Threading the loom

The Twill Circle: A Design Tool

by

Sometimes you might want to have a certain number of warp threads threading in one direction, say in the S direction  (with the slant going / ) and then a certain number of threads in the Z direction (opposite direction), and to repeat them over and over for a threading draft. You do not need to have a multiple of 4 threads for 4 shafts or 8 threads for 8 shafts, etc. Say, you want to have 6 threads going S, and then, 12 going Z and reversing (or making a point) after each number of threads. The threading would be 6 threads in the S direction, 12 threads in the Z direction, then, 6 in S and 12 in Z for as wide as your draft (or cloth).

Using the twill circle can help you greatly. Make a circle with as many points on it as shafts you are planning to use. For 4 shafts, number the points 1,2,3,4 as shown in the illustration. Now, working clockwise on the circle and also on your threading draft, begin with 1,2,3,4, and repeat the numbers until 6 threads are indicated on the threading draft. You’ll stop at shaft 2:  1,2,3,4,1,2. Next, reverse the direction of the threading (make a point and reverse directions), and work counterclockwise on the circle. You’ll stop at shaft 3: 1,4,3,2,1,4,3,2,1,4,3 for 12 threads. Since the point thread “goes with” both directions, count it as a thread in each direction. (Note that for the 12 threads, the 2 from the first set of threads is counted as thread number 1, and there are only 11 new threads written in.)

The circle can be helpful in making a treadling draft as well. I find it quite useful when I’m drafting twills, and at other times, too.

A special kind of point
There’s another kind of point that is nice to know about because sometimes the regular point discussed above can look a little odd at the tip. It just isn’t crisp or sharp because of the floats of threads. If this phenomenon happens with point twills, beat the wefts at the points more gently than usual to avoid the wefts from packing in too close together there.

A broken point can solve the problem and create very sharp points. Again it can be used in either threading or treadling drafts, or both. At the point, there is a “hitch” in the threading. To find out how to make the hitch, use the twill circle. When you have enough threads going in on direction (S or Z), go directly across the circle and begin going in the opposite direction with that number. In the illustration with 4 shafts, if you stopped at shaft 3, working clockwise, you would go across the circle to shaft 1 and work counterclockwise to determine the threading or treadling.

This illustration shows a twill circle for 8 shafts. If you had stopped at shaft 5, the next shaft to use for a broken point would be shaft 1. If the last shaft before the direction change were 7, the next shaft would be 3.  

This illustration shows a broken point threading on 8 shafts.

More Tricks for Threading without Mistakes

by

Introduction:
My post on May 30,2020 shows in more detail these tricks for threading without mistakes. See that post. HERE

Jim Ahrens told us many times, “The only thread that can’t tangle is on under tension.” Taut threads are easier to see. To get them taut, use a light weight, such as a small wrench. Mine weighs 3 ½ ounces. Put a loop of string on the weight and add a rubber band onto the loop with a lark’s head knot. Then separate a bundle of cut warp threads about the thickness of a medium-sized carrot and with another lark’s head, tie the rubber band onto the bundle near the end of the warp. The weight hangs straight down from the lease sticks, behind the shafts. When you select a thread to thread next, you pull it out of the weighted bundle.

Thread from a “claw”.
Behind the heddles you use your left hand, held palm downward like a claw, to hold four threads in order. To thread, separate out four heddles in order according to your threading draft. With your “claw” hand, reach below the cross and place one thread between your little finger and ring finger, one between your ring finger and middle finger, and so on, ending with one thread between index finger and thumb. Push the threading hook through the first heddle eye and with the hook curved down,  catch the thread between thumb and forefinger, then draw it through. Continue with the three remaining threads: first putting the hook through the next heddle eye in sequence, then catching the next thread in sequence and pulling it through.

Use adding machine tape (When I first wrote the book in 1995 adding machine tape was common. However, I was too cheap to buy some, so I cut strips of paper instead.)

