Jen has brought me out of the closet where I was suffocating in debate with my new pals, the Ashford 48″ rigid heddle loom and Ashford 32″ table loom, very existential ideas, like about whether or not as inanimate objects, we really exist, and I have been by far the most optimistic among us! Anyway, Jen seems to have forgotten about me, but finally she brought me out to see the spring . . . I am wearing a very light weave that seems to be sticking to my skin all by itself, perhaps from static electricity, as it has been three days of drying wind here.
Jen wants me to say that she had some difficulty weaving this fluffy light sheer cloth, but eventually she found her way and the weaving became better balanced, eventually only a light tap of the reed to keep the structure even and open. This is the 15epi experiment in her series of weaving ultra fine cotton where she is experimenting with different threads per inch. She is super pleased that very light cloth can be woven on a simple little rigid heddle loom with one 15 dent reed, and is hoping to do more just like it. But first to finish her series she wants to weave 20 epi with this same thread, whether threading two rigid heddle reeds together on my pal the big rigid heddle loom, or to warp it up on my other pal, the table loom. But on the other hand (um, what other hand???) she thinks she might just weave more single reed 15epi samples on the little rigid heddle loom, like this piece was.
So much fun going on here I tell you!
Ta ta, Abelene
ps. Don’t miss out on the technical weaving notes and slideshow below!
♣  Weaving Notes ♣
Yarn: 20/2 mercerized perle cotton, 8400yds / 1 lb, Maurice Brassard, in colors;Â Flax (P-5109), Rose Paudreux (P145), Natural (P100), and Blanchi (white) (P-101).Â
Loom: Ashford Knitters Loom 20″.
Warp:  Warp length is approx 110 inches from apron rod to warping peg. Â
Number of warp ends: 298
Reed: 15 dent, warp is 19.5″, full width in reed.
Sett on loom: Oops, I forgot to measure.
Sett after finishing: Warp 17 epi, and weft 19 ppi.
Selvedges: I did not do floating selvedges, but I did warp 3 extra ends per selvedge, which is almost necessary I am finding when using a temple.
Color Pattern:Â Â
Warp =Â [18 ends of rose, 18 of blanchi, 18 of flax, 18 of blanchi ] x 2 . 288 ends plus 3 extra selvedge ends at each side = 294.
Weft = wound on to a 30″ stick shuttle ; [20 wraps of rose, 20 wraps flax] repeat the sequence to end of warp.
Finished: 1/4 inch turned hem, then washed and dried in machine, then pressed, and weighs 83g. Measuring after finishing 76″ long and 17″ wide (before washing/drying it measured 76″ x 18″).
Yardage:Â Total yardage used for finished piece = 1536y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.
General Notes: This weave is open and fairly sheer. I am striving for balanced weave with only a light tap of the reed needed. If I beat too hard with the reed, even just a slight bit of pressure on the reed, or too many taps, the weft easily becomes compressed and creates horizontal stripes of weft dominant color. For this reason, I had to be very careful, hoping that after a wash and dry in the machine everything would become even, with threads locked together in a firm gauze fabric. The ppi is slightly more than the epi, so not perfectly balanced. I am guessing then that 20 epi will be the magic warp spacing for ease of weaving balanced.
Walking out in Spring on the fresh mown wild grass with Juno, I took photos with my phone, which look less than great as I’m a lousy phone photographer, but what the heck, it was hard to resist a glimpse of spring on the mountain that is recovering from wildfire for years to come. I have been tremendously busy, for months, out in the landscape working on the fire defensible space project that is all-consuming. On the creative front, I’ve been weaving ultra fine cotton in a series of rigid heddle loom experiments, and on what seems to be an eternal warp, and baking bread a lot, as well as other delicious things, like making chocolate!
Its difficult to believe that I have been weaving — and not knitting — for almost a whole year now, and I think although I don’t ever see slowing down with the weaving, I finally miss knitting. I miss spinning, and dying wools, and blending artful batts on my drum carder, and my Tweed Chronicles experiments too, but where do I find the time to do it all? I am feeling a time crunch and the panic of wildfire season just ahead, thinking to just get past the hard work, only a couple more months. Even though I can feel more at ease this year as the cool temperatures and rain has lasted wonderfully long, lingering and staving off the dry heat, the work presses on . . . and I am older, sore, and tired a lot. Scotty, beam me to late summer when the grass has stopped growing and the bonfires of the next rain season are still off the calendar, when the scorching dry weeks of August through September chase me indoors, desperately needing distraction from it . . . and then, surely there’ll be more time to relax into all of the creative projects!
