Balm for the Frayed Soul
There has been quite a bit of weaving relating things going on around here.
While not unusual, it has had more fervor and intensity.
First, January and February were flush with a flurry of social commitments and other obligations with very little time for this introvert to regroup and recharge.
Who knew the universe was conspiring to help me out with my hermitting?!
I know for many, the social isolation, particularly those with children and for those whose jobs are disrupted, this is an extremely trying experience, and I regret the hardship they must endure. For everyone, I hope things return to normal (or the new normal) as soon as possible.
While my husband's work is deemed essential, and he still goes to the office, I am most fortunate to be able to telework without disruption, which means I have been flourishing. On my off hours, I hang with the dogs, soaking up the sun on the patio, or quick walks here and there, but what I have mostly been doing is dyeing warps and weaving to my heart's content. I have even been finishing items with washing and hemming.
The pile of tea towels grows steadily with about three dozen pressed and neatly folded.
I have never had three dozen finished towels at once because I usually send them on their way immediately upon completion.
While gratifying, these days have not been without, at least, a little drama.
On Saturday, I finished a ten-yard warp of baby blankets.
More photos when I wash and hem them!
My deadline for these was the end of April.
The plan was to load the Beast with a test run of bath towels to determine their suitability as Christmas gifts; however, I just did not feel like preparing the warp for them, especially as I had a striped warp ready to load that had languished since November, as well as another had dyed one. (The hand dyed warps have become an extra special kind of joy!)
As I was a month ahead of schedule with the baby blankies, I did not hesitate to put on the striped tea towels.
Here is a shot I saved when originally preparing the warp:
These were beamed plainly, rather than on the sectional warp.
The first eight yards beamed like spreading warm butter. I was pleased.
To keep an even tension, I divided the warp into three sections and used a book weighed down with a kettle bell on top of each section. (Photos way down below)
This method works beautifully, until the warp is too short to reach the floor.
On the Beast, this means I am within two yards of fully beaming the warp.
Once I reach this point, I usually invite the husband into the studio for an assist.
As sweet and accommodating as he is, and no matter how well he does this, neither he, nor anyone else, can maintain an even tension with two hands as well as the three books and kettle bells can.
Some time last week, I realized one of the things I most enjoy about weaving is that it is one of the few things in my life over which I have a great deal of control.
With that, I make no attempt to imply I have complete control, but I have control over a great many of the variables involved with weaving, and based on my experience, I have a pretty good idea of how most things will turn out.
Having said that, the other night showed me that while I have thrived in this new era of self-isolation, the chaos in the outside world has not gone unnoticed, and I do not remain unaffected.
Within a few minutes of the husband helping me beam the remainder of the warp, the uneven tension from the tails had bunched up, creating an unholy tangle at the least sticks with several snapped threads.
Normally, I would have taken each one-inch section at the raddle and gently pulled all threads to the same length, smoothing everything out and coaxing things along.
However, it was already an hour past my normal bedtime, and I was just not having it.
I knew I had eight yards, which were perfectly beamed.
In a full snit, I dropped the more obscene version of "Screw it!" and with a pair of scissors cut the warp between the lease sticks and the heddles.
This, friends, was the dumbest thing I could have done.
Cutting the warp was fine. What I should have done is cut it a foot and a half from the lease sticks, so I would have enough to thread through the heddles and lash on.
I immediately recognized my gross error and had the husband engage the brake release to attempt to lengthen the warp.
No bueno.
I was losing my cross at the lease sticks, which means only one thing.
Done.
I was done.
To hell with it.
I pulled every inch of that warp off the loom and handed it to the wisely silent husband and asked him to dispose of it.
All he said was "Is there anything I can do for you?"
The most I could offer was a churlish "Leave me alone, please."
I should have gone to bed, but I felt as though that would be admitting defeat.
Instead, I pulled the seven sections of newly dyed warp and draped them across the top of the Beast.
