Weaving Rose Path

Day 60: The weaver's talent is put to the test before the cloth is begun. The warp is measured first, then gathered in a chain or some other fashion to keep it from tangling, and then it is mounted on the back or front beam, depending on the weaver's preference. I like to wind it onto the back beam, and in doing so, I space the threads out over the approximate width of the projected cloth by running them through a set of dividers known as a raddle. From the raddle, each strand is taken through a heddle (a metal or string upright held in the harnesses), and this must be done in careful order depending on what pattern I've chosen to weave. My loom has four harnesses. To weave Rose Path following this particular threading, the strands of warp pass through heddles held in harnesses 1, 2, 3, 4, 3, 2, 1, 4, repeated across the width. This is the most critical part of the manufacture of the cloth. A mistake will become apparent as soon as the weaving is begun. After the warp is strung through the heddles, it passes through yet another separator known as the reed. This device is mounted in the beater bar. Then the strands are tied to the front apron and weaving may commence.

The actual weaving is repetitive. The sheds (separations of the warp through which the shuttle passes) are raised by means of  four foot pedals (one per harness). The treadling sequence for this particular pattern is 1,4; 1,2; 2,3; 3,4; 2,3; 1,2; 1,4; 3,4. A good treadling rhythm is similar to hiking up the trail, i.e., step, step, step, step. The shuttle is passed left to right, right to left, back and forth, back and forth. The sound of the heddles in the harnesses is also soothing, a sussurating timbre I can only equate to that of a polite rattlesnake shaking its tail to let you know you know that the sunny rocks on this slope are already taken: "Please don't step to the right. This is my spot and I'm comfortable here." In other words, the work is done. Now just relax and weave!