Tools Day: Click Test
- By Karen
- August 14, 2018
- 10 Comments
It is not easy to see sleying errors in this fine-dent reed. I unknowingly quadrupled the ends in four of the dents, instead of the specified two ends per dent. When I check as I go, I find the errors while they are still easy to fix.
How to check and double-check for sleying errors:
- Tie ends into threading groups, using a loose slip knot. (I do this before threading the heddles.)
- Sley one threading group. (I sley right to left.)
- Visually check the sleyed group of ends for skipped dents and crowded dents.
- Do a Click Test. Use the hook end of the reed hook to count the dents by running the hook along the reed…click, click, click… Make sure the number of clicks matches the number of dents needed for that group of ends.
—This is how I caught my errors. When the dents came up short in the Click Test, I knew I had some crowded dents that I had failed to catch in the visual check. - Move ends and re-sley as needed.
- Sley each remaining group of ends, checking as you go, visually and with the reed-hook Click Test.
May your errors be few and fixable.
Happy sleying,
Karen
10 Comments
Leave a Reply
Tapestry Reveals Lizard Toes
- By Karen
- June 8, 2018
- 8 Comments
I fully intended to weave a floral image for my first four-shaft tapestry. Flowers have interesting and beautiful colors and shapes. However, while I am taking pictures for that very purpose at the garden center near our Texas hill country home, a bright green lizard catches my eye. Stunning in color and detail!
Bright green lizard stops to pose for the camera at the garden center. He strikes a different pose for the image I am using for my tapestry.
This cute little fellow, technically a green anole, is my tapestry subject! With every wool butterfly and placement of weft, I am hoping for a fruitful outcome—a 3’ x 4’ tapestry of a (recognizable) bright green lizard on a wooden post.
Five lizard toes to weave.
Tapestry woven from the side, meaning the selvedge seen here will be the upper edge of the tapestry when it is hung.
Nearing completion of the first twenty centimeters.
Fruitful. We want to know that the things we say and do have lasting value. We want to live in a way that bears the fruit of positive outcomes, don’t we? When results are slow in coming, or not readily seen, it can be discouraging. It’s time to trust the Lord. Don’t be disheartened. Instead, think of long-term cultivation. What looks uncertain now will be a distinct part of the image when you look back. Any mistakes woven in are proof of our humanness. And that proof reminds all of us that we need a Savior. Keep weaving.
May you see the good fruits from your labor.
Happy weaving,
Karen
8 Comments
-
Joyce Lowder says:
Amen and Amen and Amen, Karen! 🙂
-
Alice Martin says:
It looks like you have 2 colors in your warp. Which is a great idea to show you are always in the opposite shed.
I love how you weave God’s word and inspiration in your posts!
-
Hi Alice, Good eye! Actually, there are three colors in the linen warp. The three colors are used together, and threaded as a single end.
Thanks for the kind feedback!
Happy weaving,
Karen
-
-
Now that the secret is out and you are progressing I see the toes and the muscles of the leg drawn on the cartoon. Thank you for the reveal. Never, had I considered a lizard portrait.
This last weekend a creature was sited trying to gain entry into the garage. It was later researched to be a skink. It is the ONLY native lizard in Wisconsin, and not the bright green of the Texas anole.
When I think I have seen it all, God adds His ‘ALL’. This week that ALL included lizards. Such diversity providing the continual unexpected.
Nannette
-
Hi Nannette, I agree, there is much in God’s creation that surprises and delights us.
All the best,
Karen
-
-
Liberty Stickney says:
Hi Karen,
He is so cute, can’t wait to see more toes!
Liberty-
Hi Liberty, Yes, the lizard is a cutie. Haha! I’m eager to finish the toes on this foot and see the whole leg fashioned.
Karen
-
Leave a Reply
Double Weave Throw – Take Two
- By Karen
- April 17, 2018
- 10 Comments
Nothing about the original draft is incorrect, but when I wrote it in pencil on my planning sheet, I transposed one. little. thing. The threading key. “X = plum; black square = other colors.” Exact opposite of what is written in the draft from The Big Book of Weaving, by Laila Lundell. (See When You Misread the Threading Draft, where I discover my dilemma.)
Blind to my own mistake, even as I double check my handwritten draft.
Thanks to Fiberworks weaving software I am working out a solution. I adjusted the tie-up, so the treadle tie-ups on the first, third, fifth, and seventh shafts trade places with the tie-ups on the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth shafts. It works. And now, the one little threading error that is clearly visible seems like a breeze to correct!
Tie-up adjustments bring the correct warp ends to the surface. Solid stripes of color are set to produce the desired design when woven.
One blue warp end stands out like a sore thumb. I’m glad to find this one threading error at this stage in the process.
There are times when my whole perspective needs an adjustment. It’s time for love. Love adjusts our view. At the heart level, love brings about changes in us. It re-sets our attention and motivations. Because God loved us, we can love, too. We don’t see, understand, or know everything now, which shows how incomplete we humans are. But the love that heaven knows is something we get to participate in here and now. Our cloth is far from perfected, but our love adjustments give us a glimpse of cloth from another realm.
