This is a very quick and simple guide to the best looms for beginners. They don’t cost the earth and would make beautiful gifts- in fact, they are perfect for anyone who would just like to try their hand at weaving.
But above all, they are well made. They are not going to fall apart – because that’s the last thing you want when you’re halfway through a project you’ve lovingly put so much work into.
There’s a lot of choices out there, so we looked at more than 20 looms that were suitable for a beginner and narrowed our research down to our top 5 picks. Our recommendations have the perfect combination of design quality, durability, as well as aesthetic charm.
So, whichever one you choose, you will treasure, and find an absolute pleasure to use.
| Editor’s Award | Winner |
|---|---|
Best Loom for Beginners | Lap Heddle Loom by Craft Boutique NYC |
Best Loom Kit | Frame Loom Weaving Kit Blush by Oake&Ashe |
Best Pocket Loom | Pocket Weaving Loom Kit by Amubleu |
Best Tapestry Loom | Tapestry Loom by Stephen Willette |
Best Circular Loom | Circular Weaving 2-Loom Set by CraftSanity Circular Weaving 3-Loom Set by CraftSanity |
Click to jump straight to each topic.
Lap Heddle Loom by Craft Boutique NYC
This beautiful handmade tapestry loom is ideal for a beginner. But it’s also not going to hold you back as you develop your weaving skills to become an experienced fiber artist.
Unlike some looms, that come with just a yarn needle, this one has a heddle bar – though it’s much simpler in design than the heddles you’ll find on traditional rigid heddle looms.
But don’t worry if you don’t even know what one is yet, I’ll explain. It’s that separate bar with notches that you can see at the bottom of the picture below.
You simply thread you warp threads through the notches.
Twist the bar one way, and one set of warp threads lifts to form a shed (the area where shuttle stick passes back and forth). Twist it the opposite way and the shed closes and alternative warp threads lift to form a second shed.
It’s such a simple idea, it just makes weaving in and out of the warp threads so much easier.
With this lap loom, you also get two shuttle sticks, an adorable wooden loom comb (to comb your weft yarns into place) and the kit even includes a bar for hanging your first piece.
Made from 100% authentic beech wood, which is known for its aesthetic colors and durability, this weaving loom has a high-end contemporary look and feel.
Although no yarn is included with this option, there is an add on option to purchase a 50g ball of white cotton warping thread. You can see it on the loom in the photo above.
The frame loom we’ve featured here is the 14″ by 16″ lap loom. But there are two additional sizes to choose from. See below.
- Lap Loom 14 inches x 16 inches
- Large Weaving Loom – 19.6 inches x 19.6 inches
- XXL Loom – 35 inches x 34 inches
Check the latest price for the lap loom on Etsy or choose an alternative size above.
You can visit the Craft Boutique NYC store here.
Loom Kit: Frame Loom Weaving Kit Blush by Oake&Ashe
This adorable kit includes everything you need to get started.
It even comes with a nice fabric tote bag to keep everything together in one place – making it an ideal choice to take with you when you want to weave on the go.
The kit is perfectly designed for a beginner. But you can use it to make some beautiful pieces.
A good kit is always a great choice for a beginner. It means you don’t have to spend time researching and ordering everything you need in order to get started, and you’ll already know exactly which supplies to buy when you’ve used everything up in your kit. (We’ve written our soap-making kit guide and our guide to candle-making kits for that reason).
The Oake&Ashe loom is very easy to assemble and super easy to warp and set up making it one of the best looms for beginners.
The frame comes with a set of beams that have strong plastic hooked teeth to prevent the yarn from slipping off and to accurately space your warp threads.
The loom we have featured here is the 10″ by 10″ lap loom and because there’s no external frame around it, this space-saving design means you can create weavings right up to those dimensions.
And if you want a larger loom? That’s no problem, there are several other sizes to choose from. I’ll link them for you below.
With this kit, you don’t get a heddle bar like the Craft Boutique NYC’s one we have just looked at, but you do get a pickup stick.
To use a pickup stick, you thread it in and out of your warp threads. Then with the pickup stick laying flat, you weave your yarn in and out of the warp threads, as you would normally, using the stick shuttle or weaving needle provided.
In the opposite direction, you simply turn the pickup stick vertically to automatically lift some of the warp threads. This will create a shed for your stick shuttle or weaving needle to pass straight through. (Pickup sticks are also commonly used to make more complicated weave patterns in weaving.)
The frame of this kit is beautifully made from sustainably sourced hard maple wood and the kit also includes:
- Beginners’ instructions
- Small scissors
- 800 yds cone of warp yarn
- 4 balls of 100% wool yarn – in Blush, Beige, Ash, and Taupe, but there is also a grey option if you prefer.
- 1ozs of wool roving
- A maple wood weaving comb and a 10″ hanging rod.
