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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
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 & … Continue reading
A Visit to the Nagata Dye Factory. The first thing that caught my eye was this old furushiki wrapped around a box in Mr. Nagata’s dye studio. A furoshiki is a square fabric used to wrap things—before shopping bags. I … Continue reading
The tech world swirls around me again. Now my DVD “Warping the Loom Back to Front” is available for downloading and streaming on demand as well as a real DVD. I learned that many people don’t buy DVD’s anymore—in fact … Continue reading
Shibori Symposium – Day 2 of Inland Sea & Kyoto Pre-Symposium Tour. I’m at the place that is supposed to be the highlight of the Inland Sea part of the tour but I am so full of what we’ve seen … Continue reading
Japan Tour 2018 – Day 15 – We are in the town of Hirosaki which is sashiko country. The cloth is sometimes covered with stitching and sometimes white stitching in vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines. The stitching is done on one … Continue reading
Silk Production on a Small Scale. Our last day in India. This is what I came to see. These are tiny young silk worms feeding on leaves on a tree out in nature. Actually it’s like a small farm where … Continue reading
A beautiful Marin sunrise saw me off to Calcutta (spelled with a K). It’s obvious we are on a plane to India. I was thrilled to see all the beautiful saris on the plane. Such gorgeous textiles to take in … Continue reading
Day 9. Miyako Island. We had time to drive around before the shops opened today, Mother’s Day. We saw many butterflies on a little sandy walk to the beach. This island is proud of its beaches. A butterfly museum we … Continue reading
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 2. This one has had 9254 views as of today!! The top one has more than 31,000 … Continue reading
Here is a chart to convert yards per pound to meters per kilograms. I got a request a while ago for this information so my European subscribers could understand US labels better. In my book , Weaving for Beginners, there … Continue reading
Threading My Loom with Threads that are as Fine as Hairs I’ve been threading the heddles now for a few weeks—about an hour at a time and when I can get into the studio. It’s such a meditative thing that … Continue reading
The counsellors and a few of the campers and a parent came to my studio to set up the looms before the camp started. The day of these photos a counsellor made a warp and she and I threaded one … Continue reading
I have been fascinated with stiff silk—raw silk—undegummed silk for a few years. These threads and fabrics are not silky but crisp. Silk organza is an example. On a trip to Japan with Yoshiko Wada we found a few skeins … Continue reading
When people come to my studio, they usually comment on the seven Structo looms sitting on a high shelf. I always thought I was collecting them to teach classes in my studio—to the adults I am comfortable with. Instead I … Continue reading
When people come to my studio, they usually comment on the seven Structo looms sitting on a high shelf. I always thought I was collecting them to teach classes in my studio—to the adults I am comfortable with. Instead I … Continue reading
The doubling stand is a piece of equipment I can’t get along without. You can rig one yourself or you can buy one. I recommend buying one at Purrington Looms. I wish I had included this in my book for beginners but you can see … Continue reading