I have a friend who is new to weaving and I'd love to get them a loom for their birthday - any recommendations for a reasonably-priced "starter" loom that doesn't take up too much space?

Fellow fiber artist here! I spin yarn, felt, crochet, dabble in knitting, etc and sell quite a bit of it; all this to say I’m prepared to budget for the actual cost of this! I would appreciate any input from some actual weavers on how to go about commissioning some yardage of cloth. I want to sew a skirt for just myself, and the closest equivalent fabrics I can find are tweed suiting, but they lack the colors I’m looking for.

What I would be asking for:
Herringbone weave
Weft color changes every inch or so
Black warp
About 4-5 colors
5 yards (doesn’t have to be continuous, also I’m very patient)

What I can supply:
Handspun for weft

My questions:
What are the widths I could expect? I’m not familiar with loom types and what they are capable of.

What type of weaver and loom should I look for?

Is herringbone considered a complex weave?

If I spin up wool, what would be an ideal weight and ply? Is a blend better?

How many yards/how much weight in wool would be adequate for such a large quantity or cloth?

How much should I expect to budget? I want to pay fairly, even if I have to save for a while. I would probably pay down a deposit or at least provide as many supplies as I can upfront. I know the hours put in are real, and that’s the most valuable part of the whole thing.

I will probably be looking through the Eugene textile center or other Oregon and Washington weaving guilds, I have a lot of different groups to look at thanks to the robust fiber community here. OR if anyone here on reddit is in the US that wants to tackle such a project lol we can talk.

ANYWAY if you got this far, thank you so much for reading! Any answers and advice are appreciated! Please Let me know if I need to consider anything else 🙏

He won't give me my theards. I think he wants to weave it himself. 🐱🤏

I have taught a couple weaving classes on RH looms, and am trying to branch out in my yarn types without needing to buy ALL the yarns to try them each (I would love to but my bank account wouldn't!).

In the past I've done 8/2 cotton doubled in a 7.5 dent reed, and with a windowpane weave it was squishy and lovely but a bit rougher of a hand feel. 8/2 in a 12.5 dent reed is a bit too gauzy so i don't use that in my classes, but it does feel nicer and dry quick. And 4/2 in the 12.5 dent is still a bit gauzy, but just seems a little "flat" for lack of a better word... I've been using a basic natural 4/2 from a 5lb cone mixed with some 4/2 Ad Astra, which seems much softer than the bulk cone so that is still an option.

What are your favorite cotton yarns for beginners to weave decent feeling dish towels on a rigid heddle with a 12.5 dent reed? Help me narrow down my choices please!!

In the last couple of weeks there has been some discussion about odd and strange "new" books on weaving appearing on Amazon. It was pointed out that the curious books tend to have an author's name always in the same style- first name, middle initial, last name, but all authors were unknown to seasoned weavers. This got me curious, so in my copious spare time, I started digging thru ISBN numbers and discovered that there were NO recorded numbers on the official registries. Odd, to say the least. So, maybe in my haste, I reported the books as phony to Amazon. (I have actually seen and held one of these phantom books that a fellow guild member purchased, and to say they are AI slop would be an understatement) So, today I noticed that Amazon is heavily pushing a couple of the books I previously reported. Being the curious sort that I am, I went and re-did the ISBN search, and, low and behold, there is now a listing and a direct link to purchase said book on Amazon. (the website that pops up first for an ISBN search is ISBNsearch (dot) org) As I am a believer in the evils of sites such as Amazon, I went to another ISBN search site farther down the list and entered the same number that was listed and discovered- "no listing found" I don't know if a bot is working its magic or Amazon acquired a registry or not all registries are complete, but something stinks. Caveat emptor!

Working on fabric for apron for Lithuanian national costume

I wish I was this fast in real life 😅😅😅

(Reddit ruined the quality of the timelapse 😢)