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Life History of a Scarf - Final reflections

2/18/2016

Well the scarves are done, and you might be thinking that this seemed like a lot of work and a lot of days. I can assure you that it did not really take 9 days to make these 2 scarves.

These 2 scarves were actually a joy to weave, and the only complication in the whole project was deciding what colors to use and planning my draft.

My timetable probably went something like this:

Planning: 1-2 hours
Measuring the Warp: 2-3 hours
Winding onto the back beam: 1 hour
Threading the loom: 2- 3 hours
Getting Ready to weave: 30 minutes - 1 hour
Weaving the samples: 30 minutes
Weaving the scarves: 4 hours
Finishing the Scarves: 3 hours
Documentation: 1 hour

Total 15-18 ½ hours for 2 scarves and samples

Scarf with the blue ming tencel weft

Scarf with the black bamboo weft

Four Harness Alternatives
I have had a request for a draft for a similar scarf for those who only have a 4 harness loom. It is not possible to mix plain weave and twill in the same way with only 4 harness, but I have come up with a draft that uses the same bamboo warp in a twill, with a couple of possible options for treadling.

Note: Because both of these drafts are entirely twill and have no plain weave, I might be inclined to sett them at 27 epi rather than 24 epi. I frequently sett bamboo and tencel at 27 epi for a slightly warp emphasis cloth. It has a lovely hand. But as always, sampling is recommended if you are unsure.

Alternative 1
This draft uses EXACTLY the same colorway and treadling as the scarves that I wove. It has 281 threads, just like the warp I used. It is a point twill threading, and I would recommend using a floating selvedge with this treadling. The draft is shown below, and a partial drawdown is shown to the right so you can see what the cloth would look like. Click on either photo to zoom in.

Alternative 2
This draft uses the same colorway as the scarves I wove EXCEPT that the last group of aqua threads on the far left of the draft has 11 threads in it instead of 12, giving a total of 280 instead of 281. This allows for a multiple of 4 for the straight draw threading. You would not need a floating selvedge with this threading (as long as you start your shuttle from the right side). This draft uses the same treadling as the scarves that I wove. The draft is shown below, and a partial drawdown is shown to the right so you can see what the cloth would look like. Click on either photo to zoom in.

Tip!

I intentionally set up the threading for the straight draw so that I thread 4-3-2-1 (going from right to left). If you are sitting at the front of the loom and you pull over a group of 4 heddles, one from each harness, it is much easier to thread 4-3-2-1 than 1-2-3-4. If you thread 1-2-3-4, you will have to reach around the 2, 3 and 4 to thread 1, then to thread the 2 you will have to reach around the 3 and 4, and to thread the 3 you will reach around the 4. Uncomfortable!

To review, go back to Life History-Day 9

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 9 - Finishing the Scarves

2/18/2016

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Finishing this project requires:

Twisting the fringe
Wet finishing, pressing and trimming
Documenting the project

Twisting the fringe
For these scarves I would twist fringe in bouts of 8 ends (4 + 4). I wanted my twisted fringe to measure 5” to the knots, so 8” of unfinished fringe will allow me enough leeway for twisting, tying my knots, and applying the fringe protector that I would apply before wet finishing.

I trimmed the fringe to 8” on both ends of each scarf (measured from the edge of the finished cloth, not the weft protector)
At the middle of the scarf, I carefully clipped all of the weft protector threads except for the last 3 rows. I then pulled the clipped weft protector threads out from the right side of the scarf.
Twisting: I carefully pulled the weft protector out of the first 8 ends of the fringe and twisted the 2 4-end bouts of fringe clockwise until they were kinky and the twisting just began to pull at the edge of the cloth. I removed the 2 bouts from the twister (without letting them go!) and twisted them back on each other counterclockwise. I then knotted the end in an overhand knot, carefully positioning the knot at 5” from the fell of the cloth.
I continued across the scarf in this manner until I reached the center. I then removed the clipped weft protector on the left side of the scarf and began twisting from the left edge of the scarf.
Any “fudging” that needed to be done of the 8-count for the fringes (because of miscounting or because the draft did not have an even multiple of 8 warp ends) was done in the middle of the scarf rather than on the edge.

Tip: While twisting, I COUNT. If using a manual twisting, I count the number of turns. If using the battery-powered twister, I count seconds. That at least gives me a semblance of consistency from bout to bout.

Tip: I use a gridded board to help guide me in keeping the fringe at a consistent length. If you don’t have one, simply put 2 pieces of tape on the table. Keep the fell of the cloth along one. Line the knots up with the other.

