Ask Madelyn


Ask Madelyn: Resources for Beginning Weavers

I would love to be a weaver. I have a loom that I play around with. For some reason I just can't understand weaving terms or how a draft works. Is there a book or info anywhere to make this plain to me?

Ask Madelyn: A Fun Poem of Weaving Terms

We all know that weaving terminology is confusing. One beginning weaver wrote a poem about all the weaving terms she learned at The Weavers' School!

Ask Madelyn: Reading a Warp Color Order Chart

I am fairly new to weaving. My question is about reading a Warp Color Order chart. I recently ordered a kit that gives a Warp Color Order and a Draft, and I am lost. Can you explain?

Ask Madelyn: Can You Sell a Project from Handwoven?

I'm trying to understand weaving copyright. Can I sell pieces I wove based on instructions from Handwoven? How do I know a piece is truly "original?"

Ask Madelyn: Counterbalance Shed

I recently bought an old counterbalance loom. I thought one of the advantages of the counterbalance design was that they tend to give a larger shed, but I'm weaving my first project on it, and the shed seems fairly small.

Ask Madelyn: Jack Looms and Counterbalance Looms

I weave with a jack-type loom (rising shed).  I have never found a good description of the difference between counterbalance looms, countermarch looms and a sinking-shed lack loom (Louet's David loom is described as a "sinking shed jack loom").

Ask Madelyn: Limits to Warp Length

Here at the Weavers' School, we put on warps (mostly on Baby Wolfs) that are about 30 yd long. We could probably fit close to 40 yd warp length on these looms.

Ask Madelyn: Name Drafts

What is a name draft and how are they used?

Ask Madelyn: Using Tie-ups on Table Looms

How do you translate the tie-ups in a block weave pattern to use on a table loom?

Ask Madelyn: Choosing Yarns for Overshot

Usually, overshot is woven with a warp and tabby weft of the same size and a pattern weft that is two to three times heavier/thicker than the warp and tabby weft.