Warp Frame Loom with 2 or more colors and yarns

Overview

So, you want to add some drama to your warp- you have come to the right place. There are various ways to warp a frame loom with many colors or types of yarns. Luckily, a frame loom is simpler than a loom with heddles or shafts. Therefore, it is easier to tie on the yarns that you want where you want!

Instructions

Step 1: Before you start dressing the loom, you must decide:

-the number of colors

-the type of yarn

-the width of each warp color section

Step 2: Attach the warp yarn to the frame loom peg, nails, or tab. On one end of a strand of yarn, create a loop and knot it to secure it in place.

Step 3: Wrap the yarn to your desired length and width.

Step 4: Tie and secure the yarn.

Step 5: Add new yarn. Follow steps 2-4.

Tip: Tie the new yarn to the same nail or peg as the previous color to keep the balance of the colors.

Tips: Check that the warp yarns on the top and bottom of the loom match for an even and balanced appearance.

3 Design ideas for weaving with two or more warp colors

Balancing color can be intimidating at first, but with practice and lots of experimentation you will see how fun it really is!

Tip: If you are putting a lot of effort into having different warp colors in a project, then you should show it off with weft-faced weaving or mix of warp-faced weaving techniques.

Design Idea 1: Weaving warp three colors

Using a bold color accent contrast the weaving and give it some character. If you don’t want to go too wild with color, then try using a color is the similar color family or a color next on the color wheel.

Tip: Experiment with the width, color, and placement of a color stripe or accent.

Note: If you are creating a color stripe, then you will start with the main color, change to the accent color, and then change back to the main color.

Below: Orange accent between green warp.

Alternate between each row building color blocks in order to create negative and positive spaces in weaving. This will display the 

Design Idea 2: Weaving warp two colors

 Divide the warp into 2 colors- perhaps with highly contrasting colors, neutrals, or colors in the same color family.

Then decide the portions of the colors- half? one-third? just over a half? The amount you decided can give the weaving a special look– especially if you are using thicker yarns or creating a warp-facing project.

Below: Neutral color roving is used here with orange and green warp.The warp is spaced out every quarter of an inch, so it is high density. Therefore, I wanted to give the thick weft material some space to balance itself out and not be too restricted by the dense warp. So, the roving is woven in a twill weave pattern. The roving can easily move between the warp, while revealing accents of the colorful warp.

Design Idea 3: Weaving warp four colors

The more yarn colors and textures used, the more contrast the weaving will have. Using 3 or more warp colors can create depth and an interesting pattern to weaving. It can also create a checkered pattern.

It is possible to cover the entire warp with the weft (weft faced weaving). However, I would just recommend partial coverage of the warp when using warp with more than one color.

Below: The same can be said with the twill pattern (dark green pattern). Although the twill pattern uses every third warp yarn, it does not expose the warp much.

However, (below) here using a warp faced technique, a checkered pattern develops when the peach and green yarns are lightly woven down- exposing the warp. The contrasts between the warp and weft are visible and a point of interest is created.

Another method to showcase the warp, is by using a spacer (below a stable piece of card stock) between sections of weft.  Later once the weaving is completed, the spacer is removed and the warp is shown. 

Note: When using a spacer, keep it in place until the entire piece is woven. This will keep the proceeding yarns in place. If you remove it earlier, it could destabilize the weaving. 

Conclusion

Although weft yarn is showcased often in weaving, the warp can also play an important role in building a point of interest in weaving. Above were just a few ideas for warped faced weaving, and I encourage you to experiment with other forms and colors. Similar techniques can be applied with warp yarns that vary in texture and material. In a future post I will demonstrate how to use texture variety in warp.

Thank you for visiting my blog! I hope that this has helped answer questions about warping a frame loom with different colors.