You saw a gorgeous weaving on Instagram. Your sister just took a tapestry class. You grabbed some knitting yarn and a picture frame and made a tiny weaving. You’re hooked. You did some research and found Mirrix, but now you’re feeling a little bit intimidated. Shed? Sett? What’s that device that turns? Heddles? Help!
This post is part of our "Intimated by a Mirrix Loom? We're Breaking It Down" series. You can find links to all of the posts in the series thus far here.
There are two basic types of Mirrix Looms: Pocket Looms and Classic Series Looms. Here we'll cover each type and why you might want one versus the other.
Pocket Looms
In 2020 we came out with the Saffron Pocket Loom, now discontinued. We had noticed a need for a small, portable, super simple loom that had the key to a good tapestry loom: adjustable tension. It was immediately a huge hit and became a best-seller overnight. A few years later, we made some improvements to the Saffron with the Chloe Pocket Loom, which has since replaced the Saffron. The Chloe comes in three widths (5", 8" and 10") and not only has adjustable tension, but has changeable sett* combs. That means you can weave a fine tapestry with thin yarn, a chunky one with thick yarn and everything in between!
Who Buys a Pocket Loom?
-New weavers: A Pocket Loom is generally smaller and less expensive than a Classic Series Mirrix and warping one is super simple. It's the perfect first loom!
-Weavers on-the-go: If you travel or just like to weave at the park or at guild meetings or on the bus, a Pocket Loom is perfect for you!
-People who already have a Classic Series Loom or a floor loom: Having a little easy-to-warp loom around is perfect for anyone looking to make samples for larger pieces or just to play around with materials or sett or techniques before starting a larger tapestry.
*Sett is the spacing of the warp threads on a loom. More on this here.
Classic Series Looms
In 1996 Mirrix President Claudia Chase designed the very first Mirrix Loom. She was a professional tapestry weaver and a mom looking for a loom that was high quality AND portable. She needed a loom that she could take to her kids' soccer games but that had great tension, a shedding device, variable setts and all the other bells and whistles she wanted. (Don't worry, we'll get to why those things are important later on in this series!)
The Classic Series Mirrix is at its heart a simple frame loom, but it's much more than that. It has easily adjustable tension, can make a piece longer than the height of the loom with continuous warping*, adjusts in height for short or longer pieces, has warp coils to weave at basically any sett (see above), has an available shedding device** and many of other accessories to meet the needs of any tapestry or bead weaver. These looms come in 11 different sizes ranging from 8" wide to 48" wide.
Who Buys a Classic Series Loom
-People who know what they want: Those who know that they want the best loom out there, even as a beginner, often turn to a Classic Series Mirrix. They know they can start slowly and the loom will grow with them as weavers!
-Professional/experienced weavers: The original goal of a Mirrix was to give a professional weaver a professional-quality portable loom. It meets the needs of professional tapestry weavers from those making small scale pieces to rug weavers looking to work with a more portable loom.
-People who already have a Pocket Loom: We see many Pocket Loom owners upgrade to a Classic Series Mirrix months or years after buying their first loom. Why? They're ready for something a little more versatile!
-People looking to upgrade their current loom: We hear it all the time: People who started with another loom brand looking to upgrade to a Mirrix.
*Continuous warping means you warp the loom so the warp wraps all the way around the loom in a way that it can be actually be moved around the loom so you can weave a piece longer than the height of your loom. More on this here.
**A shedding device attaches to the warp threads on a tapestry. When moved, it lifts half of the warp threads at a time, allowing the weaver to move their weft through the warp threads instead of weaving over and under them. This makes tapestry weaving much faster. More on this here.
Ready to make the leap and purchase your own Mirrix? Get a personalized loom recommendation here.