May you make necessary adjustments.
Love,
Karen
10 Comments
-
Beth says:
I admire your patience!
-
Linda Cornell says:
Beautiful colors and beautiful reflections.
Thank you.
-
Hi Linda, I expect the colors will really sing when we see the weft go across. Soon, I hope!
Happy weaving,
Karen
-
-
-
Hi Nannette, I’m so glad most things at the loom are fixable! I’m eager to see this progress, too!
All the best,
Karen
-
-
Jill says:
Great lesson on working through frustration! Be still and know….
-
Jill, There’s always room to grow. Things like this are only a catastrophe if we treat it like one.
Your quiet friend,
Karen
-
-
I find that this type of mistake occurs now and then as I have gotten older. It appeared first in my typing, when I transpose the fingers from one hand to the other, like the i and the e. I just chuckle a little when it happens and move on. Now, I know to double check everything before I start to thread heddles. Thanks,
Joanne-
Hi Joanne, It’s funny how our eyes and hands can play tricks on us. You’re right, double check everything!
Happy weaving,
Karen
-
Leave a Reply
When You Misread the Threading Draft
- By Karen
- April 13, 2018
- 6 Comments
What if you finish tying up the loom, eight shafts and eight treadles, having beamed, threaded, and sleyed 2,064 ends, and the first thing you see when you step on the treadles is… that you misunderstood the threading draft? Do you undo everything and re-thread? Not likely, if it took you eleven-and-a-half hours to do the threading in the first place. I am taking a deep breath. Time to walk away and think. Maybe I can adjust the tie-up, or maybe I can use it as is—a serendipitous design. Should I laugh or cry? My idea to serve my loved ones with handwoven gifts (See Weaving a Gift) is getting off to a rough start.
Lamms are connected. Treadle cords are positioned. Treadles are tied up. Eight shafts and eight treadles.
This view should show solid dark plum all the way across.
This view should show stripes of solid colors, not two-color stripes, with solid bands of dark plum in between.
Serve. I want to offer my best, especially when I’m making a gift for someone dear to me. It helps to look beyond the person, though, and realize my true service is to the Lord. Heart, soul, mind, and hands. I bring my misunderstandings and missteps of the heart to my Master Weaver, who has taken it on himself to make things right. And I’m reminded that as I serve someone with my weaving hands, the true gift is love. This double weave throw will be a reminder of that.
May you recover from your mistakes.
Humbly,
Karen
UPDATE: I have had a chance to put the draft on Fiberworks weaving software and work with it to adjust the tie-up. I think I found a solution. Stay tuned!
6 Comments
-
Joann says:
Karen
Thank you for your words of encouragement on weaving and on life. It is true about the mis-steps we make. It is also true how Jesus is always willing to help us through these times.
Joann -
Good morning Karen,
My son has gifts in the kitchen second to none. His food on the buffet always wows and amaze. The ONE cake we all remember and recount with much love is the tender, chocolate layer cake that fell apart in the refrigerator before it was served. He scraped the pieces into a large mixing bowl and served it in a bowl with ice cream. It was not his plan for the cake, but it was more memorable than had it been served exactly as he planned it.
God amazes me by how things do not always turn out exactly as planned. Often they turn out better after the dust (or chocolate) clears.
Nannette-
Hi Nannette, So true! When I looked at the mis-threaded version on my software, it did look interesting. Even more so, the back side of the fabric is very pretty. I haven’t quite decided whether to correct my error by changing the tie-up, or not. Or maybe settle with a version that is a combination of the two.
Thanks for sharing your story. Our family has a similar fond memory with a cake my mother-in-law made. It became known as “Flop Cake,” and has been intentionally repeated as a favorite.
All the best,
Karen
-
-
Ruth says:
Oh Karen, what a blow! But how quickly you are recovering and you didn’t take the scissors to your project showing wonderful restraint. This throw when finished will have good memories and an important story to tell. I’m looking forward to seeing your progress and learning of the changes you make. Onward with prayerful consideration.
-
Hi Ruth, Yes, it is a blow when you are excited about throwing the shuttle, and you get stopped in your tracks. But no, taking scissors to it never crossed my mind. One thing I enjoy about weaving is that there are always solutions! It may not come out as planned, but there is a way around this obstacle. That I know.
Thank you for your kind and encouraging words!
All the best,
Karen
-
Leave a Reply
Transferring Warp Ends Takes Courage
- By Karen
- March 6, 2018
- 8 Comments
There are four pairs of overlapping warp chains, with stripes to line up. I created a mess. A few options to consider: 1. Give up. 2. Weave it as is, destroying the design. 3. Use two sets of lease sticks, and expect problems with threading (2,064 ends). 4. Transfer all ends to a single set of lease sticks, arranging threads in order for each stripe.
Each of four warp chains were duplicated when I realized I had wound only half the correct number of ends in each chain.
Option 4 seems the riskiest. If I lose the cross while transferring threads, I have an even bigger mess. It’s all or nothing. Go for it! Fortunately, my apprentice, Juliana, arrives in the nick of time to give me a hand.
