Imagine Rag Rugs on the Drawloom
- By Karen
- December 3, 2019
- 16 Comments
Rag rug weaving on the drawloom! I can only imagine the delight. In the meantime, the drawloom is getting dressed. It takes time to group the pattern heddles into units, add lingos, thread pattern shafts, thread eight ground shafts, sley the reed, move the ground shafts and pattern shafts to their positions, and tie on. After I finish all that I can think about adding all the single-unit draw cords and finish tying up. Whew!



I became acquainted with the single-unit drawloom at Joanne Hall’s studio (see Drawlooms in Montana), but this is my first go at it on the drawloom in my studio. Because of the reward that awaits, I will gladly tackle all the tasks of dressing this loom. Weaving rag rugs on a drawloom will be phenomenal!


Joy sees hidden treasure. We go to great lengths to unearth high-value treasure. Jesus did this, seeing us as the reward. That’s what Christmas celebrates. Jesus left his splendor in heaven to come to earth as a baby. He entered this world and endured the worst because of the joy set before him. He did it all for the joy of having us in fellowship with God. We come to him and find that we are the Grand Weaver’s reward.
May your joy be full.
Joy to you,
Karen
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Q and A with Joanne Hall and Drawloom Dressing
- By Karen
- February 12, 2019
- 12 Comments
You will be happy to hear that my drawloom is all dressed and set up. And it works! Every glide of the shuttle reveals exceptional magic in the cloth. Even better than I had hoped.


I had a few nervous moments while dressing this expansive loom, struggling with the pattern shafts. I learned the hard way that attempting a shortcut can mean taking much longer to complete the task. But, in the end, everything straightened out. Whew!





May your struggles turn into triumphs.
Your friend,
Karen
~What are your questions? Joanne has answers~
Janet, who is interested in drawloom weaving, asks these questions.
Joanne Hall provides the answers.
Q: I am trying to determine where to put a drawloom. How much floor space does a drawloom take? And how much additional area will I need around the loom?
A: These are good questions. Many weavers think about these things when they become interested in getting a drawloom.

Width –
For either the 100cm, 39.5-inch Ideal or the 100cm Standard, the width of the loom is 4 1/2 feet. Part of this is the ratchet wheel that sticks out 5 inches from the loom frame. The 120cm, 47-inch loom would be 8 inches wider.
Length with the loom extension –
Without considering space for the bench, the depth is 7 1/2 feet. The Ideal loom will have the same depth as the Standard loom. The Standard loom can be set out another 1 1/2 feet further, which may be nice if one wants to have 50 pattern shafts.
One occasionally needs to stand on the left side of the loom during warping. You need to stand at the back of the loom and walk along the right side the loom to move the ratchet wheels. When beaming the warp, it is good to have two or three feet of space either at the front or the back of the loom. During warping, you will need space at one side of the loom to move the pattern shafts and warping sticks in and out of the loom.
So, you need about 6 – 7 feet by 12 feet, but some get by with a few inches less.
Q: Can any Ideal or Standard loom be converted to a drawloom? What are the “must haves” to look for in a used loom that will be set up as a drawloom?

A: I frequently hear from weavers who send me photos of a loom and drawloom that they have found online. They want to know if $3800 is a good price for it. Often it is 40 years old and is being sold by the grandson, who cannot answer your questions.
If you are hoping to save a little by finding a used loom, it is best to purchase a used Glimakra Standard loom of any width and any age and then purchase the drawloom new. That way, you can get help when you need it. Plus, the Myrehed drawlooms have advantages over the older-style drawlooms.
I love my Myrehed drawlooms and once you try it, you will find that it is not so mysterious, but instead, a lot of fun to weave on.
Happy Weaving,
Joanne
12 Comments
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Amazing. Love the blue on the 8 pointed star pattern.
What an elegant system.
Nannette -
You are so amazing, Karen! The patience and intelligence required to learn this system leaves me in awe. And, of course, the weaving skills you possess! I am so happy for you that this dream has come true. Your samples are gorgeous!
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Absolutely beautiful, you’ll have so much fun on this one!
You are a prime example of how far devotion and perseverance can take us, you truly inspire!Elisabeth
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Very interesting. Thanks for this.
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Karen, your first project looks fantastic! Way to get started on the right foot with a fantastic and patient teacher!! Thank you getting the questions to Joanne, very helpful!
Janet -
Karen,
I have had the good fortune to acquire a drawloom. It is an 8 shaft with 50 pattern shafts and was in pieces when I first saw it. I have two books which refer to draw looms but I have never seen one set up. I have managed to get it put together and I am now looking for resources so I can learn how to use it. That is where I hope you will be able to help me.Any suggestions you can give me will be greatly appreciated.
The two books I have are The Big Book of Weaving for the CM parts and Damask and Oppamta with Weaving Sword or Drawloom.
Thanking you in advance.
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Drawlooms in Montana
- By Karen
- February 5, 2019
- 16 Comments
Montana is beautiful, with snow-capped mountains and big-sky sunrises! It’s there that I took Joanne Hall’s fantastic drawloom class last week. My confidence level about setting up and weaving on my drawloom shot up 100 per cent! (And Steve got to experience fishing on the ice with Joanne’s husband Ed!) Please continue all the way to the end of this post to read about submitting a question for Joanne to answer.

