I’ve Been Warped! …..Oct. 2, 2005

What a glorious day it is supposed to be here in the Mountains.  A perfect day for the start of Fryeburg Fair, where I am slated to work most every day this week.

Yesterday I sat down to wind a warp that I prepared last week on the table loom that I am to demonstrate later in the week.  I use Peggy Osterkamp’s method of dressing a loom from back to front using 2 crosses.  It usually works beautifully for me.  (getting that warp on the back beam has always been my biggest challenge in weaving)

When I wind my warp, I make sure that I use the same color yarn to tie the crosses off on the top and bottom of the cross using one color for the top and a different color on the bottom.  It is important when threading the chains onto the lease sticks to make use that  you have the same color for each chain facing up, especially if the project is to be patterned or striped.

After I had the bottom cross securely on the lease sticks, I cut the threads getting it ready to be put onto the raddle.  Oh oh…….if you look at the 2 chains, the chain to the right with the green chenille was put on properly with it’s cross intact and the one to the left was not.  Somehow I miss-threaded it on.  <groan>…….this is basic easy weaving stuff, I should have taken this as an omen and quit whilst I was ahead.

It took me a little while to get the threads all straightened out, but finally the entire warp is on the raddle and positioned on the loom and ready for winding on.

One of the things I like most about Peggy’s method for winding on a warp is the way she has you put the wound chains off the back of the beam…..it makes it so much easier to even out the tension as you are winding on warp.  I use heavy craft paper in between the layers as I am winding to prevent the warp sinking into the previous layer and getting tangled.  So far……so good……although, I do notice that the warp is twisting a bit as it is going on….but I wasn’t too concerned.  It should straighten itself out, as long as the crosses are intact, right?

From there, after putting the top cross thru the lease sticks and securing them on the castle of the loom, I start threading the heddles.  This is my favorite part.  As much as I HATE winding that warp onto the back beam…….I so enjoy the rhythm of threading. 

After the threading is complete, it is on to slaying the reed…….another part of weaving I enjoy.  Finally the entire warp is tied on to the front beam and we are in business…ready to weave.  The first few inches when I am weaving with chenille, I use either cotton or acrylic, so that when I wash and dry the finished item, I can leave it in without worry of felting.  That yarn holds the fringe together, until it is dried….then it is removed and viola….fringe that wasn’t eaten by the washer/dryer.

There is nothing quite as pretty as the shine of rayon chenille, especially after it has been washed and dried. 

It’s looking great, don’t you think?

Oh DEAR!!!  Remember that twisting that I thought would straighten itself out??  Well you can see in this picture of the thread in the back, that they have not straightened out, in fact they are worse…….ggrrrrrrrr!!  I am not sure where I went wrong.  I have threaded chenille on to this loom many times without nary a problem…….so what happened this time? Grrr…

Oh well, as there is no time to wind another warp on at least for Tuesdays demonstration, I will have to try and make it work somehow and hope that another weaver can help me figure out where I went wrong.

I am contemplating taking some more weaving classes this winter to learn different methods of winding on a warp.  A few that interest me is this one in Massachusetts, which is a week long study…..here or here.

As soon as the craziness of the fair and the fun of Rhinebeck is past, I plan to spend a lot more time weaving.  I am determined to make this winding on the back beam, much less of an obstacle than it has been for me.

Have a great day and if you are venture up to Fryeburg Fair, please stop in the Fiber Center and say hello!