Yes, the Kromski Heddle Does Stay in the Up Position on the Loom

I often see comments about how someone's Kromski heddle on their Kromski loom will not stay in the up position on their loom. I have answered this many times and it is time I wrote an article about it.

The Kromski heddle and heddle blocks are designed to hold the loom solid in the up position IF the tension on the warp is fairly tight. Not break the beam tight but it is best described as drum tight. That is a term I have used when teaching miniature punchneedle embroidery which also needs to have the cloth in the hoop "drum tight". On the hoop it is easy to explain - tap on the top of the cloth in the hoop and it sounds like a little drum. With the loom, the warp is not going to make any sound if you tap on it, but if you push gently down on it about an inch down there should be resistance. Here is a photo with my fingers pushing down on the warp when the heddle is in the up position -

You see just three fingers lightly pushing down. On just the warp threads it pushes only slightly further (a photo did not show this well). Getting the tension here is not hard. Wind the warp to put some tension on it. Put the heddle heddle up. If it does not stay up by itself or it falls, increase the tension on the warp to the point that the heddle is solid on the top of the blocks. Like this -

See how the warp holds the heddle in place. And see that there are on need for rubber bands wrapped around the top of the heddle block and there is certainly no need for cutting into the notch on the top of the heddle block! Wow! Somethings that I have heard people do rather than get the heddle to stand as it was intended to.

Once it is staying up there, if you feel there is too much tension, then open a pawl (front or back) and move the ratchet one or two notches less. Put the pawl back on the ratchet to lock it and put the heddle back up - if it stays fine. If not, the tension has to go back to where it was - one notch at a time if you lowered it more than one notch.

One thing to know about putting the heddle in both the top and bottom positions is that you pivot the heddle into place. See how the bottom of the heddle frame sits in the notch in the photo above. Put it there first on an angle with the top of the heddle toward you and push the top of the frame up to put the loom straight on the block. It will move against the back of the notch and stay there.

For putting the heddle in the bottom position it is the same thing - with this same tension, put the TOP corner of the heddle frame on the top notch - both sides at the same time - always - and have the bottom of the heddle frame coming toward you. Have your thumbs push the top of the frame toward the back of the loom so that the bottom of the heddle swings into place to the bottom of the heddle block - and it will make a sound "SNAP" - you might even say "Pop" as in Pop Goes the Heddle. 😄 It makes a very definite connection - and stays there!  I love the sound the heddle makes when it snaps into place on the bottom position.

Here is the heddle in the bottom position -

So - it really does work. Don't crank up your tension to the point that it will do damage - but the tension has to be correct for the Kromski heddle to stay solidly in place - up or down! And each time you advance the warp you are releasing the tension to wind the cloth on the front beam and when done you need to return the tension to where it was.

When you finish weaving for the day - or will be away from the loom for several hours, take the tension off the warp - just enough for the warp and cloth to go slightly slack - not too much! This will reduce any stretch on the warp and also any stress on the loom while you are not weaving. 

WET FINISHING

SINCE THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN I HAVE WRITTEN A NEW ARTICLE ABOUT WET FINISHING BY MACHINE. PLEASE CONSIDER THE NEW ARTICLE AS A CONTINUATION OF THIS ARTICLE. - - - WET FINISHING BY MACHINE


I have been trying to put articles on this site in the order of start to finish when weaving, but wet finishing is a question that comes up from new weavers quite often, so, therefore, I am going to skip all the way to the end of the weaving process and share what I do to wet finish my weaving.

Wet finishing is the process of turning what is basically a woven net coming off the loom into cloth. One very wise weaver who is not identified - and maybe after I say that, this weave  will comment here "That was me!" (not "me") - that "IT IS NOT CLOTH UNTIL IT IS WET FINISHED". Wet finishing goes all the way back in the history of weaving which is a Very, Very long time. Essentially, wet finishing is getting the finished weave soaking wet. When the weaving is wet finished, the fibers and yarn relaxes. The weave comes together. Things in your weaving that looked not as good as you expected while it was on the loom sometimes correct themselves and look fine. The spaces that you saw between the warp and weft close up - depending on the weave. The size of the weaving changes - generally a  little smaller - even for fibers like acrylic that don't shrink. The cloth is said to "full". It becomes cloth.

