Learn How To Weave With - Interweave

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreSteps for Warping: Back to Front1Make a guide string2Wind the warpMeasure a guide string the desired length of thewarp plus about 6" for tying the ends of the stringto pegs. Tie one end to the top left peg and makea path on the warping board that accommodatesthe full length of the string with the other endtied to a second peg.Wind the warp following the guide string startingat the bottom peg with the threading cross nearthe top left peg; see Figure 1. (This makes all warploops at the top peg continuous for attaching tothe warp beam apron rod.)Choicesa. Wind one end at a time for warps with lots ofcolors. At color changes, tie the new end to theold end at the first or last peg.b. Wind two ends together for solid-color warps,warps with few color changes, or warps with twoalternating colors. Keep a finger between thetwo threads as you wind to prevent them fromtwisting around each other.Tips Wind with even but loose tension—the threadsshould be just tight enough to prevent themfrom drooping.top pegbottom pegstart1. Each trip from the bottom peg to the top peg and then back tothe bottom peg produces two warp threads.4Secure the warp chain5Chain the warp Do not overlap threads on the pegs.36 If the total number of threads or their thicknessmakes them too crowded on the pegs (coveringmore than half of each peg when pushedtoward the board), wind the warp in two ormore equal chains.Count the threadsCount the warp threads at the cross by fingercrocheting a cord around each group of threadsthat will be placed in one space of the raddle (seePhoto 5, page 9).Learning How to Weave with Weaving Today6Tie the four arms of the cross as in Figure 2, page7. Tie one choke tie (a cord wrapped around thewarp and secured with a square knot; see Photo4, page 9) near the end peg. If the warp threadsare very slippery or springy, tie other choke tiesalong the length of the warp as necessary.Cut the warp loops at the last peg and chain thewarp from the board: Make a loop of the threadsand pull another loop through the first loop withone hand. Pull a loop through the new loop withthe other hand (see Photo 3, page 8). Continue,pulling loops hand over hand until you reach thecross, and remove the chain from the warpingboard.Spread the warp in the raddleAttach the raddle to the back beam. Place leasesticks in the threading cross. Secure the leasesticks to the sides of the loom between the backbeam and the shafts (the structure of your loomwill determine the best way to do this; the leasesticks should be side by side with a distance 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreSteps for Warping: Back to Frontbetween them of about 1"). Place a sturdy rod inthe uncut end loops near the cross. Attach therod to the apron rod of the warp beam, sliding thewarp to one side (it will rest on one end of theraddle with the counting thread and cross tiesstill in place). With the heddles pushed to thesides and the reed removed, drape the rest of thewarp chain through the castle, over the breastbeam, and down to the floor in front of the loom.Tie the warp to the breast beam with a piece ofcord to keep the warp in place while you spreadit in the raddle. Remove the ties that secured thecross.Undoing a stitch at a time in the finger-crochetedcounting cord, place the group of threadsencircled by each stitch in one space of theraddle, centered for the weaving width requiredby your project. Secure the warp in the raddle bystretching rubber bands across the pegs. Whenthe warp is completely spread and secured withrubber bands, untie the cord holding the warp atthe breast beam.TipIf the breast beam and back beam of your loomare about the same height and the length of yourlease sticks is close to the width of your loom,here is one way to secure them: Tie two cordson each side of the warp from breast beam toback beam. With the lease sticks parallel to theback beam and resting on the cords, on one sidelower one cord and raise the other to make anopening in which to place the end of one leasestick, then reverse the positions of the cords tomake an opening for the end of the other leasestick. Repeat with the cords on the other side,securing the other ends of both lease sticks inthe same way. The cords will hold the lease sticksconveniently in place for beaming and threading.VariationYou can sley the raddle at a table instead of at theloom (place lease sticks in the cross, a sturdy rodin the end loops of the warp, and a heavy bookon the warp chain to provide tension). When thewarp is spaced in the raddle and secured withrubber bands, take the warp, lease sticks, andraddle to the loom, secure the lease sticks behind7Learning How to Weave with Weaving Today cutting line2. Tie the four arms of the cross and chain the warp from thewarping board beginning at the bottom peg.7the castle, and tie the rod with the end loops tothe warp beam apron rod as above.Beam the warpDivide the warp chain into sections: Run yourfinger between the two halves of the warp fromthe breast beam to the the floor. Then divide thehalves into halves until the whole warp is dividedinto sections of about 2" each. Pull firmly on eachsection to straighten and align the warp threads.