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
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!
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.
It has been awhile since I pulled out my inkle loom and did some tablet weaving. I wanted to try a double-sided design and use some size 3 pearlized cotton from my stash.
Photo description: inkle loom warped with tan and green pearlized cotton with 19 4-hole tablet cards
I used the online pattern maker Tablet Weaver Designer App and made several designs as I went. The band ended up being more of a sampler piece as I experimented with letters and music notes.
Photo description: “HARMONY” woven on an inkle loom with 4-hole tablet cards using size 3 pearlized cotton
The designer app now also shows if the pattern is balanced— that each card has the same number of forward and backward turns across the pattern. As weaving progresses for tablet weaving, twist builds up in the warp.
Photo description: twist in the warp across the top posts of an inkle loom
There are a number of ways to deal with warp twist, I find making a balanced pattern the easiest. Using the design app I discovered that adding an extra row between two of the same motifs reverses all the forward and backward turns, balancing the pattern in double sided weaving.
Photo description: music notes tablet woven on an inkle loom
To keep track of rows, I cut two slits in a piece of cardstock and slid it over my printed pattern.
Photo description: paper row tracker
I did keep track of time for this project. It took me 1.5 hours to warp the loom, and I wove for 6 hours and 10 minutes. I used a timer in a knitting app to track the time.
Photo description: band removed from the loom, showing the reverse side of the music notes
My Mom requested a stretchy woven watch band. I took one of the plain purchased bands she had so I had the hardware, and I purchased colored shirring elastic thread. I set up a 22 card tablet weave on my Inkle Loom using a pattern I found on Pinterest. An interesting thing about tablet weaving patterns is that the result changes depending on how the cards are turned. It took me a little time to figure out how the pattern worked, so I decided to make four different patterns on the same band, then cut them later. I also had quite a shock when I removed the band from the loom and the elastic contracted, creating different issues.
Photo description: shades of purple, gray, and black elastic thread woven into a band and laid out to show the different patterns next to the black purchased band
When I warped the loom, I didn’t pull the thread completely tight, it is quite elastic, but on hindsight could have loosened it up a little more. I did pull the weft thread taught. If someone is reading this to get hints on the how, I recommend trying a non elastic weft. On the final band three of the designs puckered strangely, one in the middle and the other two on the edges. I think this is due to the tension or uneven tension on the warp and the pattern. It was difficult to get an even pull on all 88 threads when it was so elastic.
I had at least one decent section, so the next quandary was how to cut it. Ideally, it needed to be cut and sealed to prevent the elastic from unraveling. I happen to have a laser cutter. I couple experiments with settings, and I was able to cut and, in the same process, seal the band.
Photo description: picture of the computer screen focused on the woven band with a cut line positioned between patterns
I put the band on a sheet of steel, and used high power and a slow speed to cut the band. It look a couple of experiments with settings to get a cut with minimal burn.
Photo description: cut band with minimal unraveling
To protect the end while threading it through the hardware, I wrapped it in washi tape.
Photo description: washi tape wrapped end threaded through the slide
Sewing was a little challenging because of the thickness, but this little three-in-one sewing tool was a life saver.
Photo description: using a sewing tool to pull the needle through the bandPhoto description: finished band on a calico cat
The most unfortunate part of the whole project is that I didn’t realize the slides on the ends have an up and down. I installed them both upside down. Nuts.
