I remember watching my mom warp her floor looms when I was a kid. It looked complicated enough to scare me away from weaving for quite a few years and I suspect many people shy away from weaving for the same reason: Warping looks hard.
Fortunately, warping a Mirrix isn’t very hard and we have several ways to make it even easier if you want to ease your way into the process.
I remember watching my mom warp her floor looms when I was a kid. It looked complicated enough to scare me away from weaving for quite a few years and I suspect many people shy away from weaving for the same reason: Warping looks hard.
Fortunately, warping a Mirrix isn’t very hard and we have several ways to make it even easier if you want to ease your way into the process.
Below we discuss all the different ways you can warp a Mirrix Loom, listed from the easiest method first.
EASY SCALE: GREEN IS EASIEST, BLUE IS HARDEST (but still easy enough for a beginner!)
The Easy Warp Method
Whenever I need to put a quick warp on a loom to test something out, I use this method. I also recommend it for people who are nervous about warping for the first time. It is as simple as you can get. You simply tie your warp thread onto the loom and wrap it around the loom.
Pros: Super simple. Can be used with the shedding device and different warp coils.
Cons: It wastes some warp (although you can actually turn the loom around and weave a second piece on the back) because you cannot rotate your piece around the loom with the warping bar. You also cannot change the height of your weaving.
Click here to learn more about this warping method.
Warping with Shasta Combs or on the Saffron Loom
The Saffron Pocket Loom and our Shasta Combs accessory for looms 8” - 22” both make warping very simple. All you have to do is tie onto a tine and zig-zag you warp across the loom.
Pros: Very easy to do. Allows for four-selvedge pieces to be woven. The Shasta Combs can be used with the shedding device.
Cons: Not ideal for bead weaving (although it is possible both with the Shasta Combs and a Bottom Spring Kit and on the Saffron Loom). Can only space the warp at 8 epi (also 4 warped every other tine and 16 double warped) except with the Shasta Combs and a Bottom Spring Kit. The Saffron Loom does not have a shedding device.
Click here to learn more about warping with the Shasta Combs.
Click here to learn more about warping the Saffron Loom.
Warping with The No Warp-Ends Kit
This method was developed for bead weaving, specifically small pieces like bracelets. It allows you to weave a piece with only two ends to finish and, once set-up, the kit can be kept in place to weave multiple pieces of the same size. This method can also be used for tapestry weaving.
Warping is fairly straight forward. You simply zig-zag your warp between S-hooks that you you hang from a bar on the loom once the kit is installed.
Pros: Makes finishing easy. Great for bead weaving. Saves warp.
Cons: Not ideal for wide pieces. Can make weaving more difficult as the warp is not as stable. Cannot be used with the shedding device.
Click here to learn more about this warping method.
Continuous Warping
This is the flagship warping method for most Mirrix looms. It involves placing a bar between the two wooden clips on the loom and wrapping your warp around the outside of the loom, looping around the bar when you get to it. It can seem complicated at first, but it’s really very easy once you understand the pattern.
Pros: You can advance your weaving around the loom, allowing you to weave a piece longer than the height of the loom and to move your fell line (where the lasts wefts are located) to a more comfortable position as you weave. Can be used with or without the shedding device.
Cons: The warping pattern is a little bit more complicated than some other methods.
Click here to learn more about this warping method.
Warping with The Extra Warping Bar Kit
The Extra Warping Bar Kit is a an add-on kit that allows you to add an extra warping bar to your loom so you can eliminate the back layer of warp on your loom.
Pros: Allows you to save warp and to weave with only one layer of warp to get your hands behind your weaving. Great for weaving from the back in tapestry and weaving large bead weavings.
Cons: Set-up is a little bit more involved than other warping methods.
Click here to learn more about this warping method.
Warping with the Shedding Device
The shedding device can be used with most of these warping methods (but not on the Saffron Loom or with the No Warp-Ends Kit) and is installed after the initial warping process. Putting this on involves looping heddles around the warp threads and securing them to the shedding device.
Click here to learn more about the shedding device.
Not sure which Mirrix is right for you? Click here to get a personalized loom recommendation.
