Wind the warp in colour order
Follow the warp colour order from your WIF, with optional counting-thread and bout reminders while you wind.
How warping tracking worksWhat is a weaving tracker?
A weaving tracker is a tool that helps you keep your place while working through a weaving draft. It can be as simple as a pencil mark on a printed pattern, a sticky note, a row counter, or a physical treadle tracker. Digital weaving trackers put the same basic idea on a screen, helping you see what comes next and record where you are.
The primary focus is keeping your place at the loom. Following a draft step by step makes the physical work of winding, threading, and weaving much smoother, whether you design your own pattern or start from an imported WIF file.
Drafts and patterns
Start with the drafts you already use
Some weavers design their own drafts. Others start from a magazine pattern, a class project, a guild library, or a WIF file shared by a teacher or friend.
A weaving tracker fits either workflow. Once you have a draft, the work is following it through warping, threading, and weaving. WeavingGem lets you create or edit a draft in the app, or import a WIF, then helps you track each stage.
A simple workflow
- Start a draft in WeavingGem, open one from your computer, or download a WIF from a guild library.
- Create Draft in WeavingGem, or open a WIF from Files, AirDrop, email, or iCloud Drive.
- Check your colours and loom setup before you start.
- Track Warp, Thread, and Weave progress at the loom.
Track your progress from warp to weave
Keep your threading clear
Work through threading groups with yarn colour and shaft information visible, so you can dress the loom without constantly searching paper.
How threading tracking worksFollow each pick at the loom
Track the current treadle, shaft lift, or pick. Step forward, step back, and keep going when your draft repeats.
How weaving pick tracking works
At the loom
Keep your hands where the work is
Tap or swipe on your iPhone or iPad, advance from Apple Watch, or say next and back with Voice Control. Use whichever input keeps your hands on the shuttle and the work.
Your progress saves on your device, so you can step away and pick up the same draft right where you left off.
I finally got the chance to start weaving with your app today. First off, I will say that I much prefer weaving with your app compared to what I was doing previously – which was printing out the pattern, taping it to my loom, and using a sticky note that I had to move line by line. Using WeavingGem is much more convenient for me.
How tracking works with drafting and design
Drafting and design
Drafting is where you work out the structure: threading, tie-up, and treadling. WeavingGem gives you a touch canvas to build, edit, or tweak drafts directly on your iPad or iPhone, complete with instant cloth drawdown feedback.
Pattern libraries
Find patterns and drafts created by other weavers, designers, teachers, magazines, or weaving organizations.
Weaving trackers
Follow a draft step by step while you are doing the physical work of warping, threading, and weaving at the loom.
These tools work together. You can design a draft yourself, edit an existing one, or import a pattern from a library, then use a tracker to follow it through warping, threading, and weaving.
Weaving tracker FAQ
What is a weaving tracker?
A weaving tracker is a tool that helps you keep your place while working through a weaving draft. WeavingGem is a digital weaving tracker for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch that turns WIF drafts into clear warping, threading, and weaving steps.
Can I create or edit a weaving draft in WeavingGem?
Yes. You can start a draft right in the app with Create Draft, or tap Edit pattern to change threading, tie-ups, or treadling on an existing pattern. Paint threading and weft picks directly on the canvas and watch the drawdown update. When you are ready to dress the loom, your changes carry straight into Warp, Thread, and Weave modes. Read the 1.5.0 update.
Can I use WIF files from pattern libraries?
Yes. WeavingGem imports compatible WIF files from Files, AirDrop, email, or iCloud Drive. Most standard WIF drafts from teachers, guilds, and pattern sources work, though not every export format is supported.
Does WeavingGem work without Wi-Fi?
Yes. Drafts and progress stay on your device. You do not need Wi-Fi or an account to weave with WeavingGem.
Can I track warping, threading, and weaving separately?
Yes. Open a draft and choose Warp to follow the warp colour order, Thread to work through threading groups, or Weave to track picks, treadles, or shaft lifts.
Do I need a weaving tracker to weave?
No. Physical methods like printed drafts, pencils, sticky notes, counters, and treadle trackers work well. A digital tracker is another option to keep your place.