When I left off last week, I had just finished sleying the reed on the loom. This week we’ll pick up at the next step, threading the heddles.

I now move around to the back part of the loom. My loom has bars that allow me to take out a couple of screws and I can drop the back beam to the floor. I can then sit basically “in” the loom and very close to the heddles so that its not uncomfortable.

This is my view from my seat at the back of the loom. For this project, since it’s plain weave, you thread one thread through each heddle starting with the first shaft, then the second, third and fourth. Then you start back over at one. (I hope that makes sense)

The heddle hook is used to help pull the yarn through each heddle eye. 

Once I thread 12 heddles I knot that bunch behind the heddles to keep them from pulling out and move on to the next bunch. I always start threading from the center and do one on each side until its all done.

When the threading is done, it’s time to start beaming the warp. Starting in the middle of the warp, I take a knotted bundle and tie it on to the apron rod.

When all the ends are tied on, its time to start cranking. I untie all the warp chains at the front and spread out the warp as best I can, and pull the beater bar forward. I then turn the crank on the back beam until the beater bar falls back.

This is where you need help the most. Since the yarns will stick together if there’s nothing between them, someone needs to insert paper, or sticks or something in the warp as it’s wound on the back beam. I have sheets of brown wrapping paper.(I’m sorry I didn’t get any photos of this as it took the both of us to do it.)

I keep cranking and adjusting the warp until its all wound onto the back and the knots from the front end of the warp are at the beater bar. Then I tie onto the front apron rod.

When its all tied on in the front…the Loom is WARPED!

Next time we’ll talk a bit about weaving and show how important it is to check the threading of your heddles for mistakes (I’m calling it a design element thankyouverymuch!)