Swift Upgrades

Weft Pick Holes | Custom Engraving | Notches | Warping Helpers

To the proud owners of our original Swift Darning Looms, we see you, we appreciate you, and we want to make sure that you don't miss out on the full evolution of our product. It’s a bad business idea maybe, but only if you don’t think about it too hard…because you know we have your back, and design our looms to last the long haul.

We’re here to be in community with like-minded darning darlings who appreciate the art of mending and the true value of sustainable fashion, not just make a quick sale. And after all, each of these upgrades was inspired by you! Seeing the ways that the #SwiftDarner community uses and interacts with our looms helps us to daydream tweaks and changes and creative ideas to keep making our looms better.

Whenever we make a significant upgrade or improvement to our Swift Darning Loom collection, we’ll share how you can DIY the same or similar features. Please be generous in return and understand that any modifications you make on your Swift Darning Loom are done at your own risk.

February 2022: Weft Pick Holes

A customer (Devorah I believe! Hi!) reached out asking if I had an idea of how to weave bracelets using the Swift Darning Loom. After some pondering, we came up with the Weft Pick adapter that we still use today! We tested the concept earlier than this, so there are some XL Work Surfaces out there with just one row of holes instead of three, so that's always an option if you want to start there too.

Download and print our template, which includes all the instructions and a list of equipment you'll need to drill the Weft Pick holes.

Weaving Holes Template (US Letter) or Weaving Holes Template (A4)

To learn how to make the tapestry I'm working on above, pick up this guide, which is kind of a bonus upgrade we first published in April/May 2024.

September 2022: Custom Engraving

Midway through 2022 is when we started using Kwartzlab's famous Laser Cutter to engrave our logo and "made in kitchener" on the back of each Swift Darning Loom, which at the same time opened up the idea of letting you add your own sweet note! Here are some of the messages you chose:

Even if you don't have access to a laser like we do, there's nothing stopping you from doodling, etching, or painting to customize yours. If you do, send me a picture and I'll feature it on this page ♥

You can order Custom Engraving on a new Swift Darner purchase here.

January 2023: Notches

I think lots of people inspired this one, but when I just checked back in The Archives (previous newsletters lol) I made a note that Erin pushed me to give this notch thing a go. And then tons more of you came out of the woodwork (hehe) saying you'd done the same thing on yours, DIY-style! And no one ever told me??? Y'alllllllll.

To DIY this one, you'll need a dowel or knitting needle that's about 1/4" (or 5-6mm) in diameter and some sandpaper. As you can see in the photo above, the groove lands just where the plywood and the hook body meet. Starting with a coarser grit, wrap the sandpaper around the dowel and sand away at a 45° angle to the corner. Smooth out any edges and soften everything with a finer grit sandpaper.

January 2024: Swift Warping Helpers

With some more experience teaching darning workshops, live in a room with other delightful humans, we realized that a common struggle in the learning curve was getting all those warp threads spaced evenly, so Scott created this little cardboard tool which we now include with all of our looms.

Download our printable PDF template:

Warping Helper (US Letter) or Warping Helper (A4)

Click here for the full video tutorial on how the Swift Warping Helper works.

Here are some of the aforementioned lovely humans who inspired the warping helper ♥

There will be more upgrades to come, I'm sure! Thanks for supporting our work. We're excited to keep learning, growing, mending, stitching, and playing alongside you.