February 2014 – Page 2 – Warped for Good

Tools Day: Temple Technique

February 11, 2014February 11, 2014 Karen

What is the secret weapon for improving selvedges, preventing draw-in, and getting a more even beat, leading to better quality handwoven fabric? Use of a temple (also known as a stretcher), of course! The temple is a tool that simply holds the woven cloth on the loom at the proper width. I almost always use a temple when I weave because I like the consistency that it brings to my weaving. It may seem counterintuitive to stop frequently to re-set the temple, but I have found that moving the temple becomes part of the rhythm of weaving. The cloth develops inch by inch, and the temple is in sync with that.

How to set a temple:

1. Place the temple upside down on the warp next to the reed. Remove the pin. Expand the temple to the width of the warp, with the center of the teeth aligned with the outside warp thread on each side.

2. Put the pin in aligned holes to hold the width of the temple.

3. Turn the temple right side up, with the pin facing toward you, and the metal slider on the right half of the temple. Place the temple near the fell of the weaving; set the teeth on the left side of the temple into the warp threads near the selvedge.

4. Keeping the left teeth in the cloth, set the temple teeth on the right into the threads near the selvedge on the right side of the cloth.

5. Press down the center of the temple. Move the metal slider toward the center to secure the temple, keeping it flat.

6. Weave. The reed should not touch the temple when you beat. After weaving an inch (or two, or three, depending on what is being woven), release temple by moving the metal slider. Remove temple. Repeat steps 3 through 6 until weaving is complete.

Small pin holes from temple teeth will disappear with wet-finishing. — Two small pin holes from the temple teeth can be seen near the left selvedge of the cloth. These holes will disappear when the cloth is wet finished.

(Compare this three-shaft twill fabric to my first attempt HERE with threading errors.)

May you find the tools that enhance the quality of your work.

Happy Weaving,
Karen

Cut It Off and Start Over

February 7, 2014February 6, 2014 Karen

This is what starting over looks like. After weaving a couple inches, I had a bad feeling. Uh oh, there is a fatal mistake in the threading. Not just one or two wandering threads, but I mis-threaded all the way across the warp!

Threading error. Re-threading 866 heddles. — Sample with various weft color options. After cutting off the sample, the process of re-threading the 866 heddles begins.

Cut off the sample. Pull 866 threads back out of the reed and out of the heddles. Re-thread 866 threads. Re-sley. Redo the tie-up. Tie-on again! Breathe. Even so, I am thankful I get to begin again. The mistakes are completely removed and I have a fresh start.

I had to search to find the root of this error. I examined the threads in the fabric; and I compared the woven sample to the draft. Not until I studied my planning sheet did I see that I had written out the draft incorrectly. I had mistakenly exchanged shaft 4 for shaft 2 in the threading draft. Aha! and Ugh! My instructions to myself were faulty!

We cannot fix everything in our lives. Often, we cannot even find the root of the problem. Fortunately, our grand weaver, who searches hearts and minds, is able to reveal the source of our error. And then, in his grace, cuts away what was not working and gives us a brand new start. No old strings attached.

May a fresh start come your way.

Grace to you,
Karen

Bound Rosepath – More Yarn and Time, Please!

February 4, 2014February 3, 2014 Karen

I still had patterns I wanted to try in bound rosepath; but, alas, there is no more Brage wool yarn in my hands. I ran out of weft before I ran out of warp! With five colors of this wool weft, it seemed like the variations on this rosepath threading were limitless. Imagine how it would be if you had two or three times that many colors to work with! You might never find an end to all the design options!

Bound rosepath just off the loom. Karen Isenhower — Brage wool in five colors covers the surface in this weft-faced weave structure, bound rosepath.

I was not ready to stop playing with this interesting weave structure, exploring the possibilites. Indeed, I had several more ideas lined up. If I had all the yarn in the world, I would need all the time in the world, too, because the discovery process is so intriguing. But eventually, I would run out of ideas.

We have heard that God is worthy of unceasing praise. Perhaps that is because there is no end to his love and goodness; and the riches of his mercy and grace are infinite. Maybe there are so many exquisite facets to learn about our creator that it will take eternity to discover them all. We might as well start now.

May you enjoy the intrigue of exploration and discovery.

Weaving onward,
Karen