Lease cross is tied separately for each color “partial” stripe.
Stripes from the two warp chains are transferred to a single set of lease sticks. Now the stripe colors are at their full correct width.
For the four center warp chains, each section of color is separated and tied at the cross. It takes an extra set of hands to transfer them in order to the primary set of lease sticks.
All warp ends are now successfully transferred to a single set of lease sticks. Let the loom dressing begin!
It worked! All the threads are successfully transferred to one pair of lease sticks. What a relief! I can beam the warp knowing that all is well. A beautiful double weave throw is imminent.
Warp is pre-sleyed at the loom. So far, so good.
Ready to beam! Looking forward to this dressing and weaving experience.
We all have made a mess of our lives, and we know it. We hear of options to fix things, but one seems the riskiest: Transfer everything to God. But what if I mess that up, too? There’s good news. God transfers us. When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, God transfers us from our messy state to his good order. And the result is a weaving that showcases his workmanship—a beautiful you.
May you take a worthy risk.
With you,
Karen
8 Comments
-
Glad this worked! Even more happy that God works messes out for us! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
-
Hi Joyce, It is a relief when we see things begin to work out! And what a relief it is to trust our great Lord with the most important things in life.
All the best,
Karen
-
-
Annie Lancaster says:
I like this thought.
And so glad the mess worked out. But I knew quitting was never an option for you, Karen!
-
Annie, You are right. Quitting was a thought that flickered for a moment, but I never really considered it an option. You may know me a little to well. 😉
Karen
-
-
D’Anne says:
I know that was frustrating, Karen. Been there, done that, although with a smaller warp. Perseverance pays offf!
-
D’Anne, That is so true! Perseverance does pay off! I think that is something that has been a part of me since childhood – quiet perseverance. Thanks for making me stop and reflect on that for a moment.
Happy weaving,
Karen
-
-
Linda says:
God does fix our messes in unexpected ways. …. when we ask. And I thought 398 ends of only two colors were a challenge! Perspective and perseverance are helpful tools.
Thank you for sharing your faith!
Linda
-
Hi Linda, It is crucial for us to have the humility to ask God for help out of our messes. Perspective and perseverance are indispensable!
Thanks!
Karen
-
Copyright © 2018
Great tips! I warp F2B, sley the reed left to right and the heddles right to left.
Hi Beth, No matter what warping method we use, it’s good to find any denting errors as soon as possible. After the weaving begins it’s much more of a hassle to correct, isn’t it?
Happy weaving,
Karen
Ouch. Better at the click than 10 rows into the weaving.
Thank you for the lesson to correct.
Nannette
Hi Nannette, Exactly! Find the mistakes early.
Happy weaving,
Karen
Hello Karen,
I have been following your work for many months, love your teaching and can’t wait for your next project.
Unfortunately I don’t get the clicking of a hook to check if skip or crowded reed. Is there a video or some kind of demo for me to learn from. I have some mistakes when I’m dressing the loom and it is frustrating when the skip or the crowing is right of the middle of the reed, if you know what I mean.
Lise
Hi Lise, That will be a good subject for a short video. Thanks for the suggestion. I can do that next time I dress the loom.
I do know what you mean about finding a denting error — and it always seems to fall right in the middle of the reed!
What I mean by the “click test” is this – I know that if I have 40 ends in a threading group, and there are 2 ends per dent, that there should be 20 dents with threads in them when I finish sleying that group of threads. I am counting the dents with the tip of the reed hook (it’s hard for me to count the dents without something touching the actual spaces, and my finger is too large for that with this fine-dent reed). As I move the reed hook along the reed, it makes a sound (“click”) at each dent. I listen for 20 “clicks” to check that I have those 40 threads in 20 dents.
I’m always looking for ways to check my work as I go so that when I get to the weaving part it’s smooth sailing! But even so, a few mistakes still manage to slip through sometimes. That’s weaving! But thankfully, mistakes are fixable!
I hope that makes sense.
Happy weaving,
Karen
Good morning, Karen.
I am also not sure what you mean by clicking the reed in terms of how that will show a mistake. Perhaps a short video in future when you need to sley again?
I like the colors in the warp that you are using! Is the yarn a variable one? Or did you mix colors thread by thread? And what are you making? Inquiring minds want to know.
Hi Annie, I’ll make a short video about the “click test” next time I dress the loom. Thanks for the suggestion!
Read my answer to Lise, and see if it makes sense to you.
The warp colors alternate. Since I wind with 2 threads at a time, I’m able to wind the 2 colors at the same time and then thread them alternately in the heddles.
I am making hand towels for my daughter. This is double weave with twelve shafts. (My first attempt at weaving with twelve shafts.)
Happy weaving,
Karen
I love how you are always challenging yourself and growing as a weaver. I can’t wait to see the progress on these towels. After reading your response to Lise, I understand the click test perfectly. I am going to adopt this practice also.
Thank you for taking the time to clarify for us.
Hi Annie, Oh good, I’m glad that helped!
All the best,
Karen