A Warping Board Compilation

Show Notes

Handwoven magazine published a series of helpful articles on winding your warp. The first installment, titled “Winding Your Warp Part 1: Warping Board Setup, and Planning Your Path” by Susan Bateman and Melissa Parsons, appeared in the May 2025 issue. Click here to check it out!

If you are extra handy you may want to try making your own warping board. Karen Greene blogged about her experience building her own warping board. Read all about her project here.

Dress Your Loom

Measuring your project on a warping board is the first step in dressing your loom. Are you new to weaving & ready to learn how to dress a loom? Or are you interested in learning a new method for dressing a loom? Friend, I’ve got you! My 6-week, online Dress Your Loom course takes you through the process step-by-step, from measuring your warp yarns to finishing your project and everything in between. Ready to start? Click here for more details and to register.

The post A Warping Board Compilation appeared first on Acton Creative.

6 Weaving Do’s & Don’ts

Show Notes

Want more weaving do’s and don’ts? Check out this video from my YouTube channel!

In her Handwoven Magazine piece titled “Loom Weaving is Simple … and Difficult”, Susan E. Horton perfectly illustrates what makes weaving so magical. Click here to check it out.

Free Resources!

Would you look at that? There is an entire collection of FREE weaving resources at your fingertips on the Acton Creative website! Everything from “Parts of a Loom”, to “6 Weaving Patterns”, to the “Beginner’s Guide to Weaving Yarn” – there’s a little something for everyone. Simply click here to pick which one (or all!) will be helpful for you!

The post 6 Weaving Do’s & Don’ts appeared first on Acton Creative.

Any weaver should know their way around a reed. This week’s episode of A Handwoven Experience will help you do just that. My “Weaving Reed Compilation” features four videos that help explain what a reed is and how to use it. Happy weaving!

Weaving Reed Compilation

Show Notes

Reed Selection & Care: I found this installment of Tom Knisely’s “Notes from the Fell” column in Handwoven magazine very helpful. In this article, Tom shares tips for how to choose and care for your reeds. Check it out here.

Weaving Equipment Guides: the long list of weaving equipment can be daunting, especially for new weavers! That’s why I created two handy FREE resources to help get you started: a Weaving Equipment Guide and a guide to Parts of a Loom. Click here to learn more and request yours today!

Online Weavers’ Guild

Are you looking for a community of weavers who love weaving as much as you do? Look no further my friend! The Acton Creative Online Weaver’s Guild is a place where you can spend time with other weavers, share your weaving stories, trade tips, and learn a few things along the way. We meet once a month over Zoom, host an ongoing members-only chat so that we don’t lose touch in between meetings, take part in quarterly weaving challenges, and more. Click here for more details. We’re saving you a seat!

The post Weaving Reed Compilation appeared first on Acton Creative.

So, I brought in the lovely and talented Ellen Grenier Bevill to show us the ropes! In today’s episode, she will walk us through this unique tool and show us how she uses it in her process. Then, you can decide if it’s a tool that will help you with yours!

Show Notes –

How to make a raddle – I found a great post from Yarny Curtain that walks you through the process of creating your own weaving raddle. Being a not-so-handy weaver, I would simply call up our family friend, Carl, and ask him to make one for me. But if you are brave and knowledgeable, dive right in, my friend! Here’s the link to show you how. 

Speaking of tools – Recently, I invited another friend, Caryl Bohn, to show us the weaving temple and how it works. (You’re sensing a theme here, right?) She gave us the ins and outs of why you may want to incorporate a temple into your future projects. Check it out here.

October Weave Along

You’re invited to join us for a month-long weaving adventure this October! The goal is to start and finish a lace project alongside weavers from all over the world. It’s a perfect mix of creativity and community, and we’re saving you a seat. Simply go over to the October Weave Along Central Page to see all the program details and find out how to participate – https://tinyurl.com/OWAL2025

p.s. Want to learn more about Ellen and her incredible work? Be sure to check out her website and pick up a few beautiful handwoven wearables for yourself or a friend. Type in “OWAL2025” to get FREE shipping! 

The post Intro to the Weaving Raddle appeared first on Acton Creative.

In this episode of A Handwoven Experience I will walk you through some tried-and-true tips for figuring out the sett, or EPI (ends per inch) of a mystery fiber. So embrace the unknown and discover all of the amazing creative opportunities that await you! Happy weaving!

Show Notes –

Metric versions of sett – What’s so wonderful these days is having an international audience. However, they make me keenly aware that there is more than one version of how to do things. So as I’ve spoken about sett and epi (ends per inch), I’ve been reminded that the “inch” measurement is not universal.  Thus, I went hunting for a resource to help and my girl, Madelyn Van Der Hoogt, came through! Check out her response when she was asked this exact question. 

Reed Substitution Chart – If you are new to weaving, I’d like to introduce you to a wonderful tool – the reed substitution chart! At first glance it’s a series of random numbers. But, with some simple instruction, you can learn how to use it like a champ! Click here to dive right in. 

FREE Weaving Resources

Would you look at that? There is an entire list of FREE weaving resources at your fingertips on the Acton Creative website! Everything from Parts of a Loom, to 6 Weaving Patterns, to the Beginner’s Guide to Weaving Yarn – there’s a little something for everyone. Simply click here to pick which one (or all!) will be helpful for you!

The post Unknown Sett appeared first on Acton Creative.

Show Notes –

All straight draw, all the time – I found an informative and entertaining blog post from Robyn Spady talking about her favorite things. And one of them is a book of weaving drafts where each pattern is based on a straight draw threading – amazing! To read more about this special book and where you can access LOTS of drafts, click right here. 

