Information on 8 Harness Looms

Extra harnesses allow more complex designs to be woven on a loom.

The harness is the part of the loom that holds the heddles (cord or metal loops that control individual threads). An eight-harness loom has eight of these. Multiple harnesses allow you to make more complex patterns.

Features

A loom is made up of many different parts. The heddles are cords, large needles, or flat metal strips with holes in one end. The heddles hold the warp threads, the threads that run vertically through the fabric. The heddles are mounted in a harness. When the harness goes up, the warp threads are also lifted. The weft (the horizontal thread) is passed underneath the threads that have been lifted up. Each harness lifts only some of the threads, and the weft passes over the threads that aren't lifted.

Benefits

The more harnesses you have, the more different arrangements of warp threads you can produce with each pass of of the weft. This lets you create more complex designs with your loom. An eight-harness loom allows you to weave some very intricate designs.

Considerations

In hand weaving, you'll be operating the harnesses with your feet. The harnesses can be heavy, especially if the loom has a lot of them. An eight-harness loom can require some strength.

References

• Celanese Acetate LLC: Complete Textile Glossary
• Popular Science Mar 1944: Compact Table Loom
• Middle Kingdom Textile Artisan Guild: Guild of Withie and Woolmongers: Choosing a Loom
• Glimakra-USA: A Glossary of Loom and Equipment Terms

Resources

• All Fiber Arts: Weaving Loom Suppliers