Handspun singles as warp yarn: Myth-busting and magic in weaving
One of my pet peeves is something that I see in groups online and hear frequently in the rigid heddle weaving world: the “snap test” threshold. You know the one, […]
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Weaving Tag
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Weave your own custom shoe laces
We love projects that are both practical and creative, and weaving your own shoelaces is a perfect example. Small, satisfying, and endlessly customisable, handwoven laces allow you to explore colour, […]
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Ashford Artist of the Month – Nov 25 – Mylena Larochelle
We are delighted to introduce our latest Ashford Artist of the Month — Mylena Larochelle from Quebec, Canada. I had the pleasure of meeting Mylena in person at Knit City […]
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The Squish is real
There is something irresistibly tactile about waffle weaves. Soft, pillowy cells that you just want to squeeze and squish. When woven in wool, the squish is absolutely real. This sample, […]
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New Tabletop Tapestry Loom
Our new Tabletop Tapestry Loom is the product of extensive research and development, created in close collaboration with professional tapestry weavers. Their hands-on testing and expert feedback helped us fine-tune […]
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Undulating Twill – on a Rigid Heddle loom
Undulating – to move in a wave-like pattern.This beautiful design is based on a traditional twill, usually woven on four or eight shafts – but now you can create it […]
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Expand the versatility of your e-Spinner 3
Easily convert your e-Spinner 3 into a high-speed boat shuttle bobbin winder or a quill spindle. Whether you’re prepping for weaving or spinning textured yarns off the point, this clever […]
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Linked Warp Scarf
This is another effective and easy technique you can try on the rigid heddle loom. A linked warp adds visual interest and will draw attention when you wear the finished […]
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Snowflakes and tumbling blocks
There’s a certain magic to point threading — one simple sequence that can create stunning, symmetrical patterns. From bold diamonds to intricate designs, it’s like opening a treasure chest of […]
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Let’s talk about setts…
No, not the 90s pop song—sett is a weaving term that’s all about how close together your threads are. If you’re just getting started with weaving, understanding sett will help […]
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Twill on a rigid heddle loom – no pickup sticks required!
Have you ever admired the consistent perfect patterns of twill and wished you could weave it on your rigid heddle loom? Well, you can. Here are the instructions to weave […]
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Huck Lace Cotton Scarf
“Huck” the shortened version of Huckaback refers to a loom controlled weave structure that is made up of groups of threads that can produce plain weave, warp floats or weft […]
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Ashford Artist of the Month – Jan 25 – Kate Zazzara
We are thrilled to feature you as our Ashford Artist of the Month! The Ashford blog reaches 25,000 subscribers, and we’re excited to showcase your work and share your story […]
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Sheepish Fields
Ewe won’t baa-lieve how adorable this pattern is! Fleece your eyes on the fluffy rows of sheep grazing in the field! Whether you are the black sheep or part of […]
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Fun with Pickup Sticks – Part 1
We were thrilled with the fantastic response to our recent blog post about colour and weave techniques on the rigid heddle loom! It’s always exciting to see such enthusiasm for […]
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NEW Table Loom Shuttle Race
When our current folding table loom was designed in the late 1990’s, Richard sought advice from weavers around the world to ensure we incorporated the most important features requested by […]
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Hemstitching
Hemstitching is a way you can secure the ends of your weaving without having to sew or tie knots in the warp ends. There are several variations of hemstitching – […]
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Hybrid warping on a rigid heddle loom
There are several ways to warp your rigid heddle loom, the two most common methods are direct warping and indirect warping. Direct warping is fast and easy and is the […]
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Stash busting with a multi-coloured twill
By Robyn Spady. ‘As seen in Heddlecraft, issue #42, shared with permission. Robyn Spady was introduced to handweaving as a baby with her handwoven baby blanket woven by her great-grandmother. […]
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Cottolin yarn review
Can Ashford’s cottolin yarn change my mind? A yarn review by Robyn Spady, Heddlecraft As seen in Heddlecraft magazine, issue #42 and shared with permission. I like weaving cotton. I […]
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Ashford Artist of the Month – Jan 24 – Annabelle Johnstone
Inspiration on an Italian holiday was the catalyst for Annabelle's weaving journey - drawn to the beauty created in plain weave with stunning combinations of natural fibres, colours and twist and plys. One journey opened the doors to another journey. I hope you enjoy reading her story.
