I am just starting to get into weaving, though I have wanted to for a very very long time. I made hundreds of potholders as a child and some bead weaving as well. However, now I want to do some REAL weaving and my question is, while I have been looking at the rigid heddle looms, I want to know if the Ashford 4 heddle table loom is too much for a beginner. I have read all the posts on this site and it seems to come well recommended, but I need to know if I am jumping into too much too soon, and should stick with a rigid heddle for now or not. Thank you for any insights you may have.
Regards,
Kimbatigger
Hi Kim,
While RH looms are a great entry point, they are not the necessary entry point. I started on 4 shaft floor looms. That said, I had the advantage of being able to take a class and not having to figure everything out from books. I don't know what your situation is, but if you have to learn without benefit of a live teacher, you should think about what your own learning style is.
Take heart in the knowledge that nothing about basic weaving is inately difficult, it just takes care and patience. There are also great videos and books to help you get going.
I didn't buy my RH loom until well after I began weaving. They are amazingly versatile! I've been amazed several times about how much one can do with them. So, not to lead you down the primrose path, but I don't think the decision is necessarly limited to the RH loom OR the table loom!
I hope those who began as self taught pipe in here.
Keep us posted on what you decide.
Alison
Cofounder
Hi Kim,
Alison is right. It really depends on what you want to weave. Some weavers start with an interest in rug weaving, which means that they really need a large sturdy loom. You might think about the things that you have seen that you would like to weave. And then go to the web site of the Handweavers Guild of America, click on about HGA and look for 'local guilds'. Find the guild closest to you and attend a couple meetings. They frequently have show and tell and bring what they have woven. That will help you to know which direction you want to go.
Joanne
Franco Rios
Hi Kim,
You have received lots of good responses already. I was lucky to have a live teacher and bought a small 4H floor loom because we had the space for it. I also have a sturdy rug loom and a rigid heddle loom and a Navajo loom. If I had to do it again, I would follow what Alison has suggested, see if you can find a teacher. We have lots of teachers listed on Weavolution. Go to the Resources and you will see the list there, http://www.weavolution.com/people/teacher. You can also search by city or state.
In the Resource section are some of the guilds from around the world. Where do you live? That list is also searchable by state and city, http://www.weavolution.com/guild
Good luck and keep us posted,
Claudia
Try the RH, a 4 Shaft table loom, and a 4 Shaft floor loom before you make a decision.
If you have the money or can find a used loom at a reasonable price I'd go straight to a 4 shaft floor loom and skip the rigid heddle. Yes, you could spend a lifetime on a rigid heddle or backstrap. Yes, you can do everything you can do on a computerized jacquard loom with one. However, you do so at the expense of flexibility, ease of weaving, speed, rhythm - the dance that makes weaving such a pleasure. Most of the rigid heddle looms I see are being marketed as "knitters' looms" - not "weavers' looms" - a way to get a limited taste of weaving at a lower price, use fat knitting yarns from an existing stash in a limited range of widths and setts.
Many, many weavers have used a 4 shaft floor loom as an entry level loom. Weavolution has a lot for RH beginning weavers, but other lists have many vocal 4S floor loom beginners and help can be found here or in other yahoogroups. It's quite possible to teach yourself how to use a floor loom out of a decent book if you can't locate a class. I started with a 4 shaft floor loom and a copy of Joy of Weaving by Osma Gallinger Todd (there are more modern equivalents), with later classes and books filling in gaps. The benefit of the floor loom over the table loom is that you use both hands and feet, allowing speed and rhythm to develop. They are also more solid, sturdy, and come in more widths so you aren't limited to rather narrow goods. Twenty plus years later I am still learning and weaving but I doubt I would have continued if I had started on a RH or table loom.
Go to the projects part of this site and compare the look of RH and 4 shaft projects. There are enough to get a good idea of what beginners and some more advanced folks are doing with each. What do you like about each type? Do you like the color and texture effects in plain weave or do you enjoy patterning? While you will see some complex patterning on RH and backstrap, those kinds of finger-manipulated weaves generally take far more time than loom-controlled weaves which look the same. What kinds of projects do you see yourself doing? That alone may help you toward a decision. For example, if you are looking to weave for clothing, twills (which drape better than plain weave) and yardage are far easier and faster on a 4S floor loom than a double RH loom. Remember than any kind of finger-manipulated patterning you can do on a RH or table loom can also be done on a 4+shaft floor loom if you like. Whichever you choose, if you enjoy weaving, it is apt to be a "first" loom, not the only loom you ever own, so it does not have to be a perfect match.
