OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

Weaving uses two sets of threads. The threads that go up and down are called the warp. The threads that go side to side are called the weft. The weft thread goes over one warp thread, then under the next, over and under, over and under.

A tool called a loom holds the warp threads tight so the weaver can work. Looms come in many sizes. Some looms are small enough to hold in your hands. Others are as big as a whole room!

Here is how simple weaving works:

1. Set up the warp threads on a loom so they are tight and straight.
2. Take the weft thread and pass it over and under the warp threads, going from one side to the other.
3. Push the weft thread down tight against the row before it.
4. Go back the other way, this time going under and over.
5. Keep going until your fabric is done!

• The oldest piece of woven fabric ever found is about 27,000 years old! It was discovered in a cave in the country of Georgia.
• Spiders are nature’s weavers. They spin silk threads and weave them into webs to catch their food.
• Some birds, called weaverbirds, weave grass and leaves into amazing nests that hang from tree branches.
• In the country of Ghana in Africa, people weave beautiful colorful cloth called kente. Each color and pattern has a special meaning.
• The cloth your blue jeans are made of is a type of woven fabric called denim.