Some say that acrylic is not effected at all by wet finishing and I have to disagree. I use a lot of acrylic yarns and there is a big difference for the better between the weave coming off the loom and the after it is wet finished. It does full. It does change size slightly. The yarn does relax. The weave does come together.

There are many methods to this. The current master of wet finishing is Laura Fry, who has written a book and has a video class available on her methods. This is just a preview of that class. I have watched several videos, collected a lot of forum and weaving group comments about how to wet finish and I have my own variation of what I have learned. I know that others have different methods.


One can wet finish by hand or use a washing machine. I have tried using the washing machine with various fiber weaves and I infrequently now use the washing machine and for just about everything - unless I get foolishly courageous and decide to "take one more chance" - I HAND WET FINISH.

I just started writing about experiences using the washer/dryer to wet finish and decided that I would not confuse the readers and just stick to a method that will work - wet finishing by hand.

This is what I do to wet finish. Again, others do it differently. This has worked for me.

1. Fill a plastic tub that fits in your sink with enough water to completely cover the weaving.

A dish washing basin works well - and comes in a large and small size. I found one in Walmart - they are not hard to find. To use hot, warm, or cold water depends on your fiber and what you want to happen with the yarn and the weave. Generally you go by the label that came with the yarn with its washing/care instructions. Natural fibers that shrink such as wool, cotton, and all the rest, if you use warm to hot water the fiber will shrink. Sometimes you want the fiber to shrink. If this weaving is going to be washed by the owner, and you do not shrink it, chances are that when it is washed later it will shrink. Most weaving calculators (like ours) take shrinkage into account when determining the warp and weft amounts and lengths. You may decide that you don't want it to shrink at this point and then use cold water. Some natural fibers, such as wool, felt. Think of felt that you buy for crafts and that is what your weave will look like after it is felted. If you use hot water and when the cloth is in the water you agitate it, the fibers will felt. Agitate it a lot and it felts a lot. Some projects call for felting as an effect in the finished project. How do you agitate the fibers? I have a joking comment to make but I will refrain. Move your hand around quickly through the water and move the weaving around a great deal with a lot of motion. This only happens with fibers that felt. For a man-made fiber like acrylic, you can use hot, warm, or cold water and it will not make any difference. I just use warm water for my comfort with my hands in the water when I use acrylic yarn.

2. I add a capful of baby shampoo to the water. If you put this in while the water is going in, it will mix itself.

Some use other soaps. Some use nothing. Some use special soaps made for yarns that is sold in knitting and weaving stores. When I started I used just regular clothes washing Tide. I then decided that if baby shampoo was good for baby's hair it has to be good for any fiber that I am going to wet finish. A big bottle of the non-name brand is just as good as the name brand, more expensive bottle.

3. If your weaving is not already in the basin, put your weaving in the basin. Obviously, if what you have woven will not fit in this basin or in the sink, get a larger basin and use that out of the sink. I have heard that some use the bathtub.

4. This is when the motion you want to use for the yarn you are using comes in - as I described in Number 1 above. Swirl the yarn around in the water. (If agitating - agitate now.) Just move the yarn around so that it all gets wet and all of it comes into contact with the soapy water. The yarn will absorb the water fairly quickly. I am not that concerned with washing the yarn. Some do say that the yarn should be washed. Other than a hand-spun, homemade yarn direct from the animal, I don't see the yarns I am using being that dirty that they need to be washed for a prolonged period of time. Longer does not hurt. I do this step for about FIVE minutes. If you are felting, the time will be longer to the point of felting you desire. If you are shrinking you would also increase the time.

