Of all loom types, the rigid-heddle loom allows you to use the widest variety of yarns. To see more detailed step-by-step instructions on direct warping pick up Slots and Holes: 3 Ways to Warp a Rigid-heddle Loom or the new revised edition of Weaving Made Easy. You can see a quick overview of direct warping on the Yarnworker YouTube channel.

The process of threading the loom is called “warping.” The quickest way to warp a rigid heddle loom is the direct warping method. More complex looms such as floor and table looms have separate parts for a lot of the functions that a rigid heddle performs, but they are much more complicated to set up.

This action handily creates two sheds that are the basis of all plain weave weaving. If you lower the rigid heddle then the hole yarns are pushed below the slot yarns. When you lift the rigid heddle the yarns threaded in the holes are lifted above the yarns threaded in a slot. The yarns in the slots move freely and the yarns in the holes are fixed. Warp yarns are threaded though each slot and hole. They are fixed between two wooden supports. The rigid heddle is made from molded plastic pieces that are constructed in a slot hole configuration in various densities and widths. Other examples are pin or tapestry looms. Technically it is a frame loom, a class of looms where the weaving action happens within a frame. The rigid heddle itself sets this loom apart from others. It is easy to set up, move about, and is inexpensive, thus eliminating many of the barriers to beginners.Ĭheck out the first installment of my new Knitty Column Get Warped to meet the rigid heddle loom up close and personal. As if that isn’t enough, it serves as the beater that presses the yarn into place. The rigid heddle also spreads the warp to a fixed width and consistently spaces the yarn. It gets it name from the ingenious rigid heddle that enables the weaver to easily lift and lower the warp. The rigid heddle loom is the perfect blend of functionality and simplicity. How do I know what size rigid heddle to use? I have no idea what all those words mean! You create the ratchets by cutting two circles 8 cm in diameter, in a 13 mm thick board, divide it in 16 parts and create the cogs by cutting it perpendicular to the axis, 12 mm in length, and then cutting it diagonally between cogs.What makes a rigid heddle different from other looms? On one side ( or both sides if you want to) there is a ratchet gear ( 8 cm in diameter) in both beams in order to maintain the warp stretched when you are weaving, and to roll up the cloth around the front beam. Then I cut all the lateral parts and put them all together. I had to make two ratchet gears, which aren´t easy to cut. I drew all the parts needed and started cutting it. I had to figure out all its characteristics…įirst I tried to understand all the details in the photo and then I started looking for bits of scrap wood I could use, without spending much money on it, as I didn´t know if I were able to make it. I found a type I wanted and the photo was a small one. It would be enough to weave cloth 80 centimetres across. So I decided to make one 80 centimetres wide and 60 centimetres long.

These blocks have three indented parts in order to support the heddle in the three normal positions: resting position when it is not working, up position and down position to make space to pass the shuttle with the weft.Īfter having decided on the type of loom, I had to decide the size of the thing, because there are different measures and the things you can do with them are different as well. The lateral boards have two rounded tips ( 13,5 cm in height) to include both cloth beams: one upfront and another in the back.Īlmost at two-thirds of the lateral boards, towards the back, we have the heddle blocks, one on each side. The structure of a Rigid Heddle Loom is quite simple: two lateral (62cm x 13,5 cm) 2cm thick boards linked by 2 x 4 cm slats at the bottom part. And I made one and tried it with a scarf for my granddaughter.īut the real goal was a larger loom and I spend some time on the internet studying different types of looms and discovered one that is called the Rigid Heddle Loom, which seemed quite easy to make. First I looked for small handlooms to knit scarves. Now, being over sixty and with a 5-year-old granddaughter, I decided I had to give it a try.

Rigid heddle loom