How do you assemble your Warp&Weave loom? And how do you start weaving? In this second part of our series on weaving, we explain everything about how to stretch your Warp&Weave loom and the first steps to start weaving!
How to start weaving with step-by-step videos:
Determine how wide you want your weaving to be and choose a start and end tooth that goes with it.
Make a loop in your warp thread. Slide the loop around the first tooth you want to weave from. Now bring the wire to the other side and go over the window slat. Let the warp thread go around the cog and go back down. Continue in this way until the entire weaving area you want to weave is stretched. End with your thread on the opposite side from where you started. For example, if you started at the bottom, finish at the top.
Now you can start tensioning your weaving thread. We call this “plucking”, a bit like what you can do on a harp or guitar.
Place your finger under the first thread of your loom and pull it up towards you. Then, while keeping tension on the first thread, do the same with the second thread, transferring the extra slack from the first thread to the second thread.
You do this to the end of the window.
Repeat the above step until the window is properly tensioned. After every tension, secure the weaving thread at the end with a temporary loop.
You don't want the window to warp from the tension, but you want the threads to stay nice and tight so that you can weave easily.
When you are satisfied, make two loops at the end to hold it in place.
Take a strip of white cardboard and weave it through your warp thread at the bottom of your loom. You do this by going up and down with the paper 1 warp thread above and 1 warp thread below.
This edge of cardboard ensures that you have a good straight base, against which you can press your weaving during the weaving process.
You can also do this extra at the top, so that you have room for, for example, a stick to hang a hanger on.
Then weave in the same way, but stagger your weaving bar through the warp thread. For example, if you started with a thread at the bottom of the cardboard, start with a thread at the top of your weaving flat. You can now open the warp thread by tilting your weaving flat. Now you can put your weaving thread through the weaving needle and pull it through the open threads. When you are on the other side you take out your weaving flat and weave it in again, but this time another warp thread jumped. Now you can take your weaving needle and thread to the other side to get a beautiful weave!
It is very important to let your thread run in a "bow" when weaving. Then you press it with your weaving flat or with your weaving comb. Because you first weave it in a bow, you keep enough slack in the weaving thread so that your weaving does not contract in the middle.
One of the nicest applications of this window is weaving with Wick wool. You actually do this just like in the step above. If you have any ends left, you can finish them off by tucking them into themselves around the last thread.
From here the real adventure begins, you can weave now, but there are still so many patterns, techniques and materials to discover!
We always love to see what you are doing with our looms so be sure to share your progress with us instagram!
Do you want to know how to assemble your loom first? Then look here Part one – how do I assemble my loom
