Minor updates May 2025| Not So Rigid Weaver
Threading diagrams are a big feature many people have asked for in Not So Rigid Designer, and I’ve been working on it for a while, but I got hung up on some technical issues and the fact that there’s many possible ways to thread the same design, and that I’d want to show more than one of them! So I put it on the backburner for a few months and came back to it, and then everything clicked! Threading diagrams are now available to Premium users of Not So Rigid Designer as I refine them a b...| Not So Rigid Weaver
Weaving design software lets you preview designs on your computer, but how do you match the color of your yarn to the colors on the screen? Computers represent colors as numbers, and can display millions of possible shades. There's a few different ways that computers can represent colors, but one common one, and the one used in Not So Rigid Designer is Hex color codes, which look something like #9900FF.| Not So Rigid Weaver
Backstrap looms are one of the simplest designs of loom used for weaving long fabrics, where the tension is held between the weaver's back and some other point. However, being simple to make doesn't mean they only make simple fabrics!| Not So Rigid Weaver
Inkle looms are designed for weaving warp faced bands - think belts, guitar straps, dog leashes, and trim for other pieces. They consist of pegs sticking out of a frame and are usually made of wood; usually they have a frame on one side, but some designs provide additional support by having a removable 2nd side to the frame. One peg is moveable to adjust tension, and the shed is created by the weaver pushing the warp up and down with their hand.| Not So Rigid Weaver
Frame looms are a simple style of loom that consist of a fixed size frame, or, more rarely, a frame that can be put together in multiple sizes or pegs that can be rearranged on a board. I am not including here any sort of loom with features like the ability to roll up a warp and adjust tension and sett, such as more sophisticated tapestry looms. These looms have no built in shed making device; commercial kits may come with a weaving needle, or a shuttle and a pick up stick.| Not So Rigid Weaver
So you've bought or are thinking of buying a rigid heddle loom, and are wondering what accessories to get? Here are my thoughts as a "frugal under-buyer" a year into my weaving journey on what tools and accessories you should buy soon and what you can hold off on to save more money for yarn (or anything else!)| Not So Rigid Weaver
I really enjoy working with pick up sticks. A while back this got me thinking of how to make big designs out of blocks of warp and weft floats while having areas of plain weave.| Not So Rigid Weaver
Sooner or later it will happen that you have a thread or two that's too loose. And eventually you may have a warp where it's quite a lot of threads! Here's some ideas for ways to deal with the problem.| Not So Rigid Weaver
Updated July 2022 with new link to Country Plaid Towels| Not So Rigid Weaver
A list of specialty weaving suppliers in Canada, as well as other stores with some weaving supplies.| notsorigidweaver.com
A Creative Beginner at Rigid Heddle Weaving| notsorigidweaver.com
A Creative Beginner at Rigid Heddle Weaving| notsorigidweaver.com
A Creative Beginner at Rigid Heddle Weaving| notsorigidweaver.com
There’s lots of 4 shaft weaving projects out there, and you may have come across one you want to weave. But can you weave it on your rigid heddle loom?| notsorigidweaver.com
No loom is the best for every project or situation, and I think that it’s easier to fall in love with a small rigid heddle loom than a bigger one.| notsorigidweaver.com
Rigid heddle looms are great little looms and I love them, but no loom is the right tool for every job, and there are some things that rigid heddle looms really fundamentally can’t do.| notsorigidweaver.com
Saori is a philosophy of creative expression through weaving developed by Misao Jo in Japan. It emphasizes developing individual creativity, embracing flaws, and making fabric that a machine can’t.| notsorigidweaver.com
Sometimes I see people ask “Is there a Ravelry for weavers?” and, well, the answer is… Ravelry! Here's some tips about how to get the most out of Ravelry as a weaver.| notsorigidweaver.com
I figured it was past time to show an example of creating and weaving a design using Not So Rigid Designer! Here's an example of one of my projects.| notsorigidweaver.com
Rigid Heddle Looms are a relatively modern style of loom, but when and where did they originate?| notsorigidweaver.com
