Lamb...on the Loom

Yarn Wraps, Part 1: Why, How & Finding Inspiration

2/18/2020

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Click on any photo to zoom in

Why Wrap?

Important tool in a weaver’s toolbox
Great way to do color studies
Inexpensive way to experiment with colorways for warp planning
Keep as part of your project record

Mechanics of making a yarn wrap

Needed:

Cardboard: 2” x 6-8” strips – preferably white
Double sided tape
Masking tape
Scissors
Yarn

Tip: Use a firm cardboard like a mat board.

Place 3 strips of double-sided tape on the back of a 2 x 6-8” cardboard strip.

Cut short pieces of yarn (1 - 2 yards) of each color you plan to use in the wrap

Secure the first color yarn on the tape on the back side of the card and begin wrapping snugly around the card.

When finished with that stripe, clip the yarn and secure on the back of the card on the tape

Begin the next color by securing it on the tape on the back of the card

Continue adding stripes of color until you have achieved the design you want.

It’s easy to add small stripes in between, reduce the size of a stripe, or take out a stripe and replace with a different color if needed.

When satisfied, cover the back with masking tape to secure.

Color inspirations for yarn wraps

Favorite photographs
Artwork
Scenes in nature
Favorite yarns or fabrics

Designing the wrap:
the artistic part of the work

Stripes can be random
Stripes can be inspired by the proportions of color in your artwork or fabric
Stripes can follow a mathematical pattern:
Fibonacci series: 1-1-2-3-5-8-13-21-34-55...
Rearranged Fibonacci: 5-1-8-2-13-1-3-8-5-13-21-8-3-5-1-13
Pascal’s triangle: 1-1-1-1-2-1-1-3-3-1-1-4-6-4-1-1-5-10-10-5-1…
Square numbers: 1-2-4-9-16-25-36….

Inspiration from yarns

Evolution of a wrap for napkins

1

2

3

Starting point

Replaced the purple and green with natural and aqua

Removed the white, added medium blue/navy blue combo stripes for dark blue & medium blue stripes, and in the center, added red and yellow accents

Result: 1 warp, 3 wefts, 3 napkins

Planning a blanket
A mixed wrap was made from assorted wool yarns.

Result:
The sample at right was woven with a black wool weft to determine the sett for a blanket.

Inspiration from fabric

From window treatment to wrap

Result: A set of cottolin dishtowels

Inspiration from artwork

Designing a rug
Peggy from the Triangle Weavers Guild was inspired by this painting to do a series of wraps

Result: A rep weave rug!

A class project

Leslie's wrap from a painting, done in a class setting

Result: A sample. In this case, the loom was warped with 2 different colors, and the wrap was woven as the weft!

Designing a napkin
Ruth Ann from the Triangle Weavers Guild used this painting from a calendar and a grid copied onto vellum to decide how much of each color to include in her wraps

Result: 2 wraps, the second of which was used to create a warp for the napkin.

First wrap

Second wrap

The napkin samples

Inspiration from a photo

Result: A cotton scarf

Split complementary color scheme

Fibonacci series used randomly for stripes

Result: a wool scarf

A color study using warm colors and Fibonacci series for the wrap.

Similar colors were used to design 2 ply-split braids.

Inspiration from nature

Fine threads can sometimes be used to “blend” together to get a desired color when the exact color you need is not on your shelf.

Inspiration from fashion

Primary Triad color scheme

Fibonacci series used randomly for stripes
(1-3-2-1-5-1-3-1-2-5-1-3-2-1-5-1-3-1-1-5)

Single threads of contrasting or related color help to break up large blocks of color and make the stripes more interesting.

Color study inspired by a photo

A color study using cool colors and Pascal’s Triangle (1-1-1-1-2-1-1-3-1-1-1-4-6-4) for the stripe proportions.

Using wraps for color studies

Complementary Color Study

Irregular stripes

Value contrast

Color gradation

Free choice

Aqua Blue Color Study

Light values

Medium values

Dark values

Mixed values

Using wraps for color studies

In this case I made a sample first of even sized blocks of colors to test how the colors interacted with different weft colors.

Then I planned a random warp strip for dishtowels using the wrap and the colors in the sample.

-- Pattie Lamb

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Knots, Knots, Knots: The Weaver's Knot & Beyond

2/7/2020

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Knots are a tough thing for some weavers to incorporate into their work process. They can be tricky to tie unless you have a bit of experience using them. It is definitely worth learning a few good knots because they are helpful with the entire warping process.
You will find the following knots described below, so grab some string and practice, practice (click on the links below to go directly to the knot description):

Where I use these knots:
Every weaver uses different combinations of ties and knots in their warping process. The following is simply the way this weaver uses these knots when warping back to front:
On the warping board:

Overhand loop knot on both ends of the guide string
Slip knot or Lark’s head knot to start a color on the starting peg
Overhand knot to join new color to old color at the cross end of the warp (because at the cross end, I want a permanent knot that won’t slip)
Slip knot to join new color to old color at the starting peg of the warp (so I can release the knot before cutting the warp chain loop for threading)
Infinity Tie placed at the cross is twined to count off 1” bouts as I measure the warp.
Tying off the warp chain:
- Infinity Tie secured with a simple bow tie
- Cross ties – simple bows on either side of the cross peg on each of the 4 “arms” of the cross
- Cinch ties (I use shoelaces) comprised of a tight double wrap around the warp secured with a half surgeon’s knot and a half bow. One about 12-18” from the cross and then one every yard along the warp.
- Pantyhose loops attached with lark’s head knots one on either side at the cross post and the starting posts of the warp chain.

