Winding on

One of the elements of weaving that I love is the number of steps involved! You are continually focusing on a different part of the process. Next up, the yarn will be wound onto the loom. The back of my Schacht loom folds out – as you can see in the first photo. The yarn is then tied onto a rod on the back and the winding begins!

With winding on, it is critical to keep the tension as even as possible. So, sticks or heavy paper are used in between the layers of yarn in order to prevent mountains and valleys from growing. For me, I enjoy a good ‘ole yardstick and since I have a 36″ wide loom – it’s perfect! (I’m sure the friendly folks at my local Ace Hardware wonder where all there yardsticks go!) From the front of the loom, groups of yarn are given a good yank before being wound on – keeping everything flowing untangled through the loom.

When all the yarn has safely traveled through the reed and heddles to the back of the loom under even tension, the ends are tied onto the front. I was taught a fancy knot for the front, which I’ve found comes in handy but isn’t critical. As long as the knot will hold, you be in business! And just like that, the loom is dressed and ready to weave!

Back Folds Out

Yarn Winding On

Knots on the Front

Ready to Weave