Tip: Keep the fringe under tension by weighting the section of the scarf you are working on

Tools of the trade: I like a battery-powered twister (it has 4 clips on the end, but I only use 2) because I do a LOT of fringe. The wooden manual twisters are very good as well. A long tapestry needle is helpful for picking out the weft protector. Heavy bookend or weight of some kind is very helpful to anchor the scarf while you are twisting.

Fringe combed out and trimmed to 8"

Weft protectors clipped in the center of the scarf (except for the 3 closest to the fell of the cloth)

Pick out the clipped weft protectors from the right side of the scarf

Freeing the first 8 threads to be twisted into a fringe bout

First 3 fringes twisted with knots aligned at the 5" marker

Fell of the cloth showing bookend weight and the first 3 fringe bouts

Right side of the scarf done. Ready to pull clipped weft protectors from left side, and begin fringing from the left side toward the center

Fringe complete and ready to have interfacing applied

Wet finishing, pressing and trimming
The final finishing took 5 steps (Note: My choice for wet finishing varies depending on the fiber and structure of the scarves. Bamboo and tencel scarves in twill and plain weave do very well with machine washing and drying)

Protecting the fringe: I ironed on really thin, cheap interfacing around the ends of the fringe below the knots. This keeps the fringe from tangling and makes trimming the fringe later a little easier too. See photos.
Machine washing: I machine washed the scarves o a gentle cycle in warm water with a little Dawn.
Machine drying: I dried them on a gentle cycle in the dryer until they were almost dry.
Pressing: I pressed them with a hot iron until they were dry. This brings out the sheen and makes them very soft.
Trimming: I then trimmed any weft ends that were still sticking out of the cloth and trimmed the fringe to within ¼” of the knots, removing the interfacing in the process.

Place a strip of iron-on interfacing glue side up under the fringe. This should measure about 2 1/2" high and be the width of the scarf.

Fold the interfacing over the ends of the fringe. DO NOT cover the knots or any part of the fringe that you are not going to trim away later

Use a pressing cloth and stram press the interfacing and fringe to seal it onto the fringe

The fringe has been "trapped" between the layers of the interfacing

Documenting the project
I keep a plastic sleeve (or two) for every project I do. In that sleeve, I put

Project writeup, including any calculations I did for the project
Draft
Yarn wraps I used
Yarn samples for warp and weft
Calculations for cost of the project
Samples
Photos of the finished project

To read my final thoughts on this project go to Life History-Final
To review, go back to Life History-Day 8

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 8 - Weaving the Scarves

2/16/2016

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My samples proved to me that my sett was fine, so I did not need to re-sett the warp in the reed.

But after cutting off the samples, I did need to :

Tie the warp back to the front apron rod
Weave a header

See Day 7 for a description of tying on and weaving the header

Because the treadling sequence for this draft is not regular, I wrote out a treadling aid which I tacked to my loom castle. It consists of a strip of cardstock on which I have written the treadle numbers for the entire treadling repeat. The large paperclip is used to mark my place. I marked the treadling sequence off into 4 sections that I thought I could remember, and after weaving a section, i move the paperclip along.

My treadling aid: a list of the treadling sequence for an entire repeat (the numbers represent treadle numbers)

Scarf #1

I wove the scarf with black 8/2 bamboo
I got about 23 picks per inch (23 ppi)
I wove with an end feed shuttle
I kept a grosgrain ribbon pinned to the cloth to keep track of the woven length of the scarf. I moved the pins as the cloth was wound forward so that the ribbon was never wound onto the cloth beam. The ribbon was marked off every in 10" increments (not shown in photo)
I wove the scarf until it measured 80” in length, ending the pattern with a straight twill series by omitting the last two 123456 sequences in the treadling
I wove a rayon header/weft protector at the end of the scarf

Scarf #2

Before beginning the scarf, I left 16" of warp unwoven to allow for the fringe for both scarves (8" for each scarf).
I wove a header in rayon of about 10 picks.
I wove the scarf with ming blue 8/2 tencel
I wove this scarf in the same manner as Scarf #1
I wove a rayon header/weft protector at the end of the scarf.
I cut the scarves from the loom, making sure to leave at least 8" for fringe on Scarf #2

Tip:
The area of unwoven warp can cause tension problems if the warp ends "fall off" the edges of the roll of cloth that has built up on the cloth beam from the first scarf.

