Choosing A Weaving Loom (2024)

Suitable for Beginner to Intermediate Weavers

Tapestry Looms,such as the Ashford Frame LoomorSchacht School Loom, are simple looms that you can do anything from basic weaving to complex textile tapestry art on them. The warp threads are simply wound around indentations or teeth on the loom at a regular spacing and you can use simple cotton string for the warp.

You can then add the weft which can be anything from yarn, fibre, material to even driftwood or shells.To add in the weft you can usetapestry bobbins, astick shuttleor even just your hands. You can also use a tapestry beater to pack down your weft too.

For ideas on what you can weave check outTapestry Weaving by Kirsten GlasbrookorDIY Woven Art by Rachel Denbowbooks.We also run aBeginners Tapestry Weaving Classtoo.

Tapestry looms are very versatile looms and come in a range of sizes and are great for beginners to learn the basics of weaving.

Suitable for Beginner Weavers

Pin Loomssuch as theSchacht Zoom Loom,Turtle Looms andHazel Rose Pin Loomsare the ideal introduction to weaving as they are very simple to use and you can create a handwoven square, hexagon, heart, triangle or diamond in less than an hour.

To weave you first wind the yarn around the pins following the instructions included and then for the final round you weave over and under with the needle that comes with the loom.

These looms are great for using up those odds and ends of yarn that you have left over from other projects.

You can join up your handwoven shapes by sewing them together, or using crochet or knitting to piece them together too. You can also embellish them using embroidery or needle felting. You can join them together to make anything from a placemat to a blanket and even a coat. For ideas have a look at ourPin Loom Inspiration boardon Pinterest. We also havePin Loom Booksbook which is full of a range of projects that you can do with your pin loom. There is also our Botanical Pin Loom Blanket Kit which has everything you need to weave your own blanket.

They are also really easy to take anywhere as they are small in size and can be kept in a small project bag to carry around.

Overall, these are a great way to get into weaving for someone with no previous weaving experience.

Suitable for Beginner to Intermediate Weavers

TheRigid Heddle Loom, such as theSchacht Cricket LoomandAshford SampleIt,were the first looms that Ange at Weft Blown learned to weave on and she still uses it today and also teaches one day classes withthem too.

The loom works by having arigid heddle reedwhich the warp yarns (the yarn that goes onto the loom) are threaded alternately through a series of slots and eyes in the reed. This means when the heddle is in the up position the eye threads are up and in the down position the slot threads are up. When you then put the weft yarn through using a shuttle when the heddle is in the up position and then is moved to the down position once the shuttle has been passed through, the weft yarn then goes over and under alternating threads. This is faster than weaving on a Tapestry Loom.

It is very easy to warp using the Direct Warping Method and then you can weave away in either plain weave or usingpick up sticksto create textural patterns. You can also weave with two heddles to create more complex pattern and even create a double width cloth.

Rigid Heddlelooms are great for both beginner and more advanced weavers as they are quick and easy to set-up and also very portable so you can take them with you to local Guild meetings or on holiday with you too. As you are making cloth you can eitherweave a piece for a single project or sew, stitch or cut your cloth to make anything from blankets to your own wardrobe of clothes. For ideas for Rigid Heddle weavingcheck out theseRigid Heddle Weaving Books. We also have YouTube videos to help you warp up and weave that go along with our weaving kits.

These loomscome in a range of sizes from 10" up to 48". The smaller sizes are good if you're wanting to weave scarves and smaller pieces. If you want to weave large pieces of cloth then a wider loom would be better but do be careful as anything above 25" in width can be cumbersome to weave on so we wouldrecommend a stand for the loom to go on. 20-25" is a really good size to get and remember that you can weave from 8" wide up to the full width on the loom depending on your project. An excellent place to start is theAshford SampleIt Complete Weaver Kitwhich comes with everything you need to get going including yarn, a Learn to Weave Booklet & Scarf Instructions and the Ashford Book of Rigid Heddle Weaving.

