Small heddle weaving

         

I made two heddles out of cardboard to see how easy it is to weave with small heddles using only a few warp ends. 

Small heddle in blue cardboard. 

The first heddle has three slots and four holes.  It measures  approx 2.5  cms x 2.5  cm

For this band I used a sock darning yarn which is very fine but strong.  If you buy Laing sock yarn it comes as a spool in the centre of  each ball.  It is ideal for band weaving as well. There are nine warp ends in the following order

White White  White, Blue, Blue, Blue; Pink. Pink, Pink.

I used a white weft so there is a pretty dotted line along the pink edge of the band. 

The width of the band after weaving is approximately 3mm

The major difficulty with cardboard as a medium for heddles is that it is difficult to get a smooth finish to the holes and slots.  When using this small heddle, the yarn broke through one of the holes because of frictional wear. 

Stribinic Heddle

The second heddle has four slots and five holes. It measures 6 cms x 5.2 cms.

It is a copy of the Roman rigid heddle found in Croatia. The original is made of bone and has an unusual feature.  There is a single additional hole in one corner. The dimensions are approximately 4.6-4.8 x 7.2-7.4 cm. It was found as part of grave goods in the grave of a young man. 

For this warp I used seven warp ends of chunky wool yarn. The colours are in the following order:

Blue, Blue, Yellow, White, Yellow, Blue, Blue. The weft is blue.

The width of the band after weaving is approximately 5 mm.

Findings.

I was surprised to find that with the very small heddle it was relatively easy to weave a narrow warp-faced band.  Unfortunately, cardboard is not a good medium for heddles as the fine yarn wears the holes. 

The larger heddle was easier to use and was sturdier. The corner hole is rather unusual in the design.

I am going to try weaving a tubular band with each of these heddles. 

Jewellery

I bought a lovely heddle necklace which has an attached shuttle.  This is very small indeed. It is a mini handmade beechwood rigid heddle loom from AntjeVanMargje on Etsy.

I wove a tubular cord in sock darning wool in three colours with this tiny shuttle and it worked. 

I wanted a new cord for the necklace necklace so I lucetted a silk cord using two strands of 60/2 silk in green. 

And here is the  new silk cord in green silk.

Happy Weaving

Susan J Foulkes  February 2025