Want to get started with circular weaving? In order to create a round weaving you have to start with a good foundation, in this case warping a hoop. Here's how I like to warp my hoops for circular weaving.
Get all your supplies together. You’ll need a hoop of some kind (this kind is my favorite), scissors and warp thread. For warp thread I’d recommend using a strong cotton yarn like this one.
Tie the end of your warp thread around your hoop. I prefer to hold the cone of warp thread and use that rather than trying to cut off a length of warp thread. Its way less messy and you’re way less likely to end up with annoying tangles.
Pull the warp thread all the way across the hoop and wrap it twice. Then pull the warp thread back across the hoop and loop it around twice. This time near where you started.
Continue doing this as you make your way around the loom.
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Try to keep your tension even. That means you don’t want any saggy pieces and you don’t want any pieces that are so tight they feel like they’d snap. Just a nice, consistent firmness to your warp threads.
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Continue warping around your loom until you get to a point that your cone of yarn won’t fit through the gap between threads anymore. Now you can wind off a length of the thread to use. I like to pull off slightly more than I think I’m going to need just to be safe and not run out before you’re done.
Finish warping your hoop.
Ideally your last piece of string will end at the same place as your first string. If it doesn’t, try gently sliding some of the loops around the hoop until you can reach it. If that still doesn’t work just tie it off on the hoop. It doesn’t need to be perfect, just tied off.
If you last piece of string DOES end where your first piece of string is, tie it off right next to the first knot so that they are next to each other.
You can trim the tail here. I like to leave the tails slightly long so that I can weave them into the back of my project later but you can trim them shorter if you prefer.
Now take your remaining piece of string and tie it around the middle cluster of thread. This is where all the threads cross. What you’re doing now is helping define the middle of your warp.
Wrap the thread around several times, I like to do it in alternating directions so it ends up in an X shape.
Tie off the warp thread on the back of your hoop. At this point it doesn’t really matter which side you choose. Just tie it off on one side and now that’s your back.
This last step is optional but I like to do it to help make things a little more secure.
Weave a few passes around the loom at the very center. You can treat the doubled warp threads as one, and just go over/under sets of two.
I like to go around 3 or 4 times. Then I trim the leftover string and tie it off with the other thread in the center at the back of the loom.
And there you go! You warped a circular loom!! Good job.
Remember, this does not have to be perfect, it just needs to be secure.
Depending on how you weave you may not even be able to see the warp threads after you’re done weaving. They’re a firm foundation but if they look a bit wonky that’s ok. As long as they work.
I don’t wrap my hoops before warping them but some weavers prefer to. You can find tutorials on how to wrap your hoops with cotton cord on Pinterest!
If you have any questions about this tutorial email me at hello@wearandwoven.com!