I wrote these 3 red books to pass on the production weaving techniques I learned in a Production Weaving class at Pacific Basin School of Textiles in the 1970’s. Jim Ahrens was the teacher. At the time he was also teaching John Violet how he built his production looms. That was the beginning of AVL looms.
I reminded myself that there is a lot of information in my 3 red books when I went looking for shuttle information in Book #3: Weaving & Drafting Your own Cloth. I was having shuttle trouble while weaving the cloth for my vest woven with the Sunday Comics.
I wrote the first book Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle with one of my production weaving students, Carol Hillestad. We lived in New York City and passed drafts across the subway platform gates. I visited her in her office in one of the World Trade Towers! I gave her the info, then she wrote it for the text. We decided if it couldn’t be said in writing, we would need an illustration. I published it in 1992. In the subsequent editions a lot more illustrations were added! See below for some illustrations in Book #1.
Summer Sale Book 1 – 30% off. Discount applied in cart – Order HERE
Why use a paddle?
“More than two ends will inevitably braid up on each other, as you know all too well if you have ever tried knitting with three or more colors. By the end of the row, you have a tangle of yarns to untwine.”
There is a whole chapter on sett including 14 pages of Sett Charts with entries for upholstery, production weaving, clothing, woolens, and delicate fabrics. Collapse weaving uses the “delicate” sett in general.
A warp comb can be made to order to use as a raddle for fine threads. “A commercially made warp comb, or drawing in comb, is another form of raddle and looks just like a reed, except that it’s only about two inches tall and the top comes off. These are available from companies that manufacture reeds.
Book #2, Warping Your Loom & Tying On New Warps was first published in 1995.
I always envisioned a big book like the Collingwood book, but was afraid it would never get done. That’s why I wrote one book at a time. There is so much in it because I was really afraid that it would be my last book. Sharon Alderman, one of the editors told me , “There is stuff in the book that doesn’t belong there.” See below some of the illustrations from Book #2.
Summer Sale Book 2 – 30% off. Discount applied in cart – Order HERE
Photo 8 of 8
Book #3, Weaving & Drafting Your Own Cloth was published in 2005.
I put in them all that I knew that I’d learned from Jim Ahrens and probably some of what I learned from my teaching. See below some of the illustrations in Book #3.
Summer Sale Book 3 – 30% off. Discount applied in cart – Order HERE
I live on a farm and only have a P.O. Box. I cannot find a way to purchase your red books. Could you please advise how you ship?
Thank you,
Deborah