5. Take the cloth into both hands and pick it up from the basin. Let it drip out either into the basin or the sink from your hands - just enough so that when you put it down on the side for a moment while you prep for the next step it does not flood the counter. I put down a towel to put it on. Put the cloth down.

6. Empty the basin into the sink. Turn on the faucet and rinse out the basin to get all of the soap out and when all you see is clean water and no suds in the basin, turn off the faucet. Put the basin back into the sink and fill it with clean water - no special temperature - cool is fine.

7. Put the cloth into the basin and swirl it around for its FIRST rinse. Again, not long. Just a few minutes is fine.

8. Repeat steps FIVE THROUGH SEVEN for the second rinse.
At this point the water should be clear and stay clear.

9. Repeat Step FIVE TO SIX, but now I add on partial cap of Downy Fabric Softener. Have it mix into the water and mix it a little by hand. PUT THE CLOTH INTO THE FABRIC SOFTENER WATER. Swirl it around to get the cloth submersed into the water mix. Set a timer for 20 to 30 minutes and go take a break.

10. During your break take two large bath towels or "bath sheets". I use white to not transfer any dye in the towel to the  weaving. Put the towels flat on a table - you want the towels to be longer than the total length of your weaving - so if it is a short weave then one towel may do it. If it is very long you may need a very long table and more than two towels. Tables are just so long so hang it off the ends of the length of the table - cover the floor for drips.

11. When you come back after the timer goes off, remove the cloth from the water. Allow it to drip in your hands. I gently squeeze to get the bulk of the water out but do not wring it out. Carry it over to the towels you set up in Number 10.

12. Lay the weaving on the towel FLAT. If the towel is wider than the weaving - and with a scarf it often is, place the woven cloth toward one edge and fold the other edge of the towel completely over the cloth. If there is not enough towel to fold fully over the weaving, then don't fold it. Start at one end and roll the cloth up into the towel, trying to avoid having any of the cloth wrinkle of fold on itself. Roll it up so that you are left with a long roll of weaving stuffed towel - like a cake roll. I then squeeze the towel gently to absorb some of the water inside. The towel is then set aside and you set a timer again for twenty to thirty minutes. DO NOT let the weaving stay in the towel for more than 30 minutes - when I have, it comes out wrinkled.

13. When it is time, take the towel roll over to a table that is empty. You are going to now unroll the towel and get the weaving out and lay it flat on the table. This is for the final dry. It often comes out of the towel just damp. I have not had it come out still soaking. Make sure the weaving is laying out nice and flat and leave it there until dry. You may wish to come back as the top seems to be dry and turn it over to expose the bottom to the air more.

14. I have come up with a way to make the drying time a little quicker and if not quicker there is no need to turn the weaving to expose the bottom to air. I went to a home store - Home Depot - and bought a six foot long and 16" wide plastic coated wire shelf used for closets. Also buy a package of the little plastic tips used on the sharp ends of the wire where the shelf was cut at the factory or the store to length. I place this up on two plastic "milk" crates. I found some small ones of these in Walmart during school supply season that were a dollar each and I have two spare if I need to get a second 16" wide wire shelf for weaving wider than 16". When I use only one shelf I stack two for each end just because I have them. Put the crates on the table. Put the wire shelf up on the crates - balance it so that it is sturdy. Lay the weaving on top of the shelf - let the fringe hang down below. You are now drying both sides at once.

15. How long does it take to dry? This depends on the air it is drying in. In the winter with the heat on and the air being drier, it can be totally dry in four or five hours. In the summer with the humidity it can take over night to into the next day to be totally dry.

IMPORTANT NOTES -

FRINGE

There is always a question about finishing your fringe before or after wet finishing. I have done both. Many say always finish the fringe before you wet finish. I know that I am gentle with the fringe and the cloth as I wet finish by HAND - and make sure the fringe does not get tangled - which it wants to do.  Some yarns will un-ply at unfinished ends during wet finishing. Cotton is one that will often do this. Finish your cotton fringe always before wet finishing or at the very least tie a knot in the bottom of every fringe if you plan to just have plain fringe or will take care of fringe finishing later. If in doubt, finish the fringe before you wet finish.

