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Best Rigid Heddle Looms for Scarves, Towels and Table Runners (2026)

The best rigid heddle looms of 2026: Schacht Cricket and Flip, Ashford's Standard loom in four widths and a budget WILLOWDALE, compared on width, reed and build.

By CraftsCallPublished 6 min readHow we research
A wooden rigid heddle loom on a table with a striped scarf being woven and a stick shuttle

Affiliate disclosure: product links on this page go to Amazon, or to the maker's own store for brands that sell only direct. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you; a link to a maker's store earns us nothing. No retailer or brand sees our picks before they are published or has any say in them. How we choose.

For scarves, wraps and tea towels to sell, the Schacht Flip is our pick: solid hard maple, weaving widths from 15 to 30 inches, a choice of reeds from 5 to 15 dent, and it folds whether or not it is warped, so a project can go into a cupboard between market days. To learn, Schacht's Cricket comes with everything to start, yarn included, from $241 at Schacht's regular price. For blankets and wide throws, Ashford's Standard Rigid Heddle Loom comes as wide as 48 inches.

A rigid heddle loom is the simplest loom that weaves real cloth: one heddle with slots and holes lifts and lowers the warp threads to open the gap the shuttle passes through. Every figure below comes from Schacht's and Ashford's own pages, except the budget pick, labelled as coming from its Amazon listing.

Our top picks at a glance

  1. 1. Best overall

    Schacht Flip 20 in Rigid Heddle Loom

    Weaving widths: 15, 20, 25 or 30 in · Reed included: Your choice: 5, 8, 10, 12 or 15 dent · Wood: Solid hard maple, Danish oil finish · Folds: Yes, warped or not

    Amazon

  2. 2. Best for beginners

    Schacht Cricket 10 in Rigid Heddle Loom

    Weaving widths: 10 or 15 in · Reed included: 8 dent · Wood: Maple plywood and hard maple, unfinished · Folds: No

    Amazon

  3. 3. Best for wide pieces

    Ashford Standard Rigid Heddle Loom

    Weaving widths: 16, 24, 32 or 48 in · Reed included: 7.5 dpi · Wood: Beech hardwood, natural unfinished · Folds: Not described as folding

    Ashford

  4. 4. Best budget

    WILLOWDALE 16 in Rigid Heddle Loom

    Weaving widths: 16 in · Reed included: Heddle shed sticks (dent not given) · Wood: Wood (species not given) · Folds: No

    Amazon
1

Best overall

Schacht Flip 20 in Rigid Heddle Loom

A hard maple loom in 15, 20, 25 and 30 inch widths that folds with the warp on, with a choice of reed.

Weaving widths
15, 20, 25 or 30 in
Reed included
Your choice: 5, 8, 10, 12 or 15 dent
Wood
Solid hard maple, Danish oil finish
Folds
Yes, warped or not

Pros

  • Folds whether it is warped or not, per Schacht
  • Four widths from 15 to 30 inches
  • Choose the reed you need at purchase, from 5 to 15 dent
  • Comes with a warping peg and two stick shuttles

Cons

  • Some widths are periodically out of stock at Schacht
  • On Amazon it comes from a yarn store (WEBS), not Amazon itself

Schacht's Flip is made of solid hard maple with a Danish oil finish and comes in 15, 20, 25 and 30 inch weaving widths, with your choice of a 5, 8, 10, 12 or 15 dent reed. Schacht's headline feature is that it folds whether it is warped or not, so you can put a half-woven project away. Schacht includes a warping peg and two stick shuttles with its rigid heddle looms.

For a seller, 20 or 25 inches is a practical width: wide enough for wraps and tea towels, small enough for a table. Schacht's regular price for the Flip started at $387 when we checked, and Schacht also sells a Flip bundle with the extra tools a beginner needs.

Check price on Amazon
2

Best for beginners

Schacht Cricket 10 in Rigid Heddle Loom

A compact 10 or 15 inch loom that comes with an 8-dent reed, shuttles, clamps, a warping peg and two balls of yarn.

Weaving widths
10 or 15 in
Reed included
8 dent
Wood
Maple plywood and hard maple, unfinished
Folds
No

Pros

  • Everything to start: threading hook, warping peg, table clamps, two shuttles and two balls of yarn
  • 8-dent reed included; other reeds sold separately
  • Small enough for a kitchen table
  • Schacht's regular price from $241

Cons

  • 10 and 15 inch widths suit scarves and small pieces, not towels or throws
  • Unfinished wood

Schacht makes the Cricket from maple plywood and hard maple, left unfinished, in 10 inch (25 cm) and 15 inch (38 cm) widths. Each one comes with an 8-dent reed, a threading hook, a warping peg, table clamps, two shuttles and two balls of yarn, so you can start weaving the day it arrives. Schacht's regular price started at $241 when we checked.

It is the cheapest way into Schacht's looms and the right size for scarves, bookmarks and samples.

Check price on Amazon
3

Best for wide pieces

Ashford Standard Rigid Heddle Loom

Ashford's beech loom in 16, 24, 32 and 48 inch widths, with a built-in second heddle option.

