Once the warp yarns are spread out across the lease sticks each individual warp yarn is drawn through the reed. This is called sleying the reed.

Many weavers use a tool called a reed hook to sley the reed. A reed hook is a small, thin tool with a grasping curve at the end. The reed hook is inserted through the reed from the back to the front. A warp yarn is caught by the hook and pulled through the reed space. This process is repeated across the length of the warp until all the yarns have been sleyed.