Getting the Loom Ready To Weave

Most looms require some assembly. My loom was assembled at the shop that I purchased it from, but generally you are going to have to assemble the loom yourself. I did have to assemble the stand that I purchased with my loom. This article is specific to Kromski looms but there are downloads and videos online to assemble Ashford and Schacht looms as well.

Assembling the loom and/or the stand is not difficult and requires no more than a screwdriver and sometimes a hex key. The hex key which was required for my stand came with it.

No matter which loom you have purchased you will need to make a bit of room in the area that you are going to assemble it so that you are not cramped and have room to move. There will be detailed instructions that come with your loom and it is important that you read the instructions all the way through first and then follow them step by step, paying attention to the direction that parts face and that moving parts are not tightened to the point that they don't move.

One thing that I found right away with the instructions for the Kromski loom assembly is that they were not very clear and I was glad that it had been assembled for me. It is not hard - but the instruction in the box could have been better. Then I discovered that there are much better instructions available and these were readily available online. The video is great to be able to see exactly how things go together. If you are going to assemble a Kromski loom or a Kromski stand there here are a few documents to download and print out - and a video that you will want to watch.

KROMSKI LOOM AND STAND ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS WITH COLOR PHOTOS

KROMSKI  STAND ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS - these are the instructions that come in the box with the stand.

KROMSKI LOOM ASSEMBLY VIDEO

You can watch this video right here - 

 

VIDEO THANKS TO KROMSKI NORTH AMERICA AND  NEW VOYAGER TRADING

There is something to note about the assembly instructions linked here and the assembly video. When you look at the instructions that NOW come with the Kromski loom, the cord that is attached to the warp and cloth beams and dowels is put on the loom much differently. It is no longer cut into individual strands with candle burnt ends to form individual loops. It is attached so that it is one continuous cord on each beam that forms openings that the dowel will slip through. The former method is more like what is used on other rigid heddle looms, but Kromski has decided that this new method is much better. You decide how you would like to attach the cords after reading this article. There are some that like the new method and some that like the older method. Both work. After weaving several projects I was not happy with the continuous cord. This is perhaps just my opinion. I found that it was difficult to insert the dowel and have it remain at a consistent distance from the beam while warping or tying on the warp on the cloth side. I was thinking that cords of a consistent length would be much better - which is what was done by Kromski in the past. I, however, was not certain that I wanted to cut the cord that came with my loom up to form these loops and saw that having to melt the ends and get them to stay together - and consistent in  length could be a struggle. I learned that some looms use a special cord for this called TexSolv. TexSolv cord is the same material as the cord that comes with the loom but it is made into small loops along the length. By taking one end of the cord and passing it through a loop you make a moving loop that will hold onto the dowel and by doing the same with the other end of the Texsolv after passing it through one of the holes in the warp or cloth beam you attach the cord to that as well - and as long as you have the same number of the little loops that make up the Texsolv cord you will have exactly equal length cords. TexSolv is not sold everywhere. It is primarily sold in stores that sell weaving supplies. There are various types and it is not cheap. I decided to purchase a small spool from a weaving retailer's website at almost $35 for the 22 yard spool. It can also be purchased by the length from some retailers. You want just the cord and not Texsolv heddles which are used on a different type of loom. This is just the way that I went and I have been happy with it. Here is an article that will show you and tell you all about Texsolv. From the linked article you will also learn that the dowels on your loom are called "apron rods".

Older Kromski looms had nylon ratchets and pawls as other looms use. You will see those in the instructions and video linked here. The new Kromski has metal ratchets and pawls. They assemble the same way - but do rely on the instructions that came with your loom in the box to attach the metal ratchets and pawls. These are much stronger than the nylon. Kromski renamed the loom the Harp Forte instead of just Harp when they began including the metal ratchets and pawls. For not very much money an older Kromski can be converted to metal with a conversion kit that includes all that you will need. THIS video is a good video on how to install the conversion kit if you have an OLDER Kromski. 

The stand is assembled in a way so that it is easy to take apart. If you are going to pack up your loom in its carry bag to take to a class or a demonstration or a weaving guild meeting, you will be disassembling and reassembling the stand a lot. It is made to go together and be taken apart just for this reason. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN THE SCREWS. DO TIGHTEN SO THAT THEY HOLD THE STAND STEADY.  Tighten by hand and not with a power screwdriver or drill. Follow the instructions that come with the stand - linked above, if you don't have them - and the stand will go together quickly and easily.