FIXING UNINTENDED FLOATS

Examine your weaving before wet finishing for any mistakes made - floats - warp or weft threads not caught into the weave and stick up across the weaving where it should have been woven in. I am not going to explain the process to fix these now but FIX ALL FLOATS BEFORE WET FINISHING.

CUTTING WEFT TAILS

As you changed colors of weft or ended one shuttle or bobbin and started the next, you left weft tails hanging down from the weave. DO NOT CUT THESE OFF UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE WET FINISHED THE CLOTH.   Once the cloth is completely dry cut those off close to the cloth but always making sure you don't cut the weaving at the surface.

ASSEMBLING 

If you are joining two pieces of weaving together, do that before wet finishing.

HEMMING TO NOT HAVE FRINGE

If you are going to cut off the fringe and hem your cloth so there is no fringe on an end, DO THAT BEFORE WET FINISHING. There is a specific method to do this - I am not including that at this time in this article.

I HAVE HEARD...

Have you heard about putting your weaving on the floor of the shower and turning on the water and walking all over it? Like I said early on, there are all different ways that people wet finish. (If not everything else , do take off your shoes before doing this.) 😃 

 

+++++++++++

Don't be put off by all of the steps. It does not take that long to wet finish your weaving. There is more "wait" time than there is active time doing it.



PART TWO - WET FINISHING BY MACHINE

Some Rigid Heddle Books Reviewed

One of the best way to teach yourself to weave on a rigid heddle loom - in addition to watching videos on YouTube and other sites - is to have a good book to start with. Choosing that book is important - I know because I chose the wrong one when I got my rigid heddle loom and became so frustrated trying to figure out the details of getting started, that I almost gave up - until another book was recommended to me - which got me going in a day. There are a handful of books specifically about the rigid heddle loom. Here are the ones in my personal weaving library that I will share my impressions about with you.

The first book - and the book that saved me from taking the new loom right back that first week - is Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom by Syne Mitchell. This published by Interweave - and most of the rigid heddle books are.  This book is the absolute best book for anyone who is going to learn to weave on a rigid heddle loom who has never woven before. This book covers all of the basics in detail with clear full color photos and diagrams and clear descriptions of what to do. The first 109 pages of this large book will teach you just about everything you need to know. Then from page 111 to the last page of 285 before the index pages start, the book goes beyond the basics and takes you into advanced weaves and weaving patterns,  the use of colors, and much more - all the way to weaving on a rigid heddle loom with double and even triple heddle (not all RH looms are capable of three heddles). Interspersed in these pages are project patterns to weave that give you what yarn to use, how to warp the pattern, and what to do to weave it. All illustrated clearly.  I have been weaving for three years now, and I still go back to this book to check on something I am not sure about and to learn something new for a technique that I have not tried yet. When there is a problem, this is my go to book.  Many rigid heddle weavers feel the same way about this book. I only wish that someone had told me to buy this book first when I was starting.

After you have gotten down the basics, the next very good book is The Weaver's Idea Book by Jane Patrick. This is NOT a book for a beginner. This book mirrors some of the techniques in the advanced part of Inventive Weaving on a Little Loom, but goes into more detail and covers techniques that are not covered in Inventive Weaving... With this book you are going to learn to use your pick up sticks and start doing pattern weaves with fairly good detailed written instructions - and photo illustrations. The only draw back I find with this book is that some of the photo illustrations are not clear enough to see what you are trying to achieve - and her use of color yarns in some illustration photos is poor when it comes to defining the look of the pattern. This is a good book, even though I will search other illustrations of what is being shown in this book to be sure I understand what I am looking for when I do it on my loom. This is a hardcover book with an inner spiral wire binding so that the book lays flat and the pages open to put on a table next to you as you follow the directions. Despite some illustration photos - not all - she give very clear step by step numbered directions. #1 Do this. #2 Next do this. And it goes on like that until it says REPEAT. Once you know what you are doing with the basics and once you are very comfortable with your loom and are ready to move ahead, this is also a must have book. BUT there are no basic rigid heddle instructions in this book. It starts advanced and keeps going.  There are also no project patterns to weave in this book with the exception of some sampler projects that use all of the various weaves from that section in the book - but you are not coming away with a scarf or usable item. This book is also published by Interweave.