On the loom:

Apron rods attached with adjustable closed loop cords formed with larks head knots and secured with overhand knots.
Slip knots used to secure 1” bouts in heddles and reed while threading
Warp bouts tied to front apron rod with half surgeon’s knots and secured with half bow

Sources:

IPad App: Knots 3D ($.99) – great little app shows knot tying in slow-mo, can save favorites.
You-tube videos
“The Weaver’s Companion” by Interweave Press

Lark’s Head Knot
This is the knot I use most in my studio. Can be used to:

Attach yarn to starting peg on warping board when measuring your warp
Attach pantyhose loops to warp chains
Attach apron rods to front and back of loom
Attach closed loop of cord to a stick like an apron rod
Attach warp bout to back beam apron rod for front to back warping
Temporarily attach one cord to another cord
Make an adjustable closed loop from one cord

Larks Head with continuous loop

Larks’s Head How-To Method 1 (use when using an unanchored cord or loop):
Fold cord in half, put loop end around whatever you are anchoring to (stick, other cord, or warp chain) and pull both ends of cord through its own loop. If using a closed loop, put one end of the loop around whatever you are anchoring to and pull the other end of the loop through that end of the loop and snug up.

Larks’s Head How-To Method 2 (when using an anchored cord or loop):
Place your right thumb and forefinger into the loop pointing away from you and spread the end of the loop out to form a triangle. Now bring your thumb and forefingers together around the sides of the triangle until your fingers touch. Use the fingers on your left hand to slide the “sides” of the triangle off of your right fingers to form the larks’s head loop. Insert stick, another cord, or warp bout into the loop as desired and tighten.

EXAMPLE: Closed cord loop attached to apron rod on one end and warp bout on the other – both with lark’s head knots

Larks’s Head How-To Method 3 (use when making an adjustable closed loop):
Fold cord in half with loop on the right side. Form the lark’s head loop as in Method 2. Insert the loose ends of the cord into the newly formed loop and snug up. Adjust your adjustable loop to the desired size and secure with a basic overhand knot with the loose ends (like the beginning of a bow knot when tying your shoes

EXAMPLE: Adjustable closed loop between two apron rods on front of the loom – formed with lark’s head knot and secured with a simple knot (first half of a square knot)

Basic Overhand Knot
Joining two cords or yarn by wrapping one around the other one time – like the beginning of a bow knot when you tie your shoes.

Overhand Knot
Permanent knot that ties 2 lengths of yarn together

Use to join 2 threads as a repair when a smaller knot is not needed
Use to join 2 threads when changing colors on the warping board at the cross end

When warping front to back, use to tie a bout of threads together before cinching to the back beam with a lark’s head loop (if that is your chosen method of tying on).
Use to secure fringe at the fell of the cloth when finishing a piece
Use to secure the end of a bout of twisted fringe

Overhand Knot How-To:
To join two pieces of yarn, lay the 2 pieces of yarn side by side, wrap the ends together around 2 or 3 fingers and pull both ends all the way through the loop on your fingers. Pull tight.
To secure the end of a bout of twisted fringe, wrap the end of the twisted fringe around 2 or 3 fingers and pull the cut end through the loop on your fingers. Pull tight.

Overhand Loop Knot
Knot that can be used at the end of a length of cord or yarn to create a permanent loop

Use an overhand loop knot at the ends of your guide thread on your warping board

Overhand Loop Knot How-To:
Depending on the size of the loop you need, fold end of yarn over, wrap the loop formed around 2 or 3 fingers and pull the end of the loop all the way through the loop on your fingers. Pull tight.

Slip Knot
Temporary knot to create a loop in the end of a length of yarn, for example to attach a length of yarn to a post

Useful for starting a new color on a warping board

Slip knot 2 strands together when changing colors on the warping board
Use to prevent bouts of yarn from pulling out of heddles or reed after sleying. Good practice to tie slip knots after sleying every inch or so.
Any time you need a temporary knot that can easily be untied

Slip Knot How-To:
Similar to the Overhand knot except you do not pull the end all the way through: With one piece of yarn proceed as if you were going to tie a basic overhand knot in the end of a single piece of yarn. Wrap the short end around 2 or 3 fingers and pull the short end through the loop on your fingers, but DO NOT PULL THE END ALL THE WAY THROUGH. Only pull the loop through, and snug up the loop (it helps to hold both the short and long ends while you snug). Now if you pull on the short end you can quickly release the knot.

