A Peruvian back sling loom.
Weaving is one of the oldest crafts, possibly the oldest craft that mankind uses. Before the invention of the loom, weaving was a slow and complex task. Prior to the loom, most weaving was for basketry, netting and dwellings made out of rough plant fibers. As looms were developed, fibers were refined and cloth was produced, as well as rugs and tapestries.
History
While woven artifacts date back to as early as 8000 BC, according to Susan Wylly of Georgia College and State University, weaving is thought to have developed long before that. The first looms were primitive constructions, usually involving the branch of a tree to hang the warp (vertical threads) from, weighted down with rocks or other heavy items. Variations on the basic loom were used in almost every continent, and, according to Wylly, the types of weaving produced were very similar in the initial days. The loom developed rapidly into frame looms, present in Egypt in 5000 BC, back sling looms in Peru as early as 5800 BC, and complex floor looms were seen in Egypt in 1900 BC. The discovery of the weaving shed was one of the revolutionary loom additions, making it possible to pass a weft thread through the warp threads in one go, rather than weaving in and out--this sped up weaving considerably. According to Alien Travel Guide, the loom was further improved in China in the Shang period between 1766 and 1122 BC. This period saw the development of the treadle loom, which is the basis of modern mechanical looms. Treadle looms allowed for large bolts of fabric to be woven in a shorter period of time. During the Industrial Revolution (around 1760 to 1815 AD) weaving became mechanized and powered by steam engines--the modern industrial weaving loom was born. Today weaving looms are essentially the same as those from the industrial revolution, except safer, and usually run by computer programs.
Types
There are many different types of looms. There are small, lap looms used to weave decorative pieces, like hexagonal looms and square or rectangular frame looms. Back sling looms are portable weaving looms that attach to a grounded object (traditionally a tree trunk) and use the weight of the weaver to pull the warp threads tight. Floor looms are usually constructed like a table, with the loom horizontal, and vertical looms like those used by the Navajo Indians suspend the warp in a vertical frame. Large mechanized looms are complex structures that do all weaving applications automatically.
Benefits
Looms allow for weaving to be completed in a much swifter manner. They also help to produce uniform weaving and keep weaving from coming apart even when the weaving is not being worked on.
Application
Looms are used in all textiles manufacturing to produce cloth from all kinds of fibers, from cotton to linen, wool, silk and hemp. Woven fabric from looms is used in almost every facet of life, from the sails of ships to curtains, rugs, bed linen and, of course, clothing.
Dangers
During the mechanization of looms, looms and weaving became a dangerous craft, as the heavy, automatic looms would not stop for fingers, toes or even whole arms. Young children were employed to untangle the frequent knots that occurred in early mechanized looms, and many children died in loom accidents. According to The Industrial Revolution, the appalling condition of textile workers in this era lead to the creation of workers unions, and the textile workers are seen as the founders of the modern union system.
