Learn to Weave

If weaving has been on your “to do” list for years, but you aren't quite sure where to start, this page is for you. Whether you are looking for a class, a good book, a local weaving shop, or just want to learn a few tips and tricks, you should find the resources among these links to start you on your weaving journey. (Sometimes the roughest part of learning a new skill is learning a new vocabulary, so if you don’t know the difference between a warp and a weft, you may want to start with our short list of Weaving Terms  that will help you master basic weaving vocabulary.)

It's time to learn the happiness that countless weavers have discovered by making cloth by hand. Revel in the satisfaction of making simple scarves, beautiful interiors, unique garments, or perhaps simply cloth as art. Spending time at the loom will feed your soul and provide you a respite from the day-to-day grind.

Start With a Good Book!

With more than 100,000 copies sold, Learning to Weave by Deborah Chandler (first published by Interweave Press in 1987 and revised in 1995) is an invaluable resource for beginners. It is stuffed full of step-by-step instructions, photos, illustrations, worksheets, and tips and tricks. For a list of other valuable weaving books, click here.

Take a Class

It is hard to beat hands-on experience for jump starting a new skill. Handwoven offers a directory of weaving classes held by shops, individuals, and schools around the world. (You might also want to check out Fiberart's Education Resource List for additional opportunities.)

Beginner's Corner:
A Place Just for You in Handwoven

Handwoven magazine is a great resource for inspiration, information, and getting connected with the weaving community. Each issue of Handwoven delivers a special section just for beginners or those who wish to revisit a particular technique that you need to know to weave beautiful cloth. Here we offer you a selection of past articles for free.

Be sure to check out the article on "How to use Handwoven" for tips on how to read a draft, color order chart, and simple finishing techniques such as hemstitching.

Find a Local Spinning and Weaving Shop

Visit the Spinning and Weaving Association’s website, a trade association for the spinning and weaving industry. SWA maintains an informative website that includes a list of member retailers where you can go for classes, supplies, and inspiration.

You may also find it helpful to download Get Weaving, a helpful brochure that gives you a quick introduction on how to get started. It is a joint project of Interweave Press and the Spinning and Weaving Association.

Join a Guild

For nearly forty years, the Handweavers Guild of America (HGA) has been connecting weaving guilds throughout the United States. Visit their site for information about educational programs, conferences, and a list of weaving guilds.

Surf the Web

The Internet is a great place to find weaver-friendly chat rooms, organizations, podcasts, and blogs. Want to know what is happening on the Web for weavers? Here is a list of sites just for you.

Tips, Tricks, and other Free Stuff

Does Threading Your Loom Get You Tangled Up In Knots?
Download our handy articles on Warping.

Sett it Right!
Sett refers to the density of the warp threads (if these terms sound foreign, visit our short list of Weaving Terms). A sett chart helps you determine how to archive various setts with differently spaced reeds. Download this helpful tool for free here. It is excerpted from the Weaver's Companion, a great resource to have handy while weaving.

Another handy tool is to download our Master Yarn Chart. It lists all the yarns used in Handwoven since 2000. You can compare the yarn in your stash to the yarn on this chart. When you have found a good match, you can use the suggested sett in the chart. Be sure to compare cottons to cottons, wools to wools, blends to blends, and so on.

Using the Yarn You Have on Hand
Handwoven's master yarn chart lists all the yarns used in the magazine since 2000, and it is updated annually. Say you want to make a project that calls for a wool that calls for a sett (how many warp yarns are in an inch of warp) of 15. You can compare the wools you have on hand to a wool on the chart that setts at 15. Be sure to compare cottons to cottons, wools to wools, blends to blends, and so on. For more information on yarn substitutions, Download our May/June 2007 Beginner's Corner.

Free Projects from hats to hand towels that can be woven on a wide range of looms!

Have you ever wondered how cloth is made?
Here is an up-close look at the process from goat to scarf.