Listening, Prototyping, and a Lot of Beads: How X Loom's New Extension Rods Came to Be

Welcome back to our innovation journal — a series where I share the progress, thinking, and little experiments behind X Loom's evolution.

Recently, I designed two new extension rods for X Loom. They make the loom easier to use and open up entirely new creative possibilities. Let me tell you the story behind them.

It Started With Your Feedback

Some of you who have been using X Loom told me how much you love it — and how you love taking it with you when you go out. But there was one thing that kept coming up: warping felt a bit tedious, especially when you only wanted to make something small.

Threading the warp through the rigid heddle is wonderful for longer pieces, but when you're working on a short project, it can feel like a lot of setup for a little result. A few of you said, "I wish I could warp it as quickly as a simple frame loom" — even though those looms can only handle very short work.

That got me thinking. What if X Loom could give you that same quick-warping convenience, without giving up everything that makes X Loom special?

The First Rod: Sparse-Tooth Extension Rod

X Loom has two cylindrical rods that normally help you keep your warp even and tidy. I realized these rods could be replaced with specialized versions to serve different purposes.

I looked at how traditional frame looms work — their simple, evenly spaced notches let you wrap the warp in seconds. Based on that idea, I created the sparse-tooth extension rod. After testing, it does exactly what I hoped: you can warp up in no time, and it works beautifully for tapestry weaving.

The best part? It keeps all of X Loom's advantages. You can still weave upright — no more hunching over. And unlike a plain frame loom, you can still use string heddles to help separate your warp threads. It's the quick convenience of a frame loom, with the flexibility and ergonomics of X Loom.

The Second Rod: Dense-Tooth Rod for Bead Weaving

Here's where things got personal. Lately, I've been obsessed with bead weaving — making little bracelets is so much fun. Naturally, I started wondering: could X Loom do bead weaving too?

Once again, the extension rod idea came to the rescue. This time I designed a dense-tooth rod with 1.6 mm spacing — perfectly sized for the 1.6 mm beads I love working with. The test results were fantastic. X Loom is now a bead loom, too.

What This Means for You

Two rods, two new ways to create:

• Sparse-tooth rod — quick warping for small projects and tapestry

• Dense-tooth rod (1.6 mm) — bead weaving for bracelets and more

Both simply replace the existing cylindrical rods on your X Loom — no complicated setup, no new loom to buy.

I'm thrilled to share that ten of our existing X Loom owners have already placed their orders. That means more than anything to me — it tells me X Loom is growing alongside your creativity, and that's exactly what I've always wanted for this little loom.

I'd Love to Hear From You

What would you like X Loom to do next? Is there a technique you've been wishing you could try, or a frustration you've been working around? Leave a comment below — I read every single one, and your ideas genuinely shape what I build next.

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for growing with WEAVEMPOWER. Here's to many more weaving adventures together.

— Willa

Dense-tooth rod (1.6 mm) — bead weaving for bracelets and more

Sparse-tooth rod — quick warping for small projects and tapestry