Pit loom
A handloom set low over a pit dug in the floor, where the weaver sits at ground level with the feet in the pit.
Also: pit-loom weaving
On a pit loom the foot pedals, called treadles, hang down into a hollow cut in the floor of the weaving room. The weaver sits on the edge of the pit, feet working the pedals, while the warp stretches out ahead, often to a post or beam some distance away. Because the frame is low and simple, it can be set up in a small house and moved, and many village weavers still use it. Kota doria, Gadwal and much silk and cotton weaving in south and east India have long been done this way. The pit also keeps the room cooler and the thread slightly damp, which helps fine cotton.