At the beginning of May, a ‘new-to-me’ loom , a large Mirrix tapestry loom, arrived in my studio. (Courtesy of my son and daughter in law who picked her up in the city 4 hours away, that used to be her home- the previous owner didn’t want to ship her).
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
I immediately sat down and made a whole lot of heddles for her, as she didn’t come with them.
And then, I warped her up- ooooooooohhhhhhhhhh, I love how easily she warps! Bliss!
As I was warping her up and starting to weave, I thought…. ‘Hmmmm…. there must be a group for Mirrix weavers on Ravelry’
(Ravelry= the facebook of the yarn world)
I looked, and sure enough! There is a Mirrix group…. which I joined, pronto.
And the first thing I saw was that Claudia (the inventor of the magical Mirrix looms) and Elena, her talented daughter, had posted that they were accepting applications for their annual ‘Social Networking for a Mirrix Loom’ campaign. Link
Well… I had decided within hours of starting to weave on my ‘Joni’ loom that I wanted to fill my studio with Mirrix looms.
So, I sent off an application….
Um… I wanted to fill the studio with ~Smaller~ Mirrix looms!
MEANWHILE>>>> The Joni is one big Mamma, and even though I am tall, my arms are short, so I found that I was having shoulder pain.
My clever daughter in law subtly sneaked the information out of me that I was longing for the treadle kit for the Mirrix loom. Then, she orchestrated the family buying me the treadle kit for Mother’s Day! What a sweetheart!
To say that I was thrilled was an understatement!
THEN! on the 18th of May, was just tickled pink to hear from Elena that they had picked me as one of their team for the 4 months of the ‘Social Networking’ campaign. Whee! What a couple of thrilling days!
And, now… I am starting to keep my part of the bargain, which is to chronicle my experiences with the Mirrix loom(s).
So, since I began my Mirrix adventures with making string heddles, I am going to show you my quick and easy way of making the string heddles for the Mirrix looms (or inkle or frame looms, too).
copyright Noreen Crone-Findlay
And, here is the video:
How to make string heddles by Noreen Crone-Findlay (c)
Happy Weaving!
Tottie Talks Crafts Blog 
I enjoyed this string heddle making tutorial very much. I particularly like the additional overhand knot which seems to provide the extra security I need for string heddles. My string heddles take a beating! I thought your little vintage English six-pence guy (on your title page) was a Sisyphean character with a crochet thread ball burden on his shoulders!
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Oh, Jan! I love your image of little Sixpence man bearing the load of the crochet thread up the mountain like Sisyphus!!!!! That’s just great 😀
NOW I know why he ended up in my heddle making box! Thanks for that!!!!
I am a fan of tying the second knot… I would rather take the time to make that small backup at the starting point, than have the frustration of a failed heddle later.
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Thank you so much for this video and your excellent no-warp method for the Mirrix. Really can’t say enough about how helpful they both are.
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The overhand knot made after the heddle is made is genius! Why not come up with something wider so you can do several heddles at a time? Measure out what you need, tie a bunch with square knots, slide off and make the overhand knots.
I’m doing this for a loom that requires leashes with bigger (42″) heddles using hemp… we’ll see how well that works. If not, I’ll use the hemp cord for something else.
Yeah.. 42 is the answer…
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42 is ALWAYS the answer, Jessica! 😀 ROTFLOL! I chose to make the template for the heddles small so I could take it with me in a small kit and tie heddles on the run. I didn’t feel the need to tie a million at once, as tying them the way I do is really efficient and frugal on the heddle string. But, everyone likes to do things in their own way. That’s part of the ’42’ 🙂
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I have a copper pipe loom (archie brennan style) and I am trying to figure out how long my heddles should be. Is there a way to help figure this out?
Help is appreciated.
Laurel
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Noreen, thank you for this helpful tutorial. Can you tell me the weight and brand of thread you are using? I want to make my own but not sure what to purchase. Thank you. Patty
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I don’t remember the brand of crochet cotton that I used, but it is synthetic, not cotton, and you can’t break it with your fingers…. you HAVE to use scissors to cut it, which makes it a really good choice for heddles. The size is #10.
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Thank you. Is the overhead knot under the first knot (next to the loop) or on top of the square knot (next to the ends). I can’t quite see this. I have loads of primitive linen rug backing. It unravels easily so I’m pulling out threads along the selvage to make some heddles. Again, thank you. Patty
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Hi Patty, Test the linen thread before making heddles to make sure that it doesn’t fray from abrasion, as the warp strands can cause fraying in the heddles. Also make sure that you can’t break the thread with your hands. If you have to use scissors to cut it, then it’s a good candidate. The overhand knot is above the square knot, to lock the ends, so it’s closer to the ends. Happy weaving!
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Thank you! I finally found some nylon #8 thread on Etsy. I had almost decided to order the roll of Mirrix Loom Heddles since I have no idea what the heck I’m doing. I have so much left over merino yarn from knitting projects so hoping to experiment with these. Thank you so much for your help. Patty
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