Peggy’s Weaving Tips > How to make threading the loom easy

Put a little tension on the warp threads by hanging a weight on a bundle of warp threads. The only thread that can’t tangle is a thread under tension. Taut threads are easier to see in the lease and easy to pull out as needed. To get them taut, use a light weight, such as a small wrench that weighs about 3 1/2 ounces (about the weight of a pair of pliers). Put a loop of string on the weight and add a rubber band onto the loop with a lark’s head knot. Then separate a bundle of cut ends about the thickness of a medium-sized carrot and with another lark’s head, tie the rubber band onto the bundle near the end of the warp. The weight hangs straight down from the lease sticks, behind the shafts. When you select a thread to thread next, you pull it out of the weighted bundle. See Figure.My collapse teacher taught me another way to tension a bundle of warp threads. Pull the carrot-sized bundle under the shafts to the front of the loom. With a lark’s head, tie a string or rubber band onto the bundle of threads. Then tie the string or rubber band to the cloth beam. The bundle of warps is near your fingertips at the front of the loom so you can help ease the threads one at a time out of the bundle. This is especially helpful with fine threads.For high twist yarns, rather than weighting bundles, you can keep the end loops on an end stick. Pull it under the shafts and anchor the stick to the front of the loom. Cut one end loop at a time and thread those two ends before cutting the next loop.