Inkle, Braid and Band Loomsare used to weave warp faced (only the warp threads can be seen) bands. They are straightforward to use and setup and can weave anything from simple to complex patterns.

Inkle looms have the warp wound on the loom in a circular loop so you are restricted to the length you can weave. However, they are small and easily fit onto a table top.

With the band loom you measure the warp in advance and place it onto the loom and you can use treadles to change which threads are lifted up or down. This can make it faster to weave on and you can weave longer lengths of bands on these looms than the inkle.

The bands can be used for making handles on bags, belts or other decorative objects.

You can also useWeaving Cardswith or without an Inkle or Band Loom to create complex patterns too.

For ideas on patterns for Inkle Looms we recommendThe Weaver's Inkle Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon.

Suitable for Beginners to Advanced Weavers

Table Looms are great way to get into more complex pattern weaving in an accessible way. This is a good type of loom to step up to from rigid heddle weaving or even a great loom for beginners wanting to know the full ways of the world of weaving. These looms have a slightly more complex method of warping as you need to measure your warp using awarping board,warping millorwarp pegs. You then wind the warp onto the loom whilst having it spread on a raddle. Next you thread the warp yarns through the heddles on the shafts (the sections that move up and down) and then through the reed. Finally you tie it onto the front apron rod of the loom and you’re ready to weave. To weave you move the pegs on the front of the castle (upright part of the loom) to lift and lower the shafts.

The patterns you can create on these looms can be determined by how you thread up the loom and which shafts you move up and down.

These are very versatile looms and you can change patterns very quickly by switching around which shafts you move.

8 shaft versions of table looms are a good choice to go for and you don’t have to use all the shafts as you can just thread up 4 shafts and leave the other 4 shafts empty.

Some table loomsdo fold up too so can be taken to workshops or meet-ups too.

You can get stands for the looms and second warp beams which would let you use different types of yarns for the same cloth.

We have a great range ofbooks for table loomsthat help you to get weaving on them as well as giving you lots of pattern ideas.

A table loom is a really useful loom to have as you can experiment with weavepatterns really easily and is great fun to weave on.

Suitable for Beginner to Advanced Weavers

Floor looms, such as theSchacht Baby Wolf loom,come in a range of sizes with differing shaft numbers which can confuse a new weaver as to which to go for.

Floor looms differ from table looms in that instead of using levers on the front of the loom to move the shafts, treadles under the loom are tied up to the shafts so when you step on them the shaft moves up or down.

There are several different systems to do this ranging from Jack looms which directly pull the shafts down, to countermarche which moves shafts up and down to give a wide shed.

Jack looms like the Ashford Jack are the simplest to understand for beginner weavers as you just need to think about which shaft needs to move to create the pattern.

The Jack system on the looms we sell lift the pattern shafts so it's easy to see the pattern as you're weaving.

Due to this mechanism the tie up is simple as you only need to attach the jack to the shaft that is involved with the pattern shaft.

The floor looms we stock come in sizes from 18”/45cm to over 45”/1150cm in width. So it comes down to where you’re wanting to keep your loom. Obviously the wider the loom the wider the cloth you can weave but you also need to bear in mind that weaving over 1m can be tricky without something like a fly shuttle device as arms can only throw a shuttle at such a width.

Smaller looms can easily fit into any room in the house and some like theSchacht Wolf PupandBaby Wolflooms can be folded up and taken in the car to workshops or meetings.

The final consideration is the number of shafts that you want and what type of patterns you want to weave. The more shafts the more complex patterns you can do, but you can also do a huge range of patterns with just 4shafts. The Schacht Baby and Mighty Wolf Looms can be bought as a 4 Now 4 Later set-up so you can change from a 4 shaft loom to an 8 shaft loom at a later date if money is an issue.

You can jump straight into getting a floor loom if you are a beginner weaver, but sometimes it is easier if you’ve used a rigid heddle or a table loom first as it makes it an easier learning curve.

Do you still have more questions about weaving?

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