How do I make a pattern fit a narrower loom?

Some patterns in books and magazines may be written for a wider loom than the one you own. A pattern might call for 21 inches in the reed when your loom only weaves 16. You may still be able to weave it by taking some ends out of the draft.

The tricky part is choosing which ends to take out. If you cut in the wrong spot, a motif or a repeat can stop halfway and look unfinished at the edge. Here are two ways you could handle it, depending on your pattern.

How do I trim a pattern that doesn't repeat?

If the pattern doesn't repeat, you can remove warp ends from each side until it fits. Taking the same number from both sides helps keep the design centred.

1. Open the pattern and tap Edit Draft. Then choose Select.
2. Drag across the threading to highlight the ends you want to remove on one side.
3. Tap Delete.
4. Do the same on the other side.

You can remove threads from anywhere in the pattern, not just the sides. A plain section in the middle can work well too. In this example, the sides were the easiest place to cut.

How do I narrow a repeating pattern?

For a repeating pattern, lower the number of ends in Draft setup and choose where to keep the pattern. WeavingGem crops the rest. Picking a number that ends on a full repeat helps the edges look finished.

1. In the pattern editor, open the menu and choose Draft setup.
2. Under Canvas size, change Ends to the number you want.
3. Under Keep content at, choose where the pattern stays. Centre trims both sides evenly. Top left keeps end 1 where it is and trims from the other side.
4. Tap Update, then Crop to confirm.

What should I check before I wind the warp?

A narrower draft has fewer warp ends, so your yarn amounts change too. Check that the borders still look balanced on both sides. Then update your project numbers before you wind.

The Project Calculator in WeavingGem reads the ends in your draft, so it should show the new width in the reed once you have trimmed the pattern. Editing a pattern that is already in your library is free, so you don't need Pro for any of this.

If you opened the pattern from a WIF file, your trimmed version is saved inside WeavingGem. To keep it as its own file and leave the original as it was, use Save as…. The save guide explains how.

Related guides

• How do I save changes back to my WIF file?
• Does WeavingGem work with jack and counterbalance looms?
• How do I open a WIF file on my iPhone or iPad?