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| Decision field | Free + paidHandweaving.net Draft ArchiveGlobalRemove | Open accessYarnSubGlobalRemove | Free accountSwatchOnGlobalRemove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Decision fit | |||
| Primary job | Learn techniques | Choose materials | Choose materials |
| Also useful for | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded | No additional job recorded |
| Area | Techniques & repair | Yarn | Materials |
| Best for | Researching loom-ready weaving structures and drafts | Building a substitution shortlist for a discontinued or unavailable yarn before checking quantity, availability, and a representative swatch | Sourcing swatches and low-MOQ fabric options |
| Know before using | A visible drawdown is not automatically a complete, corrected, rights-cleared, or loom-compatible project plan. Full draft data and advanced tools require a renewing subscription, and historical sources can contain errors or unclear provenance. Check shafts, treadles, tie-up, sett, yarn, floats, repeats, copyright status, and WIF compatibility before committing a warp. | A suggested match is a data-based shortlist, not proof that the yarn suits the pattern or maker. Records can be incomplete or wrong, price bands are approximate, availability varies by country and seller, and shade-level matching is unavailable. YarnSub says affiliate status does not change suggestions, but equally rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. Confirm required gauge, total length, fibre behavior, construction, care, colour, dye lot, accessibility, price, availability, and seller terms, then make and assess a representative swatch before committing. | SwatchOn's supplier status, counts, trust language, specifications, prices, availability, and account benefits are provider or supplier statements that can change. They do not independently establish fibre identity, performance, certification validity, mill ownership, production capacity, colour continuity, delivery, duty, or commercial fit. Review representative samples, test data, current certificates, the contracting entity, order terms, return limits, and landed logistics before purchase. |
| Practical access | |||
| For | Makers | Makers | Apparel brands |
| Location or jurisdiction | Global | Global | Global |
| Access | Free + paid | Open access | Free account |
| Format | Reference | Reference | Marketplace |
| Source type | First-party platform | First-party platform | Commercial marketplace |
| Account, payment, and exit | |||
| Access scope | Weaver deciding whether viewing a draft is enough or a working WIF file and editing tools are required. | Maker comparing a replacement for a named yarn before buying. | Business or individual buyer sourcing fabric, trims, swatches, or custom printing through SwatchOn's marketplace and order workflow. |
| Before an account | Browse the Ralph Griswold archive, download archive documents, and view draft drawdowns without a paid subscription. | Search a named yarn, inspect suggested substitutes, and filter by fibre and approximate price band without creating an account. | Read the marketplace scope, material-category pages, service explanations, help articles, calculators, and legal policies. The checked signed-out pages do not expose the full product library, wholesale ordering, or sample-purchase workflow. |
| Free-account boundary | A free basic account adds clipboards. Full drafts, working files, and browser drafting tools remain outside the free account. | The checked core substitution route does not require an account, and the FAQ does not offer user-entered yarn records. | After email verification, business and individual accounts receive product-library, wholesale-order, and sample-purchase access. A completed business profile and business proof add a sourcing manager and conditional swatch credits; the terms allow identity, business, or payment verification and account rejection. |
| Payment boundary | A monthly or annual recurring subscription unlocks full drafts, WIF downloads, and browser drafting and editing tools. | No subscription is presented for the core route. Affiliate retailer links and optional donations help fund the site; equal-rated matches are ordered by brand popularity. | The checked first-party pages disclose no recurring platform subscription. Buyers pay per sample or product order plus the checkout currency, shipping, duties, taxes, adjustments, and any agreed service fees; complimentary swatches or credits are conditional rather than universal free access. |
| Cancellation or exit | Cancel from the account page. Renewal stops at the next renewal date, paid access remains until then, and the provider states that refunds are not given. | There is no account or recurring plan to cancel for the core route. The newsletter has a separate unsubscribe link. | There is no subscription plan to cancel on the checked pages. The terms say a user may stop using the platform, while the privacy policy routes access, correction, portability, and deletion requests through support and permits retention for legal, accounting, dispute, and agreement-enforcement needs. |
| Saved work and data | The checked page does not explain bulk export or deletion for clipboards or contributed drafts. Retain local copies of WIF files and source material before exit. | YarnSub does not expose an API and does not accept user-entered yarn details. Use the data-issue link on a yarn page for corrections. | The platform can hold account and verification data, carts and orders, payment and shipping records, customs documents, artwork, supplier messages, reviews, and support tickets. The privacy policy offers copy, portability, correction, and deletion requests, but does not state a self-service full export, exact format, completion time, or complete deletion of retained transaction records. |
| Source and review | |||
| What the source establishes | Handweaving.net currently exposes the Ralph Griswold digital archive, document downloads, draft drawdown views, basic-account clipboards, and video tutorials without a paid subscription. Its subscription page reserves full drafts, WIF downloads, draft creation and editing, color tools, profile and block substitution, arrangement, repeats, and related browser tools for subscribers. The current page states that plans renew until canceled, cancellation takes effect at the next renewal, access remains until then, and refunds are not offered. | YarnSub's official FAQ says its matching software compares gauge, texture, yarn weight and density, fibre content, and fibre qualities such as drape and softness. Discontinued yarns remain searchable as starting points but are excluded from suggestions. Result filters can exclude animal, animal-derived, synthetic, or plant fibre groups and use a subjective $ to $$$$$ price indicator. The site does not accept user-entered yarn details, individual shade cards, or expose an API. Each yarn page provides a data-issue route. | SwatchOn's current marketplace page exposes fabrics, trims, and prints, with swatch samples, in-stock catalogue colours, low-order-quantity options, and global logistics support. Current account guidance places the full product library, wholesale ordering, and sample purchasing behind email verification, while the terms describe supplier-provided listings, per-order payment, cross-border charges, sample limits, and marketplace responsibility. |
| Linked page reviewed | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 | Jul 28, 2026 |
| Next review due | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 | Jan 24, 2027 |
| Inspect | |||
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