# Weaving: Double Heddles



## Jacktana (Nov 20, 2011)

I've had my little Ashford SampleIt loom for a couple of years and love it, but of course I'm now looking at getting a larger loom. I've looked at a few that come with 2 heddles and just now I read the post about the tea towels that were woven with 2 heddles.

My question is - what is the reason for using 2 heddles at the same time? Does it just allow for more warp threads closer together? Or is it for creating patterns? I could probably have Googled this, but thought I'd come to the experts first.

Thanks!


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## msgran (Feb 12, 2011)

There was a post today about using double heddles. Yes, you are correct in so many ways. With two heddles you can make more intricate patterns, weave twice the width of the loom, weave a tube, and I can only imagine that the warp threads would be closer together. Personally I have not used two heddles, but I have contemplated it. And, yes, you could google it or even YouTube it to find more info. I belong to a Facebook group called Rigid Heddle Adventures and people discuss and display their adventures in the world of rigid heddle, including asking lots of questions. It's for newbies as well as those who have been using rigid heddles of all kinds for many years. I hope this helps with your inquiry.


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## Oldesttm (Jul 4, 2012)

If you have a rigid heddle, why not go for a multiharness table or floor loom? So many more possibilities without fiddling.


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## Jacktana (Nov 20, 2011)

msgran said:


> There was a post today about using double heddles. Yes, you are correct in so many ways. With two heddles you can make more intricate patterns, weave twice the width of the loom, weave a tube, and I can only imagine that the warp threads would be closer together. Personally I have not used two heddles, but I have contemplated it. And, yes, you could google it or even YouTube it to find more info. I belong to a Facebook group called Rigid Heddle Adventures and people discuss and display their adventures in the world of rigid heddle, including asking lots of questions. It's for newbies as well as those who have been using rigid heddles of all kinds for many years. I hope this helps with your inquiry.


Thank you for the information - now you've got me even more interested and I will have to check out YouTube. Thanks again!


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## Jacktana (Nov 20, 2011)

Oldesttm said:


> If you have a rigid heddle, why not go for a multiharness table or floor loom? So many more possibilities without fiddling.


I don't have room for a floor loom although I'd love one. I've never heard of a multiharness loom - off to Google for me. Thank you for your reply.


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## Lsay3 (Sep 30, 2012)

I'm new to this, but the two heddles allow you to weave a tighter warp. If you're using a 10 epi reed, you'd end up with 10 stitches per inch. When you put two reeds together that are 10 epi, you end up with 20 stitches per inch. I could be wrong, but if I were weaving the same thread 8/2 cotton with a 10 dent reed it would be much more open than with 2 reeds/heddles. Those of you that have been doing this a while, please let me know if I'm miss-speaking.


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## Longtimer (May 23, 2013)

Oldesttm said:


> If you have a rigid heddle, why not go for a multiharness table or floor loom? So many more possibilities without fiddling.


 :sm24: :sm24:


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

I have a friend who weaves the most incredible diamond twills, etc., by using multiple heddles on her rigid heddle loom. Am I correct that one can only weave tabby with a single rigid heddle?


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## JuneB (Oct 10, 2014)

No you can use pickup sticks for patterns like a waffle stitch or patterns like the hearts I did on tea towels


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## Oldesttm (Jul 4, 2012)

I originally learned to weave on a two harness rigid heddle....in a class that was "6 Finnish (as in Finland) techniques. Did all sorts of things.....but it is very fiddlely. You can use pick-up sticks in front and behind the heddles but personally that is too much bother for most things that can be done easily on a multi-harness loom.


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## mama879 (Jan 27, 2011)

I could not afford anything bigger then RH. My space won't allow it either. I can't wait to start playing with my pick up sticks. HE HE HE... I'm still learning my loom so every thing is still Plain Jane Weaving (Tabby) till there are no mistakes. Then I have so many patterns I want to do. I want to do the Christmas trees and waffle weave and all the other patterns I have collected. Oh so much fun and no bother for me. lol lol


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## sngbrd (May 10, 2012)

I have a 15" Cricket rigid heddle with only one heddle. I've been reading about using pickup sticks to create patterns. Is there a way to create an eyelet effect with several inches of plain weaving space between the eyelets on a row? The patterns I've seen seem to connect the open work side by side with no spaces in between. Thanks in advance.


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## sngbrd (May 10, 2012)

Didn't mean to divert the original topic, but I was thinking about how I could get a 2 heddle result from just one heddle and my mind took another leap.


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## brenda m (Jun 2, 2011)

I believe that not only can you use finer threads, but I read that it also works for double weave-making wider pieces out on the same loom. Check out the threads on youtube and/or Jane Patrick's book.


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## Oldesttm (Jul 4, 2012)

sngbrd said:


> I have a 15" Cricket rigid heddle with only one heddle. I've been reading about using pickup sticks to create patterns. Is there a way to create an eyelet effect with several inches of plain weaving space between the eyelets on a row? The patterns I've seen seem to connect the open work side by side with no spaces in between. Thanks in advance.


You can do a row of hemstitching. Then put fat scrap yarn/ dowels, sticks, however big you want your eyelets. Do another row of hemstitching and then start weaving again.


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## Oldesttm (Jul 4, 2012)

Oldesttm said:


> You can do a row of hemstitching. Then put fat scrap yarn/ dowels, sticks, however big you want your eyelets. Do another row of hemstitching and then start weaving again.


 Oh...and remove the heavy yarn/stcks whatever when you start weaving again.


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## sngbrd (May 10, 2012)

Great! Thanks for the suggestions. I'll try it out on my next project, just waiting to be"wafted on" as my 6 yr. old DGS calls it.


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## Medieval Reenactor (Sep 3, 2013)

sngbrd said:


> Didn't mean to divert the original topic, but I was thinking about how I could get a 2 heddle result from just one heddle and my mind took another leap.


My friends use 3 rigid heddles. Let's see if I can figure this out. Thread warp string 1, 5, etc. in heddle 1; 2, 6, etc. in heddle 2; string 3, 7, etc in heddle 3 and strings 4, 8 are not placed in any heddle. The heddles are stacked one on top of the next and the threads from earlier heddles go though the spaces in the other heddles. By lifting a dropping heddles as one would do with a 4 harness loom, one creates the twills.

I'm only a dabbler weaver and that on a warp-weighted loom, so I may have this wrong. I do know that once it's all warped up, it goes fairly easily.


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