark Holidays. The subject was an introduction to using a rigid heddle loom or Knitter Loom.

I had a great time teaching 3 lovely ladies who were really enthusiastic about learning to weave. They didn't want to learn on 4 shaft looms which they perceived to be less portable and more complicated. One had been told by members of her guild that "a rigid heddle loom wasn't a real loom". What sad narrow minded people they are! As I pointed out to her Thailand, Guatamala, Mexico, to name but a few countries, all have traditions of weaving on "back-strap" looms which are little more that rigid heddles with extra sticks and look what fabulous textiles come from them! All I can say is they are "loom" or "shaft" snobs".

Anyway, they had a thoroughly enjoyable time and produced two lovely pieces of weaving, each. Alas, I had planned to photograph them with their work, but we suddenly realised what time it was and they had to rush off to get home in a reasonable time. I have my work to show you, a scarf in Colinetter Prism and a table runner in Colinette Wigwam and Giotto.


For those of you who are new to weaving I thought I would show you how to mend weaving "skips", those annoying little mistakes which occur when one or two warp threads stick together and instead of going under one and over one you end up with a section where you go under one, over three or over one and under three as in the case on the left!



Thread a large eyed needle with your weft yarn and, starting about 8 or so warps threads away from the skips, follow the path of the weft thread with your needle, leaving a tail.







When you get to the skips, follow the correct path, over one and under one, weaving in the skipped warps. Continue past the now woven in skips following the path of the weft thread until you are 8 or so warps past where the skips were, again leave a tail.





When you have mended all the skips wash your piece of weaving and when it's dry cut the tails. Press your work and you won't know where the skips had been!