Some Ashford looms do not come to you with the wood finished. The wood is raw when you get the loom. You could leave it this way but it is generally a good idea to finish raw wood to preserve it. Ashford sells a wax to finish their looms. You can stain the wood before using the wax. There is also a locally available product in the US that many weavers like to use to finish their looms. This product is called Howard's Feed N' Wax and can be found in the paint/wood finish sections of both Home Depot and Lowes. This is a wipe on, let sit, wipe off finish that dries fairly quickly. This does smell like oranges while the finish is first put on, but this smell goes away in a couple of hours to days. This finish is good for raw or finished wood and it buffs to a nice shine. All Kromski looms and Schacht looms come finished out of the box.

Once the loom and the stand are assembled you are going to put the loom on the stand. Have someone help when doing this. Let them hold the loom as you attach the screws that hold the loom to the stand. There are many adjustments that you can make as to the angle the loom sits on the stand. This is personal preference. I decided that I wanted the front of the loom to come up against me at about stomach level as I sit in front of the loom. This puts the loom at a downward angle but allows my body to stop the loom from moving when I beat the weft with the heddle. I find this to be a comfortable position. If you like you can adjust the loom on the stand to sit completely flat and parallel to the floor.

If the loom is to be used on a table and not a stand you can clamp the loom down to the table so that it will not move. If the table is too tall for you to weave comfortably like this, man put the back of the loom on the table and hang the front of the loom down to them to their lap.

The loom will weave the same no matter what angle it is sitting at. The heddle stays in place with the tension of the warp.

Now that the loom is assembled and on the stand it is almost ready to weave with. It will help when you are going to warp the loom to know where the center of the heddle is. To do this count the number of slots from one end to the other. You should come out with an odd number. You need to mark the center slot. Divide the number of slots by 2 and subtract `1 - count from the end to the answer to that division and you should arrive at the center slot. From that slot there should be an even number of slots on each side to the end. Take a pencil and mark the frame of the heddle on the back of the heddle under the middle slot. I use pencil first just to make sure we have the right spot. Consider that middle slot as SLOT 0. Double check now by counting out from Slot 0 to the right end of the loom - do not count Slot 0. Then do the same counting out from Slot 0 to the left end of the loom and do not count Slot 0. If both counts are the same, take a permanent line marker (like a Sharpie) and make a small line about a quarter of an inch long down where the pencil mark is. It is also helpful to mark inches out from Slot 0. Again use a pencil first. This is easy to do. Start counting slots to the right - not counting Slot 0. If you have an 8 dent heddle every four slots is an inch. Mark each of every fourth slot with the pencil. Do the same going to the left of Slot 0 and mark every fourth slot with the pencil. Put a ruler down and you should see that you are right. Once you are certain, put a marker dot on each pencil mark. Why have you done this? You always want to warp in the center of the loom. You do not want to put on, for example, a ten inch warp starting on an end and warping in ten inches. You want the center of the ten inches in the middle of the loom. With these marks this is now easy to determine. Why mark on the back of the heddle? You will be warping from the back to the front. The Kromski heddle has a back and a front. Some other companies heddles do not. You can tell the front of a Kromski heddle first by looking at the plastic that forms the slots and holes and the front is pushed out and the back is flat. The name "Kromski" is also on the front. If there is no difference from front to back on your loom's heddle it does not matter which side you mark - but always put the side you have marked to the rear so that you have your measurement markings visible when you warp from back to front. (Warp beam on the back. Cloth beam on the front.)

Now you are ready to weave!

 Now the fun begins!

Buying My Loom

When I first saw the loom that I eventually would buy, I had no intention of buying a loom. My wife and I... oh yes, I am a  man... went to a quilt show in Pennsylvania in September of 2015 and when we arrived we looked in the schedule of free workshops and presentations and saw one that was a bit out of the ordinary for a quilt show. It was on weaving on a loom. Of course, this had nothing to do with quilts but the vendors at quilt shows often come with a variety of fiber related things for sale and the vendor that was giving this presentation sold yarn and related fiber arts supplies.

Hmm - I have always wanted a "real" loom. I had woven on a plastic toy loom that actually had the ability to weave a fairly decent but narrow piece of cloth or cloth band.  and an inkle loom that I made myself. An inkle loom weaves bands and straps and uses no heddle but your hand pushes down on two different sets of threads to open and close two sheds. I enjoyed weaving on that loom until it broke - during a demonstration that I was giving with it at a regional fair. The inkle loom was set aside broken in the basement after that. I had pretty much put the idea of weaving aside while I pursued other crafts - some professionally.  Well, this presentation was tempting and we decided that we would go to see it.

