Warping

The first step of weaving on a loom is to warp. This means deciding the length and width of the fabric and setting it onto the loom.

For me, this is by far the most difficult and time consuming part of weaving, but it is also the process where creativity can be explored.

I warped the desired length and width of yarn and the Loop of the Loom studio and brought the warp home to set up on our loom. For the warp, I used some special slub yarn, cottons.

I set each length of yarn into the reed.

Next, I set each length of yarn through the harness.

Once finished threading, I secure the warp to the stable leg of a table and start to roll while untangling the warp thread (my daughter helps me out here).

The loom is ready for weaving. I use baby alpaca yarn in an off-white and black accent.

This is the finished piece of fabric. I am not sure what I will transform the fabric into yet.

First visitors

Today, Jasmine's friend Meredith and her sister Heather were over for a playdate. Meredith and Heather were our official first visitors trying out our loom...sort of like a playdate with our loom too.

The girls thought our loom was cool.



























Meredith's 5-year old little sister Heather was a natural at weaving. She chose 3 different yarns and weaved her first fabric hoping to make a small pillow cover.

The first fabric I made with our new loom was a scarf for Jenny using one of the boucle yarns we got at Newton's in Anaheim.

I used the black cotton warp thread that the loom was packaged with. Once I finish the pre-warp, I will have to warp and thread the loom myself.







The wooden boat shuttle helps keeps tangles away, but I think it is very nice as just an object.

Arrival of Happy Loom

Our family's loom arrived one Saturday morning in May.

Double-boxed, all the way from Japan (via New Jersey), the loom and its parts were beautiful.



Space in a Manhattan apartment is a daily battle. I am always looking to 'donate' the stuff we have accumulated over the years.

But the decision to purchase a loom of our own was not that difficult - we would make space in our small apartment for the addition.




Above all, I think my husband felt attached to the image of what having a loom in the middle of our living space would say about our family.














When not in use, the loom folds up nicely and fits well behind a pillar in the middle of our living space.

Yarn Country

Selecting and buying yarn is challenging - I probably need to take a yarn-for-dummies course. Even though it is not easy for a beginner, I have fun - there are so many possibilities and I have no idea what to expect.

My Saori loom can handle lots of different yarns with different textures and weights, so options are endless. I try to select based on fiber content, weight, color and price.

Jenny accompanied me all the way to Anaheim, California to visit Newton's Yarn Country recently while I was in Los Angeles. Newton's was having a special on boucle yarn, so you will see lots of nubby fabric soon. She wasn't any help in selecting yarn, but she did take the great photos - thanks Jenny.

Here a some of the fabrics I made this past month at the Loop of the Loom studio.

Yukako, the Saori instructor, really guides her students through the process from beginning to end.

My daughter Jasmine and I have been taking weaving classes in New York City's Loop of the Loom since April 2010. We have been having a great time weaving yarn into fabric and have made quite a few pieces of fabric in a short period of time. Each finished woven piece resembles a form of a scarf, but can be transformed into something else. We have been using special looms from Japan called Saori looms, which only have two pedals, are kid-friendly and relatively small.