The Loom Owner's Companion: Know and Love Your Loom DVD

This DVD by Tom Knisely contains useful basic information for all weavers, such as, the parts of the loom, variations in the way different types of looms work, how to understand drafts and tie ups, what tools weavers should have in their toolbox, how to troubleshoot common problems, and how to care for looms. Tom shows the parts moving so that you can see clearly how they work. He covers jack looms, countermarch looms, counter balance looms, and table looms, giving brand names of the modern ones and a little history of the older ones. When you are done watching it, you feel confident that you understand your own looms better. He speaks in such a friendly, relaxed manner that you feel you might be able to call him up to consult on a particularly difficult problem you are having and he would be interested in hearing about it. There are dozens of useful facts and ideas that will help novices or intermediate weavers accomplish more work faster, save money, and maintain their looms and tools. Some of the information I already knew, but I was especially grateful to learn the material that applies to my own. I discovered that I can lower the seat of my bench, set it inside my countermarch loom, and sit on it while threading. No more crouching in a twisted position, sitting on a little stool, trying to reach through an 8 harnesses forest of white Texsolv heddles at an odd angle for me! That alone is worth the price of the video. I will also try out Tom's advice about maintaining a wide shed as I weave by moving the overhanging beater to a notch with a pivot point further back. He says this is how the production weavers of the past used to do it. Another idea I am going to try out is using doups to save warp and money. Doups are string extensions that are tied around groups of warp threads. He shows when and where to wax, oil, and polish, where not to, and how to periodically tighten the nuts on the beater bar so that the beater is exactly parallel to the cloth edge and breast beam and you get a straight piece of cloth. Tom gives a good summary overview on how to read drafts. He contrasts two different classic systems of notation and explains how combination systems have evolved from them. He uses the principles demonstrated in the earlier part of the DVD. When you press a treadle, what happens to the parts of your loom, where does the weft go in relation to the warp, and how does the result turn out? This is a part of the video I will return to many times, when I am starting specific projects, until I can "get it" in my head, like learning a piece of music. In all, I feel it was worth the money and would recommend this DVD to others.

(Posted on 8/17/12)

This is a fabulous DVD that should also be added to the other items in Tom's tool box. No one with a loom should be without it. Thanks, Tom for sharing all of the information contained on these 2 disks.

(Posted on 3/24/12)

This has been the best DVD I have watched. Too bad that you didn't have this out before Warping Your Loom. This made things more understandable for a new weaver, so now I actually understand the other DVD's more clearly. Thanks for the time and effort you put into this DVD and others.

(Posted on 2/19/12)