We carry a wide range of types of looms (rigid heddle looms, table looms, floor looms, and tapestry looms), weaving equipment, and weaving accessories for weavers to choose from.
When selecting your first loom, you should consider what you are primarily interested in weaving (eg: scarves, tapestries, fabric for apparel, etc.), how much space you have to store your weaving equipment, and what your budget is. Once you have an answer for these three questions, you'll be able to select the ideal loom to learn to weave with.
We love working with beginners and are always happy to help you choose —please email hello@gistyarn.com or call 617-390-6835 with any questions.
Rigid heddle weaving looms are a great, relatively simple, option for both beginners and experienced weavers. They are often smaller and more portable than table looms or floor looms, while allowing weavers to create a wide variety of projects.
You can weave scarves, shawls, hand towels, and even small rugs on rigid heddle looms. Some rigid heddle looms offer the option to weave with two heddles at once, allowing you to weave with finer materials or to weave more complicated patterns. Learn all about rigid heddle looms here.
shop Rigid Heddle LoomsAre you a new weaver gathering equipment and accessories? Our starter packs are designed just for you, with everything you need (but the yarn) to start weaving.
Wind & Weave Bundle: A single end hand bobbin winder, two boat shuttles, and a 10 pack of bobbins! (Choose Ashford or Schacht accessories) The perfect set if you're ready to try weaving with something other than stick shuttles.
Start & Finish Bundle: A 4.5 yard warping board for starting things out, and one fringe twister for finishing things off. (Choose Ashford or Schacht accessories.)
Double Weave Bundle: Extra heddles and pick-up sticks for when you're ready to try double heddle weaving on your rigid heddle loom.
Table weaving looms are popular because they are portable, easy to use, and so versatile. Many table looms fold flat for easy transport, even with your weaving in place, making them ideal for taking to workshops or guild meetings.
Table looms are wonderful for weaving more complex patterns or using finer warp threads, while taking up less space than floor looms.
shop table loomsLouet Erica Table Loom (12" or 20" wide)
Ashford Table Loom (24" wide)
Louet Erica Table Loom (12" or 20" wide)
Ashford Table Loom (16", 24", or 32" wide)
Ashford Katie Loom(12" wide)
Louet Jane Table Loom(15 3/4", 20", 27 5/8")
Ashford Table Loom (24" wide)
Floor weaving looms are an investment that will delight and inspire you for many years to come. You can weave almost anything on floor looms - shawls, home textiles, scarves, rugs, wall hangings, art pieces, and many other kinds of simple or complex projects.
We carry 4-shaft and 8-shaft floor looms is a wide variety of widths. Learn more about floor looms and other multi-shaft looms here.
shop floor loomsA jack loom has a rising shed, meaning that the shafts lift when the corresponding treadle or lever is depressed. A jack floor loom is great for people who want to weave many different patterns because it is easy to change the tie-up. Weaving on a jack loom can require more physical effort than counterbalance or countermarche looms.
Schacht Standard Floor Loom(36" or 45" wide, 4- or 8-shaft)
Ashford Jack Floor Loom(38" wide, 8-shaft)
Schacht Mighty Wolf Floor Loom(36" wide, 4- or 8-shaft)
Schacht Baby Wolf Floor Loom(26" wide, 4- or 8-shaft)
Schacht Wolf Pup Floor Loom(18" wide, 4- or 8-shaft)
Leclerc Nilus II Floor Loom, Jack Option(36", 45", or 60" wide, 4-shaft)
Leclerc Nilus II Floor Loom, Jack Option(36", 45", or 60" wide, 8-shaft)
A counterbalance loom has pairs of shafts (usually 2 or 4) that work opposite each other on rollers or pulleys. This symmetrical operation of the shafts makes these looms great for balanced weaves like 2/2 twill, but challenging for unbalanced weaves like 1/3 twill.
Leclerc Fanny II Counterbalance Floor Loom(36", 45", or 60" wide, 4-shaft)
Leclerc Nilus II Floor Loom, Counterbalance Option(36", 45", or 60" wide, 4-shaft)
Leclerc Nilus II Floor Loom, Counterbalance Option(36", 45", or 60" wide, 8-shaft)
A countermarche loom combines the independent shaft movement of a jack loom, with the symmetrical shed opening of the counterbalance loom. Each shaft is connected to all of the others, so when some shafts rise, all the others fall.
Louet Spring II Floor Loom (36" or 43", 8- or 12-shaft.)
Tapestry looms are designed to hold tight, even tension for weft-faced tapestry and rug weaving.
Tapestry looms can range from a simple frame loom where warp threads are attached to a fixed frame, to handheld looms with adjustable tension like the Mirrix Saffron loom, to upright looms in a range of sizes with adjustable tension like the range of Mirrix looms and the Schacht Arras loom, to heavy counterbalance floor looms.
shop tapestry loomsThe Saffron Loom, made by Mirrix, is the perfect portable tapestry loom for weaving on your couch or at the top of a mountain. It has one main thing that most other tiny looms are lacking: a tensioning device. This means weavers can adjust their warp tension after warping and as weaving progresses.
We carry a curated selection of of beautifully crafted, quality weaving tools and accessories, including shuttles, bobbins, swifts, warping mills, and more.
shop weaving tools and accessories