Does anyone have a loom

[salsabike]

Smaller isn't necessarily better or easier, but it IS cheaper. A four harness table loom is the way most people start, and you should be able to get a used one for $100-150. You have to lift the harnesses with hand levers, which means it goes more slowly than with a floor loom, where you can lift the harnesses by using foot pedals. But for a beginner, that's ideal--you have plenty of time to see how it works and learn to understand it. If you end up liking weaving, in time you'll get a floor loom, but no rush for that.

The classic beginner's book, which I used and still consult often, is Deborah Chandler's "Learning to Weave". See this Amazon review (no, I DIDN'T write it, but I could have): Deborah Chandler's book is the next best thing to attending an excellent weaving class in person. Then after you learn to weave, it is a reference book that can aid you for years to come. Even after weaving for more than 10 years, I often turn to this book. It has plain detailed instruction with wonderful illustrations. Photos and drawings as well as the fabulous explanations guide you right along. Whether you are just learning to weave or want to add to your weaving library, I strongly recommend this book!


Here's a sample I did for a class. It's in doubleweave structure, which lets you do some very cool color blending. The stripes in the warp are shades of pink to red to maroon, so you can see by the end results how much weaving with a different color (I used purple, blue, orange, yellow...) can change the appearance. That's the fun of weaving--it's like alchemy to me.