Raddling The Chain

Day 44: In a stroke of uncommon brilliance, it occurred to me that two lengths of nice, smooth PVC pipe would make excellent leash sticks to transfer the warp chain to the loom, better perhaps than the wooden ones I normally use. I also discovered that the raddle from my table loom might fit the back beam of the floor loom, although not to the full width. While it's possible to weave without a raddle, this accessory keeps the threads spread out to the width of the fabric being produced, making it easier to control unwanted draw-in.

The warp chain is formed as the threads are removed from the warping board. The weaver's hand and arm serve as a giant crochet hook pulling one loop after another up through the previous one. In the warping system I use, the end of the warp chain is attached to the back beam roller by means of a dowel. With the leash sticks holding the warp cross, the threads are then separated onto the raddle. The remaining chain is dropped down in front, wound onto the back beam, and then is ready to be cut and pulled through the individual wire heddles and reed dents in a process called sleying. Winding the chain onto the back beam is best done with an assistant, but can be achieved by weighting sections of warp with soup cans! Once the loom is sleyed, the warp sections are tied to the front (cloth) beam roller and weaving begins. "Neahly deh', Ernie! Take it away!"