Peggy Osterkamp's Weaving Blog
"Weaving should be fun!"
Introduction: I’ve been beating around the bush recently with lots of topics all coming down to determining the sett for various projects. Sett is a large subject so this time I will be referring you to various previous posts. I think that way you can get a thorough picture of the topic. Follow the links … Read more
IntroductionAll these posts about ends per inch (epi) are very much related to a wonderful way to calculate sett invented by Mr. Thomas R. Ashenhurst for industry. (Can you image a textile engineer wrapping a thread for making bed sheets around a ruler?) I’ve written several blog posts about his formula and uses for it. … Read more
Introduction:Tal Saarony’s posts have led me down a wonderful “rabbit hole” for information about fine threads. I’m still gathering information from very experienced weavers, so I’ll start with how I’ve dealt with fine silk threads. You can see some of my sheer pieces by checking out my Gallery and the photos for on the headings for … Read more
Here are the sett charts from my book, Weaving for Beginners. They are more like summaries of the comprehensive charts found in my book, Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle but I think they can do for a quick check. My charts are based on the yards per pound (m/kg) of the yarns. … Read more
It’s been five years since I published my new website including over 100 weaving tips and I’m counting down the top ten. Here is number 7. I’m amazed that it has had about around 5,000 views. The top one has about over 23,000 views to date!! Can you guess what the subject of that tip is? This … Read more
New Sett Charts in Book I: Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle and “Weaving for Beginners” Sett Charts Sett charts can save you valuable weaving time. Instead of using the sometimes inaccurate wrapping method or doing the tedious calculations yourself, you can look up the type of yarn that you are using to find … Read more
In weft-faced fabrics, the warp is all but covered by the weft. To accomplish this, you have to space the warps far enough apart that the rows of weft will pack down and cover them. There is a method which can be used as a starting point for experimentation in finding this warp spacing. Use … Read more
This is a weaving trick for sett used in industry: a balanced looking fabric is actually a bit more warp predominant than precisely balanced. It looks balanced at a glance, but upon inspection, you will see that there are more warps per inch than wefts per inch. We handweavers can use this principle, too. And … Read more
There is another concern about sett to consider: The Purpose. Do you want a firm or an open or a medium weight cloth? Figures A, B, and C show the same yarns, all used in a balanced plain weave (warps and wefts show equally). So, an open weave can be as balanced as a tightly … Read more
The sett is the density of the warp. It is the number of ends (warp threads) per inch (epi). The sett you choose depends on the yarns, the weave structure (e.g., plain or twill, etc.) and the intended purpose of the finished piece (e.g., a loosely-woven shawl or upholstery in a tight, firm weave, or … Read more
Ellen Miller showed me her gorgeous alpaca double weave scarf. She was disappointed that the sett wasn’t exactly balanced as typical double cloth is. This showed more in the white areas. My sense is that it is beautiful with the more open sett. You can still see the solid black and white areas. For her … Read more
Ashenhurt and other sett charts tell you the setts for balanced weaves–where both the warp and the weft show equally. Weavers often don’t want both to show equally, they may want the warp to predominate in some cases, or the weft. Then you adjust the sett from the charts accordingly–more warps per inch (epi) for … Read more
There is a comment asking for more information and clarification about sett and Ashenhurst and various sett charts in other sources. My reply follows. What do you find confusing about my descriptions in my Book #1, Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle, and in my new book, Weaving for Beginners? Your input will help … Read more
Since this is a weaving blog, I realized that I should make sure to post some important weaving information. The 2-stick heading came up when a weaver asked me for advice about the sett (epi) for her project she was planning. I couldn’t totally decide and recommended one but said to make a sample first … Read more
I took a workshop at Fibershed not far from me to make and use pigments. The teacher was Tilke Elkins at info@wildpigmentproject.org. What inspired me was to make paint for watercolor painting which I hope to do soon when I have all my paints made. I was extremely fascinated by her showing us the process … Read more
Reed Substitution ChartWhen you don’t have the ideal reed for the sett (ends per inch), you must substitute one that you do have. Reeds go by dents per inch—meaning the number of spaces in the reed in one inch. The ideal reed accommodates two warp ends per dent, so that knots can pass through, and … Read more
A comment on my previous post gave more information about the yarn balance. It is available from Eugene Textile Center, in Eugene, Oregon ( www.eugenetextilecenter.com ) for $35. I find it one of my most important tools in my studio. It can tell you the yards per pound of a yarn as I explained in … Read more
I was given this beautifully presented saying years ago and always loved it. I kept it in a place where I wouldn’t forget it. And every few years it pops up again. I want to share it with all my subscribers, Facebook friends, and everyone else. My idea for this post is to call attention … Read more
This rug is weft-faced. Many but not all rugs are. In this case the weft entirely covers the warp. Here the same warp and weft yarns from the previous post are woven weft-face. Notice that the warps are farther apart and the wefts are close together in comparison with the previous example of warp-faced weaving. … Read more
Introduction: I got two inquiries this week about weft faced weaving and a request for more posts about weaving last week. These help me know what to post about, so I appreciate your suggestions. Write me your suggestions as a comment any time. Note: To find information in previous posts:1. You can search for subjects … Read more
Whew!! Finally I feel like we are close! I could count the days, but I’m afraid to because I know I would have a panic attack. The big sale as you can see above is November 19 and 20. But I am going to have a nice booth at the Textile Arts Council Bazaar the … Read more
Introduction:I realize I should explain more about my sale in November. Online sales will probably be available AFTER the sale is over. The reason I’m talking so much about it here on the blog is that is what is consuming me now. And I’m finding it really interesting and exciting, really, to see things I … Read more
I unrolled this rug to get it ready for my sale of my collection in November. I have to document everything which means take photographs, give it a number, put it in Word with the number, put it in the database. Then comes the rest: pricing, making the hang tag, packing it up, taking it … Read more
Introduction: Here are more bits and pieces of silk information that I think are interesting. This is a corner of a large cap (flattened out) made of layers in preparation for spinning. You can see one thin layer pulled back and the interesting edges of the layers. I’m sure I bought this just because it … Read more
Weavers everywhere share a common language so I embraced the opportunity to virtually sit down with a group of selvedge to selvedge weavers and talk about what has become my first weaving love, tapestry. I started my weaving career making structured fabrics, moved to doubleweave when I wanted to make pictures, then decided to try … Read more