Why Herringbone Suits a Rigid Heddle Loom

Herringbone is one of those weaves that looks far more complicated than it actually is. The fabric is built from short diagonal lines that lean one way for a few picks, then lean back the other way, meeting to form the stacked V shapes that give the pattern its name. Those V shapes come from twill — the same family of weaves as denim — worked first in one direction and then reversed.

On a rigid heddle loom you cannot get twill from the heddle alone, because a single heddle only gives you two sheds rather than the four a true twill needs. The answer is a pick-up stick, which lets you lift a chosen group of threads and create the extra sheds yourself. It is slower than plain weave, but a scarf is a small, forgiving project with plenty of practice in every metre.

Because the pattern is built on floats and a firm beat, the finished cloth has weight and body. It drapes less than plain weave but holds its shape beautifully, which makes it ideal for a winter scarf that stays put on a cold walk.

Yarn, Sett and Warp Length

Choose a springy, woollen-spun yarn around the weight of a DK or light aran. Woollen-spun wool fulls and blooms gently when washed, filling in the gaps between threads and giving the pattern a soft halo. Smooth worsted yarns work too, but the chevrons will look crisp rather than cosy.

• Warp: about 96 ends of undyed cream DK wool
• Weft: the same yarn in three colours, roughly 35 g of each
• Heddle: 8 dent, threaded one end per slot and hole for a sett of about 8 ends per inch (roughly 3 ends per cm)
• Width in the reed: 30 cm (12 in), giving a finished scarf of about 27 cm once washed and pressed
• Warp length: 2.4 m, which yields roughly 1.8 m of woven cloth plus fringe and loom waste

The 96 ends divide neatly into groups of four and eights, which matters enormously — the pick-up pattern repeats over four ends, so a threading that does not divide cleanly will leave you with a broken chevron at one selvedge.

Dressing the Loom

Thread the heddle straight, one end per slot and hole, keeping the tension even across the whole width. Herringbone is unforgiving of slack warp threads; a loose end will float above the cloth and show up as a pale line running the length of the scarf. Wind on with firm, even tension and pack the warp with plenty of paper or card.

If you have a second heddle, now is the moment to use it, but a single heddle with a pick-up stick will do the job perfectly well. Settle the heddle in its rest position and tie on at the front, checking that the warp is centred and that the selvedges are not pulling in.

The Pick-Up Stick and the Herringbone Rotation

Think of the warp as a row of groups of four ends. Slide the pick-up stick into the back of the shed and lift two threads from each group of four so the stick holds them above the rest. Turn the stick on edge: that is your third shed. The fourth shed is the same pick-up combined with the heddle in its other position.

You now have a four-pick rotation:

• Pick one — heddle up, stick out
• Pick two — heddle down, stick out
• Pick three — heddle up, stick in and turned
• Pick four — heddle down, stick in and turned

Work that rotation for eight picks and the diagonal will run steadily to the right. Then reverse the order — four, three, two, one — for another eight picks and the diagonal turns back on itself, forming the V. Reverse again and the pattern repeats. Keep a tally of your picks; losing count is the single most common reason a chevron turns into a long, sad diagonal.

Beating Firmly and Changing Colour

Herringbone wants a firm beat. Beat while the shed is still open, with the beater brought back decisively rather than tapped, and leave the weft at a slight angle so the selvedges do not draw in. The cloth should feel dense and slightly ridged under your fingers — if you can see daylight through it on the loom, you are beating too lightly.

Change weft colour at the natural breaks in the pattern, where the chevrons turn, so the join hides in the structure. Three colours in equal blocks gives a scarf that reads as three broad bands, and the cream warp keeps the whole thing calm and wearable. Leave a short tail at each change, weave it back into the selvedge later with a tapestry needle rather than knotting it.

Finishing the Scarf

Cut the scarf from the loom, then secure the ends. Twist the fringe tightly and knot it, or fold the first two centimetres of cloth under and slip-stitch it flat for a cleaner, more tailored finish. Either way, leave the scarf overnight before you handle it much; the wool needs time to relax.

Wash it by hand in lukewarm water with a little gentle soap, pressing it rather than rubbing. Rinse at the same temperature, roll it in a towel, and lay it flat to dry, straightening the selvedges as you go. Press lightly with a damp cloth once dry. The weave will close up, the chevrons will soften, and what came off the loom looking a bit like a grid will settle into a proper, warm herringbone scarf.