Half Surgeon’s Knot (a.k.a.Double Overhand Knot)
More secure, non-slip start to a bow or half bow.

Great to use on the warping board for your cinch ties.
More secure start to tying your warp bouts to the apron rod on the loom. For added security, finish with a half bow on top of each half surgeon’s knot after you have tied all of your bouts across the warp.
Good way to start tying your shoes

EXAMPLE: Tying onto the front apron rod

Half Surgeon’s Knot How-To:
You know what you normally do to start tying your shoes – before the bow. This is the same; only you go around twice instead of once.

Half Bow
Used with a half surgeon’s knot (double overhand knot) to secure the knot or use instead of a normal “bunny ears” bow. Easier release than a bow.

Use instead of a bow anywhere you normally use a bunny ears bow.
Great to secure the surgeon's knot when tying onto the front apron rod.

Securing the surgeon's knot on the front apron rod

Half Bow Knot How-To:
Start like you would to tie you shoes (a basic overhand knot) or with a half surgeon’s knot (a double overhand knot). Hold the cord that is in your left hand taut and push it toward the right with your left index finger. With the cord in your right hand, make one “bunny ear” bow around the cord in your left hand, pull it through, and snug it up.

Weaver’s Knot
A tie to join two pieces of thread or yarn. Very secure and makes a small knot.

Traditional weaver’s choice of knot used to repair a broken thread on the loom.
Used for tying on a new warp end to an old warp end
Forgive me if my instructions are not clear (I rarely use this knot). Refer to online YouTube videos or the Knots-3D app for clarity

Weaver’s Knot How To Method 1:
Make a loop in the end of cord 1 and hold in your left hand. Poke the end of cord 2 up through the loop (back to front) and pass it around the loop (over the top, behind and out from the bottom). Now poke the end of cord 2 behind itself but in front of the loop formed by cord 1. Tighten.

Weaver’s Knot How To Method 2:
Make a slip knot in the end of cord 1 (red) and hold in your left hand. Poke the end of cord 2 (blue) up through the slip knot. Pull both ends of the slip knot tight. You should feel a “snap” as the knot tightens around cord 2.

Square Knot
A tie to join two pieces of thread or yarn. A more secure version of a Granny knot. It is this weaver’s opinion that this knot is easier to tie than the weaver’s knot

Can be used to repair a broken thread on the loom.

Can be used for tying a new warp end to an old warp end although some believe the weaver’s knot to be more secure

Square Knot How-To:
Tie 2 cords together as follows. Take the left cord in front of and around the right one. It is now on the right. Take the “new” right cord (in other word, continue tying with the same cord) in front of and around the cord on the left. Snug up the knot. Your Mantra:” Left over right, right over left.”

Counting Thread or Infinity Tie
A single cord that twines in and out of a warp chain to divide into sections. You can use any scrap yarn for this. Shoelaces work well and last forever. Secure with a simple bow or half bow.

Use to section off bouts of warp into 1” sections for warping or ½” sections for laying into the raddle.

Half Hitch
A twist placed in the yarn to create a basic overhand knot when the free end is not available.

Use it to wrap around the bobbin holding a weight for a repair warp thread or floating selvedge – allows easy advancing of thread when needed, while preventing slipping while the weight dangles off the back of the loom.

Repair “Knot”
Nothing more than a figure eight around a T-pin of the loose end of the repair thread. Pin the t-pin into the woven cloth, wind the repair end around the T-pin “figure-8-wise” 2 or 3 times, and insert the end of the pin into the cloth to secure.

A new way to tie your shoes
Bet you thought you knew how to do this! This is a free tip passed on to you by a mom with a medical background who got tired of re-tying her kids’ shoes:

Tie the first pass with a Half Surgeon’s Knot, then tie with a double bow (bow on top of another bow). Your shoes will RARELY come untied! Why should this be for kids only?? I hate bending over!

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Treadling for Dummies Part 2 / No Peeking Allowed

10/27/2019

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No Peeking Allowed - Treadling Tips

Forgive me if I am repeating things I talked about in other posts, but some things bear repeating.

Everyone handles their treadling differently, and that is just the way of weaving: everyone has their own way.
Personally I hate peeking at my feet while I weave. I feel it disrupts my rhythm and flow.
I do several thing to make sure I do not have to peek.

Walking the treadles:
I almost always walk my treadles. Inside to outside. I find it easy to walk left right left right as I treadle. My shuttle is (almost) always moving toward the foot that is depressed. This is ergonomically preferably to using one foot over and over. And it is surprisingly easy to manage walking the treadles with most treadling patterns. My treadles on a 10 treadle loom would be set up for walking as follows:

Notes:

The suggestions outlined below will work as well even if you are opposed to walking your treadles.
Not all patterns lend themselves to walking but I have found that those drafts are few and far between.
I use computer software that would allow me to rearrange the treadles in the draft. I COULD rearrange the treadles in the draft to match the way I have tied up the treadles. But in actuality I DO NOT because I find it much more confusing to follow a pattern with that type of treadling diagram.