Braiding (or plaiting) and weaving are both ancient ways of making textiles by interlacing yarn in an over/under pattern. But what's the difference between them? And what the heck is fingerweaving?| notsorigidweaver.com
Not So Rigid Designer is now in Beta! Come help test out the first software just for Rigid Heddle Weavers!| notsorigidweaver.com
The modern fashion industry, and in particular so called ‘fast fashion’, produces a massive amount of waste, but as weavers there's ways we can reduce our impact!| notsorigidweaver.com
Not So Rigid Designer is a new online tool that lets you design pick up patterns in a format inspired by shaft loom drafts but adapted for rigid heddle looms.| notsorigidweaver.com
Rigid Heddle Looms are versatile looms that use a rigid heddle to weave fabric by moving the heddle up and down to create a space to pass a shuttle through.| notsorigidweaver.com
Some 3 shaft drafts can be woven using 1 rigid heddle and 1 pick up stick. But given that a draft CAN be woven with 1 stick, HOW do you weave it?| notsorigidweaver.com
Designs using one pick up stick are a fun way to go beyond plain weave on your rigid heddle loom. One stick, left in place, lets you weave some, but not most, 3 shaft drafts.| notsorigidweaver.com
When I was first starting out, I found it hard to find some basic projects which didn't seem too ‘nice’ for my 2nd warp, and also didn't want to run out and buy a new heddle right away.| notsorigidweaver.com
Some sources say you should always sample before starting a weaving project. But is that really necessary for rigid heddle weavers?| notsorigidweaver.com
In rigid heddle weaving, you’ll see the terms heddle, reed, and rigid heddle used interchangeably, but, these can also be entirely different things on other kinds of looms.| notsorigidweaver.com
The Cricket Quartet is an attachment that converts the Schacht Cricket to a 4 shaft table loom; but here's why I don't think the Quartet is the killer feature some people make it out to be.| notsorigidweaver.com
Ashenhurst's Rule is a method of calculating sett for weaving based on the yards per pound of the yarn. Here's how to use my Ashenhurst Sett Calculator.| notsorigidweaver.com
I’ve had my little Sample-It since March 2021 and have woven many projects on it, but, of course, it’s “just” 16” and there are some projects that need a bigger loom. So after close to 2 years I’ve picked up a bigger loom, a 24” Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom.| notsorigidweaver.com
With Christmas coming up soon, now seems like a good time for a post about things the weaver in your life might like as a gift!| notsorigidweaver.com
It turns out it’s not so simple as saying that a number of pick up patterns on a rigid heddle loom equals a number of shafts, as the interactions are different.| notsorigidweaver.com
The first time I tried to use a hank of yarn, I didn't realize that they need some special attention, just started pulling, and quickly ended up with a tangled mess that I spent the next 3 evenings untangling and winding into a ball.| notsorigidweaver.com
If you're looking to see what a beginner can do, or get some inspiration for your own beginner projects, you're in the right place! These are definitely not the prettiest things I'll ever weave, but this is where I started!| notsorigidweaver.com
This post is a listing of weaving books I've read with some description to help you decided if it might be right for you. I've seen a lot of places that have lists of books, but they often don't have much context for when you might choose one over the other.| notsorigidweaver.com
Rigid heddle looms are fantastic little looms that can fit into a wider range of lifestyles than larger looms, and, they can enable may fit your lifestyle better than a multi-shaft loom, instead of or in addition to a larger loom.| notsorigidweaver.com
Rigid heddle looms come in a variety of sizes, from 8” or even smaller to 48”. Some people are tempted when buying a loom to buy the biggest one they can find, so that they can weave anything. But my advice would be to find something large enough to keep you interested, but small enough to fit your life.| notsorigidweaver.com
When I was deciding on a loom, I found it was hard to figure out what size of loom I needed to weave the kinds of things I was interested in - 16” seemed big enough for placemats, but some sources suggested at least 20”. So I looked up a bunch of patterns and came up with this list of common weaving widths, aka, the size of loom you need to make the item.| notsorigidweaver.com
A Creative Beginner at Rigid Heddle Weaving| notsorigidweaver.com