How to Make a Warping Board for Weaving

Organize your yarn on your own homemade warp board.

Warp boards have a simple design, and you can make one yourself out of materials that you might already have at home.

1. Measure and cut two 2-inch-wide-by-1/2-inch-thick planks of wood to 4 feet long with a table saw. Cut two more of the same sized planks to 3 feet long. These planks make up the sides of the warp board.

2. Assemble the pieces of wood so that the long pieces are parallel to each other, the short pieces are parallel to each other and the corners meet to form the frame. Nail the pieces together at the corners with 1-inch-long nails. You now have the four-sided frame of the warp board.

3. Measure and mark every 2 inches along the shorter sides of the frame with measuring tape and a pen. The distance between the marks is how far apart the "pegs" will be, which are what separate the yarn on the board.

4. Pound 4-inch-long, 1/4-inch-wide nails into each spot where you marked. Pound them in so that 3 1/2 inches of the nail's length is extending up from the surface of the wood. You now have the "pegs" which separate the lengths of yarn on the board.

5. Measure every 3 or 4 inches on the longer sides, mark with a pen and pound the nails the same way you did on the shorter sides. Unravel the yarn from the skeins or rolls and cross them diagonally from one peg on the short ends of the warp board. The distance from one peg to the other tells you how long the lengths of yarn are without having to measure them every time.