I finished weaving a super quick scarf on my Flip rigid heddle. The weather has turned a bit chilly and I decided to take a break from threading my floor loom to weave a scarf.
From start (threading) to finish (tying the fringe), this scarf took about 2 hours to weave. I used Classic Yarns Cashsoft Chunky for the warp in 3 colors of purple (three 50gram balls, one in each color). The yarn was about 9 wraps per inch which made the sett at about 5. I used my new 5 dent Flip heddle which I recenlty purchased from Patty Anne’s Place.
I wanted my scarf to be 70″ long so I could fold it in half and pull the ends through to make it super warm, and keep it from falling off! I also wanted the scarf to be 6″ wide.
Here are my calculations:
9 wraps per inch divided by 2 = 4.5 (I rounded this up to 5 for a sett of 5 and used a 5 dent reed/heddle)
70″ length + 10% take up= 76
76 + loom waste of 24″ on a rigid heddle (add more if you are using a floor loom)
70+6=76 +10%= 83.6 +24 = 107.6
107.6 is the total length of each warp thread. Notice I did not add any length in my calculations for sampling. You can add to the length if you want to do some sampling.
Ok, next calculation: How many warp ends?
The woven width + take up x sett= how many ends I will need.
6″ + .6 (the 10% take up) x 5 =33
I need 33 warp ends.
How much warp yarn do I need?
Total length x # of ends
70×33=2310 divide 2310 by 36 to get yardage
2310 divided by 36 =64.16 or approximately 65 yards
I did not calculate yardage for my weft. I used various handspun yarns.
The photo above is what my warp looked like. I used 3 colors of Cashsoft.
The scarf moved along quickly. It seemed as if it was done in no time. The handspun yarns I used for the weft were mostly worsted or chunky yarns.
When I reached the end of my weaving, I cut the warp threads, removed the scarf from the loom, and tied my fringe. I tied over hand knots for the fringe. A trick I have found useful for getting the knots tight is to use a tapestry needle in the knot. I tie an overhand knot and insert a tapestry needle in the knot loop. I hold the needle up above the fell of the woven cloth as I am pulling the knot tight. After the knot is tight I remove the needle and tighten the knot a bit more. I find this makes a neater knot!
Anita
This is just lovely!! And so confusing, LOL. Maybe I should start with some kind of instructional book on weaving? 🙂
Tina
Hands On Rigid Heddle Weaving by Davenport is probably one of the best books to get for learning to weave on a rigid heddle loom.
Sue Downs
This scarf is EXACTLY what I want to weave for my daughter, whose favorite color is purple. I have an Ashford Rigid Heddle Loom, 32 inches, on a stand. I am thinking about getting a small loom for relaxing with it in my lap. Love your website! Thank you for all the help!