How to Make a Loom for a Blanket

Setting Up the Loom

• 1

  Wind the warp on the warping board. It should be 20 inches wide and 4 yards long. There will be 24 ends of warp per inch, so a total of 480 ends. Make a figure-eight cross at one end, and tie the warp off at 1-yard intervals with shoestrings.

• 2

  Insert one of the 3/4-inch dowels through one end loop of the warp. Place another 3/4-inch dowel through the other end of the warp. Attach a rope to each end of one of the dowels and tie the rope to a tree. Attach the backstrap to the other dowel. Put the strap around your hips. Sit so that the warp is under some tension. On your right, place the ball of twine, the other dowels, and some scissors.

• 3

  Spread the warp out to its full 20-inch width. Put the batten in the shed formed by the cross and turn it on its side. Take the ball of twine and lead the end of it through the shed at the figure eight, from right to left to begin making the heddles for the weaving. Hold the heddle stick (the 1/2 inch dowel) over the warp threads. Tie one end of the twine to the end of the heddle stick. Now pull the twine up between the first and second upper warp threads and loop it over the heddle stick. Continue to do this across the warp, attaching each thread that is held up by the batten to the heddle stick. Cut the string and tie the end of it to the heddle stick.

• 4

  Place one of the 3/4-inch dowels in the other shed on the other side of the cross. This is the shed stick. Tie a string to each end of the shed stick, take it across the warp, and tie it to the other end of the shed stick. This will keep the shed stick from falling out. Practice operating the two sheds. First lower the shed stick to meet the heddle stick. Insert the batten into the space below the heddle stick; turn it on its side to form the shed, into which you will insert the weft. This is the stick shed. To form the other shed -- the "pull shed" -- remove the batten and pull the heddles forward. Insert the batten into the space created and turn it on its side to insert the weft.

Weaving the Blanket

• 5

  Wind a shuttle with the weft yarn. The shuttle is a simple stick with the weft yarn wound back and forth lengthwise around it in a figure-eight pattern. Make the first shed and pass the weft through the shed. Change the shed and pack in the weft using the batten. Pass the weft through again, this time making sure that it pulls just up to the edge warp thread without pulling it in too much. Change the shed and pack in with the batten.

• 6

  Attach the stretcher underneath the weaving once you have woven a few inches. Poke a small nail through the edge of the weaving into the hollow interior of the bamboo to attach it to the edges of the weaving. Move the stretcher every few inches as you weave so that it will hold the weaving at a consistent width.

• 7

  Weave until you have woven the desired length of the blanket plus about 10 percent for shrinkage during washing. If you want a fringe, weave 8 to 10 inches with rags to separate the two panels. Otherwise two shots of a different color weft will suffice to separate the two panels. Continue to weave the second panel in the same manner. As the fell (the edge of the weaving) gets too far away to reach it, roll the woven cloth up around the dowel closest to you and re-tie it to the backstrap. Insert the fourth dowel at this point inside the weaving as you roll it up, to prevent it from unrolling.

• 8

  Weave until you can't insert the weft any more or make a shed. Cut the warp threads and remove the warp from the dowels. Cut the pieces apart at the rags or contrast weft. Seam the two panels together along their long sides. Braid the fringe at each end.