If your yarn is jumpy like linen or slippery like rayon, or so expensive you don’t want to waste an inch, lacing on to the apron rod may be the choice for you.
In succession, all across the warp, take 1” (2-3 cm) worth of warp at the reed and carefully tug and pinch the threads to get all the threads under the same tension.
Tie the warps in slip knots or overhand knots close to their cut ends. Usually, I tie overhand knots in the bundles (see below) but I might use slip knots (see below) at the end of the warp bundles if I worry that I might have made a threading error. If your warp threads are very fine, you may want to tie the knots in ½” bundles. If the warps are at different lengths, trim the long ones, so the warps are about the same length before tying the knots. Remember, you’ve put the warps on under even tension on the warp beam, so any differences here do not affect your perfect tension.
The warp should be slack when tying the bundles. This is one of the tricks to success.
Choose a sturdy, thin cord that is very smooth, even slippery, and about 10 times as long as the width of the warp.
Tie one end of this cord to the front apron rod at one edge of the warp, with a double half hitch knot as seen in the illustration.
Now lace the cord down through the middle of the first bundle, then, take the cord under and around the apron rod, down through the next bundle you tied, under and around the apron rod, and so on. See the illustration.
Don’t snug up the bundle right up to the apron rod; leave about 2 1/2” (6-7 cm) between the cut ends of the warp and the apron rod.
Always go through the middle of the bundles and be consistent about going down through the bundles and then under, and over around the apron rod. Fasten the cord by tying a double half hitch around the apron rod at the edge of the warp.
Poke each bundle at the knot working across the warp from right to left. That is, put your finger into the space between the threads above the knot, and push down a little. See the illustration. Then tighten the tension by a click or two on the ratchet brake. Then, poke all the knots again, this time working across from left-to-right. Tension again a click or two.
Repeat the poking and tensioning. You are adjusting the tension locally—not transferring tension from very slack sections to tighter areas. By the time the warp is under tension, all the bundles will be under equal tension. You shouldn’t have to adjust the tension of any individual bundles.
The tricks to lacing on
The tricks to lacing on are use a slippery cord, start with a slack warp, and tighten it gradually, a little at a time. Repeat the poking and tightening the tension. Don’t agonize. If you can feel a tight or loose bundle, adjust it, but if you can’t tell, then the tension must be even.
If some bundles are really very slack and some very tight, undo all the lacing and do it again. This time, draw up the tension on the lacing cord rather evenly—not precisely, but not allowing some to be very slack and some tight. Remember to keep the bundles slack at this point—just sort-of under even tension. I do this fairly often. It’s easier to redo the lacing than to try to even out the tension of the groups by tugging on a lacing ford and passing the slack in the cord on to adjacent bundles while trying to even out the tension on all the bundles.
Never let the lacing cords cross over one another or get out of order. If you do, the tension can’t pass along from bundle to bundle.
How to make a slip knot
Be sure to tighten the knot until you feel it bite. To do that you pull the loop and the tail in opposite directions.
To release the knot: Just jerk on the end you made the loops with.
How to make an overhand knot
Thank you very much Peggy
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I absolutely love these tips and tricks!
Thank you! Every thing you write seems to come just in time for my projects that I am planning.