This weaving taught me two new things. One is that I further explored color, using a different variation than I have yet; with two colors in the warp, and four in the weft. The color affect of the check is still lively and interesting, but without warping with the two lightest shades (beige and natural) the result gave a more muted and softened color variation, less dramatic with no light blocks. I would like to explore this idea even more!
I think the most challenging thing about this piece, and anything I’ve woven to date, is that I did a double heddle threading with two different size reeds. It was definitely another long and arduous threading process, and after discovering I miscalculated the spacing the first time, I resolved there really was no way of going around it, that it had to be done right, and be done over. Of course, in doing it over I discovered a formula for myself, where I was only guessing at first, and so I have written my formula in my weaving notes.
This is going to be the last of the double reed threading for a while, for not only is it a very intensive warping process, but also if a mistake is made in the warp (as there was one, if you’ll notice the long run throughout the whole weaving) it is just not something I know how to fix and it tests my patience. Such was the case again, some threads misaligned and right off the start, the flaw was blaringly obvious, but this was merely a sample to test the process. The reed sizes I wanted to thread together in this project were 15 dent and 12.5 dent (per inch), but easier calculated in the metric sizes 60/10(cm) and 50/10(cm) , to get a sett of 25 epi. Its all there in the weaving notes, with technical threading photo gallery.
♣  Weaving Notes ♣
Yarn: 20/2 mercerized perle cotton, 8400yds / 1 lb, Maurice Brassard, in colors; Rose Paudreux (P145), Natural (P100), Light Beige (P-2), and Flax (P-5109).Â
Loom: Ashford Knitters Loom 20″.
Warp: Double threaded 4 ends per dent on first reed, then through a second reed using this method Using a heddle stand is rather necessary, Jeff made the one I use in tech photos below. I don’t know how to suggest an alternative, but if one has a couple of heavy objects or uses a bit of cleverness, one could rig a reed stand. Now, with the second reed forward, threading it through in a very seemingly complex manner, but it really isn’t. Warp length is approx 110 inches from apron rod to warping peg. See formula below.
Number of warp ends: 432.
Reed: Two rigid heddle reeds, one 15 dent and one 12.5 dent.  I threaded through the 15 dent reed first, skipping 1 slot after every 4 slots threaded, and the second reed I threaded every slot. End result is as two 12.5 dent reeds, with 25 epi. See formula below. Note: After both reeds were threaded, I held them together with thick rubberbands as shown in photos.
Sett on loom: Warp = 25 epi (ends/threads per inch), weft = 25 ppi.
Sett after finishing: Warp 28 epi, and weft 28 ppi.
Selvedges: I did not do floating selvedges, nor did I bother to double up and reinforce the selvedges, mostly because there was so much going on with threading through TWO reeds. I did use a temple.
Color Pattern:Â Â
Warp =Â [18 slots with 4 ends each slot (72 ends) flax, 18 slots with 4 ends each slot (72 ends) rose] REPEAT for a total of 3 pattern reps, and 432 ends.
Weft = wound on to a 30″ stick shuttle; [30 wraps of flax, 50 wraps of light beige, 30 wraps of rose, 50 wraps of natural] repeat the sequence to end of warp.
Finished: 1/4 inch turned hem, then washed and dried in machine, then pressed, measuring 80″ long and 15.5″ wide, and weighs 105g.Â
Yardage:Â Total yardage used for finished piece = 1943y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.
My formula for threading two graduating sized heddles together:Â All of the reed sizes for the Ashford rigid heddle looms, which many rigid heddle weavers have a size graduation of reeds:
I have most of the reed sizes for my Knitters Loom, but for the sake of very fine cloth weaving with my rigid heddle looms, I am writing down my formula for threading two reeds of graduating larger sizes together so that I can achieve epi’s greater than the finest single reed available for this loom, which is a 15 dent (60/10). I’ll add that It is far easier to use a single reed than to thread two together, so in the case of coupling the lower-dent reeds — I recommend just buying the single 15 dent reed, instead of double threading 40/10 with 30/10 (or two 30/10) reeds to get 15 epi, but for the sake of example I listed all the rigid heddle reed pairings in sequence, in the situation that it applies.
