Using a pick up stick to create different textured weaving patterns on a rigid heddle loom

Emma and Gillian
3 days ago
5 min read

Introduction: Using pick up sticks to create woven patterns on a rigid heddle loom

A rigid heddle loom allows for a wide range of textile designs to be woven. Using a pick up stick allows for the weaving of both texture and patterns. A pick up stick is a piece of wood around the same size as a weaving shuttle which spans the width of the warp. The stick can have a point at one end and it is used to pick up some of the warp threads behind the heddle on the loom. By picking up particular warp threads when weaving it is possible to create both warp and weft floats or both in a woven pattern. This blog outlines how to weave using pick up sticks on a rigid heddle weaving loom.

Colorful woven fabric on a loom, featuring pink, white, and blue rows. Wooden shuttle rests above. Bright, intricate patterns. — A TabbyandTweed rigid heddle weaving loom

Who would enjoy weaving with a pick up stick on a rigid heddle weaving loom?

A rigid heddle loom allows for a wide range of patterns and designs to be woven. Whilst a rigid heddle loom is often a first loom for a weaver the design opportunities with one of these looms is vast. Using a pick up stick when weaving on a rigid heddle loom is perfect for a weaver who has grasped the basics of using their loom and weaving plain tabby weave and who would be interested in new challenges and the weaving of a range of patterns and textural weaves.

Is weaving with pick up sticks straightforward?

Yes, it is. We hope that this blog will show you how you can start to weave using pick up sticks. We run day long weaving workshops and we often find that even beginning weavers progress onto using pick up sticks during their very first day of weaving. You can find out more about our weaving workshops by click here: weaving workshop information.

Do you sell any weaving kits which would help to learn how to use a pick up stick?

Yes we do. We currently sell two kits. One is a pick up stick sampler kit which has the yarn, a pick up stick and instructions guiding the user how to weave 11 different pick up stick patterns.

A colorful woven textile with blue, pink, and green stripes hangs on a rod against a dark wall. Fringe detail at the bottom.

The second kit is a scarf weaving kit which uses one particular pick up pattern throughout. Again the instructions show the weaver how to use a pick up stick to weave the patterned scarf.

Plaid wool scarf in blue, red, and white is draped over a mannequin against a dark gray background. The texture appears cozy.

Below it is outlined how to weave a couple of pick up stick patterns as demonstrated using a TabbyandTweed rigid heddle weaving loom. The first pattern will create weft floats and the second will create warp floats.

Weaving a weft float pattern

Step 1 - Putting the heddle of the loom in the down position

In order to position the pick up stick correctly the loom first needs to have the heddle put in the down position. As shown below this causes the warp threads in the holes to go down leaving only the warp threads in the slots up.

Wooden loom with blue threads weaving through it. Number 10 visible. The natural wood and blue create a calm, focused crafting scene.

Step 2: Placing the pick up stick correctly in the warp threads of the rigid heddle loom

Exactly how the pick up stick is used depends on the chosen pattern. For this pattern I needed to pick up every alternative thread so that I picked up one, left one down, picked up one, left one down etc. In this process I am only working with the threads that are in the slots, the threads in the holes are down out of the way. This is why you can see three warp threads below each of the thread which has been picked up.

Close-up of a wooden loom with blue threads and a wooden shuttle. Threads are taut, forming vertical lines. The mood is calm and methodical.

Step 3: Moving the pick up stick towards the back beam

Once the pick up stick has picked up the required warp threads across the loom it is moved towards the back of the loom as far as it will go towards the back beam. In this position, normal tabby weaving can be undertaken as the pick up stick doesn't impact on normal plain weaving.

Close-up of blue threads on a weaving loom, arranged vertically and evenly. The loom features wooden components, creating a geometric pattern.

Step 4 - Weaving a weft float pattern

When weaving a weft float pattern the pick up stick is used on some of the rows. The pattern outlined below uses the pick up stick on row 3

Row 1: Put the heddle in the up position and weave a row
Row 2: Put the heddle in the down position and weave a row.
Row 3: Pick up stick row - put the heddle into the neutral position (which places all the warp threads at the same level regardless of whether they are in a slot or a hole) and then put the pick up stick up on its edge as shown below. This will result in just half of the warp threads in the slots being lifted. Weave a row and then put the pick up stick flat to the back of the loom.

The first pick up stick weft row is shown below. You should be able to see that the weft has gone over three warp threads and under one with this pattern being repeated across the row. This stretch across three warp threads is called a weft float.

Blue yarn is woven on a loom with a pink pattern row in the center. The wooden loom is visible in the background.

These three rows are repeated.

The image below shows the final woven pattern.

Close-up of a woven fabric with intersecting blue and red threads forming a grid pattern. The image conveys texture and craftsmanship.

Adjusting the weaving at the selvedge edge

When weaving a pattern other than a plain tabby weave you need to take care of the selvedge edges. Often depending on the pattern the outermost selvedge edges aren't picked up and this needs to be address. If you want to know more then you might find the blog about weaving a selvedge edge of a log cabin weave of interest: Weaving a neat selvedge of a log cabin weave. The diagrams below show how the selvedge edges were managed when weaving the weft float pattern described above. The issue only arose on the weft rows when the pick up stick was being used and the technique used depends on which side of the loom you are on ready to put the shuttle across. I started row one on the right hand side and detailed below is how I addressed the pick up rows starting at either side of the loom.

In order to catch the outermost warp thread on the right hand side the shuttle had to be forced over the warp thread.

Blue and pink yarn on a wooden loom. Blue threads run vertically, while pink threads weave horizontally. Bright, intricate textile design.

In order to catch the outermost warp thread on the left hand side the shuttle had to be forced under the warp thread.

Wooden loom weaving blue and pink yarn; intricate pattern forming. Bright, natural light and warm wooden background. Cozy crafting scene.

Weaving a warp float pattern

For this weaving pattern the pick up stick was in the same position as above so every alternate warp thread in the slots was picked up on the pick up stick.

Row 1: Put the heddle in the down position and weave a row
Row 2: Pick up row - put the heddle in the up position and the pick up stick is then simply slid forward which results in three warp threads being in the up position as shown below. Weave the row and then put the pick up stick to the back of the loom.

Wooden loom with blue threads stretched across, marked with the number 10. Set on a wooden surface, evoking a craft-focused mood.

Row 3: Put the heddle in the down position and weave a row
Row 4: Put the heddle in the up position and weave a row

Repeat these 4 rows

The image below shows the final woven pattern.

Close-up of a colourful woven fabric with pink, green, and blue threads. The texture is intricate, creating a harmonious pattern.

If you are interested in learning how to weave then our workshop page has all the details found by clicking the link here. We would be delighted to welcome you onto any of these courses.

If you fancy having a go at weaving at home then our weaving kits including rigid heddle loom weaving kits are available in our TabbyandTweed website shop for UK delivery and our TabbyandTweed Etsy shop for delivery elsewhere.

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