We sat down on the chairs in the program area and a woman came to the front carrying a loom on a stand. The chairs quickly filled and she began her presentation on the Kromski Rigid Heddle Loom. She told everyone that this was the largest loom that Kromski makes - 32" wide and that it also is available in widths of 8", 16", 24" and this 32" loom. All of the looms are made the same she went on to say and that these were the newest made by this company as they had a new feature being included - metal ratchets and pawls. At that time this did not mean much to me. I knew that the ratchets and pawls are the gears and catches that hold the yarn at tension from the back beam to the front beam and allow those beams to be turned to wind the yarn on that you will weave with and the cloth on the other side that you have woven as you go. I did not know until she said it that the Kromski is the only rigid heddle loom that now uses metal for these instead of a composite plastic or nylon. Metal is stronger. Strength for this purpose is important. (I learned something in the first few minutes of the presentation!) She also went on to say that the loom folds in half for easy storage and when it folds it can have the yarn on it. (Some other rigid heddle looms do this also.) She went on to say that the loom is made of hand selected, furniture grade hardwood in Poland and the wood is finished like fine furniture. I could see that. What my wife could see was that I was getting really caught up in this presentation. The loom was attached to a stand that was an optional purchase. The stand matched the loom and was made specifically for it of the same wood that the looms are made of. As a woodworker, I could see that the loom and stand were well made and nicely finished. She also said that when folded the loom fit in another optional accessory - a carry bag made specifically for each size loom. And the carry bag also held the stand disassembled.

When the loom bug has buzzed around my head in the past there were always two stumbling blocks - and until now I had not known about rigid heddle looms but only about more traditional multi-shaft looms. One stumbling block was the space that a loom would take up in the house - we live in a small house. The other was always the price with looms that I was aware of over a thousand and higher. This loom folded! This loom had a bag to store it in! My mind started thinking about all the corners of the house I could use this loom in and then store it in if necessary. Was it heavy? I did not know. I did she this woman carry the loom on its stand into the presentation so it could not be that heavy. (It isn't as I would soon find out for myself.) The price? As of yet, unknown.

Then she started weaving on the loom. It had a shawl already started on it. This was not the first day of this quilt show and she had given this presentation before. The shawl was the width of the loom. She showed how all she had to do was lift the heddle up to open one set of threads and pass the shuttle from one side to the other, move the heddle down to open the other set of threads and pass the shuttle back again. It was that easy. She went along and wove several rows. She commented that you always know what side to raise the heddle and what side to lower the heddle by the side the shuttle was on - and remarked that if you always start the same way, you can not go wrong. Interesting. Maybe obvious, but not to me at that point. Start with the shuttle on the right she said and raise the heddle. When the shuttle is on the left side, lower the heddle. (I was really getting hooked!)

I liked the loom. My wife could tell. I also had not planned on buying a loom and I knew nothing more than what I had been watching there in the convention center. What I did not know yet was the price - and as I tend to be a skeptic so I was not letting myself get too carried away until I heard what this loom would cost. The presentation was over. People asked questions. The woman doing the program handed out a flyer about the loom - with a show special price listed. The 32" loom with the stand and the carry bag was just slightly over $500. This was the "show special price" - the presenter said that the price was special and only for the show and that their shop - which is a distributor for these looms - had to get permission from Kromski to offer a discount on the package. Individually the loom, stand, and bag were regular price - which all together was about $50 more. I was to learn later that none of the companies that make these looms want them discounted and that the price of looms is the same from one retailer to another. It was a lot of money - at least for us. I am not sure what I expected the price to be. Less, I guess. But then as I say, the looms that I have known about were much more than this. My wife could see what was going through my head. She said, "You rally want this. I can tell." Yeah, but I am a realist and know what we can afford and what I will spend on the spur of the moment. This was a big purchase. The presentation was over and the next presentation was coming in. We walked out of the program area and I wanted to head over to the booth with the looms to see it up close.

We went over - the funny thing is that we had been in this booth earlier asking about something unrelated to any loom and I had not even noticed the looms on display. The loom from the presentation was back and I went over to look at it up close. One of the people working in the booth came over and I explained that we had just watched the presentation. I asked if the loom was heavy and I was permitted to find out for myself. It was not heavy at all. It could be easily moved if needed. I could see close up just how big ti was and in the back of my head I was figuring out where it would fit to use it. Looking back, the places that I thought it would fit were spots where it would just fit but not where it eventually would go to be used which is our living room - or should I say, living room/weaving studio. The booth was from a shop that is located in a part of Pennsylvania that we travel to often - Lancaster County. We took their card. We had the show papers about the loom and we went off to see the rest of the quilt show. That day I managed to come back to be around that booth and watch people looking at the looms, see how many she had left for sale, and every so often going back again for a close look. I really was hooked. I wanted that loom so badly.