With the adding machine tape attached to your loom glance at it for the shaft numbers listed on a row, separate out those heddles indicated on the tape then thread the heddles. As you finish threading each group of four threads, poke a pin through the paper at the of that line. Move the pin from line to line as you finish each group of four. If you’re interrupted, you know exactly where you left off—the pin holes show what has already been threaded and the pin itself is still in the last row you completed.

Threading Without Mistakes: Get Comfortable!

by

The way to thread without mistakes is to get comfortable so you can see what you’re doing. Suspending the cross so it hangs vertically is a no-brainer, yet many people have their cross in the horizontal position for threading. Can you see how much easier it will be to see this way? You may need to move the cross to get it into the best position.

It is important for the cross in the lease sticks to be level with the heddle eyes so you can comfortably thread them accurately. (threading accurately isn’t difficult if you can see what you are doing.) Move the cross to where you think it will be when it is suspended like the illustration. You can fine tune the position while it is suspended.

You’ll tie a broom handle or long dowel to the back of the castle. If your loom has a low castle, tie the broom handle to the back-most shaft and suspend the warp with its lease sticks over the broom handle as in the illustration above.

To stabilize the lease sticks, tie the top lease stick to the broom handle with 2 loops of string—one on each side of the warp. Make the strings long and use bows for ties so you can adjust the height of the cross later.

More photos are in a previous post. HERE

Threading Without Mistakes and the 2-Stick Heading

by

Note: Complete illustrations for the 2-stick heading are in a previous post HERE

Here’s how to set up to thread without mistakes. You get comfortable and can see the cross clearly.

With the cross hanging vertically, it makes it much easier to see and work from. To do that you need to hang the warp vertically by suspending the cross.  Suspend the cross over a stick or something like a broom handle.  See figure 175 in Weaving for Beginners. In the Table of Contents see: “Suspend the cross”. In the new version page numbers will be different but the illustration numbers and headings in the Contents will be the same. (Due out first of the year.) Of course, there are more notes on threading in that chapter.

Here is what you’ll see when looking at the cross while threading. Notice how the cross is vertical, not lying flat.

Here is the warp tied on to the front apron rod.

I leave the lease sticks in the cross during weaving. It makes it super easy to locate a broken thread and its heddle. I  see this all over the world on my travels. However, you can’t do that if there is too little space for the sticks  behind the heddles on your loom.

Since I want to cut off my sample to wash it, etc., I am going to make the 2-stick heading. This is the first step. Weave in 2 sticks. Narrow sticks will take up less warp, but anything will do.

I cut off the sample leaving the 2-stick heading ATTACHED TO THE LOOM.

Here is the heading left on the loom with the sample cut off.

Fold the sticks and tie the heading on to the apron bar with ties 3” or so apart.

At last, the sample is off the loom. I can’t wait to wash it and see what happens; paper is in both warp and weft!

A close up of the weaving in the sampler.

Isn’t the Cross a Wonderful Thing?Thread without Mistakes: Hang the Lease Sticks Vertically

by

This is my first warp since the BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC. It really feels good to be at the loom after such a long time. I’m thinking, “Isn’t the cross a wonderful thing?” I see it all over in my travels today. Its proper name is LEASE. I was going to use it in my books but was convinced “cross” was better. However, my press is called “Lease Sticks Press”.

Getting comfortable is what Jim Ahrens taught as the way to thread without mistakes. This is the set-up for you, the lease sticks, and the warp. I thought showing the illustration first would let you understand the actual photos better. Note that the lease sticks are hanging VERTICALLY. The illustration is from my book, Weaving for Beginners, which is available on my website.

Here is a side view of my loom with the cross hanging from my yellow broom handle.

Here is a close up showing that the top lease stick is tied to the broom handle, so the pair of sticks is hanging vertically.

Here I am at the front of the loom reaching to the back for the next warp from the cross with my threading hook. My other hand assists, steadying the heddle.

Here I am at the front of the loom. The photo was taken at the back of the loom.

Threading the Loom Without Mistakes

by

Introduction:
I made the draft of this post when I was threading the loom for my box project. My report is that I only made one mistake and that was missing the heddle eye! A previous post gives 3 tricks for threading. See it here: 5/31/2020

photo 1 of 8

 Here I have the crosses for my two warps hanging vertically over a broom handle behind the heddles. This makes it easier to see the crosses when threading.

