Can you weave a scarf in a day at a weaving workshop?

Yes. At a TabbyandTweed rigid heddle loom scarf weaving workshop, participants weave a complete handmade scarf in a single day. The full-day workshop runs from 10am to 4.30pm, and the looms are pre-warped and ready to use, so the entire session is focused on learning to weave and completing the scarf.

What is a rigid heddle loom scarf weaving workshop?

A rigid heddle loom scarf weaving workshop is a guided, hands-on session where participants learn to use a rigid heddle loom to weave their own handmade scarf. At TabbyandTweed workshops, the looms are pre-warped with British wool yarn in a range of colours. Participants learn about the loom, how to weave a balanced weave, and how to use colour effectively. By the end of the day, each person leaves with a completed scarf, a grounding in basic weaving techniques, and the confidence to continue weaving independently.

What will I learn at a TabbyandTweed scarf weaving workshop?

At a TabbyandTweed scarf weaving workshop you will learn how to use a rigid heddle loom, how to weave a balanced weave, how to introduce colour into your weaving design, and how to warp a rigid heddle loom. More experienced participants can also learn how to use pick-up sticks to create different textures and patterns. By the end of the day you will leave with a completed handwoven scarf, confidence using a loom, and a deeper understanding of traditional textile skills.

Where are TabbyandTweed weaving workshops held?

TabbyandTweed run scarf weaving workshops at various locations across the UK, most often in Alderbury, near Salisbury, Wiltshire. Full details of all upcoming workshop dates and locations can be found on the TabbyandTweed weaving workshop page at https://www.tabbyandtweed.co.uk/weavingworkshops.

How long does a scarf weaving workshop last?

The TabbyandTweed full-day scarf weaving workshop runs from 10am to 4.30pm. A shorter 2-hour taster workshop on the rigid heddle loom is also available for those who want a briefer introduction to weaving.

Is a weaving workshop suitable for complete beginners?

Yes. TabbyandTweed scarf weaving workshops are designed to be fully accessible to complete beginners. No prior weaving experience is needed. Everything is explained clearly and step by step, with individual guidance throughout the day. The looms arrive pre-warped so participants can focus entirely on learning to weave.

Can I attend a weaving workshop if I already have my own rigid heddle loom?

Yes. TabbyandTweed workshops welcome returning weavers and those who already own a rigid heddle loom. For these participants, the workshop offers the opportunity to learn more advanced techniques such as pick-up stick weaving, and to get hands-on guidance on how to warp their own loom correctly — including advice on the common mistakes new weavers make.

Does a weaving workshop make a good gift?

Yes. A scarf weaving workshop is a popular and thoughtful experience gift, particularly for birthdays, Christmas, and Mother's Day. Many TabbyandTweed workshop places are gifted. Participants leave with a handwoven scarf they have made themselves, making it a creative, memorable, and meaningful experience day.

Who is a scarf weaving workshop suitable for?

TabbyandTweed scarf weaving workshops are suitable for complete beginners, craft enthusiasts who want to try weaving for the first time, people who want to learn how to use their own rigid heddle loom, those interested in sustainable fashion and traditional textile skills, and anyone looking for a creative, mindful day out in the UK. Groups and individuals are both welcome.

What do I leave with after a scarf weaving workshop?

By the end of a TabbyandTweed scarf weaving workshop, participants leave with: a completed handwoven scarf of their own design, an understanding of basic weaving techniques, knowledge of how to introduce colours into a weave, confidence using a rigid heddle loom, and a deeper appreciation of traditional textile craft skills.

Can I learn to weave if I cannot attend a workshop in person?

Yes. For those who live too far away to attend a workshop, TabbyandTweed sell rigid heddle loom weaving kits with full illustrated instructions. The kits are available for delivery to the UK, USA, Canada, and Australia. A free YouTube video tutorial on how to set up and warp the TabbyandTweed rigid heddle loom is also available on the TabbyandTweed YouTube channel.

Why should I learn to weave in 2026?

Weaving offers a meaningful alternative to screen-based activity, supports sustainable making with natural and recycled fibres, produces unique handmade items that last, and has proven wellbeing benefits including stress reduction and improved focus. It is a skill that grows with you, from simple beginner projects to complex patterns and techniques, and connects you to a thriving community of makers.

Is weaving a good hobby for beginners?

Yes. Weaving is an excellent hobby for beginners. You can start with small, simple projects on a frame loom or bookmark loom and progress at your own pace. TabbyandTweed offer beginner weaving kits with full instructions and video tutorials, as well as in-person learn-to-weave workshops for those who prefer hands-on guidance.

