Hand loom

A loom comprising:

• a first elongated beam having upper and lower surfaces;
• a second elongated beam having upper and lower surfaces parallel to and spaced from the first beam;
• a first transverse roller having a first longitudinal axis rotatably mounted on and extending between the first and second beams;
• a second transverse roller having a second longitudinal axis parallel to and spaced from the first transverse roller rotatably mounted on and extending between the first and second beams;
• each transverse roller having a peripheral surface formed with a plurality of equally sized and spaced annular grooves, each groove lying in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of its associated roller;
• a disk-shaped thumb wheel having a textured peripheral edge surface fixed to each roller with a center aligned with the longitudinal axis of the roller, portions of the textured edge surface of each thumb wheel projecting beyond the planes of the upper and lower surfaces of the beams enabling rotation of the thumb wheel caused by a user applying tangential frictional force to the textured edge surface to also rotate the associated roller;
• enabling warp threads to be produced by tying an end of elongate material to itself after drawing the elongate material over the top plane of, and partially encircling, a first groove of the first roller adjacent the first beam and drawing it to the bottom plane of, and partially encircling, a first groove of the second roller adjacent and parallel to the first beam, such length of elongate material being an initial warp loop, then to and around a second groove of the first roller adjacent the first groove, then to and around a second groove of the second roller adjacent the first groove, and continuing the process to successive adjacent grooves, then tying an end of the elongate material to itself after partially encircling a last groove of the second roller adjacent the second beam, this final length of elongate material being a final warp loop, such that the entire region between the initial warp loop and the final warp loop is occupied by a plurality of generally parallel loops of the elongate material;
• and
• then, with a location intermediate the first and second rollers as a point of entry, enabling weft threads to be produced by weaving elongate material as a first weft thread successively over and under the parallel warp threads toward and substantially perpendicular to the second beam, then back as a second weft thread successively over and under the parallel warp threads adjacent the first weft thread to the first beam, and continuing the process again and again until a resultant woven fabric of desired size results in an upper plane of the loom generally aligned with the upper surfaces of the first and second beams;
• rotation of the thumb wheel for the first roller effecting movement of the woven fabric in the direction of the first roller to retain the point of entry of each successive weft thread substantially intermediate the first and second rollers and enabling the woven fabric, as it is produced, to proceed over the first roller to a lower plane of the loom generally aligned with the lower surfaces of the first and second beams.