The illustration shows a clear picture of the set-up for threading. To stabilize the lease sticks I tie the top one to the broom handle. Look closely and you can see it.

I get as close to the heddles as I can. For my loom, that means taking out the beater and the breast beam.

How to know which shaft a heddle is on.
It’s easier to see what shaft a heddle is on if you look at the bottoms of the shafts. Here is a close-up.

Push all your counted-out heddles to the left (for right-handers) and stagger the heddles on the shafts so you can find which one you need easily as seen here. Left-handers would stagger them the same way but have them over on the right side of the shafts.

I have enough warp available so there is plenty ( I mean plenty) for threading, sleying the reed, AND tying on.

Position the cross (I have two because I made two warps to thread into the heddles) so you can see it easily when you are sitting on your threading stool.

Here’s my set-up with my low stool. The pillow is for my knees when I struggle to get up!

Help for These Trying Times

by


I’m amazed at how people are checking on and helping each other as we deal with the Covid-19 virus and stay in our homes.

I spent the day cutting fabrics for making 200 masks for our staff. Thank goodness for a rotary cutter! I can’t tell you how good it felt to be doing something. We have a whole team. It’s amazing how people have all we needed—except for the elastic and filter. We needed to search deeply for elastic—everyone seemed out of stock. I had a spool of wire and good cutters, others had fabric—lots of quilting material. Tonight those with sewing machines are busily sewing them up. Our team leader made miniature samples to go along with the directions.

I’d like to help in another way by offering a free book with the purchase of a book. It’s the same sale I have offered during the holidays.

If you can weave or not now, perhaps reading about it will make for some pleasant time—maybe even inspire you to get to the loom.

Many of you know my book, Weaving for Beginners (as a pdf or in print). However, the other books offer more depth and are like reference books. They have all the illustrations you expect. Order your free books on my website: www.peggyosterkamp.com

Here’s what you might be interested in knowing more in depth about in Winding a Warp & Using a Paddle: how to use a paddle, plan projects, understand sett for different projects as well as different yarns, and make perfect warps.

Warping Your Loom & Tying On New Warps is only available as a pdf but has lots of information that isn’t readily available to weavers—especially in one place. How to beam perfectly tensioned warps by yourself, use sectional warping, adjust looms, tie on new warps, learn how different types of looms work, and how to adjust them.

Weaving & Drafting Your Own Cloth has in-depth information on drafting, analyzing fabric, creating your own designs, burn tests, multi shaft weaving, besides efficient weaving motions, information about different types of shuttles, making perfect selvedges and weighting them separately. There is a big chapter on troubleshooting as well.

My DVD is available on Vimeo as well as on a DVD. How to warp the loom from back-to-front is what it shows. It’s just like what’s in all the books.

My “Warping the Loom Back to Front” Video is Now Available for Streaming!

by

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 computers often don’t have a drawer (or slot?) for them-and people don’t even own a DVD player. This reminds me of the VHS videos I used to sell that are now useless. People are now streaming movies and downloading them to watch from their computers or their phones. In order to do this, people must have a good internet connection though to make sure they don’t have to wait for buffering. Internet service providers, like infinitydish.com, have high-speed internet options to make it easier to download and stream movies quickly. That’s what a lot of people are doing.

Now you can either purchase my “Warping the Loom Back to Front” as a real DVD or download it or stream it on demand from the Vimeo website. I am thrilled that I can offer all of these methods to my customers. To kick off this event, I have reduced the physical DVD price from $34.95 to $19.95. The Vimeo options are to buy it for $9.95 (stream or download anytime) or rent it for 48 hours for $4.99. See my Vimeo page HERE. I’m proud to say that after 14 years in production, people are still ordering the DVD.

For anyone who bought a DVD in the last year at the higher price, you can contact me HERE and we’ll make a settlement together-say a free book, another DVD or credit for a download or Weaving for Beginners. 