(Never handle or comb individual threads.)Keeping the lease sticks tied in place behind thecastle, begin winding the warp onto the warpbeam. If threads tangle at the lease sticks, go tothe front and pull firmly on each section. Whenthe warp encircles the warp beam, begin insertingheavy paper at least 2" wider or warping sticks2" longer than warp width to separate the layers.Continue, winding a complete turn and thentightening each section at the front of the loom.Maintain the divisions between the sections andvary the order in which you pull to tighten: fromthe center out, from right to left, from left toright. Wind and tighten until the cut ends of thewarp hang below the lease sticks in a convenientposition for threading (long enough to comethrough the heddles plus about 10"). 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreSteps for Warping: Back to FrontTipsthread the heddles following your draft fromright to left if you are right-handed, from left toright if you are left-handed, or from the centerto each side. As it is beamed, the warp will tend to spreadout at the edges. The edge threads willtherefore wind on with less density, causing aneventual difference in tension during weaving.To avoid this, tie two very heavy cords or placetwo C-clamps around the back beam on eachside of the warp. Push them against the warp tomake it about 1 4" narrower on each side than itswidth in the raddle. The warp will then go ontothe warp beam at an even density.Tip The warp must be wound very tightly onthe warp beam so that the threads cannotchange their tension in relation to each otherthroughout the weaving. To pull firmly on each2" section and save the skin on your hands,wrap the section a couple of times around asmooth stick and pull on the stick.8 To clear any tangles, pick up a section of warpnear the floor in one hand, pull to apply tension,and then strum the threads with the other handwithout allowing them to move in the hand thatis holding them.910Thread the loomCount the number of heddles required on eachshaft for your draft and make sure you haveenough. Divide any extra heddles on each shaftso an equal number is placed on each side of thethreaded warp. Sitting at the front of the loom,It is easier to see the warp threads as you threadif the lease sticks are positioned at a slightangle, with the lease stick closest to you belowthe lease stick beyond it. If you used cords asdescribed in Step 6, place cones of yarn or otherobjects on the back beam under the cords toraise them at the back.Sley the reedTo help you center the warp in the reed, mark thecenter of the reed and measure from the center toeach side a distance that is half the warp width.Then sley the reed as required by your draft.Tie onto the front apron rodStarting in the center of the warp, take two 1 4"groups of warp threads, pass them over andaround the front apron rod (see Figure 6), andtie only the first half of a square knot on top.Continue tying groups, working from the centerout, alternating sides. When you’ve tied halfknots for all of the groups, tie the second half ofeach square knot for each one.Tips Very important: Do not make the knots tight.If you do, each succeeding knot, aided by thetension of the others, will be tighter than theprevious one. Instead, holding the tails fromthe first half of the square knot, one tail in eachhand, take the two tails toward the reed toeliminate slack, bring them down to snug theknot against the rod (think “snug,” not “tight”),and tie the second half of the knot. Noticehow this feels, and make each knot feel thesame way. This will make the tension evenon all threads.3. To chain a warp, make a loop and pull another loop through it. Pull the nextloop through with the other hand and continue.8Learning How to Weave with Weaving Today Tying on in small groups makes it possible tostart weaving without needing heavy scrap yarnto spread the warp and aids in providing evenwarp tension from the start. 