Is weaving a sustainable hobby?

Yes. Weaving is one of the more sustainable creative hobbies because it allows you to work with natural fibres such as British wool, use recycled or repurposed yarn and fabric scraps, and create long-lasting handmade items rather than buying mass-produced goods. TabbyandTweed use FSC-certified birch plywood for their looms and British wool in their kits.

Is weaving good for mental health and wellbeing?

Yes. Weaving is widely recognised as a mindful, calming activity. The rhythmic, repetitive motion of weaving encourages focus and presence, helping to reduce stress and anxiety. Many weavers describe the process as deeply satisfying and meditative, with the added sense of achievement that comes from creating something beautiful by hand.

What can I make as a beginner weaver?

As a beginner, you can weave coasters, bookmarks, wall hangings, and scarves. TabbyandTweed offer kits for all of these projects, ranging from small bookmark loom kits and frame loom kits for complete beginners, to rigid heddle loom scarf weaving kits for those ready to tackle larger and more complex projects.

Can I weave handmade gifts for friends and family?

Yes. Handwoven items make thoughtful, personal, and unique gifts. Many TabbyandTweed customers purchase a rigid heddle loom scarf weaving kit and go on to weave scarves as gifts for family members. Handwoven coasters, cushions, and wall hangings also make popular handmade gifts.

How do I get started learning to weave?

You can get started by purchasing a beginner weaving kit from TabbyandTweed, which includes everything you need — a loom, yarn, tools, and step-by-step instructions — along with access to YouTube video tutorials. Alternatively, you can attend a TabbyandTweed in-person learn-to-weave workshop, where experienced weavers guide you through the process and you leave with a completed handwoven scarf.

Hunkering Down This Winter: Cosy Evenings Away From the Screen

Name: TabbyandTweed Rigid Heddle Loom Scarf Weaving Workshop
Location: Alderbury

Emma and Gillian

5 days ago

5 min read

There is a particular moment in late October when the clocks go back, the light fails by teatime and the evening suddenly feels very long. For many of us the default is to sink into the sofa, pick up the phone and to start scrolling. An hour disappears, then another and then the evening is gone. We consider the darker months as a gift, a time when as creatives we can enjoy slowing down and crafting in the lounge.

Handwoven multicolor fabric on a loom in a cozy living room by a fireplace.

Our ancestors would spend winter evenings by the fire with their hands busy, perhaps spinning, mending, knitting, weaving or stitching. This blog outlines a few things that we will do for a creative evening by the fire, perhaps listening to a podcast, an audio book or possibly watching the latest episode of Traitors, a period drama or a crime thriller on the TV.

Explore Cosy Evening Weaving Kits

Why making things feels good

Repetitive, hands-on crafts give your mind something steady to settle into. The motion of a shuttle passing through a warp, a needle creating a hemstitch, the creation of a knitted garment or fibres pulling through your hand into the spinning wheel has a calming, almost meditative quality. We find that this process of creating allows us to focus entirely on our craft activity allowing any events of the day or worries to be settled away. We also take great enjoyment from progressing with a making project, whether it be a knitted hat, handwoven scarf or a crocheted blanket allowing us to have something beautiful to hold and possibly gift at the end of several or sometimes many evenings.

Pink and burgundy plaid fabric woven on a wooden loom, with yarn threaded across it; TabbyandTweed label visible.

Setting the 'hunkering down' scene

You don't need much to make an evening feel special but here are a few touches that might help:

Make a nest: warm blanket, good lamp, comfortable chair. Light matters for close work so try and position a bright lamp near your hands.

Brew something: Tea, hot chocolate or a steaming cup of cappuccino.

Colorful knitted scarves with pink, blue, and yellow patterns on a table, with a blurred cup and saucer in the background.

Put the phone in the other room: Not face up beside you but out of reach. If you need company then choose a podcast, audio book or favourite TV programme.

Keep your project nearby: Keep your project ready in a basket or bag by your seat - if setting it up takes ages then it might not happen.

Light a candle or put the fire on: Atmosphere is free and it signals to your brain that the day has changed gear.

Ideas for cosy, creative evenings

Knitting and crochet: These are perhaps the most familiar winter pastimes, and for a good reason. They are portable, forgiving and endlessly varied. A simple hat or a pair of fingerless gloves can be finished in a few evenings whereas a large project like a fair isle jumper will be a longer term project.

Close-up of a blue and pink knitted blanket on a lap in a cozy living room with wood floor and patterned rug.

