Tag Archives: weaving

Weaving Tales: My Rigid Heddle Loom

Posted in My Rigid Heddle Loom, Weaving Tales by

Choosing a loom depends on time, budget, space, and project interests.

Types of Weaving Looms:

There are various types of weaving looms tailored for different techniques, including frame looms for beginners, potholder looms for children or adults, specialized tapestry looms for intricate designs, versatile rigid heddle looms, and complex multi-shaft table or floor looms for advanced weavers, each capable of handling different yarn types and creating diverse fabrics.

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Which Loom to use:

Beginning weavers usually start with the frame looms or potholder type looms before moving to a different type of loom. The projects are smaller with a short learning curve.

For scarves and larger projects, rigid heddle or multi-shaft looms are suitable based on the weaver’s interest and skill level. Rigid heddle looms are more beginner-friendly and affordable, while multi-shaft looms, though more expensive and less portable, allow experienced weavers to create complex designs and patterns.

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I got interested in weaving as a way to reduce my yarn stash. At first I dabbled with a DIY potholder type loom that I made with push pins on a bulletin board. I wove a few blankets with this DIY loom.

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My Rigid Heddle Loom:

I soon developed an interest in weaving as a craft and sought a portable, affordable loom for creating blankets and wraps. In 2019, I purchased a 32-inch Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom from Amazon. Thus began my weaving journey with plain weave and an exploration of colors and textures that the warps and wefts could produce.

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There are so many intricate patterns and textures to explore with the rigid heddle loom and I eagerly look forward to expanding and sharing my weaving experience.

I would love to hear your weaving experience and how you chose your loom in the comments.

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

Weaving Tales: It’s All About Weaving

Posted in It's All About Weaving, Weaving Tales by

Welcome to my tales of weaving adventures, misadventures and some tips I’ve learnt along the way.

Weaving dates back to Paleolithic times. It’s much older than knitting or crochet.

As a knitter and a crocheter, my interest in weaving started more as a way to reduce the amount of yarn I had, but has slowly grown into a genuine interest in the craft.

Weaving projects such as wraps or blankets can be completed in days rather than weeks or months, making it an appealing option for completing fiber related projects in a shorter time frame.

Like knitting or crocheting, I find the rhythmic motion of the loom not only satisfying but also a fascinating way to explore the colors and textures of yarn.

The ability to experiment with different weaving patterns and techniques has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me and I find myself increasingly captivated by the endless potential weaving holds for creating beautiful, functional pieces.

Come join me on my weaving journey.

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A recap of weaving content on this site:

Yarn and a loom
The Warp and Weft Floats in Weaving

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My weaving items over the years:

From a DIY potholder loom to weave blankets –

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To a rigid heddle loom to weave blankets, towels and wraps –

Coffeeteaknits_WovenWrap
coffeeteaknits_wovenwrap
woven towel
A Woven Towel
Woven baby blanket with knitted border
Woven baby blanket with crocheted border


Stay tuned for more weaving content

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~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

Weaving Tales: Yarn and a Loom

Posted in September 2021 by
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My interest in weaving started more as a way to reduce the amount of yarn I had but now it has grown into a genuine interest in this craft. Weaving dates back to the paleolithic era and is much older than knitting or other fiber related crafts. In 2019 when I got a rigid heddle loom, I found myself learning about warp and weft** and trying out various combinations of plain weaving first with whatever yarn I had on hand and then with yarn bought specifically for weaving. 

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Since weaving has been around for so long, there are many different types of weaving patterns other than plain weaving. Other weaving patterns with a rigid heddle loom include soumak, leno, tapestry, and many more. The loom with two heddles and pick up sticks makes double width weaving as well as various twill weave patterns possible. I’ve just begun to discover all these various weaving patterns and combinations.

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I find weaving to be much faster than knitting or crocheting. Large projects such as blankets or wraps can be woven in a matter of days rather than months. Weaving has also reduced my yarn stash. Although I still prefer knitting sweaters, hats etc., it is a relief to be able to weave the larger projects quickly. Since I have only one rigid heddle loom I can only weave one project at a time.

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Weaving, however, requires more finishing afterwards than knitting or crocheting. For someone who likes seamless knits with minimal finishing, finding the motivation to finish the woven pieces can be quite a task. Also, unlike knitting or crocheting where most of the leftover yarn is left intact, discarding some of the warp yarn still bothers me. Even with these minor drawbacks, I find the craft of weaving very interesting and look forward to learning more about it.

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** warp yarn runs lengthwise and is held under tension whereas the weft yarn runs side to side and is inserted by the weaver.

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

When life gave me yarn

Posted in March 2020 by

When life gave me yarn, I became an avid knitter.
I started a knitting blog and embarked on a journey paved with intricate designs, colors, and textures.
Thoughts of becoming a fiber artist crossed my path several times.
On this path I also picked up the yarn related crafts of crocheting and weaving.
All throughout the journey recurring dreams of someday designing my own yarn related items beckoned me towards more and more yarn.
Now, despite my efforts to the contrary, the yarn in my life keeps growing and growing.
So tell me my friends is this yarn in my life just a temporary haven or is the yarn calling me?

A woven prayer shawl/wrap

Keep safe everyone from the coronavirus pandemic!

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.

Summertime and knitting

Posted in June 2019 by

Somehow for me knitting with worsted weight yarn and summertime don’t go well together. So every summer I try to knit with cotton yarn or lighter weight yarn. Those projects do take more time to complete. This summer though will be different. With a loom no matter what yarn type or yarn weight I use I can still complete weaving projects in less time than my knitting projects.

Woven Wrap

coffeeteaknits_wovenwrap

June Hat for the #WNHyearofhatsKAL2019

The potential of yarn

Posted in May 2019 by

Does the potential of yarn make it difficult for you to give it away? It does for me.
Is it easier to knit and give away the finished item? It is for me. Although finishing knitting projects take time sometimes weeks to months or years.
So in an effort to reduce the time it takes to finish a yarn project, I began dabbling in weaving using a large size pot holder type loom I put together.
Add a rigid heddle loom and it opens up a whole new way to realize the potential of yarn! Watch this space for more weaving projects.

May 2019 hat for the #WNHyearofhatsKAL2019

Knitted with Premier Chamonix® Yarn

~coffeeteaknits.com

© Coffee Tea Knits. All text and images for personal use only. All Rights Reserved.