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreSteps for Warping: Back to Front4. To tie a square knot, wrap the right yarn around the leftyarn; then wrap the left yarn around the right yarn.6. To tie the warp onto the front apron rod, passtwo warp groups over the rod and tie the firsthalf of a square knot. After all groups are tied,tie the second half of each square knot snug, nottight.5. Make a lark’s head knot around the first group of threads. Pull a loopof the two-thread tail through the first loop around the second groupof threads. With the tail behind each group, pull up successive loops toenclose each one. Pull on the tail to release the chain.castle7. The parts of a readleLearning How to Weave with Weaving Todaybackfootrest 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreWhat Equipment Do I Really Need?Excerpted from November/December 2004, Page 14The projects in this issue recommendall sorts of equipment. It’s always hardfor new weavers to know how to setpriorities for what to buy—especially sinceweaving equipment is expensive. (I don’t meanthat it costs more than it should, but if youcompare the cost of a loom with the cost ofknitting needles. . . .)So, what do you really need? Everyone knowsyou need a loom, but there are many otheraccessories to consider. You’ll want to have atleast 100 heddles on each shaft—the widerthe warp and the finer the threads, the moreheddles you’ll need.Your loom probably came with a reed. Differentprojects require different reed sizes, but you canoften achieve the suggested setts with otherreeds. (The Weaver’s Companion, Interweave,2001, pages 14–15, explains how to do this.) Tostart, it’s good to have a 10-dent and a 12-dentreed (and an 8-dent reed if you plan to usethicker yarns).You won’t be able to weave long without awarping board (or reel)—doorknobs are not asatisfactory substitute. Choose a warping boardwith sturdy, thick pegs that are solidly fixed inthe frame.A ½" dent raddle is more useful than one withbigger spaces, (See warping Back to Front,pages 6-9). Lease sticks are also necessary ifyou warp from back to front—smooth flat stickswith slightly rounded edges or smooth dowelswork well.You should have at least two boat shuttles witha minimum of a dozen bobbins and at leasttwo stick shuttles (start with a length of about12"). For faster and more joyful weaving, use aboat shuttle for all yarns thin enough to windefficiently on a bobbin.A bobbin winder is a must. Electric ones arevery nice but not essential. (Put one on yourholiday gift list.)A loom bench that can be adjusted to the rightheight is better than trying to weave from achair or stool. It’s also handy to have the benchspace beside you for placing shuttles andscissors.You’ll need an umbrella swift if you use yarnthat comes in skeins. You can wind a warp onthe warping board directly from the swift or youcan wind yarn from the swift into a ball. Ball andcone winders are available, but they do not needto be at the top of your priority list.To warp from back to front, you’ll need a raddle.That’s a board with pegs or nails that separatethe warp into groups as it’s wound on the beam.10Learning How to Weave with Weaving Today 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreWeaving TermsOne of the biggest obstacles to learning about weaving is its terminology.Not only are most weaving words ordinary words that mean something elsein regular life (so that you don’t know you don’t know what a word means), butdifferent sources use the same words for different things—or different words forthe same things. To make matters worse, each weaving word can usually only beunderstood in relation to other weaving words, so that to know one, you really haveto know them all. To help clarify this muddle, here are the definitions of some basicwords about weaving and weaving equipment.A loom is the frame that holds the warp threadsaligned and under tension so that weaving cantake place.The warp is all of the threads that are alignedvertically on a loom before weaving begins. Awarp end is a single warp thread.The weft is all of the horizontal threads thatinterlace with the vertically aligned warp. A pickis a single pass of the weft through a shed; apick is also called a shot.Winding a warp is the process by which allthe threads in the warp are measured andaligned in order. Usually this is done by placingeach end in a premeasured path on a warpingboard or warping reel. The order of the ends ismaintained by the threading cross.The threading cross is the “x” formed byalternate warp ends because they each take adifferent path over and under a pair of pegs onthe warping board: over/under for one end andunder/over for the alternate end. If the openingscreated by the pegs are maintained when thewarp is removed from the warping board, thecrossing of the threads is also maintained andkeeps them from shifting their order.11Learning How to Weave with Weaving TodayA warping board is a square frame with evenlyspaced sturdy pegs along the sides of the frameand pegs that can accommodate a cross alongthe top and the bottom. Warp threads arewound on the board in order and measured by adesignated path around the side pegs. Warpingboards can accommodate up to 18 yards