Converting Tie-up Draft for Spring

[Khabira Wise]

Hi!

New weaver here getting ready to start Jane’s lovely placemat kit (4/8 Cotton, Bronson Lace) on my shiny new Spring. I’ve studied and studied and have (hopefully!) answered all my questions but one.

The 5-shaft tie-up on this pattern uses numbers & blanks. My best guess is that the blocks with the numbers would be the rising shafts and the blank blocks are the sinking shafts, but I wanted to verify this so that I don’t weave the dear things upside down. If this is the case I’ll pencil in an “X” in each blank box because I do get the “O” (balloon) rising and “X” (anchor) sinking explanation I’ve seen.

Thanks so much!

• This topic was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by Khabira Wise.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Ginette.

[Janet Lefebvre]

Actually I have pretty much the same question. I’m weaving tea towels on 8 shafts using a pattern from Carol Strickler’s ‘A Weaver’s Book of 8-Shaft Patterns’. The tie-up shows o’s and blanks. I interpreted the o’s to be tied to the lower lams, rationale being o’s are balloons and lower lams go up. Is this correct? I guess I wish I knew why some books use x’s for their tie-ups and other books use o’s.

Thank you!

[Wendy Knudson]

If you are using a book, it will normally give you the tie-up info somewhere. In general, most tie ups shown with an “X” in the boxes are written for sinking shed looms and a circle denotes a rising shed loom. I don’t think it matters that much. You could always do a sample then reverse the tie-up if necessary

[Jane]

Hi Kids,

Just got back from Tofino, sorry you had to wait.

Khabira…..first :). Your pattern is written for a Jack Loom.  You will need 5 treadles to weave your lace.

So….treadle 1 where it says 234…..tie those to your lower lamms with short cords because they are the risers and tie one long cord to 1

treadle 2 where it says 1…tie that to your lower lamm with a short cord and tie long cords to everything left open which is 234.

I would put those 2 treadles together leftish side and then I would leave one treadle down (not used) to separate the next 3 treadles which are you float treadles from the first 2 which are your plain weave treadles.

Next treadle says 2 and 4 so those go on the lower lamms and you put 1 and 3 on the upper lamms

Next says 23 so those on the lower lamms and you put 1 and 4 on the upper lamms

Last treadle is just 2 which goes on the lower lamm with 1, 3 and 4 on the upper lamms.

I would practice with those circled treadlings just to see what is happening before you attempt the big project.

There is so much that can be done with this pattern.  Have fun.

 

 

Now on to Janet 🙂

Your pattern is clearly written for a Jack Loom because it has circles (I write some of my patterns with numbers because they were originally written for table looms and I just haven’t converted them, but I should at least let people know that in the pattern, duh!!!!). We’ll fix that, I promise….its on the long list of things to fix.

You will tie up all those circles to the lower lamms which are your risers and all the blanks get tied up to upper lamms.

Hope this helps you both,

Happy Weaving,

Jane

 

 

 

[Khabira Wise]

Thanks so much, Jane. I’ll print out your reply and give it a good study.

I’m still a couple of days from finishing the boucle tea towel kit, but wanted to have my next project ready, because an empty loom is a sad loom!

Best,

K

[Khabira Wise]

Thanks, again, for taking the time to write out all those lovely instructions, Jane.

I do understand it and I will take your advice and do something small first. I have some 8/2 cotton in 3 colors that I think I’ll warp up with enough length to make one each of the 3 patterns before diving into 8 placemat kit.

 

[Barbara D Furgiuele]

So I am new to this also. New to Spring Loom.    I just don’t get how you (Jane) look at a draft and know which rise and which sink.  Is it experience with many drafts that one just knows??   What is the secret ?  Anyone ?

It was suggested that I get the book Tying up the Countermarch Loom to help me to learn how to look at a draft, and be able to tie up the Spring.     NOPE.   not a bit of help ….   I need a workbook or tutorial online that shows me drafts and has me figure out the tie up.   IS THERE ANYTHING LIKE THIS ?   If not,  I think someone should run with the idea.          So if anyone knows someone who can use this book, I will send it to them !    I don’t think a store would take it back.

 

[Sandra]

Have you had a chance to check out the JST Knowledge Base, Barbara.  Jane has written several wee articles about the difference between different types of looms and which tie-up to use on which.  Here are the articles on tie-ups and here are the articles about the different types of looms.

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