weaving

After some discussion, the man and I have come to the conclusion that different looms are warped in different ways depending on how they are constructed. So, in the case of this loom, the warp should go under the back beam because this allows for the warp to be held taught during weaving. 

Therefore, warping was done correctly, and I proceeded to my first weaving project. The first thing I did was weave in some "heavy filler", as the book calls it. I decided to to use some felt cut into strips, and the pic on the left shows 4 rows of this dark felt. The purpose of this heavy filler is to get the warp threads evenly spaced before you start the real weaving. You can see how the warp threads get spaced more evenly with each successive row of heavy filler (from bottom of pic upward). Then I wove about an inch with the warp thread as the filler, using a tabby weave (lift shafts 1+2 for one line of filler, then 3+4 for the next, then back to 1+2, etc.). I intend to hem the ends on this finished weaving, and this section is where that will be done.

Then I started in with the body of the piece. I'm weaving a Swedish rosepath pattern, and I started with a couple inches of the simplest of these. The picture on the left shows this first section with a pass of yarn going through the shed ready to be beat into place in the weaving. The angle at which it's sitting before being beaten keeps the filler from getting too tight and causing the weaving to get squeezed inward as you progress. This squeezing is apparently a common problem that beginning weavers have, but I haven't had it so far and I assume that this method is the reason why. A different book I read earlier suggested this method of angling the yarn through the shed. It wasn't my idea.

After the first couple inches of the simple rosepath pattern I got bored and started weaving a more complicated rosepath pattern. After a couple inches of that I got bored again, so I commenced weaving the most complicated rosepath pattern that is diagrammed in the book I'm following. I'll continue with this through the rest of the piece. These patterns consist of lifting paris of shafts in a specific sequence and weaving a line through each resulting shed. It's not at all difficult, and it's amazing how quickly the weaving process progresses after all the time and trouble of preparing the warp.

Here is a side view of the weaving. I should mention that both the warp and the filler of this piece are plied cotton (the warp is thinner). The book I'm using as a guide suggested this as substrate for a beginner because it doesn't stretch as much as wool, so is easier to get the warp tension right. I chose a yarn dyed in different shades of blue. 

Indeed, I'm not sure what this weaving will be when it's finished. Something like a towel, I think. Cotton is absorbent.

Last night I heard a ruckus after I went to bed. I thought there might be some intercat aggression going on, which is an occasional occurrence in this house. When I got downstairs I found this mess. Note the culprit under the chair at the top of the pic.