The reed that has fewer dents should be in front of the other, facing forward toward the weaving, where every slot and hole is threaded. The reed with more dents should be behind it, and when threading, skip 1 slot/hole as needed to align to the front reed. Off of the warp beam there will be spaces in the threading, but the reed facing the weaving is even with no empty slots/holes. Here are my calculations for a balanced threading across the warp . . .
60/10 & 50/10, thread as two 50/10 (thread 5, skip1) same as two 12.5/in= 25epi
50/10 & 40/10, thread as two 40/10 (thread 4, skip1), same as two 10/in = 20epi
40/10 & 30/10, thread as two 30/10 (thread 3, skip1), same as two 7.5/in = 15epi
30/10 & 20/10, thread as two 20/10 (thread 2, skip1), same as two 5/in = 10epi
20/10 and 10/10, thread as two 10/10 (thread 1, skip1), same as two 2.5/in = 5epi
Sakiori was developed long ago by the peasants of Japan, who when faced with a shortage of cloth, made their own by cutting and tearing strips of old used cloth items, and wove them into new cloth for their clothing … Continue reading →
This ultra fine cloth finished has 32 threads per inch in the warp, and was woven on my 20″ Ashford Knitters (rigid heddle) Loom, which is a fabulous sample loom for all the fine weight threads I have been so curious to try. This particular project is extremely fine cotton, was threaded through two 15 dent reeds, and I have no desire to go finer, this is the limit. Famous last words, eh?
One must look and wonder how all these gazillion threads in the warp can be kept track of, and I for one, can not. I thought all the threads were there, but as I begin to weave, there’s empty slots where warp threads are suppose to be, maybe one or two were mis-threaded, or broke, and I missed them, but as I weave further, more threads have disappeared, likely in not catching them when I was threading the reeds. I just can’t pull my hair out over it, these are sample weavings, total leaps of faith and hoping for the best, I can’t take it too seriously.
The most impressive thing to me about this piece is that it was threaded through tworigid heddle reeds; double threading is a mind bend at first, but then after my first try using these instructions the process gelled and suddenly I felt like I was born knowing how to do it. So I’m weaving on in spite of the mysteriously thinning warp, it is a thrill to be weaving such ultra fine fabric on a simple, nearly primitive loom, even though weaving 30 epi on the rigid heddle loom means I am having to do the extra work of using a stick shuttle for both passing the weft and beating down to try for a balanced weave, and still it is not. Weaving on the rigid heddle in this way slows weaving down a great deal, and there is a lot to pay attention to.
Once I am finished with this piece I may try another similar double threading sample with a different reed combination, coupling a 15 and a 12 dent together, achieving a 24 epi, and maybe then I can beat with only a tap of the rigid heddle reed instead of having to beat it down with the stick shuttle. I strive to find the sweet spot where weaving is truly balanced, not forced, and ultimately what I want to achieve with plain weave.
A bit about the design; I crave bold block design in a subtle contrast, so developing my elongated big check blocks with or without a stripe, and selecting the two very low contrast neutral colors for the background check, for this piece was an attempt to get a “barely there” colorway, yet it is still bold enough, and I really love it!
♣  Weaving Notes ♣
Yarn: 20/2 mercerized perle cotton, 8400yds / 1 lb, Maurice Brassard, in colors; Natural (P100), Light Beige (P-2), and Flax (P-5109).Â
Loom: Ashford Knitters Loom 20″.
Warp: Double threaded 4 ends per dent on first reed, then through a second reed using this method. Using a heddle stand is rather necessary, Jeff made the one I use in tech photos below. I don’t know how to suggest an alternative, but if one has a couple of heavy objects or uses a bit of cleverness, one could rig a reed stand. Now, with the second reed forward, threading it through in a very seemingly complex manner, but it really isn’t. Warp length is approx 110 inches from apron rod to warping peg.
Number of warp ends: 600 , or there about, as I lost some along the way.Â
Reed: Two 15 dent rigid heddle reeds, about 19.5″ width in reed.
Sett on loom: Warp = 30 epi (ends/threads per inch), weft = ?? (forgot to measure).
