Thoughts on 1.2 – Making a Good Warp – Warping on a Warping Board

[Ginette]

Let us know your thoughts on 1.2 – Making a Good Warp – Warping on a Warping Board.

[mqx]

Oh boy I wound a warp and as I was chaining it up found several threads where the warp was wrong , I turned too soon making them too short what’s best way to fix this?

[Ginette]

Hi mqx, are the short threads part of your pattern where you absolutely need them? If not, what I would do when spreading the warp onto the raddle is find those short threads, undo the chain up to where the short threads end, keeping tension on the warp with books or a helper and pull them out gently not to disturb the chain too much and cut them off. Make sure that you tie the remaining end threads onto the rod before you wind on.

If you do need them, you can warp replacement threads, tie them onto the rod where they should go and when you’re winding on, keep an eye on those threads so that the tension on your warp is even. A little bit of a slower process but it does work.

[joan horwich]

Hi I have been rewatching these first lessons on winding a warp and have some questions:
1. When changing colors, do you join the new color to the previous one? I did not do that on a warp I just wound and found many ends when I went to put the warp on the loom.
2. Do you change warp colors wherever you end up, or always at the end that will be eventually trimmed?
thanks,

joan

[Ginette]

Hi Joan, have you had the chance to watch the next video, 1.3? In this lesson, Jane attached multiple threads to knew threads and shows how to do join them together which you can do with your single ones when changing colour. If my colour change happens at the cross end or at the other end, I use the same technique of tying on the new colour like Jane shows. Hope this helps!

[Emma Hamilton]

Does it get explained somewhere what you do with the thread you had in your hand while you are counting at the cross? Looks like you wound it around somehow?

[Sandra]

I just wind it securely around my bottom peg to hold the tension, and then count.

[Danielle Soucie]

How can you tell what materials will be suitable as a warp?

[Jane]

Generally just make sure it is a 2 ply.

[kathleen blake]

I saw in shoe box all the yarns were on a cylinder type cone. What does she do when the threads are in a regular triangle shape cone? Does she put something in the cone and then lay it on its side ? Thanks for your help

[Jane]

When they are regular cones you just stand them up.

[Ann Hord-Heatherley]

I just finished winding a four yard warp on the warping board and it looks like I LEFT A COUPLE OF THREADS OUT OF THE CROSS. Oh dear. It’s still on the board. What can I do?

[Sandra]

You’ll be OK if you can slip them in – in the order they were wound – i.e. if you wound 2 threads at a time you can slip the two of them through your lease sticks in a way that will maintain their order through the lease sticks. Make sure you maintain even tension as you wind your warp on.

[Rosanna Lovecchio]

When winding a warp and I guess it’s more important with yarn/thread that has give to it, what tension are you winding with?  Are you pulling to the point where there is no more give in the yarn/thread?

[Ginette]

Hi Rosanna,

When I’m winding a warp that has give to it, I don’t put as much tension on it while winding as I would with let’s say 8/2 cotton. But I also put in consideration the fact that I may be using more tension so I allow more length on the warp to begin with. Typically, for yarns that don’t have much give, I have a decent tension on.

[Ashli Tyre]

When using a warping board, how many inches should you wind? For example, a wide warp would require multiple sessions of winding.

[Ginette]

Hi Ashli, that’s a good question and it depends on the yarns. The scarf that Jane demonstrates on this video is the tussah silk with a sett of 20 ends per inch. She did 208 threads so that a good 10 inches worth and she could easily double that and have room for a bit more on the warping board and be able to remove it without a problem. But, if you’re not sure if a whole warp would fit, make 2 warps. Keep your guide string on the board so you can easily make your second warp. I usually make sure that I still some wiggle room at the end of the pegs where they won’t slid off while I’m still winding on.

[Lorraine Bailey]

It’s not very clear how Jane is holding the two yarns in her right hand.  I am trying to warp a set of towels, linen, and each heddle will have a different color( working with two colors) I was told to wind my warp holding the two threads together.  I’m having a heck of time keeping the threads straight.

[Jane]

Hi Lorraine, don’t worry about it…just take the colour you need …it will all come forward as you advance nicely.  Honestly truly.

[Susan Hall]

Thank you, Lorraine, for the question, and Jane for the answer. I am winding a 2 colour alternating warp for the first time, and was about ready to quit. Onward!

[Stephanie Thomas]

So, I am trying to warp two ends at a time and I am having trouble keeping my hand straight to that I do not twist the two threads together. I am doing something wrong.

Also, my warp is too wide for my warping board threads so I will have to split it a couple of times. I will try to get all the warping done today so that maybe I will have near close tension on each split of the warp.

Stephanie

[Sandra]

You are probably not doing anything wrong, Stephanie.  It takes practice and being aware of what your hand is doing.  You’ll get there.  Are you pushing your warp in towards your board or mill, to give yourself more room to wind more ends at a time?  If you are, and you still need to wind more than 1 warp for your project, you’ll be fine!