Treadling on the LEFT shows a point twill, treadles numbered left to right: 12345678.
I find this easier to follow even though my treadles are actually arranged like the treadling shown on the right.

Personal preference.

Treadling on the RIGHT shows the same point twill with shafts shuffled to the position used for walking. Treadles in the tie-up are numbered left to right: 75312468 as if for walking.
I would have a much harder time following this layout so I do not use the shaft shuffler for this purpose.

Root your feet:
I NEVER move my foot off of a treadle until I need to use that foot again. That helps keep me and my feet oriented` as to what treadle comes next.

Left foot presses treadle 1 and stays there
Right foot presses treadle 2 and stays there
Left foot then presses treadle 3 (moving my foot from treadle 1) and stays there
Right foot presses treadle 4 (moving my foot from treadle 2) and stays there...

You get the idea. Not all treadles are a straight draw, but very few treadlings skip around in random order. Generally you will only have to move your foot to the neighboring treadle or perhaps skip a treadle and move over 2 treadles. This is easy to do without peeking.

Tip!
Lunatic Fringe Jazz Bands (designed for Schacht Baby Wolf and Wolf Pup looms), work really well to add a little tension to the treadles. This helps prevent you from accidentally lifting or slightly lifting a shaft you are not using - even if you leave your foot on that treadle.

Hair bands & treadle divider:
I have hair bands on each of my treadles. In fact I put 3 hair bands on each treadle because I simply can feel them better with my feet. The purpose of the hair bands is to help my feet identify which treadle is which. Depending on my pattern, I slide the hair bands down where I can feel them or up out of the way.
Typically, I am walking my treadles from the center to the outside, so I might move hair bands down on the middle 2 treadles (treadles 1 & 2), I leave the next 2 treadles (3 & 4) in sequence “naked”, move bands down on the next 2 treadles and so forth.

No need to remove the hair bands between projects. Just move them up or down on the treadle as needed.

If desired you can put a divider between the center treadles to remind your feet not to cross the midline.

Tip!
Heavy rubber bands can be used instead of hair bands, but BEWARE: they dry rot fairly quickly and will have to be replaced.

The hair bands and divider for a typical draft would look like this: hair bands on the odd treadles, divider in the center.

Treadles tied up for walking a twill, treadle divider in the center.

Hair bands

Divider made from a picture frame

Weaving tabby and pattern:
When I am weaving a pattern that requires tabby picks to alternate with pattern picks, I will put my 2 tabby treadles (a & b) on the left and the pattern treadles (1 - 8) on the right. I will move a hair band down so my foot will feel it on ONE of the tabby treadles and on every other pattern treadle.

I definitely use a treadle divider in this situation because my left foot has a tendency to need a reminder to only travel between the far 2 left treadles

The hair bands and treadle divider for a draft that requires tabby would look like this

Tip!
If you are weaving a draft that requires tabby and pattern to alternate one for one, there is an added bonus. For tabby a (left treadle), throw the tabby shuttle to the left, for tabby b (right treadle), throw the tabby shuttle to the right. This will help you keep track of which tabby is next if your feet get confused.

Note: Many people place their tabby treadles in the middle or on the outside, but this requires moving your foot off of a tabby treadle to find the next pattern treadle. I personally cannot keep track of which pattern treadle comes next if I do that. If I use my left foot for the tabby treadles and my right for the pattern treadles, I can follow my rule of never moving my foot until it is needed again. I will treadle tabby A and leave my left foot there, treadle Pattern 1 and leave my right foot there. This way when I go back to weave the next tabby, I know I have to use the other tabby treadle (in this case Tabby B). When I go back to treadle pattern, the fact that my foot is already on Pattern 1 reminds me of where I was and makes it easier to find the next required pattern treadle.

Exception: On my Spring loom there are 14 treadles and they are quite far apart. Placing the tabby on one side is pretty uncomfortable, so on that loom, I will put them in the center. When I am weaving left sided pattern treadles, I weave tabby with my right foot and pattern with my left. When I am weaving right sided pattern treadles, I weave tabby with my left and pattern with my right.

Cheat Sheets:
Any complex treadling warrants using a cheat sheet.
I attach the cheat sheet to my castle. If your loom does not have a castle, tape it to one side of the beater.
My cheat sheet consist of a strip of card stock and a large paper clip.
I write the treadling sequence on the strip and use the paper clip to mark my place as needed.
I store the cheat sheet with the notes I keep on each project.

Tip!
When you are first learning to walk the treadles, you can create a second cheat sheet to remind you which treadles are where and which treadles have hair bands on them. Once you get used to this system, you will not need this second cheat sheet.