Selvedges: I did not do floating selvedges, nor did I bother to double up and reinforce the selvedges, mostly because there was so much going on with threading through TWO reeds , but a real positive thing about such a tight weave and having to beat with the stick shuttle to get the weft in place, there seems to be no draw-in on the edges. After about 12″ of weaving I noticed a little draw-in, so I started using the temple.
Sett after finishing: Warp 32 epi, and weft 24 ppi.
Color Pattern:Â Â
Warp = [12 slots with 4 ends each slot (48ends) light beige , 1 slot with 4 ends (4 ends) flax, 12 slots with 4 ends each slot (48ends) light beige. 12 slots with 4 ends each slot (48ends) natural, 1 slot with 4 ends (4 ends) flax, 12 slots with 4 ends each slot (48ends) natural, 12 slots with 4 ends each slot (48ends) natural. ] REPEAT for a total of 3 pattern reps, and 600 ends.
Weft = wound 60 full wraps on to a 30″ stick shuttle for each color, in repeating sequence natural and light beige.Â
Finished: 1/4 inch turned hem, then washed and dried in machine, then pressed, measuring 81″ long and 18″ wide, and weighs 130g.Â
Yardage:Â Total yardage used for finished piece = 2405y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.
What I will do differently next time:
Again, I ran out of room on the reed(s) while threading, and had to sacrifice the left 12 threads, but its so fine, that is like a quarter inch I am guessing. Second is I didn’t catch it, but there’s a few threads missing in the slots, and that is okay with me.
Glimakra slim boat shuttle actually fit in the shed! I am so anxious to finally use it, I found I had to use the stick shuttle as a beater anyway, why not refine the movements and wind the stick shuttle with thread and omit the boat shuttle this time… but next time, with 24 epi , using 12 and 15 dent reeds double threaded, maybe it will be balanced. Â
I have to confess mild disappointment, as I thought I could do better on my first twill project than I have. I planned it to be full width of 32″ and at least 72″ long. I planned it to be soft and fluffy and light, a lap blanket or shawl, whichever it wanted to be. But there was a double learning curve within this piece as not only have I not yet woven alpaca, which I realize now this particular superfine two ply worsted weight is quite slippery, but neither have I woven twill, or anything on multiple shaft loom. This was to be the first piece on the new table loom, a test run, using alpaca yarn that I happened to have the exact amount of in my yarn drawers, and meticulously planned to use up every yard of my light grey and cream that I had.
I set off with things going nearly right, having been lucky with the warping and keeping it organized, I had to improvise a front-to-back method. The work of sleying the reed and threading heddles entailed so much fussing I bore down under the yoke of determination and eventually, miraculously, got it done. Threading through the texsolv heddles in a straight draw, and finally with Jeff’s help I got it wound on to the warp beam nicely and firmly, with a lot of cardboard warp separators. Then there was testing the shed and fixing crossed threads for quite some time, not knowing what I was doing really, I really was at my limit. Presently, my first impression is that I don’t really love texsolv heddles, oh, yes, they’re quiet, and ultimately lightweight, just that threading them is a chore! I don’t know what wire heddles are like either, but they must be easier to thread.
After I started my first few inches of weft, just about everything went wrong that could go wrong; warp threads started to break within the first 12 inches of weaving, as well as the floating selvedge, and I noticed how uneven the twill angle was, all over the place, beating so inconsistently as I am not use to a beater at all, it seemed I was barely pressing the weft into place. In retrospect I suspect that it is because the warp was too spread out, and I should have used at least one size smaller reed, if not two, and being so spread out, the weft just sunk heavily into place practically covering the warp, in some places almost like tapestry weaving. I did not and could not predict this weft-heavy twill because of my complete lack of experience. So now I know, especially for this alpaca that is slick, pack the warp in double that I have, and then I will have some choice about how the weft beats down.
I should be laughing, I knew so well that I’d make hash of the twill thing, but I also knew I’d learn a lot, and I most certainly did. The good news is that it was a lovely cold snowy morning yesterday when I brought this hand-made gift of goodwill over to my dearest friend (who agreed ahead of time to accept it as the learning curve it is), that I had finished it in time before it became hot as it does often in mid March, and who wants a heavy alpaca thing then? I am hopeful the alpaca will most certainly bloom and soften and become a perfect accessory in her rustic mountain cabin where it will now live, strewn over the back of some truly antique leather chair next to an old stone fireplace hearth, and even though it is lumpy, bumpy, and unintentionally striped with uneven twill angle, it will bloom out and fit in wonderfully.
