High-Warp Loom

Upright handloom traditionally used for tapestry and carpet weaving, in which the warp threads are stretched vertically between roller-beams at the top and bottom, or, in early versions, suspended from a cross-beam at the top and weighted at the bottom. The shed or gap for the weft threads to pass through is opened by a hand-operated mechanism, making the weaving process slower than the treadle-operated low-warp loom. Facing the loom, the weaver works weft patterns into the back of the warp, ensuring consistency with the reference image by going around the loom or using mirrors. The high-warp loom is speculated to have originated in Syria or Mesopotamia.