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

2/16/2016

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

2 Comments

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: Day 1 - Inspiration

2/1/2016

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

The inspiration scarf

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)

Stay tuned to this thread (Life History of a Scarf) for more on the planning, weaving and finishing of the new scarves that were inspired by the challenge scarf. Check out Life History-Day2 for the next installment.

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Lessons Learned From A Plain Weave Dish Towel

2/11/2015

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The plan was to weave 3 simple dishtowels. The inspiration was 2 beautiful skeins of hand painted linen - Linen Lace by Claudia, color way Ocean Depth. I have used this yarn before in a different colorway. Last time I combined a huck lace and a twill weave, and I wanted to do something a little different this time. I decided to keep the structure simple - plain weave - and make it all about the color.

I did some yarn wraps to help decide what colors of cottolin would work well with the linen. I finally decided to use white and 4 shades of Bockens 22/2 cottolin: aqua (color #2076), bright turquoise (color #2074), cadet blue (color #2060) and periwinkle/lavender (color #2067).

I used Fiberworks to design a stripe pattern where I had a background of white with stripes of the variegated linen that were bordered by narrow stripes of the solid colored cottolin. In the draft, the gray areas represent the variegated yarn. Shown below is about 1/3 of the draft. I fussed with the size of the variegated stripes until I was sure I would have linen for a warp for the 3 towels. What is important is that some of the variegated linen areas were 2-3" wide - more about that later.

I usually sett 22/2 cottolin (300 yds/lb) at 24 epi for plain weave for dishtowels. That makes a very sturdy cloth that holds up very well. I decided to sett this warp a little closer for 2 reasons: 1) I thought the linen was slightly thinner than the cottolin (a mistake I discovered later, ha ha), 2) the linen is variegated and I wanted to emphasize that, and 3) I knew I would be weaving with a finer weft (16/2 cottolin at 6700 yds/lb)

So the towels went onto the loom and wove up very quickly. I only got about 16 ppi with this very fine weft which had me questioning whether I should have sett the warp at 24 epi instead of 27. I wove the first towel with white 16/2 cottolin, the second with aqua, and the third with lavender. I definitely liked the white the best. It was very fresh looking and did not wash out the warp colors at all, whereas the aqua and lavender barely had any effect on the overall color of the towels other than making them less crisp looking.

Overall I was happy with the towels. They have a nice, soft hand which will only get softer with successive washings. There is much room for improvement, however, on these simple plain weave towels

Lessons learned:

Well, first of all be sure about what you are working with before you start. Setting this at 27 worked out fine, but I think it might have been even better at 24, and if I had correctly realized that the linen was actually a little heaver than the cottolin, I probably would have sett it at 24.

More importantly, I had wide areas of uninterrupted linen in the warp, some 2-3" wide. The linen did not shrink in length as much as the cottolin. That caused a little bit of a scalloped hem after washing. Even with some creative hemming, my finished edge is not completely straight on any of the towels which you can probably tell from the picture on the right. SO in the future, when mixing cottolin and linen, I would plan narrower stripes and more evenly spaced stripes to minimize this problem.

You never too experienced to learn something new from a simple little project.

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Facebook Art Challenge - Day 5

2/8/2015

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Final day of the challenge. Odds and ends. The first picture is of a large bag that was made from a piece of woven wool that was felted and sewn by hand into a tote bag. The straps are made from a technique called ply split braiding. The initials LOL are for my company Lamb on the Loom. The second picture shows a basket that is also done in ply split technique (pattern compliments of Louise French). And the third picture shows 3 baskets made in the same technique (pattern compliments of Linda Hendrickson).

Felted Tote Bag

Ply Split Vase Cover

Ply Split Baskets

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Facebook Art Challenge - Day 4

2/7/2015

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Three scarves for today. The first is a tencel scarf using rust, turquoise and a variegated yarn that results in some nice iridescence. The second one is one of my favorite scarves that ises a feathery twill weave with a variegated tencel with highlights of solid cotton pinstripes. And the third is a silk scarf that I dyed the warp for.

Iridescent Tencel Scarf

Stained Glass Tencel Scarf

Hand Dyed Silk Scarf

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Facebook Art Challenge -Day 3

2/6/2015

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Doubleweave in its various forms. The first piece is a recent table runner. Woven in doubleweave overshot, it is 100% cotton and very practical. The other 2 pieces are older and examples of my rare adventures in "art" pieces". They are both doubleweave pick up, fondly know in the weaving world as "slow cloth", because they take so long to weave. The first of the two is a color gamp. The second one is what I refer to as a portrait of my son when he was little: he is self destructing and getting himself back together, which he did frequently every day. Now I am happy to say he is all grown up and has his act together.