Spillway - The Teaser

Day 330: It's a dam spillway! This is the teaser. I recently found instructions for a weaving structure I had always thought was impossible to create on a four-shaft loom, i.e., that it had to be woven on a minimum of eight shafts or on a drawloom. I won't give it away just yet, but having done a small experiment with the leftover warp on the floor loom, I am reasonably certain that I understand the technique. In any event, I decided it was prudent to warp it onto my table loom so that there would be less wastage in case everything goes pear-shaped on me, and that's how I've spent the morning. I chose the metaphor of a spillway for good reason: although the threads are each drawn through individual heddles, they pass through "penstocks," four in a bunch in each dent, separated from one another by an empty dent. It makes for quite a cascade! I need to settle on a design before I can begin, but let me assure you, this is the most excited I've been about a weaving technique since I discovered the joys of overshot some fifty years ago.

Beat It!

Day 117: While I'm working on setting up a couple of new projects to replace the tablet-weaving and inkle I've just completed, we can step into my crafts room and have a look at the process of weaving on a floor or table loom. I've mentioned beating the fibers into place and how the reed keeps them spaced as a certain sett of threads per inch (the latter more commonly referred to as "ends per inch" or "dents per inch," "epi" and "dpi" respectively). The weaver determines which reed to use based on suggestions from the fiber manufacturer or from experience. In this case, I am using a 15-dent reed and 8/2 cotton to make a series of dish towels. It's a combination I use frequently. The photo shows my last throw (also known as a "pick") only partways into being beaten against the fell line (the previous row). I passed the shuttle bearing the blue thread from right to left and will bring the wooden frame holding the metal reed (the beater bar) against it firmly to pack it into place. Then I will change the shed by depressing another pair of treadles so that I can make a throw from left to right in pattern.

You might notice that I've left a slight arc in the thread as it crosses the warps. This helps keep the selvedges of the cloth from drawing in and becoming more narrow as the weaving progresses. I have to brag a little: I got top marks for my selvedges in the judging at the Washington State Fair. It's a skill I've worked hard to master. Now as for "beating," the word is slightly misleading, although in this particular instance, the 8/2 cotton demands a pretty strong hand at this sett. Other fibers may ask to be gently pressed into place in order to prevent breakage or undue abrasion. Many fibers will "full" with washing as well, swelling to fill up the gaps between threads which are obvious when the fabric is raw. Whenever using a fiber for the first time, it is always advisable to weave a test swatch or at least treat a bundle of the threads in the manner they can expect in their new life as whole cloth. This will prevent any unpleasant surprises like shrinkage or colour-bleed.

Dressing The Loom 2

Day 175: With the hardest part behind me, yesterday I settled in to finish dressing the loom. Because my 15-dent reed was too short to accommodate a 36-inch width, I used a longer 10-dent, drawing two threads through every other slot. While in a plain tabby weave (over-and-under), this might create a "tracking" pattern in the fabric, weaving a twill will make it less obvious. It will be even less apparent when the fabric is fulled, i.e., washed to expand the fibers of the soft 8/2 cotton. Once the ends were through the reed, I tied them to the front apron, keeping the tension even. The photo on the right illustrates a "shed," the space between threads when the harnesses are raised or lowered. The diagonal twill pattern consists of four sheds, created by raising harnesses 1/4, 1/2, 2/3 and 3/4 in strict sequence. This is where any mistakes in threading the heddles will make themselves known. If one should be found, the weaver has no choice but to unthread the reed and heddles if s/he wants to weave a flawless piece. Today, the weaving begins.

Reed And Shuttles

Day 114: My collection of weaving accoutrements is growing, and now includes two antique rag bobbins, a gift from sister-of-my-heart Mousie. They belonged to her oldest friend's mother and grandmother, and I feel very privileged that she managed to convince the friend to part with them on my behalf. I have been wanting to do some rag-woven rugs, but had no shuttles large enough to hold more than just a few yards of prepared fabric. On the other hand, the 15-dent reed behind them is brand-new and will be used for finer pieces similar to the table runners I'm presently making. The runners are warped at 15 dents using a 4.5" high reed from my table loom. My floor loom takes a 5" reed, so I had to be inventive. I started off by padding the channel with foam and cardboard. I did a test run and the reed stayed in place. However, after working about a foot and a half of the actual cloth, the reed jumped out of its track and was left dangling by the warp! I reinstalled it with only a minor amount of profanity, but for additional security, I wired it in. As a stop-gap measure, it works, but I realized that since most of my weaving is done with 8/2 cotton, I really needed a 15-dent reed which was made to fit the loom. Old or new, a weaver needs the proper tools.

12 Dents Per Inch

Day 59: So long ago now that I can't recall when it was, an internet acquaintance who was giving up weaving sent me a boxful of spooled thread remnants. I put them away, thinking that some day I'd incorporate them into a project, but I always seemed to favour buying new threads instead. Then my best weaving supply store closed its doors suddenly and I found myself without a source. Although I have some large cones still in my stash, I took this as a message from the weaving gods: "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." Yesterday, I decided to warp a new project at 12 dents per inch. I usually like to weave at least three items from any one warping, but in this case, I was simply hoping there would be enough thread for two scarves. Halfway into measuring the warp, I realized I was going to fall short. I pulled the thread off the warping board and started over. In doing so, I created a major mess despite my best efforts to prevent it. This silky rayon thread was unpredictably self-attracted, leaving me to waste the better part of two hours undoing tangles. Getting it on the loom offered a few issues as well, but those bridges have been crossed and I am now ready to tie it to the front apron, one step away from making the first throw on somebody's 2018 Christmas gift.