Today, Fiberista, I am going to answer a question I get quite often…What size rigid heddle loom should I get? Now, I did write an entire blog post about how to select a rigid heddle loom for art weaving. That post is long overdue for an update. For this post, I am going to address specifically whether you should get a tiny loom or a loom that will make something closer to yardage.

I have 2 looms. I have a 24″ Kromski Harp and an 8″ Ashford Sample It. The Harp was my first loom. And if I am making a shawl that I will actually wear, this is my go to loom. I weave relatively boring stuff on this loom, but they are things I wear day to day. Since writing this article, Kromski has come out with a variable dent reed designed for art weaving. I have not bought one yet, but it is definitely on the wish list. I bought my Sample It when I was at an art yarn class in Taos. It is my go to loom for my art weaving. They too have a variable dent reed. I do not have one, but for this small of a loom I am not sure if I need it.

So, some of the things you should consider when you are trying to decide what kind of rigid heddle loom you should buy.

• How much floor space do you have in your weaving room?
• Do you enjoy warping?
• What kinds of things do you want to make?
• If you are making garments, how are your sewing skills?
• How tall are you?
• How much do you want to spend?
• What features of each loom are you excited about?

 I am going to break down some of the pro’s and cons of each size.

Larger 20-36″ looms

Straight up you can weave actual yardage on these looms. Fabric that you can actually cut out pattern pieces with. You can also weave a couple of smaller pieces side by side on this loom if you are interested in doing production. You can always warp a thinner piece. Because the loom overall is bigger, you have a larger shed space to work with. There is also more room for a longer warp, meaning you can dress the loom with an extra long warp and weave a couple of pieces in without having to re warp the loom. Some looms like the Kromski come with a warping board built into the underside of the loom. While this is super handy, I prefer to use a warping peg to warp directly onto the loom.

For me, the cons of this loom are pretty significant. The 24″ side can be cumbersome to support while trying manage a long 24″ shuttle. You might be able to get away with a smaller 18″ or so shuttle but any shorter it is almost impossible to reach your weft yarn across the weaving. So if you plan on weaving with a variety of yarns for an art weaving style, then you will need a bunch of long shuttles, or invest in a boat shuttle and bobbing winder. The boat shuttle however is not good for art yarns. Art weaving is even more cumbersome with a longer 36″ loom. A loom stand makes these looms way more manageable, but usually are optional at an additional cost. It takes a significant amount of time to warp a larger loom. Straight up, you have more slots and hole to thread.

A loom on a stand takes up floorspace. Do you have the floorspace available for 24″-36″. Some looms collapse for storage, but you are still looking at 24″-36″ wide.

If you are planning to make garments and cutting your fabric, be forwarded hand woven fabric can be delicate. You will need to full it, account for that shrinkage and possible stay-stitch all your   pattern edges before cutting them, to assure that the weaving will not unravel. I have seen some GORGEOUS garments made with hand woven fabric. It definitely worth the effort. Your best bet can be to design your own construction that minimizes cutting the woven fabric. Using bias draped fabric can provide lovely body conforming shaping without cutting your hand woven fabric.

Smaller 7″-18″ looms

I was pleasantly surprised at how versatile smaller looms can be. It is natural to think wider fabric would override all other features when thinking about looms selection. I was not prepared for how awesome the features were for working with a thinner width. Straight up the looms are just cheaper. PLUS because of their smaller size it is easier to find things to use for yarn shuttles. I find wooden craft sticks (that look like large popsicle sticks) are super cheap and the perfect size. You can easily use yarn butterflies made out of cardboard. And in the case of chunkier art yarns and ribbons, you don’t need a shuttle at all. It is so easy to have dozens of yarns ready for art weaving. Wild yarns seem to pop more in a smaller weaving width.

These small looms are WAY easier to maneuver without a stand. I can easily weave with this loom anywhere. It is small enough to tuck into a large tote bag with a gallon zip lock baggie of weft yarns to take to your stitch and bitch.

But hands down the best feature is how fast you can warp a smaller loom. I can be ready to weave in 20 minute flat. I am not a fan of waring.

The biggest problem with smaller looms is the limits of a smaller weaving width. I am not saying garments are not possible, but it definitely takes a more creative approach piecing strips together. I have seen some gorgeous garment made combining woven strips with knitting and crochet.

Either size will work well for wall hanging art weaving. I like the look of the thinner strips even side by side to make a wider piece. Tapestry style work is gorgeous on a wider fabric.

So I have to say I love my little loom more than the big looms, just because the convenience of size and handling tends to override the convenience of a wider fabric.