Help! My warp came off my mill before I started chaining!

[Susan Craig]

I made a HUGE mistake and lost hold of my warp after taking the bottom peg out of my warping mill and before starting my chain.  The result is a mess of threads and I do not know how to correct this.  Do I need to re-warp the whole thing? 

[Sandra]

Oh, my heart goes out to you, Susan!  Have someone handy that you can get to hold the other end of your warp and your warping mill while you slowly unwind it.  If you do – then get them to stand as far away as you can, and hold it tight, while you chain it.  Borrow a neighbour, if you don’t have someone handy at home!  If you go back to look at Jane chaining, she talks about securing it on a doorknob while you chain, but a human would be my first choice.  Keep us posted.

[yezemin]

I don’t have any tips for the actual warp, but for the next one: Secure your warp at several places with tightly knotted threads. The same goes for your cross. I even put threads on the ends, as the far one (from the cross) usually is hard to entangle otherwise.

I think in one of her first videos Jane explains about securing the warp before you take it from the board/mill.

[Susan Craig]

That is very good advice. I did secure my crosses, but I will take this mishap as a learning tool and do what you have suggested.  Thanks for the tip 🙂

[Susan Craig]

To clarify: are you suggesting that someone else (and that will be hubby!) grab ahold of the end of the warp that came off (hanging in the photo) while I chain from the cross end of my warp?

[Sandra]

Good morning, Susan.  Your hubby has to hold the chain end and make sure it’s secure.  I suggest that you go for the visuals and rewatch Jane’s episode in Season 1: 1.4 – Making a Good Warp – Warping on a Tabletop Mill and Chaining, over and over and over.  Bottom line is you have to try to have all your warp threads as straight and tight as possible.  Sending positive outcome wishes your way!

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