Hi all:

I am a total newbie to this art form.

I purchased a Cricket Rigid Heddle Loom in August and just got around to assembling it and attempting the first project that came with the loom in the last couple of days.

Is there a good "beginners" book that I should buy?  I have "The Weaver's Idea Book" which was recommended to me, but it is way beyond me at this point.

Would love a good go to book that I can learn from the ground up....something that is clear, concise, with pictures, etc.  Kind of like a Weaving for Dummies approach.

Thanks for any help and/or direction.

 

Gail

Comments

Sun, 11/30/2014 - 21:46

ingamarie

You should focus on books specifically for Rigid Heddle weaving at this point-- If you start at the beginning of Weaver's Idea Book, it does a pretty good job of laying out the basics. There's also a little pamphlet in the box that the Cricket came in that covers warping and the like.  Schacht (the manufacturer) has videos online as well. The only thing I would do different from the Schacht instructions  is to not cut the end loop before you wind on the warp -- that may not mean anything to you at this point though and that's ok, it's not a huge thing.  Betty Davenport's Hands on Rigid Heddle Weaving is a classic and probably the next beginner (and on) book I'd get.  After that Sara Lamb's Woven Treasures is by far my favorite, it's not a beginner book.. but it explains things well and has much more interesting projects in it than most beginner books have -- you can only weave so many scarves. 

Hopefully people who spend more time on YouTube than I do can point you in the right direction for videos.. sometimes is really good to see it in action.  

Hope this helps!  Enjoy it, weaving is  wonderful and somewhat wonderous thing.

Mon, 12/01/2014 - 10:27

GailKops

Hi Inga Marie:

Many thanks for your kind post.  I will have a look.  I know what you mean about not cutting the loops.  I warped the loom Saturday and started on the project (scarf, of course) with the yarn that came with the loom. 

When I put the heddle in the lower position, I have noted that not all of the threads raise to the top of the heddle and I have to watch to make sure that the shuttle goes under all of them.  Is this because I don't have each thread tight enough?  The threads on the upper postion move upwards fine, no problem.  Not sure if I am explaining this correctly tho.

Will have a look for those books.  Thanks again!

 

 

Mon, 12/01/2014 - 14:12

Weavolutionary6

Yoy may also want to purchase or weave now on a rigid heddles loom class!  :)

This and several other classes are available from the Classes tab.

Mon, 12/01/2014 - 16:26

ingamarie

It's a little hard to tell w/o being there or a picture.. but yes, it may have to do with your tension. My advice would be to use this first project as a chance to learn and explore and don't worry too much about 'making a scarf'  in the immortal words of Laura Fry -- you're making a weaver.  RH looms are a bit funny in the the slot threads stay more or less in one place and the hole threads to up and down, so the tension is different on each set of threads.  Try uping the tension a tad, you don't want it so tight that you can't move the heddle though.  And be careful how you pack in the weft -- the Cricket comes with an 8 ends per inch heddle, so try to weave in your weft with 8 picks per inch as well. There's nothing wrong with using a ruler to check -- especially when you're first learning, before you get a feel for it.

 

Wed, 12/03/2014 - 16:40

AudreyO

I have found books and DVDs by Liz Gipson to be very helpful:  Slots and Holes, Life after Warping, Weaving Made Easy.  Also, you might want to consider enrolling in Craftsy.com classes online.  You can view them as often as you want.  I've taken two of the weaving classes and got them at half-price!  Check the site often to catch the sale prices.  One caveat: don't expect quick responses from the teachers!  This site (weavolution) is more likely to answer your questions.  Lots to learn but so much fun!  Audrey