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Rigid Heddle max warp?
I want to warp my rigid heddle ahead of some surgery I am having. I usually use a floor loom so haven’t put anything longer than a scarf on the rigid heddle before. How long of a warp have you been able to put on a rigid heddle loom?
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4 Replies
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I am sure that it depends a little bit on how thick your weft yarn is.
@carly-jayne , do you know more about this? I know you are a RH weaver.
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Thanks for tagging me @kathy !
It depends on the fiber and what you use as packing material, but I have put on up to 4.5 yards easily. The issue isn’t so much the back beam, it’s the front beam as the woven cloth rolls on. If it’s too much you can always cut off the project and re-lash on. But the front beam holds more than you’d think unless you are weaving rag rugs or thick, dense materials like krokebragd and mug rugs.
I have never had an issue with any project in any yarn at 4 yards or less, if you are working with something like 8/2 for dishtowels you can go longer- maybe even up to 6 yards. I usually keep my warps under 4 yards, however. It’s not so much what the loom holds, but sometimes on longer warps the tension starts to get wonky between the slot threads and hole threads at the end of the warp, but that might just be a “me” issue. But I also think it has to do with how the slot threads stay static and the hole threads are the ones that create your sheds, so their take up can be slightly different- which can build up over time. With stretchy yarns, it’s not a big deal- but with linen and cotton, it can start to get tricky at the end. I hope that help! If you have more specific questions on a particular yarn I can try to help.
On last thought, the rigid heddle is so fast to warp, and a little slower to weave on, so I think shorter warps are more fun and make me feel more productive. I get pretty bored with my longer warps. I think 120″ is kind of my sweet spot.
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thanks for that! I agree shorter seems nice but I might try a bit longer this time so I can stay busy during my recovery. I think this will be the only thing keeping me sane so I don’t think boredom with the weave will be a problem.
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If you really want to extend your weaving time go with thinner yarn and add lots of color changes! Good luck with your surgery, I hope recovery goes quick and easy.
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