Customer Reviews

Learning to Weave, Revised Edition

5 star:		(44)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Deborah Chandler's book is the next best thing to attending an excellent weaving class in person. Then after you learn to weave, it is a reference book that can aid you for years to come. Even after weaving for more than 10 years, I often turn to this book. It has plain detailed instruction with wonderful illustrations. Photos and drawings as well as the fabulous explanations guide you right along. Whether you are just learning to weave or want to add to your weaving library, I strongly recommend this book!

Forget all the other books on weaving. This is the one. Anyone who has problems warping their loom, designing patterns, learning new patterns will wear the pages of this book thin with reading and rereading and rereading and more rereading. There is barely a day that goes by that I do not in some way refer back to this fantastic book! All we ask is that the writer give us more! Bravo!

This is by far the best book on weaving I have ever seen. It is an excellent learning tool as well as reference tool. Easy to understand directions and illistrations. This is the perfect book for anyone interested in weaving.

The most important thing I learned from this book is that I'm not ready for this book! I inherited my mother's table loom some time ago and have not had time to look into weaving until recently. To get myself started, I purchased a number of books on weaving so that I could build up to tackling her loom. I found both "Weaving Without a Loom" and "You Can Weave" very helpful for a beginner. They taught simple terminology, basic weaves, the use of a variety of materials not only for weaving but for looms, and the use of patterns. Chandler and Redding's book, "Learning to Weave," looks to be an excellent resource for weaving on my table loom, but just perusing it's pages, I realized that I still need to work a little with the simpler looms before getting on to the main task. In reading the book, I found the notion of samples a fine idea. I started making them with some of the simpler looms, and have even found a use for some of the samples I've made. The suggestion regarding practice color combinations was also helpful. In looking forward to the daunting task of warping or dressing my table loom, I suspect that the authors' suggestions with respect to managing the warp threads and the alternative suggestions with respect to approaching the physical task itself will make my first experience much less frustrating. But first we have to build up the courage!

This is a terrific book for someone who wants to learn to weave. It starts off with a very brief introduction to looms and ancillary tools needed by the weaver. It then provides a very detailed discussion, complete with many pictures, of how to warp the loom. The book then leads the reader through a home-study course starting off with a simple weave sample, a good explanation of reading drafts, and an interesting as well as comprehensible explanation of various twills. My favorite chapter was that on reading drafts----I had looked at a couple of weaving magazines previously and was completely puzzled by them. The author's explanations were so delightfully clear that after reading the chapter once I was able to understand all the patterns I had looked at in the magazines.

Throughout, the author explains the details of how to perform each step, what problems might arise, how to prevent them from doing so, and how to fix problems that do arise. Deborah Chandler has a real gift for imparting complex information, and this book amply reflects that gift.

Since I am a complete beginner and have never touched a loom before, I would have liked a much lengthier discussion (with diagrams) covering how the various types of looms work as well as their advantages/disadvantages. That said, even if you don't know how a loom works (which I didn't before reading this book carefully), you can puzzle it all out from the book by seeing what the different steps in warping and weaving are and relating them to the physical structures involved. It took me a while to puzzle this all out & this is where it would have been nice to have more information on "loom theory" in general.

I was interested in buying a loom and getting started in weaving, but I wasn't sure I could learn how since there doesn't seem to be anywhere near where I live to take lessons. Since I didn't want to buy a loom I couldn't use, I bought this book first to see if I could learn how to weave from a book without an instructor. Although I will not know for sure until I give it a try, the book explains things so well and in sufficient detail to make me confident I can do it. So, reading the book made me decide to take the plunge and order a loom.

Wish me luck (and buy this book)!

This is the very best book I have seen or used to learn to weave. It is extremely detail oriented and procedes in a step by step manner. I have been involved in spinning and weaving for 9 years and still refer back to it. Get it in a spiral bound ed if you can so you can lay it flat as you work.

I received an antique 4-harness loom for my birthday this year and along with that was given some videos by Deborah Chandler. The videos were excellent and got me on my way but I still needed a reference to give more specific info. So, I asked experienced weavers for their advice on a book or two to buy and to the person every one recommended this one as "the bible". I knew it'd be good since Deborah's videos are so good and indeed I wasn't disappointed. Throughout the book there are very clear detailed line drawings of equipment/tools and techniques with descriptions. In addition, there are black and white photos to further provide instruction and information. Everything you could need to get going with weaving is in here with step by step explanations and material needs. Formulas are clearly laid out as are patterns that you can use for twills and other weaves. This really is the bible for weaving. My products may not be too pretty just yet but I'm having a great time playing and learning the techniques.

Make it this one. I am an "ok" weaver and I refer to this book over and over again. For me, everything a new weaver needs to know is in here and you can find it easily which makes this a real must have for anyone wanting to learn how to weave or if you are thinking you might want to learn how, please start with this book.

This is absolutely the best weaving book for learning to weave, for solving problems, for learning how to design your own textiles. What you learn here you can apply to any loom, to any project.

Absolutely the best "self-instruction" book I have ever used for any topic. I took weaving several months ago from an instructor, and then did not have time to pursue it for another several months. Deborah Chandler's book saved me. It is extremely well written and offers easy, step-by-step instructions. I highly recommend this book to the beginner or those in need of a weaving refresher course.