Warp & Weft Math (Without the Headache)

Let me tell you—I’ve done my fair share of weaving on unconventional looms with everything from paracord to denim strips and marine rope. But when I recently set up my custom 24″ loom with a ¼” EPI spacing, I needed to get precise. I didn’t want to run out of materials mid-weave, especially when I’m working with reclaimed fibers that can be hard to match.

Enter the Grist Yarn Calculator.

I stumbled across it while searching for a warp and weft yardage calculator and wow—game changer. Grist Yarn’s tool helped me take the guesswork out of figuring out exactly how much material I needed.

Here’s how it helped:

My Project Specs:

  • Loom width: 24″
  • EPI: 4 (¼” spacing)
  • Length of piece: 24″
  • Warp waste allowance: 12″
  • Weft take-up estimate: 15%

Plugging those into the calculator gave me the exact yardage I needed for both warp and weft—in minutes. No scribbled notes or mental math. It even accounts for take-up and loom waste, which can make a big difference when working with chunky or unusual materials.


What I Learned:

Even with all my hands-on experience, it was incredibly helpful to have a digital tool double-check my math. Especially when I’m planning a series or working with limited quantities of fiber, knowing my numbers saves time and stress—and helps me stretch every inch of my materials.

Have you used it? Got another tool you swear by? Drop it in the comments—I’m always looking for ways to make the math behind the magic a little smoother.

Learning from Indigenous Knowledge

Im still going through boxes unpacking and looking for my weaving tools. In the meantime, I’ve been foraging grasses and yucca leaves around Little Fountain, St. Croix USVI to make a woven grass skirt like these in this video as a sculptural form.

There is much to learn from indigenous cultures from around the globe…

You Tube MFA: Mayan Weaving Traditions

I long been a fan of indigenous Guatemalan weaving, but I did not know that wearing traditional clothing was dangerous up until the end of a 36-year-long civil war in 1996. In the years following the war, groups of women have banded together to sustain themselves and their families through weaving.

Note to self: boiled banana plant stalks are a natural dye for PURPLE.

You Are So Articulate

In this weaving, each piece of yarn is representative of a conversation where I was acknowledged for being able to express my thoughts and ideas. Being told I’m well-spoken often comes off as a backhanded compliment. It carries problematic connotations that, it is unusual for someone of my race to be intelligent or eloquent.

The completed weaving is displayed on a DYI loom, as if the work is still in progress because some version of this conversation, continues still…

You Are Invited: Revision & Respond

RSVP by emailing hhume@newarkmuseumart.org…

The New Jersey Arts Annual is a unique series of exhibitions highlighting the State’s visual and performing artists. It is open to any artist currently living or working in New Jersey. In partnership with major museums around the state, one exhibition takes place each year, alternating between host institutions.

The Arts Annual series is sponsored by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment of the Arts.

This exhibition opens to the public at the Newark Museum of Art on June 17.

You Are So Articulate; 72 x 30 in, January 2021, Hollow braid polypropylene rope, paracord, ribbon, yarn, 3 ply cotton cord, braided nylon cord, nails on artist made loom.