Examples of my cheat sheets:

Cheat sheet for an irregular point twill. I created duplicate treadles 5 & 6 to deal with the turn in the draft. They are duplicates of 3 & 2. This allows me to walk treadles 123456 ,and that is easier for me to keep track of than treadling 123432

Treadling for a simple advancing twill

Treadling for a plaited twill. The top line of numbers refers to the picks woven with my left foot, the bottom line to picks woven with my right foot. The circles indicate which treadles have hair bands down where my feet can feel them.

Treadling for a block lace weave. In this case I treated treadles 1 & 2 as tabby and tied them up for my left foot. I treadled the pattern blocks with my right foot. So the treadles were arranged like this: 2 1 3 4. Block A is treadled 13132. Block B is treadled 14142. "2A" means repeat block A twice, "8B" means repeat block B 8 times. "8pw" refers to 8 plain weave picks. "END" refers to the final sequence at the end of the scarf.

No peeking:
With my hair bands are in place and the treadling recorded on my cheat sheet, I can walk my feet happily along my treadles, and I never have to peek at those treadles again.

Try it! You will like it!

Added bonus:
I do not ever have to label my treadles with that dreaded tape!

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Using Up Leftovers for my Fade

6/11/2019

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Finding My Fade

1 ½ years ago I made an impulse purchase of a shawl kit. The kit contained 6 luscious colors of merino and a pattern for knitting a lace shawl. Only one problem: I am not much of a knitter, and I had never woven lace before.

The shawl pattern was for “Find Your Fade” – a very popular shawl pattern developed by Andrea Mowry. I arranged the colors from gold to rust to cranberry to a variegated blend to medium gray to light gray and back to gold.

Find My Fade

Within a week, I cast on a few stitches and began the ultimate knitting challenge. Many a bad word escaped my lips before I had knitted up a square inch of the shawl, much to the amusement of my friend Suanne – who is both a weaver and a knitter.

I struggled mightily with this pattern, which, I believe by knitters’ standards, is probably not very difficult – just stunningly beautiful. I learned that I am not very good at counting stitches, not very patient, and that my hands do not tolerate knitting for more than an hour at a time. And trust me I am a SLOW knitter.

The GOOD news was that I quickly learned how to TINK. Little did I know that there was actually a word that means unknitting. I got pretty darned good at it. And if I do say so myself, unknitting lace is not easy. So allow me to pat myself on the back.

Over the next 14 months, I knit, I tinked, I counted stitches over and over again, and chose to ignore a couple of mistakes that I knit right on past. My husband threatened to wear ear plugs while I was working on the shawl. I would put the shawl away for a month at a time, and then I would work hard at it for another couple of weeks. It was slow going, but I did finally finish it. I even like it a lot. Ironically, I can’t wear wool, so what do I do with it now?

Find My Fade

Weaving My Fade

I had finished my knitted shawl, but I had over half of the merino left over. For a change, I decided I would try to use up the leftovers rather than hoarding it in my ever-growing stash. I would weave a shawl inspired by the Find My Fade shawl. Now weaving is something I am more comfortable with.

This would be EASY.

I decided to use the six colors grading from gold to light gray.
I would weave an 8-harness point twill because I wanted something simple to emphasize the color gradation.
I worked up a plan for using each of the colors in sequence in an attempt to use up as much of each color as possible.
I would wind a 3 ½ yard warp, 365 ends, sett at 16 epi
I decided (with a little help from my friend Sue) that rust would be the best color to use as weft. I happened to have some 8/2 tencel in my ever-growing stash that would be perfect.

OOPS, that didn’t quite work out.

My calculations for how much of each color I needed didn’t exactly pan out as planned. As I measured my warp, I came up shorter than expected in the rust and cranberry sections and had to adjust in the variegated and gray sections. Fortunately, I was still able to eke out the 22 ½” width I wanted. But I had very little left over of 4 of the colors and none of the rust. Despite the trials of winding the warp, this was pretty easy.

The leftovers

Weave My Fade

The inspiration shawl and the woven shawl are different yet related. Both use the same colorway, both are soft and warm, and both made me happy, although for different reasons. But just between you and me, I would choose weaving over knitting any day.

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Hemstitching Can Be (More) Fun

5/3/2019

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Well, that is really questionable in my opinion. I have never enjoyed hemstitching. However, I have 2 really good tips to make it a little easier.

Tip 1:

The first tip is outright stolen from Jane Stafford’s Online Guild episodes. If you are not a member of her guild, I highly recommend it: https://janestaffordtextiles.com/online-guild/

I used to weave a header, begin my woven fabric by weaving 8-10 picks, and then hemstitch the leading edge of the piece. There is a problem with that technique. Isolating the 2, 3 or 4 picks and the warp ends you want to hemstitch around can be a real challenge, because you have weaving on both sides of the picks to be hemstitched.

I even tried weaving in a slippery yarn as a separator pick before I would start weaving the piece. This slippery yarn, in theory, would be removed after weaving a few picks of the piece, thereby making the hemstitching a little easier. Well, the “slippery” yarn is not always so easy to remove.

Along comes Jane Stafford who showed me that you really only need to carefully lay in the picks you want to hemstitch around and begin hemstitching. No header, no weaving extra picks before starting the hemstitching.

