Warp - the threads stretched on the loom.
In this photo you can see the warp threads being loaded this is called
dressing the loom.
On my Ashford rigid heddle loom I thread the warp directly on the loom using a free standing wood peg to hold all warp wraps. I thread each one through the heddle as I go. It's a great way of mixing and experimenting with warp stripes.
For my Saori Loom I like to make my own warps (even though you can purchase
ready made warps for this make of loom). I enjoy creating cloth that is totally unique with my own warp patterns, colour choices, yarn, widths and lengths.
To do this I have a warping frame on which I make my warp first, before transferring it to the loom to be threaded up. It is a slower process but
Slow Cloth is just that, it take time, weaving knowledge with purpose and love for the craft.
Here is a close up of the warp threads. Each warp end is individually threaded in the reed.
Here you can see the heddles are all threaded too. I'm ready to wind the warp on to the roller. I have a 6 metre length which is kept under a light tension as I slowly wind it on to the loom.
When all the length of the warp is on the roller, I adjust the loom until I'm happy with the evenness and tension of the warp.
Time to make cloth!