of warplength.A warping reel can also be used to wind thewarp. Some reels are vertical; the reel spins ona vertical axis and the warp is wound aroundit through a path that goes from the top to thebottom of the reel and back again. Some reelsare horizontal; the reel spins on a horizontalaxis and the warp is wound around it from oneend to the other and back again. Reels canaccommodate longer warps than boards andcan be faster to use (the longer the warp, thegreater the savings in time).A swift is an expandable cage that turns on acenter rod to hold a skein of yarn so that it canbe wound into a ball or directly onto the warpingboard. A warping paddle is a device that allowsthe winding of multiple warp ends in the samepass around a warping board while keepingthem separate and aligned and providing across of individual ends. One type of paddle is 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and Moreequipped with two rows of holes that keep thethreads separate; the cross is picked by hand atthe cross pegs on the warping board. Anothertype had alternate slots and holes that keepthe threads separate and also form a cross ofindividual ends when the paddle is raised andthen lowered at the cross pegs.A spool rack is a frame with thin horizontalmetal rods that can support many spools ofthread. Multiple ends can be unwound at thesame time from the rotating spools to fill asection of a sectional warp beam or to passthrough the slots and holes of a warpingpaddle.A cone holder allows ends from multiple conesto be wound at the same time. A screw eye,hook, or other device directs each thread so itunwinds above its cone without upsetting thecone or becoming tangled with threads fromother cones.A choke, or choke tie, is a very tight tie madearound all of the threads in the warp—usuallythis is done on the warping board or reel.Lease sticks are two rods or flat stick longerthan the width of the warp. They are placedin the openings of the cross. The cross ismaintained in the space between the leasesticks, keeping the threads in order for threadingor sleying.A raddle is a board at least as long as the widthof the warp with evenly spaced pegs or nails(1 4"–1" apart). Groups of warp ends are placedin each raddle space, and the warp is woundon the warp beam with the raddle secured onthe back beam. The width of the warp in theraddle and the number of ends in each spacedetermine the density and width of the warp onthe warp beam. (Raddles are used for warpingmethods in which the warp is wound on thewarp beam before being threadedthrough the heddles.)12Learning How to Weave with Weaving TodayA raddle cross is formed by groups of warpends on the opposite end of the warping boardor reel from the threading cross (which isformed of individual ends). The number of endsin each group is equal to the number of ends tobe placed in each dent of the raddle.The heddles are wires, nylon braid, string, or flatsteel rods attached to the shafts. Each heddlehas an eye in the center through which a warpend is threaded. (Because of this eye, heddleshave sometimes been called needles.)The shafts are the frames that hold the heddles.When a shaft is raised or lowered, all of thewarp ends threaded through the heddles onthat shaft are raised or lowered. (Harnessis sometimes used as a synonym for shaft,although originally it was the name for themounting that holds all of the shafts.)Each weft pick passes through a shed. The shedis the opening made by raised and lowered warpthreads.The breast beam is the horizontal crosspieceon the loom directly in front of the weaver. Thewoven cloth passes over the breast beam on itsway to the cloth beam.The cloth beam is the (usually) cylindricalrotating crosspiece of wood (sometimes ofmetal) at the front of the loom on which thewoven cloth is wound.The back beam is the horizontal crosspiece onthe back of the loom around which the warppasses on its way to the warp beam.The warp beam is the (usually) cylindricalrotating crosspiece of wood (sometimes ofmetal) at the back of the loom on which thewarp is wound.Beaming the warp is the process ofwinding thewarp on the warp beam. The layers are usuallyseparated with sturdy paper or warping sticks. 2011 i nterweave press llc. All ri ghts reserved. not to b e rep ri n t ed.

Learn How to Weave WithTMWeaving Terms, Warping a Loom, and MoreWarping sticks are thin slats of smooth woodabout 1 8" thick, ¾" wide, and longer than thewidth of the warp.number of dents in the reed and th

toward the board), wind the warp in two or more equal chains. Count the threads count the threads at the cross or at the last peg. if you count on top of one of the cross pegs, there will be twice as many warp threads as the number you count. this is also true if you count at the last peg, since each loop around that peg is two warp threads.