To avoid this problem, wind a piece of corrugated cardboard, heavy paper or some slats on with the cloth when the fringe begins to go around the cloth beam.

Scarf #1, woven with black 8/2 bamboo weft. Shows the grosgrain ribbon attached.

Scarf #2, woven with ming blue 8/2 tencel weft

Once the scarves were woven it was time to finish them. Go to Life History-Day 9.
To review, go back to Life History-Day 7

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 7 - Weaving the Samples

2/16/2016

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Weaving samples is a virtue, they say. Truthfully I don't always weave samples, But I DO weave samples when:

I am not sure how to sett the yarn for the draft I am using
I am not sure what color I want to use for weft
I am not sure if the draft I want to use will work or if I will like it

In this case, I was worried that the sett of 24 epi might be too loose, so the plan was to weave a sample a 24 epi, cut the sample off the loom, and wash it before proceeding. While I was at it, I decided to try a variety of colors.

Tip: In the long run, sampling saves time and money!

I wove 13" of samples, using 6 different wefts: royal 8/2 tencel, black 8/2 bamboo, iris 8/2 tencel, teal 8/2 bamboo, amethyst 8/2 tencel, and ming blue 8/2 tencel. Weaving in pattern, I got about 23 picks per inch (ppi).

Sample woven with 6 different wefts

Cutting the sample off the loom. Tying the warp in slipknots to protect it before retying to the front apron rod.

I cut the sample off the loom, tying the warp in slipknots in front of the reed to protect it before it gets retied to the front apron rod.

I zigzagged across both ends of the sample, washed it in the washing machine in warm water and dried it in the dryer on a gentle cycle. I pressed the sample with a hot iron.

Conclusion: I liked the hand of the fabric so no need to re-sett the warp. I liked 4 out of 6 of the weft colors and decided to weave the 2 scarves using the black bamboo and the blue ming tencel.

Samples done. Now to weave the scarves! Go to Life History-Day 8.
To review, go back to Life History-Day 6

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 6 - Getting Ready to Weave

2/16/2016

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After the loom was threaded there were still 3 things that needed to be done before the real weaving could begin:

Tying the warp to the front apron rod
Tying up the treadles
Weaving a header

Tying the warp to the front apron rod
Before I even began this step, I removed the raddle and lease sticks from the back of the loom, and I removed the texsolv cords that were used to support the raddle, lease sticks and reed while winding on and threading.

Next I bundled the warp into 1” bouts starting at the edges of the warp and working my way toward the center. I tied a slipknot in each bundle.

Next I tied the bouts to the apron rod. There are many ways to do this.

My favorite method: Start in the center and work out, tying with even tension for 4 to 6 1” bouts (2 or 3 on each side of center), then wind the cloth beam forward 1 click. Continue to tie 1 bout on each side for another 2-3 bouts on each side, and wind forward another click. Continue in this way until done.
My favorite tie-on knot is to split the bout, take both sides under the apron rod, and back over the apron rod, cross the two sides under the bout, come up on opposite sides of the bout, pull snugly back towards the castle to tension, pull the ends back towards you and tie in a half surgeon’s knot on top of the bout.
Check the tension in front of the reed and behind the reed. Adjust if necessary.
When all bouts are tied and tension seems even, secure each bout with a half bow.

Tip:
Try to never have bouts for tying on that are larger than 1” wide, and make sure the selvedge bouts are the same size (which is why I start on the edges and work toward the middle).

My draft doesn’t have an even multiple of 1” bouts, so I fudged a little in the middle, making the middle 3-5 bouts a little bit smaller.

Both sides of the bout passed under the apron rod, back over the rod and down beside the bout

Crossing the end of the bout underneath

After tensioning, the two sides are being held, ready to tie the half surgeon's knot

The half surgeon's knot on the first 2 bouts

All bouts tied with half surgeon's knots

All bouts finished with a half bow

Tying up the treadles
The treadling is a point twill treadling and the original tieup required 4 treadles. I like “walking” my treadles.

Option 1
Traditional walking treadles would mean that I would set up the 4 treadles like this:
Treadle          3          1         2         4
Tieup            34        12      23       41
Foot               ---Left ---     -- Right --
I would then press treadles 1,2,3,4 (left, right, left, right) for the straight twill runs and I would press treadles 1,2,3,4,3,2 (left, right, left, right, left, right) for the longer turning runs.