I hope you’ll want this on all your devices. Always have it nearby–handy at the warping board, when beaming, or threading the heddles. Learn how to make great warps with perfect tension and to thread the heddles without mistakes. My mentor, Jim Ahrens said, warping is 50% of weaving and if done well, the weaving will be hassle free without tangles or broken threads.

We even made a real “trailer”. It feels almost like I’m in the movie business.

Remember: The only thread that can’t tangle is one under tension! Happy weaving!—-Peggy

Counting Down My Top Ten Weaving Tips – #4: Beam the warp under a lot of tension

by

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 4. This one has had 5920 views as of today!! The top one has more than 26,000 views to date!! Can you guess what the subject of that tip is?

BEAM THE WARP WITH A LOT OF TENSION, MORE THAN IT WILL BE UNDER WHILE YOU’RE WEAVING. THIS EXTRA TENSION PREVENTS THE THREADS FROM BITING DOWN UNEVENLY AS THE LAYERS BUILD UP ON THE WARP BEAM. THE IDEAL IS A SOLID, SMOOTH, VERY HARD PACKAGE OF YARNS, THE SAME DEGREE OF SMOOTHNESS AND SOLIDNESS AS A SPOOL OF SEWING THREAD.

TOO LITTLE TENSION DURING BEAMING
IF YOU PUT LESS TENSION ON THE WARP WHEN BEAMING THAN YOU DO WHEN WEAVING, MYSTERIOUS BUNCHES OF FLABBY WARPS APPEAR RANDOMLY AS YOU WEAVE. THE EFFECT OF THE GREATER TENSION YOU APPLY WHILE WEAVING IS THE SAME AS PULLING HARD ON THE WARP. IMAGINE PULLING HARD ON A LOOSELY WOUND WARP: THE OUTER LAYERS OF THE WARP WOULD SLIP, PULLING THE INNER LAYERS NEARER THE BEAM TIGHTER. ON A SHORT WARP OF JUST A FEW TURNS OF THE BEAM, THE SLIPPAGE WOULD PROBABLY CONTINUE RIGHT DOWN TO THE BEAM, TIGHTENING THE WHOLE WARP, AND SO THERE WOULDN’T BE ANY EFFECT ON YOUR WEAVING. BUT ON ANY WARP LONGER THAN A FEW YARDS, THE SLIPPAGE CAN’T GO DEEPER THAN A FEW LAYERS, AND THE TIGHTENED OUTER LAYERS COMPRESS THE INNER LAYERS. AS THEY COMPRESS, THE THREADS FLEX AND CURVE. IN WEAVING, THE FLEXES START TO STRAIGHTEN OUT THE CLOSER YOU GET TO THEM, BUT THEY DO SO RANDOMLY, NOT ALL AT ONCE. THAT EXPLAINS THAT CURIOUS SNAKY PATTERN YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ON YOUR BEAM AFTER WEAVING FOR AWHILE AND ALSO THE MYSTERIOUSLY UNEVEN TENSION OF THE WARP.

DOES EXTRA TENSION HARM THE WARP?

No, not even elastic yarns like wool, and not even if you don’t weave it off immediately. In fact, Jim Ahrens once wove off a 2/28 wool warp that had been under this kind of tension for eight years. In comparing the finished fabric to the sample he had woven eight years earlier on that warp, he found no difference in hand or resilience of the two fabrics. I wouldn’t recommend you put a poor quality thread to this extreme test, but since we’re weaving high-quality cloth, you wouldn’t be using poor quality thread anyway.

Tensioning the Warp by Yourself

If you’re working on your own, without a helper, using the “jerking” method allows you to apply great tension to your warp. Every time you crank the warp beam one full turn, stop, engage the brake, and then stand where the bulk of the warp is. Starting at one side of the warp, take a 2″ section of the warp in each hand. Tension them by jerking hard, very hard. Drop those sections, and pick up the next two sections and jerk very hard again. Continue jerking, in 2″ sections, all the way across the warp. See Figure A. This tightens the warp you just wound on the beam. Then wind on another turn, and follow the same process again, starting from the other edge of the warp. Alternating right and left edges as the starting point helps prevent one side receiving less tension than the other because you may have pulled harder on the first bundles every time.