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Big Blanket, Little Loom
I love weaving with wool and one of my favourite things to weave at this time of year (it’s winter here in New Zealand) is blankets. On a rigid heddle […]
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Waffle weave
If you haven’t tried waffle weave yet – you will be amazed at the magic that happens when you take it off the loom and wash it. Stefan Moberg wove […]
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Wheel 34 – Infinity Cowl French Seam
By Karuna Peralta. Sewing a French seam by hand – And draft ERRATA For the draft correction (errata) made to PATTERN BLOCK A – Please click here to view Sewing […]
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Buttonholes in hand woven fabric
Have you wanted to put buttonholes in your precious hand woven fabric? Here is an easy way to do it. Don’t be afraid to make buttonholes in your hand woven […]
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Ashford Artist of the Month – Oct 23 – Astrid Tauber
Richard and Elizabeth had the pleasure of first meeting Astrid at SAFF (Southeastern Animal Fiber Fair) in Fletcher, North Carolina, in October 2019 as a young and very enthusiastic fibre artist. […]
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New Cottolin Weaving Yarn
Introducing Ashford Cottolin – a lovely blend of 70% Cotton 30% Linen. More absorbent than 100% cotton and easier to weave than 100% linen. The combined softness of cotton and […]
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Spring Shawl in Caterpillar Cotton
Here is a simple but beautiful, drapey, lightweight summer shawl using only one cone of Ashford Caterpillar Cotton. I hope you enjoy this fun project. Happy weaving! Add colour, texture and […]
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Ashford Artist of the Month – May 23 – Eleanor Dale
Weaving and textile designer, Eleanor Dale is our May Ashford Artist of the month. Based in London, Eleanor spends her spare time, when she is not working as an Arts […]
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New Brooklyn Four Shaft Loom
Introducing the Brooklyn Four Shaft Loom! We are super excited to announce the launch of our latest multi-shaft table loom – the Brooklyn Four Shaft Loom! This loom has been […]
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One warp, one wardrobe
The long story of a long warp. One warp one wardrobe was an idea that I came up with to challenge myself and my loom. If you know me, you […]
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New colours – Caterpillar Cotton
We are very happy to introduce two new colourways in our popular Caterpillar Cotton range – Monochrome and Purple Haze. CC408 – 408 Caterpillar Cotton Monochrome Colourway – 200gm coneCC409 […]
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Ashford Artist of the Month – Feb 23 – Lauren Halsall
What do you do when you become bored of lifeless shop bought yarns and want colour and texture? You spin your own unique and personal yarns! That is exactly what […]
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Sunshine Tea Towels by Marie-France Gosselin
Marie-France Gosselin is a fibre artist (weaver, quilter, sewer, dyer) living in Ottawa, Canada. She has been an Ashford dealer and a rigid heddle teacher at L’Atelier Weaving Studio Tissage. […]
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Wheel 34 – Maria’s Tote Bag
Maria’s Tote Bag featured in Issue 34 of The Wheel magazine. Click here to download the full PDF instructions including sewing pattern.
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Rigid Heddle Honeycomb Cushions
Elsa Krogh is one of the main reasons I have such a passion for rigid heddle weaving. Not only did she teach me invaluable tips and tricks on how to warp and weave […]
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Bronson Check on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Weaving on a rigid heddle loom can be as simple or intricate as you want. With one heddle and pick up sticks you can create really smart patterns in your […]
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3D Weaving On A Rigid Heddle Loom
Rigid heddle looms are so versatile. Weaving on a rigid heddle loom is easy to learn and very accessible. The options are almost limitless and there are so many wonderful […]
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Inklette Pouch
Woven bands have been a part of textile history for thousands of years, used in many cultures and countries around the world for both practical and decorative use. Here is a […]
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“Blue Fish” Decorative Leno on a Rigid Heddle loom
Happy New Year! Can you believe we are more than half-way through February already? I hope you had a happy and safe holiday season and found some time to do some […]
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Translating a floor loom draft to use on a table loom
What does it all mean??? A lot of weaving publications show weaving drafts as “tie-ups” meant for floor looms – so how you do you use these when you have a […]
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Recycled Denim Bag
Recycle, re-purpose and re-use. Most of us have a stash of denim jeans – whether they are worn out, out of fashion or in the “too big” or “too small” piles, it always […]
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Straight Eight’s
One of the wonderful things about weaving on a table loom is the ability to change your pattern simply by changing the sequence in which you lift the levers. Here […]
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Peruvian Diamonds
Create this striking surface design using a diverted or deflected supplementary warp. First featured in The Wheel magazine Issue 29, it will be in the upcoming Handwoven Magazine Jan/Feb 2021 […]
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Double Heddle Waffle Weave Kitchen Towels
Waffle weave is usually woven on four or more shafts but you can make these smart and useful towels on your rigid heddle loom with Ashford Yoga Yarn. This yarn […]
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Andean braid – a fringe technique
It has been a while since my last blog post! Covid 19 certainly has been disruptive. I do hope you are all well and safe and managing in these unusual […]
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Summer and Winter Table Runner
Another month has slipped by in the blink of an eye, as we head into winter here in New Zealand I am looking forward to spending cosy evenings in my […]
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Jack of Hearts
I hope you are well, safe and able to spend some quality time creating on your looms during these strange times. This week I would like to share Jack of Hearts – my nickname for the […]
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Simple Echo Weave
This project is a simple Echo weave scarf woven on a Katie loom using Ashford Tekapo 3 Ply yarn. What is Echo weave? Echo weave is not a weave structure but a method of threading on […]
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Undulating twill
“Undulating (adjective) – having a smoothly rising and falling form or outline”. In a woven twill form it is a beautiful pattern that can be accentuated by colour. This hand spun, hand dyed scarf […]
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