Day 298: Say goodbye to sticks, cardboard inserts, waste yarn, toilet paper or whatever else you've been using to weave headers. Let me introduce you to the Slicky-Cord Trick! I have on hand several spools of nylon cord in various diameters to match the threads I most frequently use in my weaving. After tying on my warp, I make two passes without beating, leaving a tail on one side and a loop on the other. After the second pass, I draw the beater bar gently forward to separate the warp threads, and then pull on the active weft thread and tail until the loop disappears on the opposite side and the width of the weaving is roughly what I want it to be on the loom. There may still be gaps between warp bundles at this point, but don't worry. Make several more passes with the slicky-cord, beating and drawing up to the desired width of the piece. By the time you've made six to eight passes, the weaving will be evenly distributed, or if not quite, hemstitching will take care of any inequities. In the next step, gently remove the two rows of slicky-cord closest to the woven fabric. You'll have to coax the slicky-cord along every inch or so during this step. This will give you enough space to hemstitch. Do not cut the cord! You can use it again next time. Because the cord is nylon, it is slick and easy to pull out. That's why I call it "slicky-cord!" When you're done hemstitching, pull the remaining slicky-cord out one row at a time, roll it up and save it to use again. There is very little thread waste with this system, and having the weaving width already established means you're ready to go.
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