We discussed it. The difference in price was significant if we waited but it would be best if we waited - allow me to really decide if I really wanted this, that I would use it, and what I would do with what I made. (We have been selling handcraft that both of us make for many years - this would be another craft that I would get involved in. I have to say that what I start I make sure I learn and do well and my mind was going around what I would weave and how much such could sell for. At least this was justifying the cost of the loom in my head.) Also I would be able to do some research about this loom and others, prices, and also figure out where this kind of money would come from. When we walked out of the convention center that evening I felt a bit sad that I was not leaving with one of those looms. As we drove home later that night the loom was still in my head.

This was September. In November I still wanted that loom. I had looked up various looms and this loom was around the price range of the others. I like to buy what I have seen in person and not what I have seen just in photos on a website. I looked to see who sells looms like this and came down to no one near enough to go and shop around. From what I could learn, this was a good loom. Around November my wife told me that if we waited until after the beginning of December we could layout the money to buy the loom, stand, and carry bag. From my research I learned that Kromski makes "warping sticks" which are helpful when "warping" the loom. (We have not talked about warping yet.) I would add those to the purchase - just another $25 more, oh boy...  I wanted the loom and I am always looking for a good excuse to make a day trip to PA so we set a day in December when the shop would be open late - just in case we got caught in traffic from two states away - and go and buy the loom. The loom would be a gift from Santa - though Santa was not paying for it.

Also during this time I joined a Facebook group called "Weaving" and found out that there were other rigid heddle weavers on that general weaving group. I had not thought to look for specific rigid heddle groups - there are there - and we will talk about all of that in another article.

I contacted the shop two weeks in advance to make sure that they had the loom, etc. in stock. They had and they would hold one aside for me. We started out early the day we went for it in nice weather (I had been concerned that it would snow which would prevent us from making the trip)  and got to the shop just before noon. We went into the shop and were greeted like old friends. The loom usually comes  not assembled but the shop assembled the loom for me - and brought out the loom folded in the carry bag with the stand, not assembled, in the bag and in the straps there for it on the outside of the bag as well. They made sure all of the parts were in the bag including the hex key needed to assemble the stand, along with all of the accessories, the instructions, etc. They had a packet of the warping sticks on the side and we put them also in the bag.  It was all there. I paid,smiled and carried the loom to our small car and put it in the back. Nice! It was mine!

The Kromski comes with everything that you need to start weaving except yarn. One of the things needed when weaving in general is a "warping board". This is a frame with a series of pegs on which you wrap yarn around to measure it out to the total length that you will need for the warp (vertical yarn on the loom). Usually this is something that is an additional purchase. The Kromski looms have this built into the bottom of the loom. Turn the loom over and you have a warping board when you add the included pegs. Another plus for the Kromski loom. A direct warping peg and clamp is also included. A direct warping peg is another way to measure and prepare the yarn that will be warped using the loom itself and this single peg. Also included is a "sley hook" which is what you use to thread the yarn trough the slots and holes in the heddle. The new Kromski's have a hook that has a  heavy wire threader built into the handle which is also useful when threading the warp. The Kromski also includes two stick shuttles the width of the loom and also a pick up stick the width of the loom. We will get to all of these as we go along. There are also clamps that attach to the loom and a table if you are not using the stand - or don't get a stand - and will use the loom on a table instead.

Aside - don't get a 32" loom without a stand. It is much too awkward on a table. The stand is well worth the price for ease of use and convenience.

The Kromski loom comes with an 8 dent heddle. This size heddle is good to weave #4 worsted weight yarn or thinner. Kromski makes heddles in 5 dent, 8 dent, 10 dent, and 12 dent. The higher the number the thinner the yarn (smaller slots and holes). Worsted weight #4 yarn is a common knitting size yarn. We will talk about dent as we go along.

So I had it all. Now all I had to do was wait until Santa came to bring me the loom!

Now, just in case you think that this site is going to be one long advertisement for Kromski looms, let me be clear that this was only the loom that I saw and decided that I wanted. There are other rigid heddle looms made by other companies. All weave in the same way. Preference for loom brands is very much like preference for anything else. Some like Chevys, some like Fords, and some like Hondas. Just like looms, preference is a personal choice.  I have heard great things about other company's loom as I have heard great things about my loom - and I have also heard negatives about each of them. Be assured that what you will learn on this site can be applied to just about every other rigid heddle loom, no matter the size of the loom or who made it.