Which to Begin with: Rigid Heddle or Multi Shaft?

I just finished my first twill sample on a table loom.

Now that I have woven two projects with a multi shaft loom, I can answer questions I had at the beginning of my weaving journey. I’ve been weaving up to this point with a rigid heddle loom.

In 2020, I wanted a loom. I had done quite a bit of weaving with a frame loom and was ready for something more efficient. But I didn’t know any weavers and I didn’t have access to weaving equipment. All I wanted to make cool things for my home.

There was plenty of information online, however, I never got clear answers. “Is a rigid heddle a real loom or is it a toy? Will I be able to weave on a floor loom if I start on a rigid heddle or are they two different things? Will I be able to weave nice things on a rigid heddle?”

A rigid heddle is a real loom but weaving on it feels very different than weaving on a multi shaft loom. The most important aspects of weaving on any loom can be picked up weaving on a rigid heddle. Maintaining even tension and being able to keep track of yarn as it goes through the heddle/reed are skills transferable to any type of loom. Lastly, you can weave very fine fabric on a rigid heddle with additional reeds.

I had been weaving for years on a rigid heddle thinking it was a ‘child’s loom’. Until, I came across The Rogue Weaver, a rigid heddle weaving instructor. Her patterns are beautiful and popular—so popular that weavers on multi shaft looms requested her patterns to be converted for their looms.

The Difference

It is faster to warp a rigid heddle especially using the direct warp method. This allows a weaver to start the part where they pass the shuttle row by row.

A multi shaft loom (a table loom or a floor loom) requires indirect warping. I use a warping board, then I transfer the yarn to the loom. But once the loom is dressed, weaving goes much quicker than the rigid heddle. Setup requires a lot more focus on a multi shaft.

I see the rigid heddle as closer to knitting. The yarn placement is directed by my hands. The reed is held in both hands and I have to try my best to push it down evenly. The multi shaft loom has a beater that is perfectly aligned so with a swing, the yarn is set in place.

I’m more of a machine operator when I am weaving with a multi shaft loom. The rigid heddle provides a bit more intimacy with the yarn.

Which one should I start with? A rigid heddle or a table or floor loom?

I recall watching countless youtube videos trying to get an answer to this question. “Oh it depends on what you want to weave!”

Well, as someone new to weaving, I wanted to weave everything. Rugs, yardage, table cloths, napkins, towels, everything. But I was unfamiliar with handwoven textiles. Handwoven items are often much more luxurious than store bought. I had never come across handwoven towels or fabrics in person, only seen them in photos. I really didn’t know what I wanted to weave.

The most helpful question is the least romantic: how much space do you have?

Rigid heddles are easy to fold and store. Table and floor looms take up a lot more space and are less collapsible.

Imagine if you had a large floor loom taking up space in your home and you don’t know if you’ll ever gather enough courage to warp the thing. It takes a lot to get into learning something new, a lot of breaks and patience. You might not want to do it every week but the space is being hogged up. It’s not that fun if you can’t afford to have that space taken up.

If I could go back, would I start with a rigid heddle?

I don’t know.

When I started rigid heddle weaving, I wanted to weave fabric that was finer than 12 ends per inch which is the the finest level a beginner’s set of reeds allows for. I was frustrated because I kept using fine yarns and my projects were too loosely woven. I would try working with thicker yarns to get proper fabric, but I really didn’t want thicker fabric. When I got a second heddle I was able to weave 24 epi—fabric that I actually wanted.

I was very unhappy when I started because I had no understanding of how ‘fine’ I wanted my fabric to be. It is hard to understand if you’re not around other weavers and if you’re not accustomed to handwoven cloth.

I guess I could have saved a lot of frustration if I had just gone with a table loom that would have produced a finer fabric right away. A multi shaft loom seems much more intimidating. While there are more steps, it’s actually not that much more complex—just seems that way.

A table loom may have suited me better but I like how things turned out. I don’t know if I’d take time to learn how to weave on a rigid heddle if I had started on a multi shaft loom.

There are projects that are easier with the rigid heddle. I would actually like a travel sized rigid heddle for smaller projects, like for weaving ribbons and bands.