Stringing the Initial Beads
Watch Kathy's animated video to see how she warps her loom. She begins by stringing an initial set of beads on the warp thread.
Tip: For this method, I strongly recommend FireLine beading thread (4 lb. or 6 lb.) over any of the nylon beading threads. That's because FireLine is much less likely to split when you weave beads -- and it's essential to avoid thread splitting with this technique. (We'll get to the details of that shortly.)
Using thread that's still on the spool, pick up the same number of beads as there are vertical columns in your design. Each of these beads ultimately becomes every other bead in the first and last rows of your design, and you need to pick them up in an order that alternates between the first and last row.
As you can imagine, that's a little complicated when you're following a pattern. To make it easier, it's a good idea to always use the same color of bead for this step, regardless of what your pattern calls for.
I used the Amanda Mini Amulet Bag Pattern, which has 13 columns and begins and ends with a row of salmon colored beads. So, I threaded my needle (a size 10/0 English beading needle) on FireLine still on the spool, and picked up a total of 13 salmon colored beads.
Creating the Warps
To begin warping, remove the needle and tie the end of the thread to one of the knitting needles. Bring the thread to the other end of the loom, and wrap it over and around the knitting needle on the other side. Take all but one of the beads along with the thread, and use your fingers to position that bead so that it remains on the thread in front of the knitting needle.
While gradually unrolling the thread from the spool, pass it back to the other side of the loom and up and over the knitting needle, again leaving one bead behind. Repeat this process (always taking the thread up and over, never under and over) until you have all of your warps. As usual, you need one more warp thread than there are columns in your pattern. For the Amanda pattern, that means 14 warps.
Make your warps as tight as you can, because you won't be able to change their tension later. Use your fingers to space the warps a few millimeters apart from one another.
After stringing the final warp, trim the beading thread (using kids' craft scissors or a hobby knife) and tie it to the last knitting needle that you wrapped around. Use a sturdy sewing needle or a beading awl to tighten down the knot and preserve the tension.
Tip: This unusual approach to warping can be challenging at first, but it gets easier with practice.
See how I began beading my pattern on Page 3.