Happy weaving,
Laurie Autio (with 4S, 8S, and 32S floor looms...)
hi Kim, I am self taught, and started with a backstrap loom. I could not wait until I could get hold of a 4 shaft jack loom. These days I am content with my knitters loom, an assortment of artists stretchers, and a couple of large table looms ( I can't use treadles any more), but while its easy to downsize, its much harder to upsize, so I second the suggestion to go for a floor loom and a book like Debbie Chandler's Learning to Weave for starters.
Ideally, if you can get into your local Guild, you may be able to try, then hire different sizes and kinds of loom before you spend any money and then get expert help in finding and choosing a loom.
I would also suggest experimenting with using an artists canvas frame as a small tapestry loom, or finding a few dowels and giving backstrap a go, just to get the feel for basic weaving, and learning a bit about what is possible with minimum equipment. You will then be in a position to make a more informed decision about which way your weaving instincts are taking you.
As Laurie says, your first loom will not necessarily be your only loom - they multiply in the dark like coat hangers given half a chance, and a spare bit of space - but if your first experience with a loom you have purchased is negative, it will give you a rather prejudiced outlook on the craft.
Hi Kimbatigger,
My vote is a 4 harness loom. I learned on a 4 harness Artisat loom from M.M. Atwater's book The Shuttle-Craft Book of American Hand-Weaving. I still have and love my Artisat. The book was written in 1928 and is a little hard to follow.
My recommendation is to get Deborah Chandler's book Learning to Weave and the video of the same name. Your library might have the book or Amazon has it for as little as $14.79.
My other favorite beginner's book is Mary E. Black's The Key to Weaving, A Textbook of Hand Weaving for the Beginning Weaver. This may also be at your library and Amazon has used ones.
I hope this helps. Welcome to weaving - you're in for a treat!
Carie
RH looms are fun, tabletop looms are slow. For the price of some new RH looms you can buy a used 4h floor loom. A floor loom, no matter what action, jack, counter balance, counter march will allow you to weave with speed. Floor looms start small and grow to house size looms. Some you can fold up and put under a bed or in a closet. Other take up the whole room. Find a guild or a weaver, weaving shop and try out different type of looms.
Have fun
Michael
Hi Kimbatigger,
I'm new to weaving and had to decide on a loom, I bought a used 40", 4 harness jack loom because the price was right. I continue to experimented with frame looms, table looms, a peg loom for rug making,an older rigid heddle and an assortment of handmade and used smaller looms. I find that I like gadgets and machines, the little kid in me wants to see what they do so I try them all out. I used thrift store yards and learned about all about the properties of yarns especially when you mix them in one project and "wash finish" it and find that each type of yarn reacts to the water differently. Of course I'm sure I read that in a book but.... I guess I needed to see it for myself.
I try to take classes when I have time, I've joined a couple of guilds, read books and magazines and I am slowly learning to weave. I guess the best thing about experimenting is finding out what you don't like and moving on.
Currently I am weaving rag rugs, so the floor loom is perfect for that purpose. I need to become more skilled by making something that uses large warping thread and coarse bulky fabric, the fine yarns just make me crazy because I'm not skilled enough.
Uwi
If you decide to go with a RH, check out this site
http://www.rigidheddleweaver.com and see how she turned a RH loom into a 4-harness loom. I'm getting a Kromski later this month, and I'm excited about trying it out.
I'd love a big, heavy duty loom that can weave anything I can dream up. Alas, space and money (especially the latter) dictate otherwise!
I got hooked on a Union 36 which is a two harness floor loom made for rugs in the 1950's.
I have learned a lot and the original book that came with it was a huge help. If you can follow instructions with out getting frustrated with mistakes and re-dos (or new creations) it's very fun. There is always more to learn. A book I would highly recommend is "Weaving A Handbook of the Fiber Arts by Shirley E. Held" It's a pricey text book but could help you decide where to start. Maybe at a library?
Have fun!
My first loom was a lightweight 4 shaft floor loom, one I could pack up easily to ship whenever I moved (often!). 30 years later most of my work is done on a "heavyweight" 8 shaft floor loom that takes up most of my room. What they have in common is "the dance" that Laurie mentioned a few messages back. Treadling a floor loom gives a real sense of rhythm that is exactly like dancing. It takes me out of myself, and allows my mind to wander, even to forget my aches and pains. I've never been able to achieve that on an RH or a table loom.
Whatever your decision, enjoy your weaving!
I thank you for all your help. I have a couple feelers out for a used loom that I can borrow and will continue looking for one based on your answers. Right now my budget is suited to a home made backstrap loom :-) but I will keep the faith and hope for the best. I think what I will probably start with is a 16 - 24 inch RH with the adaptability to add a second heddle. Again, thank you all for your consideration of my question.
Keeping warm by the fire in central Virginia,
Pat
