I started with an 8 shaft Toika floor loom, after a couple of years added a table loom to the collection (8 shaft Leclerc Voyageur) and now I have bought my first dinky little 2 shaft loom, a dear little vintage Weavemaster.
Why?
Because I wanted a truly portable loom that works like any shaft loom and can be used to explain weaving to people who have never seen handweaving before - and I meet many of them! A rigid heddle loom may be fun to weave on, but not as versatile as this little shaft loom.
I also have the thought in mind of all those 2 shaft weaving possibilities I've never tried out, from saori weaving with interlocking weft to simple hand manipulated lace, and the many combinations of different thread types and colour & weave interactions. Somehow trying these has never been a priority on the 8 shaft floor loom!
The Weavemaster loom has simple twisted steel wire heddles, set in steel frames.
It has a choice of two positions for the beater & reed (see the slot on the side of the loom here, with two round rest points):
There are simple levers on the side to lower the shafts (rest position for them is raised)sorry this photo has somehow got in upside down, just imagine you're leaning over the top of the loom from the other side and looking down from above...
The front and rear cloth beams have a simple ratchet and pawl on one side, with a wooden knob on the other:
The shed on this little loom is a good couple of inches, but as there is little space between the heddles and beater I shall probably carry on using the little stick shuttles it came to me with, although I can get a small Leclerc boat shuttle through without problem.It came with a "colour and weave" pattern set up and the weaving started, so for now I'm continuing with this.
How small is this little loom? 17 1/2 inches (44 cm) total width, 15 1/2 inches (39.5 cm) front to back, 13 1/4 inches (33.5 cm) tall. It weighs 7 lb (3.17 kg).
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12 comments:
It's very neat - ideal for teaching. Hope you enjoy it!
Wow - it is a cute little loom!! I'd heard of Weavemaster, but wasn't quite sure what the looms looked like.
I've jumped around among looms - 8 shaft baby wolf, rigid heddle, 12 shaft Toika, tapestry loom. Hopefully I can hold steady at 4 for a while now!! But you never know!
Enjoy your Weavemaster!! A new loom always opens up more possibilities.
Sue
That is a cute little loom! and the thought of having one for teaching, what a good idea -- I've been struggling with showing rigid heddle weavers lately, the connection between multi-shaft loom weaving terminology and rigid heddle terminology. Woosh! it's more complicated than I'd thought (grin). So a simple little loom like this would be quite helpful. Great idea.
Yes! Same reason I hang on to my rigid heddle! Enjoy this loom, Dot, as much as the others!
Never too many looms I say! I think it's wonderful that you're willing to spend time to educate people on weaving basics. Too often we show novices our biggest and most complicated looms, and I'm sure we scare the pants off them! I can't wait to see all that you find can be achieved on 2 shafts.
That is a sweet loom, and really well suited for it's purpose. It looks so friendly!
What an adorable loom! I have a soft spot for small and portable things. And for vintage and uncommon items. Nice pictures of the loom.
What a great find! Cute too. And I love log cabin weave so that sampler looks mighty good to me.
Hi Dot, very interesting blog! This is completely random but I live in west London and i'm looking to sell the loom we have that occupies the garage. The loom was made my George Wood (I didn't have a clue who he was, so when I googled his name, your blog came up, hence how i found you!) and since my knowledge of looms is completely non-existent, I was just wondering if you knew where I could look to sell it and how to find out how much it's worth. The loom actually belonged to my mother who sadly passed away a few years ago but I seem to remember her buying it for a few thousand pounds back in the day (around 20 years ago!) Thanks so much for your time
Hi T.G., I hope this loom finds a good home (unless I can tempt you to take up weaving yourself!)
The place to sell your loom might be via this website:
http://www.theloomexchange.co.uk/
You will find other George Wood looms advertised here. They are very good and very well made looms, but less fashionable than some of the modern looms which tend to be more compact.
You could also try contacting Handweaver's Studio, who are near Finchley Park station, for advice:
http://www.handweavers.co.uk/
I love these cute little looms. I now have a collection of 23 looms, big & small. I love them all so much as they all have their own personality and weave differently. Some are young new & eager and others are old hard to get going but produce beautiful work....while some may have only 2 shafts but are keen to have an adventure♥ I blog about as many as possible. Love your work, happy creating.
Cheers
Shirley Treasure♥
I have a Weavemaster 4 harness loom.
My aunt and uncle brought back to the USA with them 25+ years ago.
I was gifted the loom about 6 years ago and finally went through it and replaced cords, cleaned up the reed.
It has a nice size shed, I think it's a keeper.
Karen in Wisconsin
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