Beaming the Warp on the Loom A
Beaming the Warp on the Loom A
 If you begin to get blisters, though I never have, fingerless gloves, like those that golfers use, can help.Note that it is the turn of warp that you just wound onto the beam that is being tensioned. Warp that is not on the beam is slack as soon as you let go of it. If you must stop beaming and resume later, jerk all the sections of the last turn of the warp again before you start beaming. Another way to achieve good, consistent tension is to use your body weight instead of jerking the warp. Grasp each 2″ section at arm’s length, lock your elbows, and then lean back against the warp. Try this if you feel you can’t be sure of jerking with the same force all across the warp. Remember, the tension has to be not only tight, but even.

SMOOTHING OUT THE WARP AS YOU WIND ON

You may find it necessary to smooth out sections before tensioning to get the warp threads lined up and flat. Whatever you do, don’t comb! Combing can snag a thread or create tangles, often causing threads to break.

Often, it’s enough just to shake the warp briskly, like a horse’s reins, while pulling the warp toward you. You might also try holding a section of warp taut and slapping with your palm or flicking with your finger. See Figures B and C.

Beaming the Warp on the Loom C
Beaming the Warp on the Loom C

Beaming the Warp on the Loom B
Beaming the Warp on the Loom B

 

Beaming the Warp on the Loom D
Beaming the Warp on the Loom D

If this doesn’t lay the warp out flat, the best way to smooth sections with the least possibility of stretching is what I call “the pinch.” Lay threads over the flats of your fingers, then pinch them gently with the thumb. Now draw thumb and fingers toward you for a few inches. Release, pinch, and draw again until the threads lie properly. By drawing the pinch along, the loose warps that have looped up are worked along the bulk of the warp; eventually all the ends are equally tensioned. See Figure D.

 

Beam with a dowel

 

To save a lot of stress on your hands, you can wind the sections around a short length of dowel and pull on the dowel. It is easy and quick once you get the rhythm of doing it. The diameter of the dowel should be around 1/2″. See figure #133.

This tip is an excerpt from Chapter 2, “Beaming on a Plain Beam” in Book 2,Warping Your Loom and Tying on New Warps– and Weaving for Beginners

 

Counting Down My Top Ten Weaving Tips – #6: A better way to use paper for winding warps

by
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 6. This one has had 5457 views as of today!! The top one has about over 24,500 views to date!! Can you guess what the subject of that tip is?

ONLY USE PAPER AFTER EVERY FEW TURNS OF THE WARP BEAM.
DO NOT USE PAPER CONTINUOUSLY–SEE WHY BELOW.

To keep the edge threads from slipping off the roll of warp, you pack in a new, short length of paper after every yard or so as you wind. To provide the support needed, use sturdy, brown paper called kraft paper or grocery bags, if they are wide enough for your warp; newspaper is too flimsy. Don’t use rolls of corrugated cardboard as packing paper‹this paper is too spongy to create the very tight, evenly tensioned warp you’re striving for. It¹s also so thick that it can take up a lot of your warp beam’s capacity.

Cut the paper 4″ wider than the width of your warp on the warp beam and in lengths about 12″ long, or the circumference of your warp beam. Why cut the paper into lengths? You don¹t need to use continuous paper if your warp is beamed on very tightly because, as you remember, tightly wound layers can¹t bite down into each other. Continuous paper is usually unnecessary, takes up room on the warp beam, and is terribly difficult to wind in smoothly. Even if you choose to use continuous paper, it’s much easier to use short lengths continuously rather than one long length of paper.

Next fold in 1″ on both edges of the width of the paper. These 1″ extensions support the edge threads on the warp beam because the folds at the edges strengthen the edges of the single-thickness paper.

When winding in the packing paper, be careful that warp threads never travel over the paper folded double at the edges. Also watch for paper that is crinkling or rolling in at an angle. A simple trick prevents this. Insert the paper so that it is wound in with the warp, then turn the beam a bit until the end of the paper catches in. With your thumb and forefinger, take hold at the center of the opposite end of the paper, as in the figure, right in the middle. Hold it taut there as you wind the paper in with the warp.