Cathleen and Deborah and I wove on the shaft drawloom, the single unit drawloom, and the Julia loom set up with half-heddle sticks to weave opphämta. What joy! …even in the challenges of learning new things.







Joanne taught us how to understand patterns and drafts, and how to make our own patterns. And we dressed the drawloom—we threaded pattern heddles and ground heddles, and distributed pattern shafts. Boy, did we students make mistakes! But with quiet Joanne, there is always a way to fix anything that matters. She is a picture of grace.





Striving to look good to other people, we face unwelcome judgment. Striving to please ourselves, we face demands of perfection. But when our heart strives to please the Lord, we receive grace. Our failures fade in importance as our confidence in his faithfulness grows. Know who you are working for. The imperfect images we weave in the cloth are a humble gift of gratitude back our Grand Weaver.





Please excuse me now while I go wind a warp!
May your imperfections be greeted with grace.
Love and grace,
Karen
~What are your questions? Joanne has answers~
Are you curious about drawlooms? Are you considering a drawloom for yourself? Do you have a drawloom and wish you could ask an expert for help? Please put your question about drawlooms and/or drawloom weaving in the comments below, or send your question to me through Get in Touch. Joanne Hall’s answers to two selected questions will be included in next week’s post. Please submit your question by this Friday, February 8.
16 Comments
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Oh, how lucky you are! I am searching for the loom, then take her class. It seems to be taking forever!!
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Karen, my brain tingles at all the learning you did last week! The picture of Montana way lovely too, but I added to that my knowledge that it was bitterly cold in that part of the country! Have fun playing with your drawloom when you get set.
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Good morning Karen,
The draw down loom is something I did not know existed. At first glance, confusing. As I continued reading, exciting.
I look forward to your adventures.
Blessings,
Nannette
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Amazing! The complexity and beauty and feeling so empowered to make beautiful textiles.
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I am so happy you got your drawloom, and that you were able to take Joanne’s class this soon.
Your weaving journey har been amazing, and it is such a pleasure to be invited into your weaving world through your blog!Elisabeth
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I enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading your commentary, Karen. Is that your drawloom in the last photos? Have a wonderful time learning and weaving, and thanks for sharing your journey.
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I’m so excited to hear about your recent trip, Debbie and I are headed there in April and I can’t wait!!
Janet -
Thank you for sharing your experience and photos. Beautiful work. I am heading out there mid April and so looking forward to it. For some unexplainable reason I am so drawn to the big Swedish looms and the drawloom. I have an older Glimakra standard in storage and getting time with kind Joanne and the class I will know if it’s something for me or not. I will likely be less experienced than the other participants and your last paragraph is a reminder to not compare myself or lack of expertise but to enjoy.
I must admit that I find this mind-boggling and will be sitting back, admiring your work on this one. 😉 Amazing!
Hi Beth, It’s all part of the process, so it just means taking a step at a time. I enjoy the steps to get there, but I sure am looking forward to weaving this.
Thanks,
Karen
Ooohhh, I can’t wait to see this!
Hi Geri, You and me, both!
Karen
Good morning Karen,
I’m just coming to the end of my first draw warp, 16/2, and I’m very curious to see the end result of using the drawloom to weave rag rugs and the 12/6 warp. Look forward to the process and end result.
Janet
Hi Janet, Congratulations on completing your first drawloom warp! I have wondered about weaving rag rugs on the drawloom ever since I began to understand what can be done with a drawloom. I’m eager to jump in!
Happy weaving,
Karen
Ooooh, I can’t wait to see how this looks!!
Hi Betsy, It’s getting exciting around here!
Happy weaving,
Karen
Bravo, yes, joy indeed. I have loved this type of project, but I have not put it on my loom. I look forward to seeing your photos as you progress through this warp and weave the rug.
Joanne
Hi Joanne, Your encouragement means a lot to me. It’s comforting to know that you are looking over my shoulder. We’re going to have fun with this!
Joy indeed,
Karen
Looks fascinating! How long is your warp? As complicated as dressing the drawloom looks, I’d be inclined to put on a looooog warp!
Hi Lyna, Yes, a long warp would make perfect sense. I’m still in the learning stages, though, so I want a lot of practice in dressing the drawloom. This warp is long enough to weave two large rugs.
Happy weaving,
Karen
Hi Karen,
I am eager to see the rag rugs you weave on your drawloom. What is the sett, using the 12/6 rug warp? and why have you chosen an 8-shaft ground weave? Your blog posts are a joy!
All the Best, Carol Berry
Hi Carol, I’m using a 35/10 metric reed and the sett is 7 ends per cm. The ends are doubled. That’s close to 18 doubled ends per inch.
I’m using a draft by Kerstin Ålsling-Sundberg from “Damast,” edited by Lillemor Johansson. Her draft calls for the eight-shaft ground weave. When I have more experience I’ll be able to tell you why.
Thanks for joining in!
Karen
I really enjoy reading your blog. It is so inspirational to see all that you do. I am looking forward to see the progression of this project.
Hi Sue, Thank you so much! It’s a pleasure to share these weaving pursuits with like-minded people like you.
Happy weaving,
Karen