Option 2
For a point treadling like this I find it less confusing to add extra treadles to deal with the turning points in the treadling so I set up my treadles like this instead:
Treadle          5          3         1            2         4          6
Tieup             34       34       12          23       41       23
Foot               -------Left -------         ------ Right -----
I would then press treadles 1,2,3,4 (left, right, left, right) for the short straight twill runs and 1,2,3,4,5,6 (left, right, left, right, left, right) for the longer turning runs

So for this project I tied up my treadles according to the Option 2, and the treadling shown on the far right.

To be clear, both of these treadlings weave EXACTLY the same cloth, the second one simply makes it easier for me to weave efficiently.

I placed rubber bands on the center treadles (1 & 2) so I my stocking feet could find the middle treadles without peeking. I also placed rubber bands on treadles 5 & 6 to help me distinguish them from 3 & 4.

Original treadling

Modified treadling

6 treadles marked with rubber bands, labelled and tied up for walking style treadling

After tying up the treadles, I checked my sheds:

I pressed each treadle to make sure I was lifting the harnesses I intended to lift
I used a mirror to look at the shed – both in front of the reed and behind it – looking for any crossed threads
Double check that the threading and spacing through the reed look correct.

Weaving a header

I wove a header with a yarn that was similar in size to the weft I would be weaving with.
I chose a slippery rayon that could be easily removed when I finished the scarves.
I wove the header in pattern.
For the first few shots, I wove 2 shots at a time before beating them in to help spread the warp threads faster, and I wrapped the weft around the apron rod before throwing the next shot to help keep the selvedge from curling while I get the warp spread.
After the first 1/2" or so, I wove without wrapping around the apron rod, and I wove until the warp was spread evenly and I was sure the tension was even and there were no threading errors.

First 2 shots of the header wrapped around the apron rod. Both shots were thrown before beating them in.

First several shots of header all wrapped around the apron rod. Warp is nearly spread evenly.

Header complete. Last section was woven without wrapping the weft around the apron rod.

Now on to weaving some samples! Go to Life History-Day 7
To review, go back to Life History-Day 5

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 5 - Threading the Loom

2/16/2016

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For me, threading the loom consists of 3 steps:

Getting the heddles into position
Threading the heddles
Threading the reed

Get the heddles into position
Ultimately I want to thread the heddles in the center of each harness, so that by the time I am done I will have about the same number of leftover heddles on the right and left of the warp on each harness. This will help keep the harnesses well balanced as I weave.

To do this I need to know how many heddles my draft will require on each harness. My weaving software (Fiberworks) tells me I will need:

I divide the heddles on each harness in half, pushing half to the right and half to the left.

Next I move half of the heddles that my draft required on each harness from the right group to the left (Remember the other half I need are already on the left!).

Example: On harness 1 had 100 heddles, I divided them 50 and 50. My draft required 28 heddles on harness 1 so I pushed an additional 14 heddles from the group on the right over to the left. I now had 64 (50 + 14) heddles on the left and 36 on the right. By the time I am done threading, I will have 36 unused on the left, 28 threaded in the middle, and 36 unused on the right.

Now all the heddles I need to thread with are on the left.

Tip: Marking every 10th heddle on each of your harnesses makes counting heddles easier.

Every 10th heddles marked with a Sharpie.

Tip: If you are not using weaving software, the draft you are using (like from Handwoven) may give you heddle counts. Otherwise you may simply need to count the number of times each harness is used in your draft.

Threading the heddles

I will be threading from right to left, reading the draft from the top right hand corner to the bottom left hand corner.
I make sure the heddles are at a comfortable height for threading. In my case, that means sitting on an exercise ball.
I pull the lease sticks up close to the heddles so they are easy to see and to reach
I untie all of the slipknots where I changed colors, cut the loop at the end of each chain and tie a slip knot in each warp chain for security
I mark off my draft in small, logical threading sections
For each section in the draft I do the following:

Tip: Another way of get the heddles to a comfortable height is by placing a small box or a shuttle underneath the harnesses.

Tip: If untying all those knots (step 4) seems like too much of a pain, and if you don't mind wasting 2" of your warp, simply cut the last 2" off the end of your warp chain

Count out the number of threads needed for the section of the draft
Count out the number of heddles needed on each harness for that section and move them from the group on the left to the center of the loom for threading
Thread the heddles according to the draft (sometimes breaking the larger group of heddles down into smaller groups for more comfortable threading)
When the whole bundle is complete, I check the threading, thread by thread against the draft
I tie the bundle into a slipknot in front of the heddles
I mark through the section of the draft indicating that it has been threaded.

