Repeat good practices to form good habits. Since weaving is filled with repetition I try to be attentive to the effects of my techniques. With every touch of my hand – picking up a shuttle, straightening a line of weft, tightening the ratchet just so after advancing the warp – I have the end in mind. Quality is the goal. Consistency is the key. And, consistency emerges from good habits.
Tied back on after cutting offsample rug.Midway on the first section of the rug. Two more full pattern repeats will follow.Tidy selvedges. The fabric weft is turned under twice and pulled snugly against the outer warpends.After a series of weft stripes the second pattern repeat is being woven with red fabric strips for weft.
With every touch of our Grand Weaver’s hand, he has the end in mind. Little children were brought to Jesus for him to lay his hands on them and pray. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” And he placed his hands on them… Consistency is the key. Jesus welcomes all who come to him with childlike faith. His consistency emerges out of his goodness.
You followed all the instructions for dressing the loom, and have finished the countermarchtie-up. Now, at the moment of triumph you step on the treadles, one by one. Alas! Some or all of the treadles give you nothing you can call a shed. Now what? Maybe you relate to Laura who wrote me recently, “I can’t seem to get the treadles to make a shed.”
The solution is simple. Follow the advice in this sentence on page 37 of Learning to Warp your Loom, by Joanne Hall, “If your sheds are not good, check your loom tie-up from the top down.”
If sheds are missing, there is a good chance you have a crossed cord.
1 Follow each Texsolv cord, starting from the countermarch at top of the loom.
All the shafts are good to go, right? Not quite. Better see what’s happening at the top of those Texsolv cords.
2 Make sure that each cord is connected in the right order at the right place.
Is the first countermarch jack connected to the first shaft, the second jack to the second shaft, and so on?
Misaligned cords as seen from the top of the loom.
Are the cords that go to the lower lamms strictly in order?
– With horizontal countermarch, does each cord fall behind the shafts in order?
Cords from the horizontal countermarch go through the center of the warp, to be attached to lower lamms below.Make sure each cord goes behind its corresponding shaft bars to the lamms below. When attaching the cords to the lamms, make sure the cords are attached in the correct order. If loom is already tied up, follow each cord to check that it is attached to its corresponding lamm.
– With vertical countermarch, is each cord on its pulley, and connected to lamms in the right order?
Vertical countermarch has cords that go over pulleys on the side down to the lower lamms. I have to be extra careful to keep from attaching a cord to the wrong lamm.
3 Correct any misaligned cord.
Now, step on each treadle, one by one. Decent sheds that just need a little refining? Triumph!
Helpful Habit
When attaching a cord while dressing the loom, start your hand at the top of the cord and slide it down to the point of connection. This helps you take hold of the correct cord.
Ready to connect the shaft cords on the Glimåkra Julia, made easy by the small hooks on the shaft bars. Instead of expecting the cords to hang straight down in order, I reach my hand up to the top of the cord.Touching where the cord meets the wood, I know I have the correct cord for the shaft closest to the front of the loom. I do the same for the next cord.My hand slides down the cord and I connect the cord to the correct shaft. Now, all that’s left is tying up the treadles. Then, we weave!
