How to Use a Weaving Loom

Make your own woven cushion covers on a weaving loom.

Frame looms are the most common hobby-type looms. They are easy to use and easy to make, and weavers can use them to create everything from throw rugs to tapestries, doilies or place mats. Learning to use a loom for weaving is simple and can even be attempted by children as young as four or five with an adult's help. You can use old picture frames or even sheets of strong cardboard for makeshift looms if you don't have a proper weaving loom.

Things You'll Need

• Wool or yarn
• Scissors
• Large needle
• Loom

Instructions

1. Tie the loose end of a ball of wool or yarn around the bottom left of the loom. Move the wool until it is on the first warp (vertical) thread point. These are typically small notches in the sides of the frame.

2. Guide the wool upward onto the warp notch on the top left of the loom frame then around the back of the frame, down and then around the bottom of the frame and back to the second warp marker on the bottom left of the frame.

3. Warp the entire loom this way (or until the desired weaving width is reached). Secure the wool to the frame of the loom once the loom is warped and cut the wool off the ball.

4. Thread a large needle with enough wool for about 4 times the width of the loom. Tie the end of the wool to the first warp thread on the bottom left of the loom.

5. Insert the needle under the second warp thread, then over the next, under, over, under over in this way until you get to the end of the warp threads.

6. Go round the last warp thread with the needle, so that the needle now points back to the direction you just wove. If the second last warp thread had the wool going under it, thread the needle over this warp thread. If it had the wool going over it, thread the needle under it. This will ensure that the weaving going back across the loom will be in the opposite pattern to the first weaving row.

7. Change weaving colors by simply tying on a new color to the end of the old color wool and continue weaving. Every couple of rows, push the weaving downward so that a compact weaving is created.

8. Tie the wool off on the warp thread once the weaving is completed. Cut the warp threads off at the end of the frame and knot them together in pairs for a fringe on the weaving. You can also braid the ends of the warp threads in threes, or tie them off and weave them back into the weaving.

References

• Marla Mallet; Reinventing The Loom: A Simple Frame For Experiments; Marla Mallet
• Craft Stylish; How To Weave On A Cardboard Loom; Diane Gilleland; June 2008