While at Asilomar for CNCH as I sat in front of the huge stone fireplace, I read my wonderful Weft magazines that had accumulated. This way of making repair heddles seemed quick and easy. I wonder if I am the only person who didn’t know about using Texsolv heddles for this fiddly job. Just before publishing my post I looked up Texsolv on the web and found another method from Handwoven Editors 2/2/2026. Susan E. Horton wrote about this method that she learned from Jannie Taylor. I’m adding her variations in with what I got from the article in Weft magazine (Issue #1 I think). (Jannie’s method eliminated the tricky job of tying knots in the slippery Texsolv heddles.)
Take two Texsolv heddles. Susan adds: and a 5” piece of smooth yarn
Tie them together. Finding a knot that would hold was tricky at first. A square knot slipped right out. Susan says “Fold the end of one heddle through the end of a second heddle, and pull the long end of the first one through the loop to join them end to end. The join will be the bottom of your repair heddle. My friend Susie suggests—just use two heddles that are already joined together when you get them.
It took an overhand knot to hold. Instead of a knot, Susan G. and Susie have alternate suggestions as suggested above.
Drape the heddles over the top heddle bar and tie the two heddles together below the bottom heddle bar. This will turn into ONE repair heddle. Read on…
Susan G. “Place the joined heddles around the BOTTOM heddle bar where the repair heddle is needed and carry the unjoined ends up to the TOP heddle bar. Pass the piece of yarn through the top loops and tie them together tightly.”
Thread your warp thread through BOTH heddle eyes. Voila! No fiddling and easy I’m thinking.