Step 6 is repeated over and over for each section of the draft until the threading is completed.

Marking up my draft in logical threading sections. The numbers above each section indicate the number of threads in the bundle.

First bundle of 12 threads, and the first 12 heddles (3 from harnesses 1-4) moved to the center of the loom

Smaller group of 4 heddles separated out for easier threading, but I am still holding the entire bundle of 12 threads.

Threading the heddle on harness 4 by folding thread and pushing it through the eye. Fold and push with left hand, Capture and pull through with right.

Heddles 4,3,2 threaded, Now threading heddle on harness 1

Next group of 4 heddles separated out

Whole bundle threaded and threads are under tension for checking

Holding bundle under tension with left hand and picking through threading with right hand while checking against the draft

Slipknot tied in front of heddles

Bundle marked off on draft to indicated that threading is done.

Threading the reed

I find it more comfortable to thread the reed when the reed it horizontal (parallel to the floor) rather than vertical (sitting in the beater). I can’t stress this enough! This method is so much more ergonomically correct: easier to see what you are doing, easier on your body and faster to boot.

I will be threading the reed from right to left.
I insert the reed into the cords on either side of the loom, twisting the cords in front of and behind the reed to make sure it is held snuggly.
I find the center of the reed, and mark it temporarily by pulling a thread through the center dent. (Alternately I could mark the center of the reed with a Sharpie)
I find where the right hand edge of the weaving should begin in the reed. I do this by taking half the width in the reed of the project and measuring that distance from the center of the reed out to the right. My scarf is 11.7” in the reed so I measured about 5 7/8” from the center marker to the right, and started threading there.
My sample will be woven at 24 epi so I chose a 12 dent reed, and I will thread 2 threads/dent.

Tip:
Consult a Reed Substitution Chart to determine how your warp should be sleyed in your reed if you are in doubt.

Here comes the ergonomic advice:

My right hand holds the reed hook and stays under the front beam and under the reed at all times
My left hand stays above the breast beam and above the reed at all times.
My left hand is picking the threads and delivering them to the reed hook which is poking up through the reed.
I hold the threads under tension, find the 2 threads (because I am threading 2/dent) that go in the next dent, and hook them around the waiting reed hook. I pull the reed hook down to thread the dent and move it over 1 dent. Repeat.

Tip:
It is really important to leave your hands in position: right below the reed and left above. Do NOT keep moving you right hand back and forth (it will wear you out and it is unnecessary. If you need your right hand to assist your left, do it from below.

Every inch or so, I tie a slipknot underneath in the bundle underneath the reed. This is really important. There is not much holding this reed in those cords. If it gets dislodged and you haven’t tied those knots, the reed will fall on the floor and you get to start over :-). That could really ruin your day!

When the threading is done, I put the reed into the beater, center the warp (NOT the reed) in the beater, and put the top on the beater.

Click on any picture to zoom in.

I inserted the reed into the cords that run between the front and back beams

Closeup of the twisting of the cords that helps to secure the reed

Bundles of threads under tension in my left hand, 2 threads being presented to the reed hook which is held in my right hand

Sometimes it speeds things up for me to separate out the next few groups of 2 threads and place them between my fingers so I can quickly pluck them through the reed.

This shows all of the slipknots underneath the reed which were tied as I threaded. (This is a different warp).

Ready for Day 6 - Tying up the loom. Go to Life History-Day 6
To review, go back to Life History-Day 4

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 4 - Winding onto the Back Beam

2/13/2016

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Warping from back to front means I will:

Spread the warp in the raddle
Wind onto the back beam
Thread the heddles
Thread the reed
Tie onto the front beam

There are many ways of setting up a loom for back to front warping, but as far as I know they all involve inserting lease sticks into the crosses of the warps chains and spreading the warp chains into a raddle on the back of the loom. I have used many methods over the years, but have settled on the method I describe below as the fastest, most efficient, and most comfortable method for me to warp my Baby Wolf loom by myself.

Note: It is easiest warp from back to front if there are 2 apron rods for the back beam: one that goes through your cloth apron or apron cords and a second that you will feed through your warp chains and is tied to the first one at intervals (every 4-6”).

