Aloom is the frame that holdsthe warp threads aligned andunder tension so that weaving

can take place.The warp is all of the threads that

are aligned vertically on a loom beforeweaving begins. A warp end is a singlewarp thread.

The weft is all of the horizontalthreads that interlace with the verti-cally aligned warp. A pick is a single passof the weft through a shed; a pick is alsocalled a shot.

Winding a warp is the process bywhich all the threads in the warp aremeasured and aligned in order. Usuallythis is done by placing each end in apremeasured path on a warping boardor warping reel. The order of the endsis maintained by the threading cross.

The threading cross is the “x” formedby alternate warp ends because theyeach take a different path over andunder a pair of pegs on the warpingboard: over/under for one end andunder/over for the alternate end. If theopenings created by the pegs are main-tained when the warp is removed fromthe warping board, the crossing of thethreads is also maintained and keepsthem from shifting their order.

A warping board is a square framewith evenly spaced sturdy pegs alongthe sides of the frame and pegs that canaccommodate a cross along the top andthe bottom. Warp threads are woundon the board in order and measured bya designated path around the side pegs.

Warping boards can accommodate upto 18 yards of warp length.

A warping reel can also be used towind the warp. Some reels are vertical;the reel spins on a vertical axis and thewarp is wound around it through a paththat goes from the top to the bottom ofthe reel and back again. Some reels arehorizontal; the reel spins on a horizon-tal axis and the warp is wound aroundit from one end to the other and backagain. Reels can accommodate longerwarps than boards and can be faster touse (the longer the warp, the greater thesavings in time).

A swift is an expandable cage thatturns on a center rod to hold a skein ofyarn so that it can be wound into a ballor directly onto the warping board.

A warping paddle is a device that al-lows the winding of multiple warp endsin the same pass around a warping boardwhile keeping them separate and alignedand providing a cross of individual ends.One type of paddle is equipped with tworows of holes that keep the threads sep-arate; the cross is picked by hand at thecross pegs on the warping board. An-other type had alternate slots and holesthat keep the threads separate and alsoform a cross of individual ends when thepaddle is raised and then lowered at thecross pegs.

A spool rack is a frame with thinhorizontal metal rods that can supportmany spools of thread. Multiple endscan be unwound at the same time fromthe rotating spools to fill a section of a

sectional warp beam or to pass throughthe slots and holes of a warping paddle.

A cone holder allows ends from mul-tiple cones to be wound at the sametime. A screw eye, hook, or other de-vice directs each thread so it unwindsabove its cone without upsetting thecone or becoming tangled with threadsfrom other cones.

A choke, or choke tie, is a very tighttie made around all of the threads in thewarp—usually this is done on the warp-ing board or reel.

Lease sticks are two rods or flat stickslonger than the width of the warp. Theyare placed in the openings of the cross.The cross is maintained in the space be-tween the lease sticks, keeping thethreads in order for threading or sleying.

A raddle is a board at least as longas the the width of the warp with even-ly spaced pegs or nails (1⁄4"–1" apart).Groups of warp ends are placed in eachraddle space and the warp is wound onthe warp beam with the raddle securedon the back beam. The width of thewarp in the raddle and the number ofends in each space determine the den-sity and width of the warp on the warpbeam. (Raddles are used for warpingmethods in which the warp is woundon the warp beam before being thread-ed through the heddles.)

A raddle cross is formed by groups ofwarp ends on the opposite end of thewarping board or reel from the thread-ing cross (which is formed of individ-ual ends). The number of ends in each

Weaving Terms

One of the biggest obstacles to learning about weaving is its terminology. Not only are most weavingwords ordinary words that mean something else in regular life (so that you don’t know you don’t knowwhat a word means), but different sources use the same words for different things—or different words forthe same things. To make matters worse, each weaving word can usually only be understood in relation to other weaving words, so that to know one, you really have to know them all. To help clarifythis muddle, here are the definitions of some basic words about weaving and weaving equipment.

h a n d w o v e n m a g a z i n e . c o m 1© Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.

group is equal to the number of ends tobe placed in each dent of the raddle.

The heddles are wires, nylon braid,string, or flat steel rods attached to theshafts. Each heddle has an eye in the cen-ter through which a warp end is thread-ed. (Because of this eye, heddles havesometimes been called needles.)

The shafts are the frames that hold theheddles. When a shaft is raised or low-ered, all of the warp ends threadedthrough the heddles on that shaft areraised or lowered. (Harness is sometimesused as a synonym for shaft, although orig-inally it was the name for the mountingthat holds all of the shafts.)

Each weft pick passes through a shed.The shed is the opening made by raisedand lowered warp threads.