My plan was to add small, 8 thread lines of 10/2 black between each color and along both sides to frame the tea towels, then use the same thread as weft.
Unfortunately, I had no 10/2 black. I had 8/2 and 5/2 black, but the rest of the warp was 10/2.
Last week, I placed an order with Woolery for some. It is on back order until May or June...
Instead, I pulled 4 lighter greys and quickly made 8 individual chains, each with 8 threads and 10 yards long.
With that, I began dressing the loom again.
The husband eventually checked on me and encouraged me to retire for the evening.
By that point, I had the chains in the raddle with lease sticks. I was ready to begin beaming again, but he was right, it was time for bed.
Life commitments got in the way, and I was not able return to the warp until mid-afternoon the following day.
I have a love/hate relationship with plain beaming (obviously).
I spent a lot of money and upgraded all of my floor looms to two beams: plain and sectional.
I prefer to beam warps sectionally because it is easier, more efficient (time-wise), and results in perfect tension across the entire length of the warp from start to finish.
That statement assumes the following though: the warp is comprised of a single color or of colors (stripes) in increments of one-inch.
The downside to sectional warping are several:
a) The equipment is expensive (tension box, electric spool winder, spool rack, and spools - not to mention sectional beams as add-ons).
b) There is more waste involved when loading thread onto spools, even with a yardage meter.
c) Gradient warps done sectionally are not time efficient.
d) I have not figured out how to efficiently do hand dyed chains sectionally, but I am working on this. At the moment I am considering dyeing 1-inch chains and using the book and weight method while running the ends through the tension box onto the beam, but it is a theory only right now and does NOT appear to be an efficient way to do it. However, I full intend to test this!
I continue plain warping because I enjoy the dyed warps and putting together gradient warps.
I have researched warping wheels (or warping square), but have never used one. However, it appears to be a hybrid of using a warping mill to prepare a warp and using a built in tension box with comb to sectionally warp. It is very cool and neat, but it does not appear to be as efficient as sectional warping. Moreover, as I now have the equipment to warp plainly and sectionally, the last thing I need is a redundant piece to trip over.
In any event, I move freely between both methods of warping, depending on the project at hand.
At the moment, all the looms have warps on their plain beams. Meg also has 30 yards warped onto her sectional beam, as well...
Once I reached the point where the tail of the warp sections were too short to continue with the books and the weights, I had a choice to make: ask the husband to hold my section tails again or figure something else out.
In the past, I have used jugs of water and other weights tied to the tails. This has actually worked well for me, even though I hated having them dragged up the front of the loom clanking and scratching things on their way up.
In truth, I enjoyed having my husband visit with me while I warped the loom. He smiled every time I inquired whether he had time to hold my tails. (LOL)
However, as maintaining even tension was the issue, I partially filled an empty water jug and used my lightest kettle bell...
Of course, it worked like a charm.
As an aside, I am well familiar with trapeze or valet attachments to looms and mounting rods from the ceiling to assist in warping. I think those things are wonderful testaments of ingenuity, but not practical for my situation.
I have typically seen those things used where someone has one loom in a designated spot.
In order for me to utilize these, I would either have to create/install one warping station, under which I would have to rotate the loom being loaded or make one for each loom. Neither is practical for me.
Before I retired for the evening, I was able to thread all the heddles and tie up the treadles.
Without incident, I sleyed the reed and tied onto the cloth apron rod.
From there, I was weaving in very short order.
This is the straight draw draft I found on Pinterest that I really liked.
At the moment, my only regret is not going ahead and using 8/2 in black, instead of grey, between the stripes and along each outer edge; however, I do love all the colors.
I sampled four different weft colors: black, light grey, medium grey, and dark grey.
As the black gives me the most contrast and allows the pattern to show up the best, the first towel will be in black. I will probably play around with some other colors before I finish this ten yard warp.
If you made it this far, you have superior attention and concentration. Thank you!
Stay well!
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