Anyway, the list of Next Times are long and detailed and for documenting purposes, I have included them in my weaving notes below, and I shall find them useful in the future.
Special thanks to Ruth, the chat help at The Woolery, who has taught me more than any books or class!
♣  Weaving Notes ♣
Yarn: Simply Alpaca by Knit Picks. Superfine alpaca, approx 12 wraps per inch, 247 yds = 100g. Color for warp is natural “Alaina”, and color for weft is light grey “Alfie”.Â
Loom: Ashford 8-shaft Table Loom, 32″.
Warping method: Traditional warping peg with cross, improvised back to front, but I forgot to measure the warp before winding on beam.
Weft pattern: 2/2 twill.
Selvedges: 1 end of floating selvedge each side.
Number of warp ends: I ended up improvising adding some, doubling up some dents to try to use up all the warping yarn, and never counted.Â
Reed: 8 dent.
Sett after finishing: Warp 10 epi, and weft between 5 – 7 ppi.
Finished: 30″ wide by 60″ long, plus a 5″ knotted fringe. I did not wash but steamed well.
Yardage:Â Total yardage used = 1654 y, figured from weight (670g) of finished piece and not including loom waste.
What I will do differently the next time I weave this alpaca:
Start with way more than enough yarn, nearly double the amount I need for warp, so that being frugal doesn’t affect my planning!Â
For this alpaca I will use a sett of 12 epi for plain weave, and perhaps 14 or 16 epi for twill. doubling ends through the 8 dent reed for twill. I do suspect the reason the twill is so weft heavy and at such a shallow angle is because of the warp being too spaced out, I don’t know actually, only a guess. Setting up the warp erring on too close probably better than too far apart, for the weaving would not stand up to even a light beat, as if it just wanted to squish together and the warp hardly visible.Â
Originally I wanted to use my 10 dent reed that it came with, but didn’t think I could get the 72″ length full width of the loom, and I wanted it to be as wide as possible. So, I recalculated an epi of 9, and got an 8 dent reed, so I improvised 2 ends through one dent every 11 dents, it was crazy doing this, and I think it actually caused a vertical stripe in the warp ! As it ended up, I ran out of weft and had to cut the piece off the warp with another 12-18″ that could be woven –frugality backfired into waste! That was wasted warp that could have been reconfigured into a 10 or 12 dent reed for the warp I ended up using in the end. In future, it has got to be easier, a simple rule of start with plenty, and warp evenly 1 or 2 ends in the dent, every dent the same number of ends, all the way across the warp, with exception of the selvedges being more if reinforcing the edges.Â
Not use the full width of the reed, this must be a universal thing, for one needs room for floating selvedges, and to add a couple of warps if necessary. Leave at least an inch on either side of the warp for fixes, at least until I know for sure, at least until I know what I’m doing.Â
Add more twist to this alpaca if I can, before warping! The weft can be fluffy and barely twisted, that’s okay, but I would have had far fewer breaks had I run the balls through the spinning wheel giving them a couple of turns more.Â
Warp it in even bundles of say, four inches on the reed, and sley/thread one bundle at a time rather than overwhelming myself with all of them at once. After all the threads are gone through the front, it is easy to untangle the warp with this slick alpaca, just a few shakes and the strands magically align, to wind on to the warping beam.Â
As I was breaking warp threads, I was looking for things in the house I could wind and weight down as a floating weight. I discovered my tiny drop spindle to be the perfect warp weight!!! I loved it so much because I could actually spin and increase the twist of the yarn that was breaking because it was too loosely plied. So, bought another just like it, and plan to have two of these tiny less-than-an-ounce spindles to be my official floating selvedge weights, perhaps twisting two selvedge strands together rather tightly and “parking” it on the table, as those turkish style spindles do so well.Â
Just finished some twilly alpaca woven thing and rushing through photos of it so I can bring it to my dear friend, then snow started coming down, doubling the excitement . . .
Hey Juno, its snowing!
By the way, in about a week, Juno will be three, already! Where does the time go?
