I just got this loom as a gift!!! I have wanted to weave for so long, and truthfully I have NO IDEA what I can do with this or where to start. Is there a best material? How detailed can I get? Where should I start??? Help! I'm so excited!!!!!!!!!!
Congrats!! Crickets are super popular looms. It's a rigid heddle loom so that's what you'll want to search. Tutorials for pretty much any of the rigid heddle looms will apply to the Cricket as well.
To actually answer your question, these looms are great for weaving scarves etc. I really liked using wool yarns intended for knitting on my Cricket. The main thing is you need a warp yarn (which goes longways) that won't pull apart so don't use anything super delicate or too fuzzy. For example, I wouldn't use any single ply yarns (not that it can't be done). This is all off the top of my head but it should be enough to get you started!
This is an excellent starter loom! I bought one when they were less than half this price after taking a class with Liz Gipson, author of Weaving Made Easy and Handwoven Home, both very good books for the beginner to intermediate rigid heddle weaver. The great thing about these looms is that as long as your warp is strong, you can go nuts on the weft. I've made lots of projects that incorporate beads, roving, metallics... They're so much fun.
Oh cool! I didn't even think of beading! I'm a ceramcist by trade, and I have some ideas for multi-media gallery work once I know what Im doing. I could not be happy enough.
Also, you can do AMAZING things on these looms! I never went beyond plain weave but check out a copy of Jane Patrick's The Weavers Idea Book and prepare to have your mind blown!
Great RH loom. Versatile and transportable. I have both a 25” RH and a 4s floor loom. I’ve been weaving for a few years and still use them both, as they both have advantages. You can do a lot of textures with a RH loom using pick up sticks and multiple heddles. Weaving is a learning process no matter which loom you use. Congrats on your new loom.
Check around your area for a weaving guild or club. Other weavers will be thrilled to help you and show you inspiration pieces.
Joining my local weaving guild was the most helpful thing I found!
Look at local community center schedules, find a local yarn shop and ask about weavers.
Welcome to the world of warps, weft, tension and sticky sheds 🤣
Lovely, thank you! It has a partial project on it for me to play and get the gist of it, so it may be a little bit before I put my own thing on. I am so excited.
I have the floor stand for my Cricket and highly recommend it. There are tutorials on you tube for warping and various techniques such as using pickup sticks.
Also - not sure if this helps (won't let me edit my post) but it does have a partial project on it already so I can play with how to use it. Which means I have no idea how to set anything up. I'll learn that for sure. For now I have to figure out how to seperate my material to pass the thingy through. I have much to learn. Wow. This is amazing.
Does your loom have a heddle installed? You'll move it up and down to create the two different sheds that you'll pass the shuttle through. If it was warped without a heddle in place, you'll need to weave over under each thread.
It does have the headless installed, and I am pretty certain ive figured out where to move the headless to create the different sheds now too. So fun!!!!
Congrats!! Crickets are super popular looms. It's a rigid heddle loom so that's what you'll want to search. Tutorials for pretty much any of the rigid heddle looms will apply to the Cricket as well.
To actually answer your question, these looms are great for weaving scarves etc. I really liked using wool yarns intended for knitting on my Cricket. The main thing is you need a warp yarn (which goes longways) that won't pull apart so don't use anything super delicate or too fuzzy. For example, I wouldn't use any single ply yarns (not that it can't be done). This is all off the top of my head but it should be enough to get you started!
This is wonderful, thank you!!! That is perfect information to have.
This is an excellent starter loom! I bought one when they were less than half this price after taking a class with Liz Gipson, author of Weaving Made Easy and Handwoven Home, both very good books for the beginner to intermediate rigid heddle weaver. The great thing about these looms is that as long as your warp is strong, you can go nuts on the weft. I've made lots of projects that incorporate beads, roving, metallics... They're so much fun.
Oh cool! I didn't even think of beading! I'm a ceramcist by trade, and I have some ideas for multi-media gallery work once I know what Im doing. I could not be happy enough.
Some of the earliest evidence of textiles is from impressions in ceramics!
True! What a lovely part of history! I really think I can achieve some cool things!! I am so excited to start.
Also, you can do AMAZING things on these looms! I never went beyond plain weave but check out a copy of Jane Patrick's The Weavers Idea Book and prepare to have your mind blown!
Seconded on this book. The lace patterns you can make with a single pick-up stick are reason alone to get this.
I just looked for it! Thank you!! I will be obsessed with this for a very long time.
Ooh, thanks for listing this! I need to find a copy!
Great RH loom. Versatile and transportable. I have both a 25” RH and a 4s floor loom. I’ve been weaving for a few years and still use them both, as they both have advantages. You can do a lot of textures with a RH loom using pick up sticks and multiple heddles. Weaving is a learning process no matter which loom you use. Congrats on your new loom.
Thank you!! ❤️
This is the very best tutorial I’ve found for warping your exact loom: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nB7_CQg3rK4
Omg thank you!!! This is so helpful.
Check around your area for a weaving guild or club. Other weavers will be thrilled to help you and show you inspiration pieces.
Joining my local weaving guild was the most helpful thing I found! Look at local community center schedules, find a local yarn shop and ask about weavers.
Welcome to the world of warps, weft, tension and sticky sheds 🤣
Congratulations!!!! I was looking at this loom last night and watched this video. Thought it was helpful: https://youtu.be/fj3861QsARQ?si=EU7Kr-Nff3uDT81f.
Not sure if the YouTuber also has a video for assembly, but from what I've seen it's about a 15-20 set up time.
Lovely, thank you! It has a partial project on it for me to play and get the gist of it, so it may be a little bit before I put my own thing on. I am so excited.
I have the floor stand for my Cricket and highly recommend it. There are tutorials on you tube for warping and various techniques such as using pickup sticks.
Welcome to weaving.
Thank you! I've dabbled in so many mediums and I am beyond happy to add this one too. Its going to be so lovely.
Also - not sure if this helps (won't let me edit my post) but it does have a partial project on it already so I can play with how to use it. Which means I have no idea how to set anything up. I'll learn that for sure. For now I have to figure out how to seperate my material to pass the thingy through. I have much to learn. Wow. This is amazing.
Does your loom have a heddle installed? You'll move it up and down to create the two different sheds that you'll pass the shuttle through. If it was warped without a heddle in place, you'll need to weave over under each thread.
It does have the headless installed, and I am pretty certain ive figured out where to move the headless to create the different sheds now too. So fun!!!!
I have that loom. It’s as sweet as can be! Lookup Kelly Casanova. She has some free videos and an on line school with tons of help!