A few weeks ago, a member of the school’s Patreon community posted this question: “I’m excited about the latest study group. At the same time, I’m learning about shaft looms, and I’m wondering how your brain works, knowing both systems. Do you think about rigid heddle and shaft looms in separate compartments, like the way …
There are two primary ways to warp a rigid-heddle loom—direct and indirect—with lots of variations of each method. Before I embraced rigid-heddle weaving, there was just “warping”. Granted, there were still many variations, but primarily it involved using a board or pegs to wind the warp independently of the loom. In the rigid-heddle world, we …
As you explore more weave structures you will begin to hear the word “density” a lot. This can relate to how you calculate the sett or how you think about the relationship between structure, your materials, sett, and the hand of the fabric. Calculating Sett Density In A Multi-Heddle World To achieve various threadings in …
Over the next couple of posts we will look at the threading quadrant in a rigid-heddle environment. One of the challenges of writing a clear-eyed approach to structures for the rigid-heddle loom is that you can arrive at the same structure with many different setups. This is true of many looms, but especially true for …
I’ve been thinking a lot about drafts lately. As many of you know, I am in the process of writing a new guide to the wonderful world of weave structure with the rigid-heddle weaver in mind. It is humbling and overwhelming work and I am eternally grateful to the Yarnworker Patreon community for giving me …
In November, my desktop started giving me trouble. I couldn’t tell if it wasn’t happy with the latest operating system upgrade, or if I was dealing with a corrupt file. My bluetooth was cycling on and off, which made me think it was a hardware issue, but I wanted to rule out software or file issues. …
Swatching may seem to imply that you are striving to make a perfect thing. For me it is about bringing more joy to the process. A chance to stroll through the what-ifs without the worry. Will I like this color combination or that combination? Will this yarn finish the way I hoped it will? Will …
I was reading an online article about the Fibonacci sequence and the Golden Mean, and I was once again reminded what a powerhouse these two systems are for weavers. Before I even knew what they were, I discovered I was using them completely unintentionally. My “clever” stripes turned out to be Fibonacci. My asymmetrical blocks …
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts during the 2022 Yarnworker Check-In Survey. Over 700 rigid-heddle weavers responded to the survey. In addition to the numerous multiple choice questions, I asked a number of open-ended ones. This is an act of putting on my active listening ears to let you describe your weaving …
I remember the first time I saw a fiber-producing animal. It was at the petting zoo in Greensboro, North Carolina, where my grandparents took me to feed the ducks. I don’t know exactly how old I was, somewhere between preschool and school. In one pen off to the side was a llama and I was …