The breast beam is the horizontalcrosspiece on the loom directly in frontof the weaver. The woven cloth passesover the breast beam on its way to thecloth beam.

The cloth beam is the (usually) cylin-drical rotating crosspiece of wood (some-times of metal) at the front of the loomon which the woven cloth is wound.

The back beam is the horizontal cross-piece on the back of the loom aroundwhich the warp passes on its way to thewarp beam.

The warp beam is the (usually) cylin-drical rotating crosspiece of wood (some-times of metal) at the back of the loomon which the warp is wound.

Beaming the warp is the process ofwinding the warp on the warp beam. Thelayers are usually separated with sturdypaper or warping sticks.

Warping sticks are thin slats of smoothwood about 1⁄8" thick, 3⁄4" wide, and longerthan the width of the warp.

Sectional warp beams are warp beamswith protruding pegs that separate thebeam into sections, usually 1–2" wideeach. The warp is wound into each sec-tion separately.

When a warp is wound sectionally, itis first threaded in a tension box that ten-sions each thread evenly and spreads thethreads to the width of the section.

Apron rods are sturdy wood or metal

rods, one of which is attached to the warpbeam, the other to the cloth beam, some-times by cloth aprons, more often bycords. The warp is tied to the apron rodof the warp beam before beaming and tothe apron rod of the cloth beam afterbeaming, threading, and sleying.

Tying on the warp usually refers to thetying of small groups of warp threads tothe front apron rod.

The threading is the order in whicheach warp end passes through a heddleon a specific shaft.

The warp threads also go through areed, a steel comb with teeth that spacethe warp at an even density for the de-sired width. Reeds are sized by length andby the number of spaces—called dents—per inch (i.e., 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 18etc.). The reed is placed in the beater andacts to press the weft into the cloth as wellas space the warp.

The beater is a frame that holds thereed. It is attached to the loom by an up-right on each side that pivots to pull thereed through the warp and “beat” the weftin place at the fell of the cloth.

The fell is the woven edge of the clothon the loom where the most recent pickhas been inserted.

Sleying the reed is the placing of thewarp threads through the dents of the reed.The number of dents in the reed and thenumber of warp threads in each dent de-termine the density—or sett— of the warp.

The warp sett is the number of warpends per inch—usually abbreviated as epi.The weft sett is the number of weft picksper inch—usually abbreviated as ppi.

A reed hook or sley hook is a flat pieceof metal, wood, or plastic with smoothcurves at both ends for pulling threadsthrough the dents of the reed.

Reed holders are wooden supports thatkeep the reed at a vertical position so itcan be sleyed at a table rather than on theloom.

A threading hook (or heddle hook) isa long slender piece of flat metal with ahandle at one end and a tight curve at theother to catch and pull warp threadsthrough the heddles.

The treadles are pedals attached to

shafts to make them go up and/or downin all of the combinations required by theweave structure.

The tie-up shows the shafts that mustbe raised and/or lowered by each treadleto make each shed required by the weavestructure.

The treadling (treadling order, tread-ling sequence) is the order in which thetreadles are depressed, i.e., the order inwhich each shed is made.

The weave structure is the order inwhich warp and weft threads go over andunder each other, i.e., the interlacement.If they interlace alternately, the weavestructure is plain weave.

“Tromp” is an old way of saying “step”on a treadle. Tromp as writ means to stepon the treadles in the same order as theshafts are threaded (also called “treadleas drawn in). If the shafts are threaded 1-2-3-4; to tromp as writ or treadle asdrawn in, you step on the treadles in thatsame order, 1-2-3-4.

Boat shuttles (which look a bit likeboats) are equipped with a central hingedrod on which a bobbin (a slender spool)wound with the weft thread is placed. Thebobbin rotates as the shuttle is thrown,and the weft is pulled snug at the selvedgeby the drag of the unwinding threadagainst the rotating bobbin.

Stick shuttles are flat pieces of wood thatare usually notched at each end so thatthe weft can be wrapped from end to endaround the shuttle. The shuttle must beturned over a time or two as it is broughtout of the shed to free weft yarn for thenext pick. The turn of the thread at theselvedge must be adjusted manually.

An end-feed shuttle has a shaft securedat one end that supports a pirn (like abobbin but with narrower end). The weftis pulled off the narrow end of the non-rotating pirn and tensioned with an ad-justable tensioning device at the nose ofthe shuttle.

Tabby is used to name a weft thatweaves plain weave when there is also an-other weft, usually heavier, that weavespattern (as in overshot or summer andwinter). Tabby is sometimes used as a syn-onym for plain weave.

H A N D W O V E N 2h a n d w o v e n m a g a z i n e . c o m 1© Interweave Press LLC. Not to be reprinted. All rights reserved.