Norsk Fjord Fiber

Hagen Loom Notes

We are enclosing a variety of "tips" about using the Hagen Loom in new and exciting ways. Many of these ideas originated as suggestions from customers. So if you have a favorite technique or idea that you'd like to share with other Hagen Loom users, please drop us a note.

Weaving on a single plane: The Hagen Loom can be readily adapted for techniques that require weaving on a single plane such as Auburn, Goblin, knotted or Navajo rugs. The first step is to install a set of extenders to add extra 12 inches to your loom height. This will help compensate for the loss of your continuous warp capability. Wind your warp around the frame as usual, making certain you wind from front to back to ensure a non-slip warp. Now prepare a piece of heavy warp yarn which is 4 times the width of your frame. Tie one end to the top right side of your frame and then weave a pick, pulling the back warp forward to meet flush with the front warp. Secure at the other top left side of the frame and weave a pick in your other "shed" to even out the 2 warp planes. Repeat a third time, tying off at the end of the third pick. Then repeat this process on the bottom of the frame. Attach your shedding device. While you cannot advance your weaving with this one-plane setup, you can adjust your tension as you work. A single pair of extenders ($20) will fit all sizes of the Hagen Loom.

Custom Warp Coils: If you need a warp sett other than that which is available with the three standard warp coils (and 5 basic setts) and you have a frame size of 80 cm through 120 cm, then we may be able to help. For example, we can provide coils with setts 4, 7, or 8 for the three larger looms. Please allow some lead time, in case we have to order your custom coils from Norway.

A 4-Harness Hagen Loom? If your weaving design requires a more complex structure than can be handled with two sheds, just add a second shedding assembly to provide two more sheds. We try to keep extra shedding equipment on hand for all loom sizes.

Shed Problems? The Hagen Loom is designed to provide a generous 1/2 inch shed, If you are not getting that kind of separation, then there is likely a problem with how you are setting up your shedding assembly. We assume that you have realigned your loom so that the top coil is to the front and the bottom coil is facing to the back. If this has been done, then there are two common problems that may reduce shed separation. First, make sure that your string hedges are formed out of two lengths of yarn: one for all the hedges on one side of the rod, the other for all the hedges on the other side. Using a single length for all hedges or crossing over from one side to the next with the same length will greatly reduce your shed separation. Second, make sure that in preparing your string hedges, you use your wooden block and keep the rod on the shedding dowel aligned upward, so that all string hedges are the same lengths. Variation in the length of the hedges will reduce your shed separation.

New "Spelsau Lite" Yarn for weavers: We are now offering a Norwegian yarn which is a 50/50 blend of Spelsau and wool, and which features the best of both worlds. It retains much of the famous luster and color intensity of the Spelsau, but features the loftiness of fine wool tapestry yarns. This new Vevgarn (weaving yarn) is available in two weights and 112 colors. The Thin Vevgarn weighs in at 328 yards per 100 g skein, while the Thick offers 191 yards per 100 g skein. Vevgarn is $7.50 per 100 g skein. At the outset these yarns will be special ordered, and will be available by the 100 g skein. These high quality Norwegian yarns from HIFA are moth-proof and colorfast.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE! Wrapping your warp from front to back ensures that your weaving will not slip during the beating process! Thanks to a suggestion by Nancy Harvey, we have done empirical studies and discovered that the direction of applying warp (front-to-back rather than back-to-front) makes a difference (but left-to-right vs. right-to-left does not)! Now to figure out why?

Making your own heddles: Nail 2 finishing nails into a board 4.5 inches apart. Wrap a piece of either mercerized cotton or smooth yarn around both nails and tie to make a single heddle with a 4.5 inch diameter. Some prefer to use one color for the first shed and another color for the second shed, in this case you will need to use two colors of thread, one for each shed. This is easier on weary eyes! Count the number of warp threads and make one heddle for each warp thread. For example: your piece is 5 inches wide and to be woven at 10 epi. You will have 50 warp threads and will need 50 heddles.
Wrap your warp as described in the Instruction Booklet, making sure to wrap your warp from front to back, and situate the wooden dowel as illustrated. Slip the heddle on the rod, go under that heddle’s warp thread [# 1 warp]. If you plan to have a double edge selvedge, slip the other end of the heddle on the rod. There is no need to twist. Now warp #1 has a heddle. On to #2 on the other side of the dowel.... Then go back to the other side for #3. Alternate the heddles, creating 2 distinct sheds.

Advancing the loom: You should not have any problems advancing the loom with the type of warp and coils you were using. So the smaller dent should not be a problem. One Hagen loom owner who is very careful with his weaving does the following on his 80 cm loom: he opens a shed and inserts the flat wooden piece included with the loom and then closes the shed. He then opens the next shed, inserts a round dowel wider than the width of his weaving so that he can get a good grasp on either end and then closes that shed. So he has in essence woven in a flat and then a round piece of wood in order to advance his weaving. He then loosens his tension a good bit, but not real slack... [you will have to experiment with this] removes the bottom back coil, and advances the weaving by holding and pushing the round dowel which pushes against the flat piece which evenly pushes against the weft. He then reapplies tension almost to his original state and opens the sheds, removing first the dowel and then the flat piece. This ensures that the warps are not “smushed” by slipping the wooden pieces out... they can be removed easily.