Spreading the warp in the raddle

I tied texsolv cords around the front and back beams on either side of the loom – outside the heddles. These cords will be used to support the raddle and the lease sticks during winding on. The lease sticks will stay in the cords for threading through the heddles. And later the cords will support the reed while I thread from heddles to reed.
I inserted the raddle into the cords next to the back beam and tied it snuggly to the back beam
I passed the 4 warp chains through the castle of the loom and laid them over the raddle NOTE: As I stood at the back of the loom, Chain 4 is on the far right, Chain 1 on the left and all of the bows for the counting threads are facing to the right because I will unload the chains from the right in to the raddle.
I intertwined the lease sticks through the cords on the right side of the loom, then through the cross of Chain #4, Chain #3, Chain #2, Chain #1, and finally through the cord on the far side. I tied the lease sticks together on both sides so they couldn’t get dislodged from the cords or the chains.
I inserted the second apron rod though the end loop of both chains and used rubber bands to temporarily secure it to the raddle
Making sure to center the warp chains in the raddle, I unloaded the warp chains into the raddle, 1 inch at a time. I place rubber bands across the top of the raddle pins to secure the warp ends, and made sure the 2 apron rods were tied to each other every 4”.

Click on any photo to zoom in:

Step 1 - Texsolv cords installed on the sides of the loom

Step 2 - Raddle inserted into the cords at the back beam and tied securely

Step 3 - All 4 chains in position at the back of the loom, #1 on the left, # 4 on the right

Step 4 - Lease sticks inserted into the cords and the warp chains and secured

Step 4 - Closeup of warp chains on lease sticks. All bows facing to the right, ready for "unloading"

Step 5 - Apron rod inserted through loops in warp chains.

Step 5 - Closeup - Rubber bands used to temporarily secure apron rod to raddle

Step 6 - Unloading the warp chain, 1 inch at a time. Tensioning the warp ends at the lease sticks.

Step 6 - Warp spread in the raddle and secured with rubber bands across the top. Apron rod ties inserted every 4".

Winding onto the back beam

After years of drafting my husband into helping me wind onto the back beam when I had more than one warp chain, I have finally adopted a self-help method of winding on that involves weights and gives really nice tension

At the front of the loom, I gently stretched the 4 chains out and made sure they were tidy in the raddle.
For each warp chain, I put a slipknot in the chain and applied an S-hook and a 2.5 pound weight so that the weight would dangle just above the floor. I removed all choke ties between the raddle and the weight.
I wound onto the back beam with the weights in place adding corrugated cardboard around the back beam to pad between the warp layers.
I watched the cross carefully as I wound on, and I would stop and “shake a jerk the warp chains if the warp was not winding on smoothly.
When the slipknots reached the breast beam, I untied the knots and moved the weights further down the chains, untying choke ties as needed.
I continued winding on and moving weights until the end loops reached the breast beam.

Tip:
I like to use rolled cardboard when winding onto the back beam. If it is not available, you can use heavy craft paper available in rolls (doubled if desired for extra thickness) or sticks or slats cut to the width of your beam

Tip: If you use paper to wind on with, keep the lengths of paper short - 1 yard long or less. Long lengths are very hard to wind on straight and invariably end up getting off kilter and getting gummed up in the gearing of the loom.

The S-hooks and weights. S-hooks can be found at a hardware store, weights at a sporting goods store. Milk jugs filled with 2-3 pounds of sand work too.

The slipknot in the warp chain

The warp chains weighted with S-hooks and weights

Slipknots and weights at the lowest point below the breast beam

The slipknots and weights have reached the breast beam. Time to move the slipknots and weights before winding further.

I was now ready to thread the loom. Go to Life History-Day 5
To review, go back to Life History-Day 3

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LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 3 - Measuring the Warp

2/11/2016

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I warp from back to front. Almost always. I find it is a very fast, efficient, tangle-free method for warping all of my looms - large and small. Because I warp from back to front, I make all of the color transitions in my warp on the warping board rather than at the loom.

Remember from Day 2: The warp is 11.8" wide (281 ends, sett at 24 epi) and 228" long)

I measured a guide yarn that was the length of the warp (228") and fitted it onto the warping board.
I decided that I needed to divide the warp into 4 chains (of 69, 72, 72 and 68 ends) because I like to keep the chains to between 3" and 6" whenever possible.
I will twine a counting thread at the cross to help me load the raddle later.
I did a little math before I started measuring to make sure I can center my warp in the raddle without having to count threads.
Chain 1 will have 20 threads in the first bundle and 24 threads in each of the last 2 1" bundles (68 threads total)
Chains 2 & 3 will have 3 1" bundles of 24 threads (72 threads each) See photo below.
Chain 4 will have 2 1" bundles of 24 threads followed by 1 bundle of 21 threads (69 threads total) See photo below.

