Ashford Sampleit Rigid Heddle Loom
Isn’t it cute? I’ll review this loom after I finish this first project, a log cabin scarf. So far, so good.
Tag: ashford
Why Do I Need Another Loom?
Why? Hmmm…. Can I come up with a reason?
Oh yeah! I don't have one to take to work for lunchtime weaving–doesn't everyone have lunchtime weaving?–until now.
It's on its way… a teeny tiny rigid heddle loom, brand new and from Ashford, called the SampleIt. With only an 8" weaving width, I think I can actually carry it in a small bag (like the one I bought years and years ago for knitting) and store it in a drawer. Not that I'll keep it at work all the time–I may need it for weaving while watching a movie (it fits on a lap!) or bringing along on weekend trips (too small to say nope, that's too big to tote along). Somehow, I avoided Cricket fever, even though I had come up with a list of reasons why a small rigid heddle loom was right for me. But with Christmas right around the corner, my husband bought this one for me as a gift. So, there's yet another reason–it's a gift! I have to accept it.
And so the year ends with the addition of four looms, some used, some new, some gifted: the Ashford 4 Shaft table loom (gifted), the Schacht Inkle loom (used), the modular triloom from Dewberry Ridge, and this teeny Ashford SampleIt Rigid Heddle loom. I added up all the $ spent, and was relieved to realize that all my looms (all of them, not just the 2012 looms) only add up to maybe 1/3 of a new floor loom. Whew! Still…
… it's a slippery slope!
Warping Cheat
I haven't had the best of luck when it comes to warping using the warping board. I know I can do it–and I did with the table runner project–but I still look for shortcuts. This time, I decided to combine direct warping with the board, and it worked… kind of. I got all the 142 cotton warp threads onto the Ashford table loom just fine. Each time, I looped over the warping bar, and I kept every five strands separated with the raddle. I didn't use the lease sticks. Maybe I should have, but I couldn't quite wrap my brain around how to do that, too.
So, it all wound on very nicely, I threaded all the heddles with a simple 1-2-3-4 repeat, sleyed the reeed, and then I got ready to weave. It's here I stopped because I didn't care for the way my selvedges looked when I used two separate colors. I gain some knowledge in one area (like warping) and then I realize I still need to learn something else (selvedges when using multiple colors… grrrrr…). I like learning, and I also like weaving, which is why this is lifelong journey.
Finished: Table Runner
But it may become a pillow. The cotton (I Love This Cotton from Hobby Lobby) is very soft and squishy. It would make a nice pillow, I think. This was a fun, fast project. I had a nice moment when I successfully took the warp off the warping board and transferred it to the raddle. Didn't miss a thread! After that, I didn't mind the small challenges, like forgetting to have a floating slevedge. Oh well!
