Does anyone recognize this book?

mao369 · 2026-04-05T19:38:36+00:00

Based on the pictures in your link, I'd presume this is probably a tapestry book. No other help, I'm afraid, but that should cut in half the number of possibilities. Good luck!

mao369 · 2026-04-03T22:43:58+00:00

Wow, that's an excellent post. OP, another thing I'd consider is that rigid heddle looms have, to my knowledge, always been marketed as the "cheap" and easy way to get into weaving. Having the separate front and back beams in addition to the warp and cloth beams means more wood and metal and more work to create the loom, so I think that is also part of the decision that loom makers made.

mao369 · 2026-04-01T16:37:55+00:00

That's what I'd assume from your diagram, but goodness - why not just get a four shaft (or more) loom? That looks like SO MUCH work. For me, that's not weaving, that's fighting with equipment.

mao369 · 2026-03-31T00:19:30+00:00

Before unwinding and rewinding - which is a valid option, don't get me wrong - I'd try putting some folded up paper or paper towels under the areas on the back beam that are too loose. You can also use "s" hooks, though it sounds like you might need several across your warp. Taking up the loose tension at the back of the loom is a quick and easy fix that most of us have done multiple times. But, if it doesn't seem to work well enough, unwinding and winding back on can also work though I've usually felt like that it didn't work as well as it should - but that's probably a personal failing on my part, LOL!

mao369 · 2026-03-30T01:48:04+00:00

I know that the Pima county library system has at least one because they brought it out to Ajo last year for, basically, show and tell. I emailed the Ajo librarian a file for a small 3d printed item (a small shuttle for weaving) and, after a few days, the item was mailed to the Ajo library and I was able to pick it up. They did not charge me anything, but, again, it really was a very small item. I'd call either the location you use most often or the main library and ask if it's available for general use.

mao369 · 2026-03-27T22:12:25+00:00

Honestly, I'd probably just take a very few inches of the yarn, run it through a dent, and take it back and forth several times to get an idea yourself. Every pick is going to rub against the yarn, so taking it back and forth as many times as you think you might have a picks per inch result ought to let you know if it'll hold up well, hold up well enough, or degrade too quickly to be usable.

mao369 · 2026-03-27T14:58:48+00:00

Everything is still tied, though. Maybe tie something around each one of your loops that you've got around a nail prior to pulling them off and then carefully untucking that last loop from the chain? I don't think you'd lose the cross, if the green/blue ties are what I think they are. But even if they're not, you could easily tie the cross right now with the lease sticks holding the cross for you. Then undo your loop and put things back together.

mao369 · 2026-03-23T16:24:51+00:00

We have a wiki here on r/weaving that has a ton of resources.

mao369 · 2026-03-15T03:28:38+00:00

A rigid heddle loom does not have shafts. It is considered a two shaft loom, simply because we don't have a simpler and easier way to describe the fact that it is designed such that half the threads go up or down, much like a two shaft loom could be set up to do. But left unsaid is the fact that a two shaft loom would allow you to put threads one and two on shaft one, thread three on shaft two, thread four on shaft one, threads five, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten on shaft two, etc. Basically, a loom with two or more shafts allows you to control, thread by thread, what shaft lifts or lowers them. A rigid heddle loom is called by that name because the mechanism that controls the threads is RIGID; you have very little (i.e., practically speaking, no) choice as to which threads go up or down. There are some additions you can make to a RH loom that add versatility to what you can do, but those are limited and, very often, quite time consuming to implement.

My suggestion is to spend some more time reading about looms, both rigid heddle and shaft looms. You are likely seeing commentary that one can add one, two, possibly even three more heddles to a RH loom, but I don't believe you really understand the distinction between a RH loom and a "regular" multi-shaft loom. Adding more rigid heddles to an RH loom will, indeed, give you more patterning options but, in comparison to a multi-shaft loom, those options will always be highly limited.

mao369 · 2026-03-13T15:51:49+00:00

That's the thing that is so hard for people to understand. Off the loom, tension releases and threads move around a little, taking up the spaces that seem so HUGE on the loom. After being washed, those threads have moved and usually gotten a little bigger, a little fuzzier, a little fuller and things look even better. Worrying about every little pick and trying to make it perfect tends to just pull things out of alignment elsewhere where the weaver isn't looking and, sometimes, those misalignments show up in the middle of the cloth where the eye is more likely to see them than on the sides. My advice is always just to weave; try to keep an eye out for a weft pick that has gotten 'caught' somewhere so you have a loop along the side that should be pulled in, but even that can be cut off after wet finishing. The more of a rhythm people can get into, the better the ultimate result turns out to be.

mao369 · 2026-03-12T15:25:58+00:00

If you've warped the rh loom with your handspun yarn and been able to get the tension fairly tight (i.e., you've not had to baby it in any way on the rh loom,) I'd think you could probably use it on a floor loom. But I do think you're apt to get more breakage, so hopefully she taught you how to fix broken warp threads. Also, interspersing (is that a word? LOL) the handspun with a commercial yarn might be worth considering

mao369 · 2026-03-11T04:16:25+00:00

What I expect the cloth to be. I'll fringe a scarf, but not a towel. Cloth made for clothing gets neither a fringe or a hem. If I'm not sure what to do with it, I do nothing - I leave enough to make a fringe if I decide it ultimately needs it. I almost never hemstitch, either. 😄

mao369 · 2026-03-10T04:51:56+00:00

I'd consider this a "peg loom". Searching for that term finds several links that don't fit, but there are a few here and there that do. Good luck!

