PROJECT 47

POPSICLE STICK LOOM

Weaving is one of the most ancient technologies. The machines used to help us weave are called looms. Unfortunately, most looms cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.

Today we are going to make a small loom out of Popsicle sticks. This loom is the perfect size to make things like potholders and hanging decorations.

While the type of loom we are going to make makes small cloth squares, in many places, South Africa for instance, the squares are sewn together to make very beautiful clothing.

The Materials

Material:

•   12 Popsicle sticks

•   Wide and thin piece of wood to make a “shuttle”

•   Yarn

Tools:

•   Glue

•   Drill with small bit.

•   Hair comb

•   Table

Procedure:

Competed loom parts (Left to right: Shuttle, Heddle, and the two spreaders)

1.     Drill a small hole in the center of 6 of the Popsicle sticks.

2.     Lay the 6 sticks out equally and connect them by gluing sticks to the top and bottom of the 6 sticks to make a “ladder” shape. This makes the “Heddle.”

3.     Drill 6 small holes equally spaced down the center of two more Popsicle sticks.

Yarn on shuttle

4.     Construct the shuttle by wrapping a good amount of thread around a narrow piece of wood or ridged plastic—it needs to have a lot of thread, but not so bulky it can’t fit between the threads on the loom.

Setup:

1.     Cut a piece of yarn into six pieces, each 3 to 4 feet long.

2.     Find the center of each piece and double it over.

3.     Tie the 6 yarn sections together at the looped over center portion. This should make a bundle of looped yarn at one end, and 12 free ends.

4.     Tie the looped end to a table or tree—something you can pull against.

Yarn through spreader and anchored on chair

5.     Take two of the free ends of the yarn bundle and push them both through the leftmost hole in one of the Popsicle sticks with 6 holes.

Front view of heddle on yarn

Side view of heddle on yarn

6.     Now that two pieces of yarn are stuck through one hole in the end stick, take one of those yarn pieces and push it through the hole in the leftmost stick of the heddle. Then take the second yarn end and push it through the heddle between the leftmost heddle stick and the next one.

7.     Gather both pieces of yarn and push them through the leftmost hole of the second Popsicle stick with 6 holes.

8.     Repeat steps 5–7 with two more yarn sections, and using the next set of holes.

9.     Do this until all 6 holes in the end sticks are filled, and the heddle has a single string through each hole, and a piece of yarn between each set of uprights.

10.   Gather the loose ends of yarn as they pass through the 6 holed spreader stick; tie them together.

11.   Tie the mass of yarn to your belt.

12.   Tie the end of the yarn on your shuttle to the thread on the far left of your loom.

Weaving:

Weaving

1.     Back up from the stationary end so the threads are tight.

2.     Ensure that all the threads are of equal length.

3.     Lift your heddle up with one hand to make a triangle of threads in the heddle. (When lifting or depressing the heddle, only the threads in the hole will move. The threads between the sticks will always stay in line with the two end sticks.)

4.     Push your shuttle through this triangle, pulling it back toward you to tighten the thread.

5.     Drop the heddle down, making a triangle of yarn in the other direction.

6.     Pass the shuttle through the triangle, tightening it as you go.

7.     Lift the heddle and pass the shuttle through.

8.     Keep alternating the heddle up and down, and passing the shuttle through until you have woven the cloth the size you desire.

Use comb to keep weave tight

9.     Between weaves, use a comb to pull the threads toward you to keep the weave tight.

10.   When done, cut the yarn from the sticks, pull out the heddle, and tie the strings on each end together.

Lessons Learned:

This neat craft project is an example of experimental anthropology—it shows how our ancestors made cloth thousands of years ago. It shows how things are made, and fosters appreciation of the items we take for granted.