How a loom gets its threads

Warping is the step that turns many separate cones of yarn into one warp beam: a large roller with thousands of lengthwise threads, called ends, wound side by side at the same tension and the same length. The cones sit on a rack called a creel, and their yarn is pulled forward together onto the beam. Direct warping winds the full width in one go and suits long runs of single-colour warps. Sectional warping builds the beam in narrow bands, which suits striped, yarn-dyed and short runs. Weft needs much less preparation, because on modern shuttleless looms it is fed straight off a cone.