Introduction to Weaving on a Rigid Heddle Loom

Rigid heddle looms are a great way to get your feet wet in the world of weaving. These little looms are inexpensive, very quick, and easy to warp using the direct warp method, and take up very little space. Yet despite their simplicity, the weaving possibilities on a rigid heddle loom are endless. The goal of this introductory weaving class is to teach you to use a rigid heddle loom from start to finish. Using a 15” Schacht Cricket rigid heddle loom, participants will spend the morning learning to warp, weave, and finish a small piece of freeform woven fabric. After a lunch break, participants may choose to continue with their morning weave or to repeat the process a second time building on their knowledge from the morning to plan and use a new warp. Although the workshop is more about learning the process from beginning to end, I hope you will love your first little rigid heddle loom weaving(s)!

Your equipment and warp will be provided (with the looms available to purchase at a discount should you choose). Please bring approximately 200-400 yards of yarn to use as your weaving weft. Since we will be freeform weaving, anything goes for weft – DK, sport or sock weight yarn, worsted weight yarn, bulky yarn, novelty yarn. It’s fun to mix things up and have a variety of colors and weights of yarn with which to experiment and play as you learn. If you have a stash of little yarn scraps and balls that you aren’t sure what to do with, they’d be perfect for this! In addition to the weft yarns you bring, a bunch of novelty yarns and “treasures” will be provided for you to consider incorporating in your little weaving.