The Sewing Place

Looms and Weaving in General

mudcat

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #15 on: November 03, 2020, 20:05:41 PM »
I just signed up for a four hour rigid heddle weaving class. It is in about three weeks.  So this will be a test to see if it's really something I want to do.  :thinking:

I'm a little ambivalent about being around other people but they are only allowing two students and enforcing masks and six feet distancing so I'm going to go with it.

BriarRose

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #16 on: November 03, 2020, 21:08:08 PM »
It took me two years to get into a particular Navajo weaving course in New Mexico. Signed up a year in advance only to have it cancelled thanks to covid. Poor Gallup, New Mexico got hit hard early on in the pandemic. I just let my deposit ride another year and have great hopes that the class will be held in 2021.  There's a fine teacher in Denver about an hour from my daughter, but the classes always end right in the middle of Denver rush hour. Somethings are beyond my endurance, and rush hour traffic in Denver is one of them.
It's just fabric. We can out-think it.

Ploshkin

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #17 on: November 03, 2020, 22:04:36 PM »
I live on the edge of the Brecon Beacons which, being traditional sheep country with a long history of wool and weaving, is an area where there are many craftspeople and in 'normal' times I would have no problem finding a weaving workshop.  I hope that there may be an opportunity next year to attend something though I won't hold my breath.
Life's too short for ironing.

Puzzler

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #18 on: November 04, 2020, 16:14:51 PM »
My weaver friend from the US wants to visit post lockdown and for me to take her to some mills in Wales. That would be a long haul for me. She’s got a flock of looms in a fibre studio, room built above a large 2 car garage. One of her looms is a compact eight shaft floor model. I covet that one but weaving would be one slippery slope too many for me at the moment.

BriarRose

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #19 on: November 06, 2020, 03:23:16 AM »
My weaver friend from the US wants to visit post lockdown and for me to take her to some mills in Wales. That would be a long haul for me. She’s got a flock of looms in a fibre studio, room built above a large 2 car garage. One of her looms is a compact eight shaft floor model. I covet that one but weaving would be one slippery slope too many for me at the moment.

Slide on in; the woolens are fine.
It's just fabric. We can out-think it.

Renegade Sewist

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #20 on: November 06, 2020, 07:05:13 AM »
Weaving is fun and basic weaving with lovely threads and yarns is beautiful. It's really very easy.

Warping is an entirely different matter.  :facepalm: People should hire themselves out to do the work.
Hey Bill! Read the manual!  Hehehe.

Celia

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #21 on: November 06, 2020, 09:08:09 AM »
Don’t tell me about the warping, I spent ages warping a loom yesterday only to find an error on the positioning of a colour, luckily I was able to deal with it, it was on a rigid heddle loom so not quite so bad.

 Not sure I have the stamina to warp a large floor loom with very fines yarn but I would love to weave it. Probably lucky I don’t have a floor loom

Come on @Puzzler jjst a little loom maybe an Inkle, you can make very pretty edgings to sew on to things as well as belts straps etc
The world needs more weavers

Puzzler

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #22 on: November 06, 2020, 10:26:30 AM »
You naughty enabler @Celia. My friend had me prepare the warp yarns for a large floor loom. When it came to the actual warping, she took over. I just followed orders. I remember her showing me how to tie up the warp thread in bunches as a precaution should a cat come creeping up and wreak havoc.

Efemera

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #23 on: November 06, 2020, 12:47:35 PM »
OK... talk to me about looms, what’s the difference between the Ashford Knitters loom and the ridged heddle looms?...what would I need if I want to weave all kinds of funky threads and fabrics?

Celia

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #24 on: November 06, 2020, 14:16:14 PM »
The only difference is the knitters loom is foldable, it is in fact a rigid heddle.  It was marketed to try to encourage people who have a knitting stash to get into weaving.  I have an Ashford 12 inch knitters loom, it is lovely the way it folds but if I was buying again I don’t think I would pay the extra for it.

Ploshkin

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #25 on: November 06, 2020, 15:12:20 PM »
Ooh, go on @Efemera  it would be good to have a beginner buddy when I get going.  If  I wasn't waiting for my sewing space to be built there would be a loom on the table right now and all because I made a jokey comment about Celia warping her inkle!
Life's too short for ironing.

Lowena

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #26 on: November 06, 2020, 15:29:19 PM »
I'd love to learn to weave but know absolutely nothing about equipment or space needed.I'd have to start from scratch :thinking:
Triumph of hope over experience :D

Efemera

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #27 on: November 06, 2020, 15:46:41 PM »
I think I just might have  to ask Santa... do I need a 12” or a 16”?  @Celia

Ploshkin

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #28 on: November 06, 2020, 15:51:50 PM »
You and me both @Lowena   all you seem to need is a table to put your loom on provided it is a table loom of some type.  Have a wander down the rabbit hole that is the internet and look up rigid heddle weaving.
Life's too short for ironing.

Puzzler

Re: Looms and Weaving in General
« Reply #29 on: November 06, 2020, 17:14:23 PM »
Is a knitters loom the same as a tapestry loom? That's what came to mind, @Efemera.

My weaving friend gets regular catalogues from this place. As it's in the US, for ogling purposes only unless you're in the US.

https://halcyonyarn.com/weaving/equipment/weaving-looms

I paid a visit to this place a couple of years ago when weaver friend came to visit.

https://www.handweavers.co.uk/