Another simple check with three big blocks of color shows so well how shades interact and colors multiply, intersections creating new colors and keeps the interest going through the arduous task of managing even edges. Something so basic as three colors can give a lot of gratification when first learning the basics of weaving. I am still a massive fan of check!
In my recent weavings I’ve been reinforcing the selvedges with extra threads and using a temple, which at this early stage of becoming a weaver, I have already come to rely upon. I think every once in a while weaving something without extra selvedge threads or temple, would give me practice keeping the selvedges from drawing inward by keeping the tension even but not too tight, and the weavers’ angle generous. There are many weaving notes and photos left below, in the event that anybody might find them useful, and I am happy to talk about the details further in the comments as well.
♣  Weaving Notes ♣
Yarn:Â 10/2 cotton, 4200yds / 1 lb, Valley Yarns Mercerized in colors; Golden Ochre (7129), Moss Tone (5997), and Mediterranean Blue (2448). This is the first time I used mercerized cotton, having no idea how much I would like it, I really do!Â
Loom: Ashford Knitters Loom 20″.
Warping method: Direct warp set-up, 1 end in every heddle/hole, and 1 in every dent/slot –drawing out from apron rod through each dent to peg is 2 ends = each color 30 dents = 60 ends. Approx 100 inches from apron rod to warping peg.
Number of warp ends: 240
Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle 20″ reed, and width in reed = 15.5″.
Sett on loom: Warp = 15 epi (threads or “ends” per inch), weft = 15 ppi (passes or “picks” per inch).
Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
Color Pattern: Warp = 60 ends gold, 60 ends green, 60 ends blue, 60 ends gold.  Weft = wound 60 full wraps on to the stick shuttle for each color, in repeating sequence gold, green, and blue.Â
Finished: 1/4 inch turned hem, then washed and dried in machine, then pressed, measuring 68″ long and 14″ wide, and weighs 117g.Â
Yardage:Â Total yardage used = 1083 y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.
How could I have escaped the inevitable? The fate that I would want to operate multiple shafts was almost necessary to learn to be a weaver, and so I surrendered to fate. It took me about three days to put together, and it was not without near catastrophic moments, and in the end, it all worked out just fine. It is the largest model, with a 32″ weaving width capacity, and 8 shafts, although I don’t plan on using more than 4 for quite some time. I’ll admit to you though, I am a little afraid of it, for it surely will elevate me beyond mere simple plain weave to perhaps twill, and perhaps with a few hundred more texsolv heddles, I could weave very fine linen. We will see. For now, it is just an inanimate object that needs to have the pulse of creativity brought into it, and so today I intend to begin its very first project, I have made the calculations, with four skeins of alpaca for the warp, it is waiting for the spark of life. Wish the two of us luck.
Calling this one Sunny Skies, as it radiates sun rays and with a little cool stripe of sky blue . . . to be sent off to my youngest niece who is at university in sunny Santa Barbara, a vernal emissary to cheer her up.
Warp stripes of burnt orange, golden yellow, and sky blue, against weft strips of burnt orange and golden yellow; the pattern makes an interesting, elongated check pattern with a thin strip of pale compliment color contrast. A beautiful check improvisation if I may say so, and definitely plan to explore this same pattern again per weaving notes below, the checks are so subtle as is the contrast stripe, that the possibilities are many. Exciting!
♣  Weaving Notes ♣
Yarn: Maurice Brassard 16/2 unmercerized cotton, 6720 yds / lb.
Loom: Ashford Knitters Loom 20″.
Warping method:Â Direct warp set-up, doubling up epi — 2 threads in every heddle/hole, and 2 in every dent/slot. Approx 100 inches from apron rod to warping peg, which is a guess as I seemed to have forgotten to take notes on that measurement.
Sett on loom: Warp = 30 epi (doubled) and weft = 15 ppi (single).
Sett after finishing: Warp 32 epi (doubled) and weft 16 ppi.
Selvedge: Doubled up two outer most selvedge warp yarns (4 ends hole & slot), and used a temple to try to keep even.
Finished: Twisted fringe by hand, then washed and dried in machine, then pressed.
Weaving edge to edge measures 72″ long x 17″ wide, including 3″ fringe.
Finished Weight: 130g. Total yardage of finished piece is 1924 yds.