The next book that I will share with you is a book titled, Weaving Made Easy by Liz Gipson. This is a slim paperback book that contains some basic weaving instruction and then 17 projects to make on your rigid heddle loom which include household items like towels, cushion covers, placemats,bags, things to wear (even slippers), a rug, belts, etc. This book has some detail on how to weave from the beginning on a rigid heddle loom but does not go into the detail that Inventive Weaving... does.  I would not get this book instead of Inventive Weaving..., but it is a good book to get for the different types of projects (if you learn to make towels from the pattern in this book you can then make any towels you would like to make - and that goes for bags, etc.) and it is especially a good book because it goes into detail - on just a few pages on something not covered in any of the other books I have or have seen. That is to fix warp and weft floats discovered after your weaving comes off the loom. These result when your shuttle goes under or over the warp when it should have gone through. This book tells you and shows you with good color photos what to do to fix these. Frankly, that was what led me to buy this book and I have since found it good for the project patterns in the book. Again this book is published by Interweave.

The next book is the one I bought and received just before my rigid heddle loom. The title of the book is Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving by Betty Linn Davenport. I was told it was good for a beginner. It wasn't. IF you are not a beginner it is an OK book as it does contain a lot of nice project patterns and goes into how to make those patterns. Here is the problem with this book. The illustrations on what to do are not photographs but roughly drawn pen and ink drawings.  Basically sketches that to a total beginner are not clear to follow at all. Some of this book reads like it was intended for a college course on rigid heddle weaving and there is nothing wrong with that - as long as one has a teacher to guide you through it, but not for an on your own, total beginner. I kept this book. I bought from a retailer to which I could have returned it for a full refund, but I didn't. There are things in this book that if you can figure them out - and also project patterns - that are very good. I do not find myself picking this book up to look in often. If the illustrations would have been better and full color large photos, with do this, then this in detail, it might have been much better This too is published by Interweave. 

The last book in my collection - for the moment - is titled Simple Woven Garments by Sara Goldenburg and Jane Patrick - the same Jane Patrick from The Weaver's Idea Book. This is a book on how to weave clothing accessories with cloth you weave on your rigid heddle loom. The book has over 20 projects including jackets, shawls, tops, etc. I bought this book for the first 21 pages because in those pages are how to weave the cloth needed for making clothing, etc, how to cut the cloth you have woven, how to deal with the edges once cut, and how to sew the cloth to make clothing and other woven items that are assembled. It is only a small section of this book but it tells you what you need to know. The next really nice thing about this book is if you don't want to make what is exactly shown in one of its projects there are techniques described and illustrated that could apply to similar things in other types of projects. I had been looking at this book at full price on the shelf of a Barnes and Nobles bookstore and was interested. I lucked on a copy of this book in a closeout store and then could not resist the price for what can be a very valuable book to have if you intend to cut the cloth you weave and assemble it into something to wear or use. And if you don't find the patterns for things that are your taste - there is enough here to turn it into something that is something you would like. This book also is published by Interweave.

So there you have my rigid heddle weaving book collection. There are many more books for rigid heddle weaving and if you go to the Interweave website and look through the books specifically for rigid heddle looms (and do make sure the book is for an rh loom and not another type - as not all techniques apply from one type of loom to another) you will find a few other books that may be interesting to you. Also don't forget to check local libraries as many of these books are available in them.

FIRST WEAVE A HEADER

After you have tied your warp onto the front cloth beam and are ready to weave, before you start weaving with your project yarn, you need to do something about those triangular bundles of tied on warp that is pulling your warp to follow those triangles. To fix this, before you start weaving with your project weft yarn you need to weave a header. The header will straighten all of the warp from your heddle to your apron rod with the bundles tied on. Weaving a header is simple.