This is SO much easier that I cannot believe it never occurred to me. Simply hemstitch around those picks and then proceed to weave you piece as usual.

Lay in the picks you want to hemstitch around.
Be careful to wrap the weft cleanly at the selvedges.
Begin hemstitching as usual

After hemstitching simply continue weaving your piece, being careful to beat the first couple of picks in well.

Tip 2:

The second tip improves your visibility for hemstitching. Depending on the color of my warp, I find that seeing the warp ends and counting them correctly can be challenging. I place a contrasting sheet of paper UNDER the warp, and voila: visibility improves dramatically.

BEFORE...

And AFTER adding white paper under the warp.

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Dabbling with Turned Twill: Finding my Cat’s Pajamas

6/16/2018

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It all started with a beautiful skein of variegated yarn - a gift from my friend Sue - and a memory of seeing a scarf that had weft-wise stripes on one side of the scarf that magically disappeared on the other.

The yarn I wanted to use was a 10/2 mercerized cotton called "Boot Camp", handpainted by Claudia Yarns.

The magically striped scarf remained a complete mystery until recently when Jane Stafford dropped a hint on one of her early videos that unlocked the key for me: the scarf can be woven in a turned twill and the trick to the disappearing stripes lies in the tie-up.

"Boot Camp" by Claudia Yarns

My favorite weave structure happens to be turned twill (also known as block twill). I love this structure because there are an endless number of ways to vary the threading, tie-up and treadling, and the structure lends itself very easily to color changes in both threading and treadling. A veritable weaver’s wonderland!

Here is the draft for a 2 block twill that I use frequently for scarves (click on the draft to zoom in):

The Tie-up for a traditional 2 block turned twill

Block A in the above draft is threaded on harnesses 1-4 and Block B is threaded on harnesses 5-8.
With this tie-up, when treadles 1-4 are weaving the following happens:

1/3 weft-faced twill (blue) is created in the Block A sections on harnesses 1-4 while
3/1 warp-faced twill (green) is created in the Block B sections on harnesses 5-8

When treadles 5-8 are weaving the following happens:

3/1 warp-faced twill (gray) is created in the Block A sections on harnesses 1-4 while
1/3 weft-faced twill (blue) is created in the Block B sections on harnesses 5-8

This is a tencel scarf that uses a very similar draft with several colors in the warp, including one variegated yarn.

Now, for my magical scarf.
I wanted my scarf to have just 2 warp-wise stripes, so I changed the threading so I had only one Block A and one Block B, like this:

Nice, but there are two things here I wanted to change:

The twill lines are going in opposite directions on the two sides of the cloth
The stripes appear on both sides of the scarf

Next I changed the tie-up so I had the continuous twill line that I wanted across the whole scarf:

Angle of the twill line changed in both warp-faced tie-up quadrants

Finally I changed the tie-up to make the horizontal stripe disappear on the right side. In the above draft,

Treadles 1-4 are creating exactly the kind of cloth I wanted (warp-faced in Block B and weft-faced in Block A) so I did not change the tie-up for those treadles (left upper and lower quadrants)
Treadles 5-8 are creating the stripe I want in Block B on the left side of the scarf, so I did not change the tie-up for that section (upper right quadrant)
The only area of the tie-up that I needed to change was the lower right quadrant which was creating the stripe on the right side of the scarf

Changed the face of the lower right quadrant (Block A) tie-up

By changing the face of the right lower quadrant of the tie-up from warp-faced to weft-faced, Block A (harnesses 1-4) will weave the same way whether it is being woven with treadles 1-4 or with treadles 5-8. The stripe in Block A has disappeared!

The Cats' Pajamas Scarf
This scarf is the result of these experiments. The warp is 10/2 cotton - One side is the "Boot Camp" handpainted yarn by Claudia Yarns, the other is a solid green. The weft was a turquoise 30/2 silk. I wove regularly placed stripes on one side of the scarf for the first half of the scarf and then wove the most of the remainder of the scarf with just a few scattered stripes

Available in my SHOP

Now I wanted to weave a second scarf with stripes on the other side.
Further modifications to the tie-up allowed me to weaves stripes on the variegated side of my warp (in Block A on harnesses 1-4) while keeping the solid green side of the warp consistently weft-faced.

The first half of the scarf was woven with treadles 1-8. Then treadles 5-8 were RETIED and the second half of the scarf was woven with only treadles 5-8.

Remember Block A = Harnesses 1-4 = Right side of this scarf
Block B = Harnesses 5-8 = Left side of this scarf

For the first half of the scarf

Treadles 1-4 weave weft faced cloth on the left side of the scarf and warp-faced cloth on the right side
Treadles 5-8 weave weft-faced cloth on the left side of the scarf and weft-faced cloth on the right side
This results in continuous weft-faced cloth on the left and stripes of alternating weft and warp faced cloth on the right. Note in the tie-up that only the lower right quadrant is tied up for warp-faced cloth. That quadrant control treadles 1-4 and harnesses 1-4.