Other notes: This was the first weaving in *such* fine cotton, and it proved difficult to keep weaving even. Next time I’ll go lighter on the beating. Also, even after choosing the most subdued colors available, I am feeling like the overall affect is much too bright. How to soften colors? There’s always the easy trick of simmering yarn in a dye bath of tea — before — weaving with it.
I finished weaving on Christmas eve, cut off the loom on Christmas day and in a chocolate induced moment of bravery I tossed it in the washing machine to wash, dry, and shrink. The day after Christmas I pressed, cut all the loose ends, hemmed it by hand, and am very pleased with my first tablecloth. I have been working on this cotton-linen table cloth since warping in November, at first not very often, as I had not developed a regular habit of weaving, but then as the weeks went by, and spending half hour of focused weaving several times a day in between chores. I even explored weaving spaces with the loom, having carried it up and down stairs several times, as well as back and forth from the tiny house a couple of times, and even hid it away in a closet out of sight with weaving in progress, while I cleaned up for guests on Thanksgiving Day. Sure a floor loom would be faster, but however slow this big rigid heddle loom is, slow and steady wins the race. I’ve learned how to handle the long stick shuttle while keeping the sheds relatively neat and clear, and to boast, there is less than 16″ of warp waste including tie-on and header, I think amazing given that I calculated perfectly for the fit on the table. All in all, I’m very pleased with this first serious piece of cloth. I really LOVE the simplicity of this loom, and believe its colossal 48″ weaving width is manageable because I’ve learned to weave while standing.
Direct warp method, 110 inches from apron rod to warp pegs, warping 2 threads in every heddle/hole, and dent/slot. See the post where I am warping this project.
Sett on loom: Warp = 25 epi and weft = 12.5 ppi / or, threads per inch
Sett after finishing (shrinking) : Warp 28 epi and weft 14 ppi
Reed: 12.5 dent
Color Pattern: 20 threads alternating with 4 threads = warp, 48 picks alternating with 12 picks = weft
Selvedge: Doubled up two outer most selvedge warp yarns, and used a temple to try to keep even.
Finished: Machine washed and dried, hemmed by hand, hem to hem measures 80″ long x 42″ wide.
Finished Weight: 540g, or 1.19 lbs. Total yardage of finished piece is 4000 yds.
Note about loom waste : I weighed the left over cut yarns after all finished, which weighed 55g, and that would be about 403 y, so total yardage on the loom 4400 yds, and 600g before cutting off.
A very happy winter solstice, and a walk with Juno to the top of the mountain on this very clear bright morning, with wintery sentiment from the red toyon berries. All the new growth is overtaking the dead trees from the wildfire (now six years since), the old trees still standing appear silver and artfully dignified in their rightful place, here, there, everywhere, in the crisp winter light.
The batts were simply lifted off of the carder and split into strips, wrapped into nests, and then photographed. They spun up perfectly, and I think I have arrived at my method of methods for a fast and uniquely interesting way to make yarn. In this color mix I chose solid tones that were already dominant in the hand-dyed braid, which end up creating a very subtle contrast of tweedy colors, if any at all, more like enhancing the hand-dyed braid. From the camera’s eye, the presence of color changes from the dyed braid are practically unnoticeable. I spun up as close to worsted/aran weight as I could, short draw and single ply, calming the twist energy with a scalding finish bath, thwack, and hang dry. This spinning method absolutely is the easiest I’ve ever done, and I was hanging the spun skeins dry before I could even blink. For the quick and easy way I prepared the wool, see tech notes in Tweed Chronicles: Speed Tweed #2 , and stay tuned, there will be more of the speed tweed experiments in the territory ahead!
Almost mid Decembrrr, the days marching through the last stretch of Autumn, and the last page of the calendar. The trees rapidly losing their foliage now, the maples already bare, with only a few remaining black oak leaves hanging on, the ones always the last to fall. I haven’t been out photographing my favorite season this year, but it is ever as beautiful as I long for it to be, ever as calming, and nurturing, and as these last leaves break free in the breeze, they land as a surprising finale. And then it is time for nature’s sleepy yawn as soon it will bed down for winter, and with knitting to be done!
At last, I have cast on! Three hours before an obligatory early December Christmas party, knowing that without my knitting I will languish surrounded by people I don’t know, so a quick knitting project would give me much company, and … Continue reading →