You will need something that is NOT your project yarn to do this. Any scrap yarn can be used. It is best that it is thicker than your warp yarn. Some have even used rolled toilet paper to weave a header. The header is going to be removed when your weaving COMES OFF THE LOOM so you want to use something that is going to be easy to get out. I use something called Mason Twine. This is a polycord that is used in construction to lay out brickwork or pavement. It is inexpensive. It can be found at home stores like Home Depot or Lowes. Any hardware store should sell this. Walmart sells this in the aisle near hardware that has rope. You get a lot on a roll.  It looks like this on the spool -

This is cord is slick. It slides easily and when it is time to pull it out, it just slides right out.  When you cut this cord it is best to seal the end so that it does not unravel. Just put the end of the cord near a flame for two seconds and it will start to melt. That's it. 

To measure how ,much you will need unwind the cord from the roll over your warp. Go across your warp eight times plus an extra inch or so each time to have enough cord. You now have enough cord to weave your header.

You are going to start about two or three inches above where your knots are on the warp beam. Adjust the tension on your warp to weave - same as if you were about to start weaving with your project yarn. 

With the mason twine I find it does not stay on a stick shuttle very easily, so I use the stick shuttle to push the yarn through the open shed using the slot of the shuttle to hold the yarn as it goes through. 

1. Open the shed. Take an end (doesn't matter which) of the header yarn or mason twine and push the end through the open shed to the other side with the end of a shuttle. Grab hold of the end as it comes through and pull it through. You want almost the entire length to come through the open shed. Leave a tail with the opposite end hanging out from the side you started on. Straighten the cord or yarn across inside the shed. Close the shed to neutral. DO NOT BEAT.

2. You are now on the other side of the warp with the long cord. Do as you did in STEP 1 going back the other way. Open the shed, push the end through getting most of the yarn out the other side. This time DO NOT pull the cord/yarn that goes over your warp end  to the other side so that it tightens against the end warp thread. Instead leave a loop hanging out. DO NOT BEAT.

3. Repeat STEP 2 twice more but with the fourth row of this header yarn. Here is what this will look like at this point - 

4. NOW you are going to BEAT all four rows at the same time.  If the first row does not move, don't worry about it. Make sure the other three rows get up against each other and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A STRAIGHT LINE OF CORD/YARN ACROSS THE WARP.  You see below what this looks like now - and you can see that the warp yarns above this start of the header are coming to straight with even spacing. But not completely - yet!

5. Now you should be on the same side you started on when you started your header. You are now going to start weaving with the header cord or yarn normally. 

I still leave a loop on the ends. I do not want the warp to be pulled in on the ends. I weave about four rows. Above you see the next row being put in - at an angle as you would do when you weave.

6. Keep weaving with your header cord/yarn until you see all of the warp nice and straight above the header to the heddle. I like to come back to the side I like to start to weave at. For me, I like to start on the right side of the warp with the heddle in the up position. If you start differently get your header yarn/cord to stop at the side you like to start weaving. If this means you have a lot of header cord/yarn left over, you can just leave it and it will wind up with the cloth or you can snip it off. Be very careful with scissors around your loom. You DON'T want to cut any warp threads. 

When you look above you see nice straight warp and even spacing. You are now ready to weave with your project yarn!

No matter what pattern you will be using for your weaving, start with a header first - no pattern - just plain weave.  If you don't weave a header you are going to find that your angled warp is going to make your beginning weave very uneven. 

When I start weaving after I weave my header, I move up a couple of inches from the header before I start weaving with my project weft. I do this to leave a space between the weft and the header so that when I hemstitch the end of the yarn on the loom (hemstitching article coming) the wrap will pull together in the hemstitch and allow for a nice tight stitch.

Some have other ways do create a header. Some use sticks that are woven into the warp. This can also work. For an rigid heddle loom, I have found that weaving a header as in this article is easy - and works every time.