For the second half of the scarf the ONLY tie-up that is needed is the new tie-up for harnesses 5-8, shown in blue above;

This tie-up now produces warp-faced cloth on the left side of the scarf and weft-faced cloth on the right side
Note that the angle of the twill line has remained the same throughout the cloth

Mossy Stones Scarf
This scarf was woven on the same warp as "The Cat's Pajamas". The warp is 10/2 cotton - one side is the "Boot Camp" handpainted yarn by Claudia Yarns, the other is a solid green. The weft was slightly variegated gray 30/2 silk. I wove regularly placed stripes on the variegated side of the scarf for the first half of the scarf and then wove no stripes for the remainder of the scarf.

Available in my SHOP

These experiments with the tie-ups for turned twill have taught me a lot and opened up a world of possibilities for more experiments with shapes and colors. I have another color block experiment going on to the loom now. I will shared the results in the near future!

-- Pattie Lamb

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Some of my Favorite Tools (and where you can find them)

6/4/2018

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Over the years I have gathered many tools that have become indispensable to me in my studio. Here are a few that are easy to find online.

Heddle Bar Clips
Officemate OIC Slide On Plastic Clips, Assorted Translucent Colors, Tub of 60
Amazon $4.29 as of 6/2018

I use these on my heddle bars to keep the extra, unused heddles back away from the weaving - a vast improvement over tying them back with string and MUCH easier to use than those little binder clips

Shoelaces!
These are "DIY White Shoelaces"
Oriental Trading Company $5.99 for 12 pairs as of 6/2018

I use shoelaces for tying off my warp chains, among other things in the studio. These are great because they last forever. I have shoelaces in my studio that are 25 years old!
These are 48” long. I cut them in half, so 12 pairs gives me 48 shoelaces!

Treadle Bands
Goody Girls Ouchless Elastics, 2 mm, No metal
Target or Amazon, various counts and prices

I use these on my treadles so I can treadle without peaking: “Braille” for my feet. I put them on all of my treadles and slide certain ones down so my feet can feel them and others up out of the way so I cannot. I like to put 3 on each treadle so they are "bulkier" and easier to feel with my feet.

Pick Counter
UltraOptix Linen Tester-Loupe Magnifier
Amazon, $9.52 as of 6/2018

This is an inexpensive magnifier that helps you count picks per inch (or examine your cloth for errors). The window is exactly 1” square. You place the window on the cloth and look through the magnifier while you count.

Curved Scissors
Beadalon Squeeze Scissors, Curved
Amazon, $7.79 as of 6/2018

I use these for trimming threads close to the surface of my finished cloth. The curved blades let you get close to the cloth without cutting the cloth.

Fringe Twister
This one is the Lacis Fringe Twister
A newer version is on Amazon, $21.96 as of 6/2018

I use this for twisting all of my fringe (I only use 2 of the prongs). It is battery powered and has been a life saver. There are other versions of this on the market. Shop around.

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Out Out Damned Cat: Repairing Yet Another Rug

7/19/2017

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Lizzie, the culprit

She looks really innocent, doesn't she?
She is a very sweet cat.
Her name is Lizzie.
She is two now,
Lizzie narrowly escaped death by weaver at age one.

I have (had) a handwoven wool rug at my front doorway. I wove the rug over a decade ago when we lived in Buffalo. So about a year ago I bent over to pick up what I thought was a dead moth on the rug. Much to my horror, I discovered it was a severed knot from one of the fringe bouts. On further inspection I realized that the knots had been chewed off of no fewer than THIRTY FIVE fringe bouts!

1 of 35 severed fringe bouts

There were only three possibilities (all cats):

Pressy who was 21 years old and could hardly walk
Dexter who was 16 years old and literally has no teeth
Lizzie the baby in the family, full of vim and vigor and still teething and about to be murdered by her loving mother

So Lizzie was found guilty by a process of elimination. I pulled the rug up and growled and fumed for a few days while I debated what to do.

Fully a year later, I finally got around to repairing this debacle. Fortunately, I still had some of the linen I used for the warp for the rug. And the structure of the rug was a simple plain weave.

Tools needed:

Heavy duty needle with a sharp point for undoing linen knots
Linen Warp
Tapestry needle for weaving in new fringe
Scissors
Fringe twister

The tools

A photo journal of the steps for replacing the fringe follows. The basic steps are:

I untwisted the fringe of the severed bout (for this rug the fringe bouts consisted of only 2 warp ends)
I untied the knot at the fell of the cloth (using the sharp needle to help pick out the knot)
With the tapestry needle, I wove the loose ends 3/4-1" back up into the rug alongside the warp thread NEXT to the thread I was weaving in
I trimmed the ends close to the surface of the rug
I cut a piece of rug warp that was about 14" long and wove it 1 1/4" - 2" up into the rug along one warp end, turned and wove down along the other warp end back to the fell of the cloth
I knotted the 2 ends together at the fell (like the original 2 warp ends were knotted)
I twisted the fringe (the 2 new warp ends) and knotted at 3" and clipped close to the knot
I repeated this for 23 bouts on one end of the rug and 12 on the other end of the rug, until my fingers were raw and the rug was almost back to new!

