Questions on Rigid Heddle weaving

These are the most repeated and important questions people ask me about rigid heddle weaving:

1. Isn't rigid heddle weaving an inferior way of weaving?

   Not at all: I had a table loom that I sold because I found weaving with my rigid heddle more enjoyable. You can weave just about anything you can on a shaft loom, only constrained by its size, as you would with a shaft loom as well: blankets, table linens, bathroom linens, scarfs, shawls, bookmarks, "mug rugs,"tapestries, clothes, even curtains and rugs. By the use of pick-up sticks and the addition of heddles, complex patterns can be weaved.

2. Is the initial outlay expensive?

   It depends on your perspective, the size of your loom, and the kinds of materials you want to use. Rigid heddle looms are less costly than table or floor looms and, once again depending on the size of what you want to weave, thus the size of your loom, it can cost you anywhere from about $250-$450 for your loom, $150-$450 for a stand (optional, as you can weave on a table), about $50 in accessories, plus the cost of your yarn, that can be anywhere from $5-$50 a skein. And this is new. Many people buy used and there are thriving marketplaces online where you can buy and sell weaving equipment. Places like Goodwill and the Salvation Army stores often have yarn at an incredibly reasonable price.

3. How soon will I be able to weave something that I can use?

Virtually instantaneously. In my beginning classes we make a bookmark on the first day. Of course how good something looks depends on the amount you practice and the care you take with your weaving. Weaving is a slow art; trying to rush through it will bring you nothing but problems and frustration.

4. There are no classes for beginning rigid heddle near to where I live; how can I learn?

Yes, that's a problem I've run into many times, especially when I was living in Asheville NC and Buffalo NY. What I did was contact the guilds in the area and asked first, if they were offering then or soon any classes in rigid heddle weaving. As they weren't, I asked if they knew of anyone who was giving individualized classes. At one guild they said they might have someone and would check and get back to me, but all the others said they didn't. That night I received an email from

someone who I then hired for an entire day to teach me all that I needed to begin

weaving: she charged me $300 for six hours and I found it money well spent. If neither of those options work, there are several online schools that are truly excellent. The one I follow is Kelly Casanova. You pay a monthly/semi- annual/annual fee ($85 for six months) and you have access to all of her lessons. I continue to pay for that site and have learned innumerable things from it. The

other two that I recommend are run by Jane Stafford and Liz Gipson.

5. What are the best brands to look for in rigid heddle looms?

   Ashford is the most popular and probably the most affordable. Schacht, Kromski, LeClerc, Louët, Glimakra, Beka. Lojan, a new company, an offshoot of Louët, is now making a rigid heddle loom that can be upgraded to a four or eight shaft; it is the only loom, as far as I know, that can do that. I weave with a Kromski, the 24" Harp Forte and also own a 10" Kromski Presto that I use for teaching and sampling.