Pocket Loom: Pocket Weaving Loom Kit by Amuble
We couldn’t resist adding this little pocket loom to our list of the best looms for beginners. It will give you a weaving of just 6″ by 4″.
It’s ideal for making small, quick projects that you can turn into, cute bookmarks, jewelry, mini wall art, pouches for glasses, or makeup, etc. or you could make patchwork pieces to sew together.
The great thing is, that you can practice mixing colors and yarns and create mini (sample) patterns before you apply them to a large-scale project.
So even when you are hooked on weaving (and you will be,) and have years of experience as a fiber artist, you will still want to use this little kit to make samples for your bigger weaving projects.
The fact that it also comes with a mini muslin storage bag also makes this an ideal travel loom to take with you to the beach etc.
The loom itself is made from wood and measures 4″ x 6.75″ giving you a finished cloth of 4 inches by 6 inches.
The kit also comes with:
- 1 weaving needle made from a thorn from a honey locust tree. ( I just love the names of trees.)
- 2 mini skeins of hand-dyed DK weight yarn. In a choice of colors from pinks, oranges, and golds to greens, blues, greys, and black. That’s about 20 grams in total and enough yarn for your first project.
- 1 muslin bag to keep your supplies together when you travel
- And instructions to help get you started.
Check the price of the Pocket Weaving Loom at amubleu’s store on Etsy.
Tapestry Loom: Tapestry Loom by StephenWillette
This tapestry loom by Stephen Willette will inspire you to make some beautifully rustic or traditional pieces, the loom itself is practically a work of art.
Made from solid cherry, this tapestry weaving loom has an original design that takes its inspiration from the best features of the Tapestry Loom, Navajo Loom, and Sprang Loom.
Where the design of this one really stands out, is that you choose your own natural sticks for the top and bottom of the loom.
They then become part of the weaving process. The loom will allow for a piece to be woven up to 21.5″ in length and 13″ wide. But if you have longer sticks, you can make weavings much wider than this as it’s possible to weave outside the loom.
When the tapestry is finished, you simply remove the pegs and you are ready to hang your weaving.
Natural sticks are available, at Stephen Willette’s store both with holes drilled (approximately 1/2″ apart) and without holes.
The loom folds to a compact size of 28″ tall x 16″ wide x 4″ deep and the handle makes it great for travel or taking with you to a weaving class.
No shuttle, shed stick, or tapestry needle comes with it but they are all available from the store.
If you’d like to see how to use this tapestry loom, take a look at this beautifully shot video below.
Vsit the Stephen Willette store.
Circular Loom: Circular Weaving 2 or 3-Loom Set by CraftSanity
If you’d like to try something a little different, how about this adorable set of 2 or 3 circular looms?
You can make wall art, placemats, coasters, hat or bag components, or make decorative embellishments to sew onto home furnishings or garments, etc.
They are just as easy for a beginner as a regular frame or tapestry loom. But the fiber art you’ll create will have anyone believe you are an experienced fiber artist.
The set includes:
- One, 3 1/4″ diameter scalloped loom
- One 7″ diameter scalloped loom
- One 11″ diameter scalloped loom (this item is in the set of 3 only).
- Full-color instructions for basic weaving in the round and a warping diagram for you to follow – making it a great choice when choosing the best looms for beginners.
- One metal yarn needle.
A nice touch that will only find from a friendly small independent business is that for $5 (or less for the 2 sets) you can even, choose to have your looms warped for you – so when they arrive they are ready to go.
Other Worthy Mentions
The Turtle Travel Loom
This one is so simple to put together. It comprises just 3 parts that slide together.
- Comes with two 8″ shuttle sticks and a shed stick.
- Perfect for kids, students, and weaving or fiber art classes.
- Provides a good-sized weaving area of 12″ by 12″.
Weaving Starter Kit for Beginners
This is an Ashford weaving loom. Ashford makes very high-quality spinning wheels but also one of the best looms for beginners.
The kit also includes:
- 1 Ashford weaving needle.
- Ashford Tekapo 12ply yarn.
- Ashford wool roving and a dowel for hanging.
- Creates a finished size of 9.5″ x 14.25″ excluding the 8″ fringe.
Deluxe Standing Weaving Frame Loom
This is OakeandAshe’s 20″ deluxe weaving frame.
- It’s made with hard maple beams and has the same hard plastic teeth we’ve already mentioned above.
- Incorporates two pivoting kick-stand feet in the design.
- Includes a stick shuttle, pickup stick, and weaving needle.
3-inch Square Small Loom
These sweet little 3″ looms are laser cut from 1/4″ thick Maple wood with an MDF core.
- Comes as a set of 3 or 6, 3″ square mini looms.
- A great budget option and they would make lovely crafty gifts for creative kids.
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