Spinning: This is my favourite winter evening activity. Each winter I will spin yarn over several evenings to build up a stash of handspun yarns for weaving. You can read our tips for weaving with handspun yarn here: Tips for weaving with handspun yarn.

Spinning wheel with blue yarn beside skeins of navy and magenta yarn in a cozy room with a lit fireplace.

Weaving: Autumn and Winter are lovely times to start weaving. Weaving gives you the rhythm of a repetitive craft and a finished piece of fabric at the end of it. Colours blend in interesting ways where the warp and the weft meet and it is a good way of using up the yarn that you have in your stash. Weaving also suits a range of spaces and time commitments, which is why we have suggested some kits below.

Hands weaving purple yarn on a wooden loom, with striped sleeves visible in a close-up craft scene.

Weaving Kits for Winter evenings

If you would like to try weaving, here are some kits that suit different amounts of time and experience. Each includes a loom, yarn and instructions.

Weaving loom kit with maroon, black and gray yarn, tools, pattern sheets, and a plaid swatch; TabbyandTweed printed on the loom.

For a single evening:

Bookmark weaving loom kits: The bookmark kits comes with written instructions with a video tutorial link and a booklet showing you how to weave tabby, twill, tartan, log cabin and houndstooth designs plus yarn for two bookmarks. It is a small, quick and portable project so it suits a first evening of weaving or a gift. Click here to explore bookmark weaving loom kits.

Hands weaving colorful yarn on a small loom labeled TabbyandWeed on a magenta table.

Christmas bauble kit: This kit allows you to weave 3 unique festive Christmas tree baubles. The kit contains three 12cm circular looms, a needle, yarn, ribbon and instructions so you will have everything you need to get weaving to create your own beautiful tree baubles or wall decorations. Click here to explore the Christmas bauble weaving kit

Rustic holiday craft scene with red berries, green pine, yarn, buttons, and a red-green woven ornament on weathered wood.

Square loom weaving kits: These kits are portable, small and enable you to weave a coaster in an evening. Like the bookmark kits they come with instructions to weave tabby, twill, houndstooth, log cabin and tartan designs. If you are interested in designing your own tartan fabric then you might like this blog: Design your own tartan.

For a few evenings

Beginners Weaving Gift Box: This kit contains a bookmark loom and a square frame loom, beautiful yarn and instructions. You can weave several bookmarks and square mending patches. It works well if you would like to try two different styles of weaving or want to give a first kit to someone else.

Colorful yarn braids on TabbyandTweed sample cards in a gift box with orange tissue paper.

Inkle Loom Weaving: Inkle weaving is an ancient technique used to create narrow woven bands: bookmarks, braids, bag straps, hair ties, and decorative ribbons. Inkle weaving is a warp-faced technique, which means the pattern comes entirely from the arrangement of the warp threads - the threads stretched across the loom - rather than from the weft (the thread you weave across). The inkle loom holds your warp threads under tension so you can weave with both hands free, building up beautiful warp-faced patterns row by row. It’s rhythmic, satisfying, and endlessly portable and you can easily weave with an inkle loom on your knee.

Click here to explore an inkle loom.

Colorful woven strap on a loom in the foreground, with two black dogs sleeping on a rug beside a lit fireplace.

Rigid heddle loom scarf kits

A TabbyandTweed rigid heddle loom will sit on your knee or a small coffee table. I can often be found sitting in an armchair weaving! These rigid heddle looms have a 26cm width with an 8epi heddle for weaving with DK yarn (with different heddle available for 4 ply or Aran yarn weaving). Most people choose to purchase a rigid heddle loom kit with a scarf weaving kit which includes the yarn and weaving pattern to weave a scarf on their loom which comes fully assembled loom ready for immediate weaving.

Small weaving loom makes a pink, black, and white plaid fabric, with yarn balls and tools on a pink table.

Most beginners are able to weave their first scarf in a weekend so this is perfect if you are looking for a cosy scarf to wear outside during the day! Click here to explore rigid heddle loom weaving kits.

White mannequin wearing a pink, navy, and white plaid scarf against a gray background

For those looking for some structure after their first project our Weaving Club sends out a new pattern each month to work through at your own pace. Click here for Weaving Club Info

Winter evenings aren't something to simply get through. With a warm drink, a nice light and something to make with your hands, they can become the part of the day that you most look forward to. Whatever you choose to make this winter, we hope your evenings are warm, restful with a little bit of creativity.

Details of all our weaving kits are available in our TabbyandTweed website shop for UK, USA, Canada and New Zealand delivery.

If you are interested in keeping up to date with our weaving work then do sign up to receive our newsletter by clicking the link here.