Tried and True: Knee Beam Reminder

I first noticed that something was amiss right after advancing the warp. Something brushed my knees when I sat down. Aha! Beam cords, attached to the tie-on bar. I see that the tie-on bar is going straight from the cloth beam to the breast beam. I had forgotten to bring the tie-on bar over the knee beam. Really? Nearly everyone does this at least once when they are starting out. But it has been a few years since I made this mistake. Apparently, I still need my checklist.

Weaving monksbelt in a mixed-colors palette.
Looking through the warp at the knee beam, I notice that beam cords are strangely missing…

Fortunately, forgetting the knee beam is one of the easiest blunders to remedy.

Fixing this blunder - I forgot the knee beam!
See the beam cords going from the cloth beam to the breast beam? The knee beam is feeling left out.

Re-Set the Knee Beam

1. Remove the knee beam. Rest the beam on the loom frame.

Resetting the knee beam. Fixing a blunder!

2. Unlatch the front ratchet to release warp tension.

Fixing the knee beam blunder.

3. Pull the knee beam all the way out. Put it back across, underneath the beam cords. Rest the beam on the loom frame.

How to re-position the knee beam.

4. Reseat the knee beam gently, positioning the beam cords along with the beam.

How to remedy the knee beam blunder!

5. Tension the warp. Resume weaving.

Weaving Swedish monksbelt is fun!
Now you can see the beam cords through the warp, located where they should be.
Swedish Monksbelt on a Glimakra Standard loom.
Swedish Monksbelt weaving resumes. 16/2 cotton warp and ground weft, 6/1 Fårö wool pattern weft.

May your trouble be inconsequential and short lived.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

8 thoughts on “Tried and True: Knee Beam Reminder

  1. The very first time I wove on my countermarche I left off the knee beam (I didn’t know any better). I spent so much time adjusting the bench and I just felt like something had to be wrong. Finally it clicked! You’d think after that I’d never forget it either but I have–at least now I know how to fix quickly.

    1. Hi Sara, Thanks for telling about your first time weaving on your countermarch. I can sure relate to that! It’s pretty cool that the loom wasn’t hindered in weaving, just that you were hindered in getting comfortable.

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  2. Good morning Karen,
    A professor back in the day repeated throughout the semester, ” The lightest pencil is better than the best memory.”

    Pull out the checklist. 🙂

    Between you and the Sweet Georgia VLOG, I am getting more comfortable going beyond my beginner skills. Who knows where this will lead!

    Kind regards.

    Nannette

  3. Being a total newbie to weaving on a floor loom, any suggestions as to where I might find such a “Check List” prior to beginning a weaving session?
    Thanks,
    Kim

    1. Hi Kim, The best checklist is one you develop yourself, specific to your loom and the methods you are learning. You can do this even as a total newbie. Your checklist will grow and develop as you learn more and more. Here’s a post I wrote about my process for making checklists: Tried and True: How to Remove Guesswork.

      The three resources I recommend that can help you understand the warping process: Learning to Warp Your Loom, by Joanne Hall; Dress Your Loom the Vavstuga Way, by Becky Ashenden; The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell. You could start with any of these books and write out a checklist for yourself based on what the book describes.

      Here is one example of the checklists that I have made for myself: Tried and True: Checklist for Winding a Warp

      I constantly update and revise my checklists, to make them clear and complete. Have fun with the process of thinking things through!

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

  4. I did this same thing on my last warp (it was the first time I’d made that mistake but I’m still a fairly new weaver so there are a lot of first-time mistakes still to be made!). But I didn’t think of your clever fix–instead, I did some sort of complicated untying/retying thing. I know I’ll make this mistake again but hopefully it will remind me of your way to fix it. Thank you for this learning moment!

    1. Hi Julia, Join the club. I often do something the hard way before I learn the easy way. I remember when I borrowed a small loom to take to a workshop and I didn’t think to go over the back beam. I went into a panic because I was running out of time, and my husband quietly pulled out his screwdriver and took off the back beam to put it under the warp. Whew, there is so much to learn. I’m so glad you learned something here!

      Happy weaving,
      Karen

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