Tried and True: Just in Case

Karen

Texsolv cord is ingenious! It suspends shaft holders while I dress the loom. It also suspends the heddling bar during drawloom setup. A small anchor pin or arrow peg does the trick of holding everything together.

How to use Texsolv cord and anchor pins.
Anchor pin is buttoned through the Texsolv cord and placed into the hole at the bottom of the shaft holder.
Talking about Texsolv cord and arrow pins.
Thread one end of the Texsolv cord through a hole in the other end to make a loop. Insert an arrow peg through a hole to secure the loop.

But there is one potential hazard…

In order to adjust the height of the suspended heddling bar at the drawloom, I want to move the arrow peg. I hold one end of the bar while pulling the peg out of the Texsolv cord. That little peg fumbles out of my hand and drops to the floor. OOPS! I am left holding one end of the bar that has 148 threaded pattern heddles, weights included. Now what?! Alone in the room, I am now the sole support for that end of the heavy bar. The peg on the floor is out of reach.

Super Simple Tip of the Day

Always keep a spare anchor pin or arrow peg on the loose end of the Texsolv cord. Always.

Just in Case strategies.
Spare anchor pin stays on the shaft-holder cord. You do not want to be left holding a shaft holder with eight shafts if your anchor pin ever falls out of your hand…

The rest of the story…
When that pesky little arrow peg slips out of my hand I calmly take the spare peg that is there “just in case,” and secure the Texsolv loop that holds the heddling bar. No big deal, after all.

Strategies for Just in Case!
Spare arrow peg dangles below. Whew!
Tips for just in case!
Spare arrow peg is a life saver on the rare occasion it is needed. There is a significant amount of weight on that heddling bar.

May you be ready for anything, just in case.

Ready or not,
Karen

10 thoughts on “Tried and True: Just in Case”

  1. Good idea! On a similar note, I was just saying yesterday I should keep a Bobbie pin on the end of my Texsolv cords that I need to thread through holes, since it seems like I am always dropping them.

    Reply

  2. Great idea, as always!!!! One thing I do is to wrap the Texsolv cord around the heddling bar two times. This is very helpful, especially when having a plethora of heddles and all of that weight from the lingos.

    Reply

    1. Hi Charlotte, I’m glad you noticed that. I usually have the Texsolv cord wrapped around twice on the heddling bar, too. It definitely needs that support. I took the pic while I was distributing pattern shafts, and I had found it easier to do those shenanigans without that extra wraparound.

      Thanks!
      Karen

      Reply

  3. Thanks for this. I sometimes forget to describe this when I am teaching, but it has saved me many times, especially as I get older and my hands don’t work as well as they used to. So thanks for the reminder. I will include this in my upcoming drawloom class in Colorado. Yes, I am finally going on my first outing away from home. Joanne

    Reply

    1. Hi Joanne, I learned this tip from you the very first time I was at your studio. It has saved me many times, too!

      I’m very happy that you finally get to have a teaching outing. That’s great for you and for your students!

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

      Reply

  4. Brilliant! Hope you don’t mind that I shared this blog entry on the Facebook Glimakra Loom Lovers group. Lots of helpful tips on that group this week!

    Reply

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