[Kellie Stapleton]

Just finished my 2nd ever winding of a warp and somehow got 2 crosses at the top. How to fix it? Do I have to start over again?

[Paul Razzell]

Can you explain your formula for determining the length of yarn needed for your project in “1.2 – Making a Good Warp – Warping on a Warping Board.”

You mentioned that the warp is 3 yards long and 10” wide. That’s 108” x 10”, or 1,080 square inches.

And you needed 20 ends per inch. What do you mean by “end” in this context?

Also, what do you mean by “per inch” in this context: does that mean “per inch of warp”? Or “per inch of warp multiplied by weft”?

How did you then determine you needed 200 warp threads for a scarf that is 1,080 square inches? Does that mean you’d need to buy 21,600 inches of yarn for the warp on this project (200 warp threads x 108”)? that would be 600 yards of yarn, which seems like a lot of yarn for one scarf.

Can you help me understand your formula for determining the amount of yarn I would need for the weft in any project?

Thanks!

[Barbara G.]

Can you please explain why you would wind multiple colors together at the same time?  Is it only for projects that have random colors throughout the warp?  I’m a newbie (done just one project before in a class, now own my own floor loom).  If I’m going to do a warp with, for example, 10 strands of blue, then 10 strands of red, then 10 strands of yellow, etc., wouldn’t I want to warp one then another, then the other?  I suppose I could tie the each new section onto the last so that I wouldn’t be taking them all off, but if I’m going to have multiple blue stripes, and multiple reds, etc., wouldn’t it be simpler to wind all of one color (tying off each section of 10 in this example) followed by the next color?  Or am I missing something?  It seems as though it would be really difficult to separate out the colors this way.  Thank you!

[Sandra]

Hi Barbara!  If you designed your warp to have a stripe of 10 threads of blue, and the next stripe had 10 stripes of red, etc. – that is the way you would wind your warp. You want to have your threads lined up in the right order going through your cross.

[Barbara G.]

Thank you! I didn’t realize (or maybe I forgot?!) that the threads on the warp were supposed to line up in the order they go through the heddles.  I’ll practice today! 🙂

 

[Deborah McConkey]

Hi ya….wonderful videos…..My warping board (that I inherited) has the pegs glued in. How can I best ease off the end of my wound warp to start chaining, without losing the tension on it,  when the peg holding this ‘end loop’ can’t be removed ? Deb

[Sandra]

Do you have an empty hole near the end peg?  If so, could you find a dowel the right size to snuggly fit and put it there, giving you a removable peg? It would change the length of your warp slightly.  Hopefully, another Guild member might have had the same problem and has found a solution.

[Linda Mason]

I see where I have gone wrong on past warping, Yea! Looking forward to perfect warps in future.

[Ruth]

Thanks for the fantastic instructional videos.

I’ve bought homemade warping board on eBay which has movement in it – it’s secured in each of the four corners by one screw. Given how important it seems to be about preventing the warping pegs bending, I thought it must be no good to have the whole board moving? I guess I can fix it with 4 extra screws… Just wondering what’s best…?

[Sandra]

Hi Ruth, the warping board needs to be solid.  Is there any way you could glue those corners so that they are solid, including the screws?  It certainly shouldn’t wobble!!

[Ruth]

Thanks Sandra, yes it is possible to glue.

I’ve just made a first warp on it and the pegs are bowing really badly. They’re already glued in. Maybe it’s because they’re made of soft pine. It may be that this hasn’t been a good purchase!

[Sandra]

I’m sorry to hear that, Ruth – it’s not a good sign.  Were you winding too tight, by any chance?  Have you looked at other warping boards?  JST carries ones by Leclerc Looms and they have been around for many, many years.  Other loom manufacturers make their own warping boards as well.  I checked eBay and the only one I found was poorly designed for creating a cross in your warp – which is essential and didn’t say what kind of wood was used.  There is a good group on Ravelry where you can find equipment for sale, it might be worth checking there to see if you can find a used one.  Good luck in finding a good warping board – new or used – it’s fundamental to having a good experience at the loom!

[Ruth]

Thanks Sandra, I don’t think I was winding too tightly, but it’s difficult to know, with it being the first time. It was my own hand spun wool, so it had a bit of give in it. I contacted the seller and he said he hadn’t been making them for very long and thought he needed to redesign the larger board so it could handle more tension. He was very kind and offered me a refund. So I think I’d better try a more experienced manufacturer next. Thanks for the links!

[Ruth]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>By the way, I did manage to make a cross with my warp, but the frame doesn’t look like the other ones I’ve seen, like the one Jane uses in the videos. The horizontal pegs are closer together so perhaps my cross is less spacious than it ought to be?</p>

[SaDonna Heathman]

Would it be possible to have a quality setting option for the videos that is lower than 360? I live in a rural area and have to use LTE on my cell phone and hook it to my computer via hotspot. At the 360 quality level it keeps stopping to load every few seconds. Generally when I watch videos I have to lower their quality so that the video doesn’t freeze constantly. Thanks!

