Balanced weave. A weave structure in which the warp and weft appear equally on the face of the fabric. For example, plain weave is a balanced weave.
Beat. To press the weft into place. In rigid-heddle weaving, this is done by pulling the heddle forward.
Beater. The tool used to beat the weft into place. In rigid-heddle weaving, the heddle is used as the beater.
Counterbalance loom. A loom that creates a shed by raising some of the threads and lowering the rest. A rigid-heddle loom is not a counterbalance loom.
Crammed-and-spaced threading. A threading in which the sett varies, with some portions of the warp at a higher sett (crammed) than the others (spaced.)
Dog-and-pawl gear system. A gear system in which a lever catches in the teeth of a gear to lock it into place. Most modern rigid-heddle looms use dog-and-pawl gears to tension the warp.
Down shed. The shed created when the heddle is in the down position.
Ends per inch. The number of warp threads in an inch. See also, Sett.
Heddle. The part of the loom that controls which threads raise or lower. In a rigid-heddle loom, the heddle also serves as the beater.
Pick. A weft thread woven into the cloth.
Picks per inch. The number of weft threads in an inch of woven cloth.
Reed. The part of the loom that spreads the warp into the appropriate ends per inch. In a rigid-heddle loom, the heddle acts as the reed.
Sectional warping. A warping strategy in which portions of the warp are wound onto the back beam under tension, coming directly from the cone or ball of yarn. Each section is wound on individually. To warp by sections, you need a tensioning device such as a tension box or a warping wheel and a back beam that has short posts embedded in it to hold the sections separate.
Sett. The number of warp threads in an inch. See also Ends per inch.
Shed. The opening created in the warp when threads are raised or lowered by the heddle.
Singles. A yarn that is not plied. In other words, it is made up of a single thread, not several threads twisted together.
Sizing. A coating applied to yarn before weaving to make it easier to work with. A sizing might improve the strength or smoothness of the yarn. Sizing is washed out of the finished fabric.
Sley. To pull a warp thread through the heddle during the warping process.
Sley hook. The tool you use to pull a warp thread through the heddle.
Temple. A tool used to hold the warp out to full width during weaving and prevent it from drawing in.
Throw. To pass the shuttle through the warp shed from one side of the loom to the other.
Thrums. Unwoven warp threads after a project has been completed; loom waste.
Up shed. The shed created when the heddle is in the up position.
Warp separator. A material placed between layers of the warp as it is wound on. This prevents the upper warp layers from sinking down into the lower layers, which helps create even tension in the warp.
Warp-faced. A fabric in which the warp threads show more on the surface than the weft threads.
Warping board. A rectangular frame with pegs inserted into it at even intervals. You use it to wind a warp of a given length by selecting a path around the pegs. This warp then needs to be transferred to the loom.
Warping with flanges. A method of warping in which the warp is wound on to the back beam under tight tension without a warp separator. Flanges at either end of the beam hold the warp in place and prevent it from spreading across the back beam. This is common in industrial weaving, and works best with fine, closely sett threads.
Weft-faced. A fabric in which the weft threads show more on the surface than the warp threads.
Wet-finished. The process of using water to finish a fabric after it is off the loom. The type of wet finishing depends on the fabric, and may include hand-washing, machine-washing, and steaming with an iron.