Paper for Warping the Loom
Paper for Warping the Loom

Put the first piece of paper in after the first several turns of warp are wound on in a flat layer. Remember, if your apron cords prevent the warp from going on flat, you need to insert packing sticks to create a flat base before you can use the pieces of paper.You usually need about one piece of folded paper for every several turns of warp. You know when it’s time to put in another piece of paper when the edges of the warp look like they might not be piling up exactly upon themselves. One teacher said “The edges should look like cliffs.” My teacher said to add paper every yard or so. I usually do it more often with the fine silk threads I’ve been using.
Remember, the packing paper’s only job is to hold the edges of the warp up straight. It’s because you are winding the warp so tightly that the layers can’t bite down into one another. You need paper more frequently if you have gaps between raddle groups on the warp beam.

This is in my books, Weaving for Beginners and Book 1: “Winding a Warp and Using a Paddle”

A Fine-Silk-Thread Saga: Part One

by

Drum - Beamimg Raddle
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 of it and I grabbed them. They were lovely in the skeins and I didn’t notice how very, very fine the individual threads were! When I tried to wind the threads from a skein onto a spool it was a nightmare: threads broke, I couldn’t find an end etc., etc. I asked Takako Ueki, owner of Habu Textiles in New York, how to wind off fine threads and she said she would do it in her store, when I got a skein back it was on about 10 cones—I guess she kept starting over and over when threads broke. (It was expensive.)

Now I want to weave with that silk thread. The previous fine silk threads (enormous in comparison) were on spools (much easier) and collapsed when wetted or dyed. Now I want to weave and dye the cloth with indigo—hence the undegummed silk was needed.

I wound my previous warps with 10 spools at a time so I thought I would with this fine stuff, too. Snags, broken threads, cones messed up—all kinds of problems. So I tried 6 and finally ended up with 4 good cones and made a 10-yard warp. I have a wonderful warping reel with a heck block and leaser so winding with multiple threads is efficient. I tied many, many choke ties before I took the warp off the reel—turned out unnecessary for these threads but critical for the previous warps with the threads that collapsed. I decided I had to recalculate the sett because the threads were so fragile and fine so I went from 96 threads per inch to 120.
Rattle Loading
This first photo shows me loading my 5-dent raddle with 24 ends per dent. I skipped a space after every 2 dents to widen the warp and with more threads in a dent they worked together so that they did not break. For the 24 threads I used 2 raddle groups, each with 12 ends. [be sure to click the photos to see the fine details]
Drum - Raddle on LoomDrum with Choke Ties

 

I use a warping drum to hold the warp on tension while I beam. I clamped the raddle onto the loom and left the lease sticks in to keep the threads organized and in order in their groups of 24 threads.

 

 

Drum - Errant Threads One photo shows a few errant threads but all in all the threads did fine under the tension of the warping drum while winding it onto the warp beam on the loom. The first group of threads was the one where I tried 10 and then 6 cones and had the breakage, etc. I will discard that group I’m thinking—that snarled errant thread shows you why.
Drum - Beamimg Raddle
The drum is across the room in my studio—maybe 15 feet away from the loom. I have to push a lot of stuff out of the way in the studio to make room for the beaming process. I stand at the loom and turn the warp beam roller and that pulls the warp off the drum under a lot of tension. The warp looks really great on the beam—tight and orderly.

The final step in this part of my saga is at the end of the warp as it came off the drum.
Drum - End of Warp
This illustration is from Page 148 in the chapter: The Warping Drum in my Book #2, Warping Your Loom & Tying On New Warps which is now available again in PDF format. The rope to the drum is attached to the end stick which I put in the end of the warp and the lease sticks are in place—for the tread-by-thread cross. This I did today. Now the remaining part of the warp can be beamed and ready for threading the heddles. I think it will take a couple of weeks for that step—there are around 600 threads and sometimes I can’t even see them—just feel them. Wish me luck.