Thrums are a normal by-product of weaving. They are the bits and bobs of thread which cannot be woven due to having to pass through the heddles and reed, and are otherwise known as "loom waste." Their length depends on the individual loom. On Daisy, I allow three feet at the back (loom waste at the front of the loom where they are tied on is minimal). That was about the same for Max, but my old loom wanted an allowance of five feet. When you're talking about 250-500 threads, that's a lot of yardage to rest on your conscience as you throw them in the trash (which, I hate to say, a lot of people do). My Scottish soul can't abide that much wastage, so I usually "half-life" my thrums by moving them to the next smaller loom to use as warp, or I allow extra on a project to be sure I have enough to warp a smaller loom. Even so, I still wind up with thrums, and I flatly refuse to put them in the garbage until they've served as many purposes as possible. I've been weaving zanshiori-style towels and runners by tying the thrums together and using them as weft. The knots give a "down home" feel to the finished pieces, but some people don't appreciate the obvious "leftovers" look. I like it, but that's me. As my thrums jar filled up again, I had another thought for utilizing them. Okay, it was going to be a lot of work, but in the end, I'd have something functional. To that end, I have tied them all together and am now engaged in spinning them by the fours, which will later be re-spun into a thick 8-ply yarn to use as weft in rag rugs. I call the end product "Silly String!" And Merry is way more help than I need, grabbing the wiggly strings as they come up from the cones protecting the balls of wound thread from inquiring paws.
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