Weaving a balanced weave shawl – Step One

Jody, a reader, asked that I provide instructions on how I warp my 24” Beka loom.

I thought I would go a step further and post step-by-step instructions on how I complete a shawl. (This will be educational for me to do!) I will post each step in different posts to keep the posts shorter.

Keep in mind that I am self taught, have only been weaving since May 2007 and by no means am an expert.

Step 1

1. Calculate the warp for a balanced weave fabric
   1. number of warp ends needed = finished width x sett (loom came with a 10 dent heddle – a sett of 10 warp ends per inch or 10 e.p.i)
   2. length of each warp = finished length + 10% take up and 24″ loom waste
   3. total warp yardage – number of warp ends needed x length of each warp / 36

The measurements I will use for my shawl are:

I want the shawl to measure 72 inches plus 6 inches of fringe on each end for a total of 84 inches when completed

I want the shawl to be 20” wide when completed

So ,

20” x 10 e.p.i = 200 warp ends

84” + 8 + 24 = 116” warp length

200 x 116 / 36 = 644 yards of warp yarn needed

In balanced weave, you need an equal amount of weft yarn as warp yarn. I select my yarn and in the next step, I will show how I measure the warp.