Tag: inkle loom

String heddles

On By CarynIn Craft

Next up for my new inkle loom is to test making a band with string heddles. To make the heddles I tied cotton string around the top post and heddle post, tied a square knot, and trimmed the ends.

Photo description: measureing string heddles loops on the loom, with a handful of finished loops on my hand

I made 26 heddle strings, then strung my loom with medium cotton (4) yarn with a metallic sparkle in a continuous loop 53 times, putting a heddle on every other loop and taking that loop over the top bar.

Photo description: inkle loom warped with cream colored cotton yarn and string heddles

This set up with a plain warp faced weave is making a 2” wide band, which I quite like for bag straps, especially cross-body straps.

Photo description: start of weaving, wide tooth comb on the side used to even out the start of the weave

I like the string heddles better than the laser cut rigid heddle. The shed is easy to change and doesn’t spread out the warp threads, so I’m finding it easier to keep the width more consistent. I am having trouble moving the band around the pegs when I need to weave a new section. I think when this band is done I will sand all the dowels with fine grit sandpaper and finish them again to see if they will slide better.

First band

On By CarynIn Craft

I finished the first band on my new inkle loom, made with leftover pearlized cotton, mostly variegated, in teals and browns, and a laser cut rigid heddle.

Photo description: band still on the loom with the end woven back on itself three times
Photo description: behind the laser cut rigid heddle showing the amount of warp I couldn’t weave, and how far apart the heddle holds the warp threads
Photo description: band removed from the loom showing the differences in width from beginning to end
Photo description: rolled up band with a closeup of the end treatments, one cut short, the other twined and knotted into fringe

This was a good learning project. I found out that the laser cut rigid heddle is too wide and makes it difficult to keep the edges even because of the inconsistent edge tension as I weave closer to the heddle. I also learned that I need to leave more unwoven warp if I want to do twined fringe on both ends of the band, which I have discovered I quite like. I love my new loom, but have identified some carpentry weaknesses, particularly in the supports, that I would make differently if I were to build it again. I also found that I need a bar across the front of the loom so that when I’m beating down the weft, I have a more even pressure across my midsection, rather than one rather edgy stick poking under my ribs.

Warped

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

I was able to wait for the finish to dry before warping up my new inkle loom, but I didn’t take pictures until I had woven for a while.

Photo description: inkle loom warped with size 5 pearlized cotton in variegated colors of brown, blue, and teal, set up with a rigid heddle

I made my rigid heddle a little taller than it needed to be, but it fits nicely between the upright supports and the removable side. It spreads the threads out quite a bit, and I’m struggling with keeping the band a consistent width, so I marked my shuttle with quarter inch ticks. On the next shuttle design I’ll engrave a ruler. I’ll also make adjustments to the size; I don’t like how the thread builds up on this design.

Photo description: shuttle wrapped with pearlized cotton and with ruler marks

So hard to wait

On By CarynIn Craft

I applied Howard’s Feed-n-wax to my newly made inkle loom, and to the freshly designed and cut wood rigid heddle and shuttle, both marked with the dragonfly symbol I designed for the loom.

Photo description: inkle loom in pieces so the feed-n-wax can be rubbed onto all the surfaces

It was so hard to wait for the finish to dry, I really wanted to warp it up and get testing!

New inkle loom

On By CarynIn Craft

I made a new inkle loom that can make longer bands. The design is based on a picture from an Estonian band weaving book that I saw on a blog post by Durham Weaver. I used poplar 1×2 boards and 3/4” dowels, predrilled wood pipe, carriage bolt and knob, small screws, 1/8” birch plywood which I laser cut for the side, a 3/4” Forstner bit to drill the holes, gimlet to make a starting hole, coping saw to cut the channel, and sand paper. The toughest part was cutting the channel for the tension rod, my coping saw skills are rusty, and sawing along the grain is difficult.

Photo description: channel cut in a 1×2” board to accommodate a carriage bolt holding a drilled dowel

I laser cut the removable side panel first, then missed my angles during assembly by 1 degree, so had to recut the panel. To get everything to dry in the right position, I glued in the dowels, then wiggled them into place in the side panel.

Photo description: side panel friction fit onto the glued-in dowels to hold them in place while they dried, dragonfly hole shapes added for decoration
Photo description: assembled inkle loom with scrap cotton yarn tracing the warp path

Next step is to apply a finish coat to protect the wood from finger oils.