<== I started measuring my warps here, reading from the upper right corner of the draft.

I started measuring the first chain of my warp at the post that was farthest away from the cross (the starting post) so I would have only continuous loops at the end post at the cross end of the warp (the ending post). This is where the apron rod will go later.

Whenever I changed colors I tied the new color on to the old color near the end post. This might be either the starting post or the ending post, depending on the draft.

I twined the counting thread at the cross (usually every inch / every 24 ends) as indicated in the diagram above.

When I was done measuring warp chain #1, I made the following ties before I removed the chain from the warping board:

I tied a bow in the counting thread
I tied cross ties on each of the 4 "legs" of the cross with a separate tie
I tied very snug choke ties about 15-18" from the cross and about every yard along the warp (these are the ties that will keep the warp threads tidy while I wind on)
I labelled the chain near the cross: "Chain 1", "Chain 2", etc. This is very important if there are color changes to insure that the color order is preserved when I go to the loom.

Tip:
I like to place a stocking loop or tie on either side of the starting post and the ending post.

At the ending post (the cross end), it helps to preserve the spot where the apron rod will go, even if I have created a "false cross"
At the starting post, it provides a no fuss way of cutting the end loops when it is time to thread the loom.

The counting thread, at the cross, tied in a bow.

The 4 cross ties shown above and one of the choke ties shown near my hand.

Label for warp chain #1, and stocking loop ties at the ending post near the cross.

The entire warp with all ties in place.

I chained off warp chain #1, beginning at the starting post. I chained loosely and only up to the cross portion of the warp chain. I took the warp to the loom and laid it across the front beam on the right side of the loom. I measured chains # 2 & 3 in the same way and laid them on the front beam to the left of chain # 1

I measured warp chain #4 in the same way with a couple of exceptions:

I measured 2 bundles of 24 ends followed by the final bundle of 21 ends (see diagram above).
Because there were an odd number of threads, I had to make an adjustment. That last thread (#281), in the normal course of winding would have ended at the ending post nearest the cross. That is a no-no is back to front warping! So after end #280 I wound the warp thread around the starting post several times and cut it. I then made a loop and tied an overhand knot in the last warp end and looped it over the ending post near the cross and wound the last end in the opposite direction, ending at the starting post. Now there were only loops at the cross end of the warp. See photo below.

The photo on the left shows the "false cross" that was created between the ending post and the real cross when I added that last odd thread. I added the stocking loops on either side of the false cross so I know where to put the apron rod later and so that last loop doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

I tied off Chain #4, labelled it. chained it off the warping board, and took it to the loom where I laid it across the front beam to the left of Chain #3.

Stay tuned for Day 4 - Winding onto the Loom. Go to Life History-Day 4
To review, go back to Life History-Day 2

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Life History of a Scarf: Day 2 - Planning

2/7/2016

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Step 1 - Yarn Wraps. For me, the first step in planning almost always involves doing some yarn wraps to decide exactly which colors I will use and in what approximate proportions. I did several wraps, using 6 or 7 colors and chose the 2 wraps you see below as the final two. Finally I decided the warp needed a little extra "punch" and chose the wrap that has the black in it. The thread counts in the wrap use Fibonacci numbers in random order (1-2-3-5-8-13-21). I used 5 colors all together: black, turquoise, royal, chartreuse and lavender.

Step 2:- Planning my draft. I knew I wanted to use a mix of point twill and plain weave, just as I did in the Weaver's Challenge scarf, but this scarf was going to be a little different:

Because the scarf was being woven with only 8/2 bamboo instead of a mix of 8/2 and 10/2, I decided to sett it at 24 instead of 27. But I was not completely sure this was the right sett, so I would need to allow for sampling and re-setting if the cloth seemed to be too sleazy
I wanted the scarf to be a little wider than the challenge scarf: between 10-12" on loom, resulting in a scarf between 8.5-10" after draw-in and shrinkage (unless of course I have to sett it closer...)
The color proportions are different that the inspiration scarf

So I used Fiberworks to help me fuss with pattern and color within the parameters of 240 ends (24 epi x 10") to 288 ends (24 epi x 12") until I came up with a draft that appealed to me and that was balanced from side to side. The final draft is below.

The treadling I decided on is a mixed point twill treadling. Click on the images to the right to see what the cloth will look like in the finished scarves.

