Warping the Schacht Cricket Loom utilizes a technique called “direct warping,” this means that you are measuring your Warp directly on your loom. On today’s blog, we’ll show you step-by-step how to get your loom warped for your next project! 

What you need:

Cricket Loom

Rigid Heddle Reed for the Cricket Loom

Heddle Hook

Warp yarn

Warping Peg

Loom Clamps

Scissors

Warp separator (pick-up sticks, cardstock paper, flexible corrugated cardboard, paint sticks)

Optional: 2 small rubber bands.

Before you start: Determine how wide your warp will be, and then center that on your reed by marking in pencil or tying string at the two outside points.

Step 1: Attach your loom to a stand or a table using the clamps that come with the loom. Attach the warping peg a set distance away from your loom depending on how long you want your warp to be.

Step 2: With the reed in neutral position, make sure your back apron rod is coming up and around the back beam. Take 2 rubber bands and secure the edges of your reeds to the edges of the apron rod.

Step 3: Tie a knot around the apron rod with your warp yarn.

Step 4: With your heddle hook, take a loop of warp yarn through a slot in the reed.

Step 5: Take the loop and place it around the warping peg.

Note: It is best to keep consistent tension on the warp yarn as you’re warping to avoid tension issues during the weaving process, but take care not to put on too much tension! Here in the shop, we say “no banjos!” – an excess of tension can cause you to accidentally pull your peg off of the clamp, end up with too short of a warp, break your yarn, or other issues.

Step 6: Continue steps 4-5 all the way across the width of your warp.

Step 7: Cut the warp yarn and tie the end to the apron bar.

Step 8: Remove the loop of yarn at the warping peg and cut the loops of yarn. Be careful not to move the yarn too much as that can cause tension issues as well.

Step 9: Remove the rubber bands from the apron bar and set aside for future use. Slowly start winding the warp onto the back beam, while placing the warp separator on the back beam as well. Keep one hand on the bundle of warp to keep even tension as you wind on. Stop when you have about 10” of yarn in front of the reed.

Step 10: Sleying the reed. Take a pair of threads in one of the slots, pull out a thread and pull it through the adjacent hole. Note: it doesn’t matter if you put it in the left hole or right hole, as long as you keep it consistent across the reed.

Step 11: Take the two rubber bands and attach the edges of the front apron rod to the edges of the reed. Start taking 1” bundles of warp threads and tie them onto the front apron bar using a square knot.

Some of our staff use a slightly different way to tie the warp onto the front apron bar. This helps even the tension along all of the warp threads by using a continuous piece of non-elastic yarn, and can be done in these four easy steps: 

Step 1. Using an overhand knot, tie 1″ width sections of warp threads together.

Step 2. With a non-elastic yarn, like cotton twine, tie one end to the apron rod and start lacing the yarn through the center of each 1″ bundle of warp threads.

Step 3. Repeat step 2 until you pass through the last warp thread bundle, tie a knot using the threading yarn.

Once you have tied on the warp using whichever method you prefer, you can proceed to these final two steps:

Step 12: Adjust the warp knots until all of them are under the same tension.
Step 13: Wind your weft yarn onto a stick shuttle and start weaving!

We’d love to see what projects you are making with your Cricket Looms – be sure to share them with us using #thewoolery in your post so that we can include it in our Community Scrapbook page!

All the best,

Wave, Perri & the entire Woolery Team