The fringe has been untwisted

The knot at the fell has been untied

Weaving the right warp end up alongside the left warp end

Weaving the left warp end up alongside the right warp end

Both warp ends woven back into the rug

Old warp ends trimmed close to the rug surface

New warp ends woven up 2" into the rug and back down to the fell

New warp ends pulled snuggly into the cloth

New warp ends ready to knot at the fell

Warp ends knotted at the fell, twisted, knotted at 3" and ready to trim

The finished repair

What a relief to finally have this little project done and the rug repaired. I have missed having it at my front door.

But unfortunately now it will probably go back into storage for another two years because....

Piper has arrived.
Piper is 2 months old.
She is a good kitten.
She has teeth.

Piper, the new kitten

Truth be told, the rug would probably have stayed in the closet waiting to be repaired if I had not been inspired and shamed into doing this simple repair after watching this incredible post on Facebook. Watch and be amazed: Oriental Rug Rebuild

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Tip of the Month: Braille for the Feet

7/2/2017

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I have long used rubber bands on my treadles to mark my path and help me treadle without peeking. It is a great tip. But I go through rubber bands like they are water because they dry rot very quickly. And they are hard to roll up and down the treadles between projects.

Enter my student Jane Hunt. She told me she liked my idea so much, she went to Target and bought a handful of ponytail holders! She found that they slide up and down the treadles easily, and they are bulkier than the rubber bands. Bonus: I am sure they will hold up much longer too! Thank you, Jane! Why didn't I think of that??

As it turns out there are dozens of kinds of ponytail holders. I picked the ones that I could double up and would fit well over my treadles. Hence my unabashed ad for Goody. These are nice because they have no metal joins on them that could scratch the wood.

BEFORE: Rubber bands on the treadles, ready to walk the treadles for a point twill

AFTER: Ponytail holders in place. The blue and green ones have been pulled down where my feet can feel them. I will walk this pattern from the center out, just as I did in the photo to the left.

Walking the treadles:
I tend to walk my treadles from the center out whenever my pattern allows me to do so. When I do that, I will put bands on the two center treadles so I can find my way back to center without peeking. I also place bands on every other treadle going out from the center.

Treadling straight across:
On the rare occasion that I tie up my treadles straight across, I simply put bands on the odd treadles and leave the even numbered treadles naked.

Treadling pattern with tabby
If I have 2 tabby treadles and a group of pattern treadles, my personal preference is to have the tabby treadles on one side and the pattern treadles on the other. If the tabby treadles are on the left, I will put a band on tabby a and leave tabby b naked. I will then put bands on all of the odd numbered pattern treadles and leave the even numbered pattern treadles naked.

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New Life for a Little Rug

6/18/2017

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This is what the fringe USED to look like.

Years ago I wove a little Rag Rug to use in front of my kitchen sink. I finished the rug with twisted fringe and left the fringe about 4" long - probably too long. Over the years I have had to periodically retie some of the fringe bouts, but slowly but surely more and more of the bouts had become untied, frayed and I could no longer re-twist them and knot them back to their original length. In addition, some of the warp threads in the body of the rug had broken and the rug was really looking shabby and worn.

Remember: You can click on any picture to zoom in!

Step 1:
I first decided to re-twist the fringe bouts that had come undone and to shorten all of the bouts to the shortest common denominator. It seemed that I could get away with shortening them all to about 1 1/2". There are a couple of bouts where the ends were so frayed that I do not have high hopes for them holding up for much longer, but at least they are shorter now..

The newly shortened fringe

This shows a broken warp thread and a row of rag weft floats above it. These need to be repaired.

These are the only tools I need: a tapestry needle and the matching rug warp

Step 2:
I gathered the tools I would need for repairing the broken warp threads The warp used in this rug was 8/4 cotton rug warp used double, and luckily I still had some on hand (this will not surprise anyone who knows me and has seen my yarn stash).

So now all I need was a tapestry needle threaded with a doubled strand of the warp thread and a little patience. The weaving should be easy because the rug was woven in plain weave.

Step 3 - Fixing the Broken Threads

I started about 2-3" below the broken warp thread (photo 1)
I wove along the same warp thread with the repair thread for the 2" until I got to the break (photo 2)
At that point I have to weave over and under the rags in the same way the missing warp thread used to. It helped to hold the needle in my right hand and put my left hand underneath the rug for support (photo 3)
When I reached the end of the damaged area, I continued to weave along the same warp thread for another 2-3 inches. When I finished with the weaving I checked the weaving on both sides of the rug.
When I was satisfied, I pulled on the ends of the repair threads where it entered and exited the weaving to "seat it" in the cloth.
Then I trimmed the tails of the repair thread and the broken warp thread from the surface of the rug.