Original treadling (4 treadles)

Modified treadling (6 treadles - see explanation on Day 6)

Step 3 - Warp calculations. The last thing I needed to do before I started measuring my warp was to do some calculations to figure out how long my warp should be, how much yarn I would need for the warp and weft, and to make sure I had enough yarn on hand.

Warp width: 281 ends / 24 epi ==> 11.7" in the reed

The draft in this case determined the number of ends (281)
11.7" in the reed will yield a scarf about 10" in width, allowing for 15% draw-in/shrinkage

Warp length: Planning for weaving 2 scarves plus 1 sample that is to be woven, cut off, and washed before proceeding with weaving the scarves.

Allow 27" loom waste
Allow 25" for sample (13" woven + 12" for tying back on)
Allow 80" on loom for scarf 1 (after 10% draw-in and shrinkage ==> 72" finished scarf
Allow 16" unwoven area between scarves for fringe
Allow 80" on loom for scarf 2 (after 10% draw-in and shrinkage ==> 72" finished scarf
TOTAL = 228" or 6.3 yards is the length of the warp

Warp needs:

I need 281 ends that are each 6.3 yds long. 281 x 6.3 = 1770 yds of warp

My draft has 5 colors:

130 ends of turquoise x 6.3 yd = 819 yds
55 ends of black x 6.3 yds = 347 yds
47 ends of royal x 6.3 yds = 296 yds
32 ends of lavender x 6.3 yds = 201 yds
17 yds of chartreuse x 6.3 yds = 107 yds

Tip: Make sure you have at least an extra 10% on hand for your warp before you start warping because:

Your cones and skeins may not have on them have exactly what you are expecting
It is not likely that you can measure exactly the right length warp on your warping board (pegs are 6" apart after all)

Step 4 - Weft Calculations.
The only 3 parts of the warp that will be woven are:

13" sample
Two 80" scarves
TOTAL woven length of 173"

I am assuming this sett and weave structure will yield a fairly balanced weave so I will guess that I will get 24 picks per inch (ppi). 173" x 24 ppi ==> 4152 picks total for all woven cloth

Each pick is 11.7" long plus a bit for take up - let's say 10% - making a pick about 12.8".
4152 picks x 12.8" = 53,145" / 36 ==> 1476 yards for weft

I am weaving a sample with several weft colors and 2 scarves each with a different weft color so I should not need more than 700-800 yards of any one color of weft.

Tip: Remember that there is always loom waste in the warp, but virtually no waste in the weft.

f you are weaving 1 item, like a scarf or a shawl and the ppi is the same or less than the epi (your cloth is a balanced weave or warp emphasis), a good quick and dirty estimate for weft yardage would be 3/4 of the warp yardage.

Once my calculations were done, I was ready to start measuring my warp chains. A project for another day. To be continued on Life History-Day 3
To review, go back to Life History-Day 1

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Life History of a Scarf: Day 1 - Inspiration

2/6/2016

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This scarf was inspired by the project I did for the 2015 Triangle Weavers Guild Weaver's Challenge. For that challenge, I drew 4 slips of paper that told me I had to weave something with the following criteria:

Use bamboo only
Use dark and bright colors
Use 2 different weave structures
Use hemstitching

Now, these challenges are usually, well, challenging. But this one seemed pretty manageable for a change. I decided to weave a scarf with mostly teals and reds, using a mixture of 8/2 and 10/2 bamboo, and using a combination of plain weave and point twill. I sett the bamboo at 27 epi. And to make a long story short, I loved the results. The scarf had a gorgeous hand, and my only concern was that the scarf may have looked a little like a Scottish plaid - nothing wrong with that - it is just not what I had in mind when I started.

The inspiration scarf

The challenge scarf was really quick and easy to weave. Plain weave selvedges - so nice clean selvedges with no need for floating selvedges. Easy treadling pattern - so nice easy rhythm of weaving. So I decided to do it again with a few changes:

Different colorway
Slightly wider warp
Weave 2 scarves instead of 1 (why not?) with 2 different weft colors
8/2 bamboo only (because that is the only size I had on hand in the new colors)

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Life History of a Scarf - Final reflections

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 9 - Finishing the Scarves

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 8 - Weaving the Scarves

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 7 - Weaving the Samples

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 6 - Getting Ready to Weave

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 5 - Threading the Loom

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 4 - Winding onto the Back Beam

LIFE HISTORY OF A SCARF: DAY 3 - Measuring the Warp

Life History of a Scarf: Day 2 - Planning

Life History of a Scarf: Day 1 - Inspiration

Pattie Lamb

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