Weaving widths
16, 24, 32 or 48 in
Reed included
7.5 dpi
Wood
Beech hardwood, natural unfinished
Folds
Not described as folding

Pros

  • Widths up to 48 inches for blankets and throws
  • Built-in second heddle option and indirect warping holes
  • Extra reeds in six sizes, per Ashford
  • Includes stick shuttles sized to the loom, clamps, a warping peg and a Learn to Weave booklet

Cons

  • Not sold on Amazon (this link earns us nothing); buy through Ashford dealers
  • Assembly required

Ashford's Standard Rigid Heddle Loom is made of beech hardwood, left natural, and comes in 40 cm (16 inch), 60 cm (24 inch), 80 cm (32 inch) and 120 cm (48 inch) weaving widths, with a 7.5 dpi reed included and extra reeds in six sizes. It has a built-in option for a second heddle, for more complex cloth, and built-in indirect warping holes.

Each width comes with stick shuttles to match (two 48 inch shuttles on the widest loom), cardboard warp sticks, clamps, a threading hook, a warping peg and a Learn to Weave booklet. The 48 inch loom is the one here for blankets, throws and wide yardage.

See it at Ashford
4

Best budget

WILLOWDALE 16 in Rigid Heddle Loom

A 16-inch wooden loom kit with shed sticks, a shuttle and a yarn stand, that flips over to serve as a warping frame, per the Amazon listing.

Weaving widths
16 in
Reed included
Heddle shed sticks (dent not given)
Wood
Wood (species not given)
Folds
No

Pros

  • Flips over to work as a warping frame, per the listing
  • Kit includes 3 heddle shed sticks, a shuttle, 2 heddle hooks, 2 clamps, a peg, a yarn stand and 8 warp sticks
  • Sold by the brand on Amazon

Cons

  • The listing gives no reed dent or wood species
  • Yarn is not included

WILLOWDALE's 16 inch loom kit is described in its Amazon listing as a wooden rigid heddle loom with heddle shed sticks for separating the warp, a shuttle, two heddle hooks, two clamps, a peg, a yarn stand and eight warp sticks, and a frame you can flip over to use as a warping frame (per the Amazon listing).

It is a low-cost way to try weaving placemats and scarves. The listing does not give the dent of its heddle, so check that against the yarn you plan to use.

Check price on Amazon

How a rigid heddle loom works

Warp threads run the length of the loom and pass alternately through the slots and the holes of a single heddle. Lifting the heddle raises the threads in the holes; lowering it drops them. Each position opens a gap, the shed, for the shuttle carrying the weft. That one heddle gives plain weave, and pick-up sticks or a second heddle add patterns: Ashford builds in a second heddle option, and Schacht sells extra heddles for two-heddle weaving.

Reed (heddle) size

The dent, or dents per inch, is how many slots and holes the heddle has per inch, which sets how closely the warp is spaced. A low dent suits thick yarn and a high dent suits fine yarn. Schacht offers 5, 8, 10, 12 and 15 dent reeds for the Flip; Ashford includes a 7.5 dpi reed and sells reeds in six sizes. One reed is enough to start; add others as you weave different yarns.

Weaving width

The loom's weaving width is the widest cloth it can make, before the cloth draws in a little as you weave. Choose it by product:

ProductLoom width that fits
Scarves, bookmarks, samples10 to 15 in (Cricket, Flip 15)
Wraps, tea towels, table runners20 to 25 in (Flip 20 or 25, Ashford 24)
Wide wraps, placemat runs30 to 32 in (Flip 30, Ashford 32)
Blankets and throws48 in (Ashford 48), or panels sewn together

The four side by side

LoomWidthsReed includedSpecs from
Schacht Flip15, 20, 25, 30 inChoice of 5 to 15 dentSchacht
Schacht Cricket10, 15 in8 dentSchacht
Ashford Standard16, 24, 32, 48 in7.5 dpiAshford
WILLOWDALE 1616 inNot givenAmazon listing

Extras worth having

Schacht lists the tools it considers essential beyond the loom (a warp separator and more yarn) and nice to have: extra shuttles, pick-up sticks, more reeds, a floor stand and a warping board. Both Schacht and Ashford sell stands for their looms, which free up the table.

Woven goods sit well beside other handmade stock: see our knitting machine guide for hats and the rug tufting gun guide for rugs.

Schacht Flip 20 in Rigid Heddle LoomCheck price on Amazon

Frequently asked questions

What size rigid heddle loom should I buy?

Match the weaving width to what you plan to make: 10 to 15 inches for scarves, 20 to 25 inches for wraps and tea towels, and up to 48 inches for blankets. Schacht's Flip comes in 15 to 30 inches and Ashford's Standard loom in 16 to 48 inches.

What does dent mean on a rigid heddle reed?

The number of slots and holes per inch, which sets the warp spacing. Low dents suit thick yarn and high dents fine yarn. Schacht sells 5 to 15 dent reeds for the Flip; Ashford includes a 7.5 dpi reed.

Is the Schacht Cricket good for beginners?

It is built for it: Schacht includes an 8-dent reed, a threading hook, a warping peg, clamps, two shuttles and two balls of yarn, so you can warp and weave straight from the box.

Can I fold a rigid heddle loom with weaving on it?

The Schacht Flip, yes: Schacht says it folds whether it is warped or not. Check other looms' instructions before folding them with a warp on.

Can a rigid heddle loom weave patterns?

Yes, with pick-up sticks or a second heddle. Ashford builds in a second heddle option, and Schacht sells extra heddles for two-heddle weaving.

Sources

  1. Flip Rigid Heddle Looms, Schacht Spindle Company
  2. Cricket Rigid Heddle Looms, Schacht Spindle Company
  3. Rigid Heddle Looms, Schacht Spindle Company
  4. Standard Rigid Heddle Loom, Ashford Handicrafts

Cover image: Illustration: CraftsCall (AI-generated)

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