Hello, friends. I have a new loom, a lovely rigid heddle with a 20″ weaving width that I purchased from The Spinnery on Etsy. I was looking for something portable and quiet, and the Schacht “Flip” fit the bill. I had no trouble getting the loom set up for weaving (a minimal amount of effort was required to affix the apron rods onto the back and cloth beams). I’ve been using the loom for plain weave projects, and have been pleased with the results:
I do not have access to my warping board or warping reel right now but the warping peg provided with the rigid heddle loom has been working just fine. Here is a photo of a piece I’m working on, also using Harrisville Designs “Shetland” wool, which I’ve sett at 10 epi:
I am quite happy limiting my weaving to tabby designs right now. Perhaps at a later date I may explore lace weaves or inlay techniques. For now, though, plain weave suits me just fine.
In addition to the rigid heddle loom exploration, I have been tinkering away at putting some more of my designs into print. I now have two placemat patterns available, in addition to the shawl pattern, which I wrote about previously. You can see the short list of designs available on my new “Patterns Page” here on my website. I do appreciate the support of the handweavers out there who have already selected my patterns to include in their own weaving libraries. Thank you! I hope to add to my little collection over time.
Do feel free to weigh in on your experience with rigid heddle weaving by adding a comment below. It is quite different from weaving on a floor loom, which I’ve done almost exclusively for 20 years, but it is satisfying in its own way.
Be well,
kate k.
Kate Kilgus 