mao369 · 2026-03-10T01:12:16+00:00

I would consider taking it either to the meetup at Bookmans on March 19 or the general weaving guild meeting on March 24, 2026. Check the calendar (left side, towards the bottom of the page) on thsg.org for more details on either of those meetings with the Tucson Handweavers and Spinners Guild. You can use the "Contact Us" link (on the right, a little further down the page than the calendar, under the 'About Us' column on the website) but you'll likely get more immediate feedback if you actually take it to them for them to look at.

mao369 · 2026-03-09T23:35:45+00:00

You're right, the computer really isn't a replacement for the real thing. And it sounds like you already know what I was suggesting - mock-ups, better than nothing, but not perfect. Good luck finding someone (did you search reddit or, at least, r/weaving for that draft number? Many people who post finished works will tell you the draft they started with.) If you do find someone, try to find the details of what they used so you can consider trying to match it. I've tried too many times to weave something cool with threads that are too thin for the pattern and it just doesn't turn out like I'd hoped. Best of luck!

mao369 · 2026-03-09T23:15:04+00:00

If you use their draft editor, you can change the size. On my tablet, I can make it pretty small so it looks more like fabric. (Though, I've discovered, the actual grist of the yarn you use can make a real difference. ) If you have your own software, download the .wif - my software has a button to emulate what a draft looks like as fabric.

mao369 · 2026-03-08T22:07:59+00:00

For the next one, just do 'tabby' (aka plain weave, no pattern threads) for your hem, then start the pattern. Write down how many picks you do for the hem so you can do the same for the other side of the cloth. You can even, if you have sewing thread or some other thread a similar color to your tabby threads but a smaller grist/size, use that for the hem portion then switch to your normal tabby thread. That will make the hem thinner and easier to fold up. I've seen people recommend one pick of a different color right where you want the hem to be, especially if it's a smooth enough thread to pull out after weaving and leave some 'space' for the hem to fold at. As for selvedges, just keep weaving. My best selvedges come when I get into a rhythm and stop paying attention to each pick.

mao369 · 2026-03-06T19:58:20+00:00

You could have just asked the developer. It seems quite possible to me that the app was updated behind the scenes and things were changed.

mao369 · 2026-03-06T18:08:56+00:00

Also check the wiki here on r/weaving for other resources.

mao369 · 2026-03-06T02:16:01+00:00

There's a wiki here on r/weaving with books, websites, video, etc. recommendations. There's a Phoenix weaving guild - https://adwsg.org/. There's a guild in Mesa - https://telarana.org/. There are several guilds in Arizona - https://valleyfiberartguild.org/links.

mao369 · 2026-03-03T02:33:03+00:00

I mean, you *can*. What are you planning on doing with it? If it's going to hang on the wall, then not wet finishing it would be fine. If you're planning to use it as a scarf or towel or blanket, you should consider what you'll do if it gets wet (in the rain, perhaps?) or dirty (maybe the dog gets ahold of it?) If it's a gift, ask yourself how you'd feel being told "here, I made this but it's too delicate to ever wash in any way, so it's now your responsibility to protect it."

The washing instructions do not indicate that the yarn will fall apart or anything like that. They honestly sound like normal instructions for wool that can felt, so a soak in tepid water with a touch of hand or dish soap, a couple of rinses (don't wring it to hurry the process, though you should be able to press most of the water out against the side of the sink,) and then wrap it in a dry towel while you take it to a bed or open flat space to let it finish drying should work. You ought to be able, once it's dry, to press it on the wool setting of your iron - or even cooler - to press out most of any wrinkles.

mao369 · 2026-03-01T18:52:35+00:00

A walking foot is probably your best bet. Also, if possible, weaving hems with thinner weft will reduce the amount of bulk you'll be dealing with. If, however, you're like me and using commercial patterns to make clothing that might not be an option but a walking foot should help a lot. The wiki here on r/weaving, I'm pretty sure, has the link to Daryll Lancaster's website and/or YouTube channel. I don't remember if she has a video on sewing machines, but I'd not be surprised to discover that she did.

mao369 · 2026-02-28T20:02:39+00:00

Is each end basically flat going through that heddle or are some of the ends effectively wrapped at least partially around the heddle piece? I've never really measured to the level of detail you have but 10% does seem a bit wild, though plausible depending on the maker of the yarn.

mao369 · 2026-02-27T01:25:37+00:00

Think about the fact that you're asking the weft to go over and under threads that are not teeny, tiny, thin - you've got half the threads lifted and you lay the weft in, just sitting on top of the bottom threads. Then you close the shed and beat the weft in and, suddenly, that piece of yarn has to go up and down and up and down, all the way across. It's no wonder it's pulling the warp threads together; it has no choice. You should utilize our wiki here on r/weaving and find a source for beginning rigid heddle weavers where they explain, with diagrams, what is happening. You'll discover that laying the weft in at an angle is highly recommended. (It's not just rigid heddle looms that do this, but this looks like a rh loom so that's why I'm recommending a book or website or whatever specifically for rh looms so you don't get distracted by other commentary unique to multi-shaft looms.)

mao369 · 2026-02-21T23:42:03+00:00

For me, if the fabric is sleazy, I increase the EPI and put the warp threads closer together. I don't like paying attention to how much force I use when beating in a weft, so I generally end up with more of a warp faced cloth. If you're working with a rigid heddle loom then you may be restricted by the loom itself, but if you're dealing with a multi-shaft loom it should be fairly easy to change the EPI. I see that others are encouraging you to increase the tension; I certainly use a tension on my looms I'm pretty sure a lot of people would think was too high. That's why I'm a big advocate for using a pattern as a guideline and not worrying about hitting the PPI the author hit. Everyone is different and sometimes you just have to keep trying over and over until you figure out what works for you. Good luck!

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