I've used every style of loom there is, but once I met the rigid-heddle loom I found my muse. She's accessible, portable, versatile, and so easy to set up that she allows me to iterate through my ideas quickly making it more likely that I will remember my head smacks and be less likely to repeat them.

This column is for knitters (and other fiberists) who weave or want to; knitters who will appreciate the speed at which you can crank out cloth, use up your stash, and teach your yarn to do new things. The gross motor movements of weaving are a nice break from the intimacy of knitting without sacrificing the feeling of handwork.

To the loom, knitters, to the loom!

by Liz Gipson

Sock yarn is such a draw for weavers. It is available in high-yardage put-ups and comes in gorgeous variegated and self-striping colorways. Most sock yarns are made with either superwash wool or nylon for added wear. These yarns are designed to stretch, but keep their shape in the wash. They don't full or shrink. This poses some challenges for weavers.

Woven cloth changes a lot when it is removed from the tension of the loom and even more when it is wet finished. You have to wrap your head around the fact that sock yarn will rebound a lot when taken off the loom and not at all when it is washed.

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS (laid flat)
Width: approx. 8.25 inches
Height: 55.25 inches (including 5-inch fringe)

MATERIALS
Yarn
Warp: fingering-weight sock yarn, 2,000 yd/lb (21-26 wpi depending on tension); shown in Tarte by Miss Babs in Volcanic Eruption colorway (75% superwash Merino/15% nylon/10% Tencel);  500 yd / 4.3 oz (457m / 122g); 1 skein.
Weft: lace-weight wool/silk blend, 4,267 yds/lb (32 wpi); shown in Isadora by Miss Babs in Roasted Pumpkin colorway (70% Merino, 30% Tussah silk); 800 yd /3 oz (732m / 85g) 1 skein.


Tools
rigid-heddle Loom with at least a 10" weaving width, 12-dent rigid heddle
2 stick shuttles
yarn needle

Project specifications
Warp: 290 yds fingering-weight sock yarn
Weft: 238 yds lace-weight yarn
Warp Ends: 120
Warp Length: 87''

Width In Reed: 10 inches
Sett: 12
PPI (Picks Per Inch or the number of wefts in an inch): 12

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Deciding Your Sett
Determining your sett based on wraps per inch (wpi) can be deceiving. Sock yarn has so much elasticity that depending on your tension, your wpi can vary greatly. In general I recommend using the closest sett available to you, which is most likely going to be a size 12 or 12.5 rigid heddle. You can double the yarns in the slots and holes effectively turning a size 8 rigid heddle into a size 16. Weave with a very fine laceweight yarn that doesn’t contain superwash or nylon and weave with a very loose open beat.

You are aiming for a warp dominant cloth — more visible warp than weft in the final cloth. Yarn wants to bend in the direction where the majority of the yarn is oriented. If you have more warp than weft in the cloth, it will drape in that direction.

(See Yarnworker's Terms if you need to freshen up on the language of the loom).

In the photo below, you can see how much the yarn changes on and off the loom. The fabric on the loom is translucent while the fabric off the loom is not. Color will shift the look of your variegated yarn a lot. The pumpkin color shifted the purples to rust, giving the sunset on mesas effect I was looking for. I experimented with other colors before I settled on this one.

DIRECTIONS
Weaving
Wind one shuttle with the project weft and one with a smooth scrap yarn.

Start by weaving about 1'' of scrap yarn to spread the warp evenly. It doesn't matter if you start in an up or down shed.

Using your project weft, open the next shed and insert your first pick, leaving a short tail of about 6". Change sheds, tuck the tail in the new shed and then bring it out between two warp ends.
Lay in the next pick at about a 45 degree angle and beat.

Continuing weaving, maintaining the weft angle as you go. This allows the weft enough room to travel over and under the warp ends and keep your fabric from pulling in at the edges. If you have loops at the edges your weft angle is too steep.

Beat the yarn gently as you weave to maintain a consistent number of picks per inch.

To give yourself a good foundation and to spread the warp, start by weaving a piece about 1.5 inches long with scrap yarn. It doesn't matter if you start in an up or down shed.

Using your project weft, open the next shed and insert your first pick leaving a tail of about 6 inches. Change sheds, tuck the tail in the new shed and then bring it out between two warp ends. Lay in the next pick at about a 60 degree angle and beat (see top photo at right).

Continuing weaving, as you do maintain your weft angle. This will allow the weft enough room to travel over and under the warp ends and keep your fabric from pulling in at the edges. If you have loops at the edges, called selvedges, your weft angle is too steep,

Beat the yarn gently as you weave to maintain a consistent number of wefts per inch. (See middle photo.) Your goal is to get the same number of warp and weft ends in an inch of weaving. Don't over think this, though. The goal is to get a few projects under your belt, not perfection!

FINISHING
While the scarf is still on the loom, cut the weft leaving about an 8" tail. Thread this tail through the large-eyed tapestry needle. Needle weave it in front of the last pick.

Remove the scarf from the loom by cutting the warp behind the rigid heddle and untying the warp from the front apron rods.

Using small embroidery scissors and working carefully, cut the scrap yarn in half. Remove half of the scarp and tie the warp in bundles of four warp ends using an overhand knot.

Using a 1/8 cup of mild detergent, machine wash on gentle cycle in warm water. Trim fringe to desired length.

Liz Gipson is a lover of yarn and that from which it comes — namely the mills and fiber-bearing critters and plants. She is the author of the newly revised Weaving Made Easy and has two DVDs Slots and Holes: Three Ways to Warp a Rigid-Heddle Loom and Life After Warping: Weaving Well on your Rigid-Heddle Loom

She recently lanched Yarnworker, a source for indepentantly published patterns and know-how for the rigid-heddle loom.

Find her on Ravelry as TheCashmereKid (she has goats) or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.