References – If your interest is piqued after watching this episode, I have more details on the patterns I talk about in this video. See below –

Plain Weave (Weaving Pattern #1)
Bold & Beautiful Basketweave

Very Happy Hopsack
Twill Weave (Weaving Pattern #2)
The Log Cabin Formula
Houndstooth How-To
Playing with Pinwheels

Bonus Episode!

And if that’s not enough, I have a bonus episode with more patterns just for my AC Insiders! Not a member yet? Go to https://patreon.com/actoncreative to learn more and sign up! Happy Weaving!

The post Very Versatile Straight Draw appeared first on Acton Creative.

In today’s video, I’ll walk you through the process in one fell swoop, talking you through the key points to remember. Keep in mind that this process will feel a tad awkward the first few times you try it. It has a sort of patting-your-head-and-rubbing-your-belly vibe. But before you know it, you’ll be a pro at creating loosely interlocking loops in order to gracefully move your project to the next step.

Show Notes –

How to use a warping mill – Sweet Georgia has a wonderful overview of how to use a warping mill. It covers the entire process from nuts to bolts. So if you are curious about this special tool that’s an alternative to a warping board, Felicia has you covered! Simply click here to see for yourself. 

2 Things to Do Before the Warp Comes Off – In this episode, I refer to two pre-chaining tasks. They include marking the cross, and adding choke ties. To see more about these important to-dos, take a look at episode 105 right here. 

FREE Weaving Resources

Would you look at that? There is an entire list of FREE weaving resources at your fingertips on the Acton Creative website! Everything from Parts of a Loom, to 6 Weaving Patterns, to the Beginner’s Guide to Weaving Yarn – there’s a little something for everyone. Simply click here to pick which one (or all!) will be helpful for you!

The post Chaining Off Your Warp appeared first on Acton Creative.

A floating selvedge is a warp yarn that hangs out at the edge of your fabric and instead of moving with the rest of the warp yarns, it’s job is to stay still so your weft has something to wrap around.

You see, a number of patterns inherently don’t allow for each weft yarn to go from edge to edge. And for the integrity of the fabric (and because it looks better), we want your weft yarn to go from edge to edge with every pick.

However, they can be frustrating. So in today’s episode I’m going to simplify things and give you ideas on how to work around the lovely floating selvedges. (And by the way, plain weave never needs them. Just in case you were wondering…)

Show Notes –

No Fuss Floating Selvedges – I found a great blog post from the Handweaving Academy about ways to simplify floating selvedges and I think you’ll get some valuable ideas from it! I’m putting the link right here for you to enjoy. 

Fabulous Floating Selvedges – If the idea of floating selvedges is all new to you, never fear! I have a intro from a few years ago. (That’s the beauty of weaving – the information doesn’t expire! Yay!) Here is your quick reference to floating selvedges. 

Bonus Alert!

p.s. I’m providing a Bonus Video for my lovelies in the AC Insiders Membership. So sign up for the Resource Center, Combo, or any of the Supporter Tiers to find out more about how to best manage floating selvedges! 

In the month of March, we’re offering a 50% discount off the Combo Tier so you can give it a try! Simply type in “HALFOFF” and enjoy!

The post Floating Selvedges or No Floating Selvedges appeared first on Acton Creative.

Show Notes –

Best Practices for Reading a Draft – Oooh, I found a great article on Handwoven magazine about reading weaving drafts. Susan, the author, gives a great look at the various components of a draft and what to do with them. I highly recommend you check it out here. 

Reading a Weaving Draft – If all this talk about weaving drafts and repeats in weaving drafts is foreign to you, might I recommend a skip down memory land, back to episode 49, “Reading a Weaving Draft”? It’s a great starting point. You can watch it here. 

Reading a Weaving Draft Class –

If you want to do a deeper dive into the world of weaving drafts, I have a virtual class available on the “Weaving Classes” page. I’ll take your hand and walk you through the various components step-by-step. Take a look here and sign up today. 

FREE Weaving Resources –

Would you look at that? There is an entire list of FREE weaving resources at your fingertips on the Acton Creative website! Everything from Parts of a Loom, to 6 Weaving Patterns, to the Beginner’s Guide to Weaving Yarn – there’s a little something for everyone. Simply click here to pick which one (or all!) will be helpful for you!

The post Repeats in Weaving Drafts appeared first on Acton Creative.

Show Notes –

Calulating the warp – The fantastic folks over at Sweet Georgia created a very helpful post all about how to calculate the warp for a project. What I like about it is the easy-to-understand explanation and the thorough nature of the writing. You really feel like they have you covered! Click here to check it out and adopt some of their techniques.  

Favorite weaving phrases – So much of learning to weave is wrapped up in the terminology and the basic concepts. Here at Acton Creative, my goal is to be sure I’m tackling them in small bite-sized pieces so you can digest them easily. Thus, I’m happy to present to you, “My Favorite Weaving Phrases”! Maybe they can become yours, too? This link will take you right to them. 

FREE Weaving Resources

Would you look at that? There is an entire list of FREE weaving resources at your fingertips on the Acton Creative website! Everything from Parts of a Loom, to 6 Weaving Patterns, to the Beginner’s Guide to Weaving Yarn – there’s a little something for everyone. Simply click here to pick which one (or all!) will be helpful for you! https://actoncreative.net/free-resources/

The post Losing Inches at the Loom appeared first on Acton Creative.