Pennsic XLVIII
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Questions to ask before you begin:
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What kind of project are you weaving?
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What width?
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Wide fabric? Full loom
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Narrow fabric? Belt loom
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Band/belt? Inkle, box, table loom
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What length?
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Continuous warp
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Open warp
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How intricate?
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Rigid heddles
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Finger picking
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Card weaving
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Floating heddles (punch cards)
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Fixed shape
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Full/floor loom
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Width of your wingspan
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How far you can repeatedly throw a shuttle
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Normally up to 5’ (60”)
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Infinite length
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Varied complexity
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Rigid heddles (4 is common)
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Punch cards
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Finger picking
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Takes up a large space/small room
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Belt/back strap loom
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Most traditional fabrics, still used by modern
native cultures
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Only requires a couple of sticks, two bands (or
belts), and an anchor (tree)
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Shoulder width
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Vikings ~ 26”
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Infinite length
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Varied complexity
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Rigid heddles
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Punch cards
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Finger picking
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Small looms
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Box, Inkle, Card weaving looms
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Inkle
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Normally has one set heddle
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Small work space that can be used for card
weaving but can be tight
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Has a set maximum yardage
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Has small width (couple of inches, depending on
loom)
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Card weaving loom
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Set maximum yardage
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Small width
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Larger working space
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Box loom
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Variable length
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Weighted warp or wrapped around peg
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Width often up to a foot
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Weighted loom
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Open ended warp that wraps around a peg on the
finished end and floats off the edge on the far end with weights on each warp
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If using poppable bobbins or washers, you can
run a bolt through the centers to keep them in order
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Tapestry/Pin/Frame loom
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Hand weave each thread
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Constrained to a fixed shape
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Warp
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Depending on the tension of your warp, your
fabric can be Warp Facing or Weft Facing
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If using a fixed length loom, your warp is going
to get tighter as you work, and your image will begin to lengthen.
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Tablet weaving can quickly tighten up your warp
if you continuously rotate your cards in the same direction and twist up your
warps.
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You want to make sure you “pack” your wefts
evenly so as not to distort your image (a plastic ruler works very well)
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You also want to keep your warp threads at a
consistent width
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Keep the tension in your weft consistent so as
to not choke the warps
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Different cards can space your warps more (wood,
bone, hard plastic) or less (poker cards)
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Rigid heddles and combs will space them out a
lot
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You can use a spacer (which also helps keep
threads from switching places)
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Thread
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Make sure you are using the correct thickness
and “polish” for your project
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Crochet cotton has a good thickness and
resilience for beginners
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Wool can felt if it rubs together too often
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Silk can chew through thinner cards
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Metallic thread can be used but isn’t very
structural. You can run a structural
weft thread and then shadow it with the foil.
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Card weaving will produce a fabric twice as
thick as other techniques because it alternates between four (or six) threads
per stitch instead of two. This also allows for different designs on both
sides.