[Ginette]

Hi SaDonna,

You can go down to 240p but I’m not certain if that would help you out. Have you tried viewing them on your cell phone to see if the same issue happens? Just wondering if your hotspot is causing some of the stopping and reloading.

[Holly Norris]

I am a complete newly to weaving and wasn’t familiar with some of the terms that you used is there a glossary of terms that is available.  Thanks

 

[Ginette]

Hi Holly,

We had been working on one and your comment is a great reminder that we should finish it! We’ll keep you posted on this. In the meantime, is there any specific terms you’d like to know about?

[Melissa Aldenhoven]

Thank you. Love your style. I’ve been weaving for 2 years after a short course BUT have learnt so much from my first 35 minutes that has often shown me that what I have been taught was unnecessary and yet a whole wealth of necessary information was skimmed over or not shown to me at all.

My only query is that I have a warping board with glued pegs. In your case you remove the warp from the initial peg easily as the peg is removed. How can I do it with even tension with glued pegs?  Perhaps surround the peg with cardboard from a toilet roll or larger that slightly protrudes?

 

 

 

• This reply was modified 3 years ago by Melissa Aldenhoven. Reason: Thought to submit my idea

[Jessica]

Hey Jane! Love the video. I am an experienced weaver but gosh I learned so much! With the bowing of the peg, is that also due to the warper putting on too much tension when creating the warp? aka pulling the threads too hard? Love to hear your feedback.

 

 

[Sandra]

Yes, Jessica – too much tension while warping will cause the pegs to bow.  Like so many things to do with weaving, it takes practice to develop our skills and the awareness of which areas might need improvement!  Happy warping and weaving 🙂

[Dorothy Hopkins]

I have never seen a bobbin winder, certainly not an electrical one. Do not think we have them in the UK. What make is it please so I can see if I can get one from somewhere.

[Sandra]

The one that Jane uses and sells is a Leclerc electric bobbin winder.  However, I know that Ashford and Schacht also make them.  Good luck with your search. I find mine particularly handy when winding skeins of hand-dyed yarn from my swift onto large bobbins for storage and then onto smaller bobbins for weaving.

[Frank Reiter]

What do you do with the two ends of the warp when it comes time to chain it?

[Sandra]

You just include them in the chain and secure them on your warping rod when you are ready to wind on your warp.

[Hugh Malleson]

I have a question about changing colours and odd numbers of warp ends: I’m setting up a Fibonacci warp in Ecru, Light, mid and dark grey. The first 2 colours are Ecru and light grey, each of 5 ends, so how do I change colours – do I tie the end of the ecru to the beginning of the light grey at the last peg on the board, or tie off the ecru at the bottom and start the grey at the top (and also tie off at the bottom)?

Thanks 🙂

[Sandra]

It’s easy peasy Hugh!  You just tie your new colour onto the end of your last end of Ecru – whether it’s at the cross end of your warp or at the other.  Where you make your knots will change depending on the number of warp ends you have planned, either odd or even numbers.

[Hugh Malleson]

I wondered if it would be that easy!! Thanks Sandra and a Happy New Year to you and your awesome team!

[Nancy Simmons]

I have a question about using the warping board. My engineering brain just needs to understand so that I can be confident in what I am doing. I’ve done my calculations, your sheet is helpful.  I need 558 number of warp threads. Does that mean I have to warp 558 onto my warping board or do I only need to do half; 279? I’ve watched your videos, they are fantastic.

[Sandra]

You just have to go ahead one episode to where Jane will show you how to wind multiple ends in your warp!  And, to answer your other question …. if your warp calls for  558 ends in your warp, that’s what you wind.  If you are winding with 2 threads in your hand – then you only have to wind ½ the number of times, etc.

[Wendy VanWoerkom]

This is a great video.  Quick question.  I have a Kromski Harp and it is my only warping board.  Have you heard of a good way to hang it that you can pull it off the wall or any recommendations for if you have to stand to warp?  This was super helpful and explains why I have had some issues.

 

Wendy

 

 

 

[Ginette]

Hi Wendy,

You’re talking about the loom itself right? When I googled this loom there doesn’t seem to be a warping board for it. I’ve only ever seen or heard of the rigid heddle looms warped/dressed either on a stand or on a table flat. You could secure the loom on a table with the Irwin Quick Grips to secure it. Maybe someone has found another way and will chime in.

Glad the video was helpful!

 

[Barbara Zwadyk]

I know this will be bizarre question but I am completely new to this process so hope you’ll overlook me.  When I remove the warp to chain, where I tied on at the beginning and then tied on when I ended, I find those loops and so the threads are singletons rather than looped as the others.  Is that correct? Am I suppose to use the tied on end loop when I dress the loom?  Thank you.

[Ginette]

Hi Barbara,

Do you mean when you first tie onto the warping board pegs? And end on a peg? If you want to catch them with he rest, yes, you’ll have to go through those single loops. I make sure that I insert my rod through those single loops when I put the warp onto the loom.

[Wendy VanWoerkom]

Hi Ginette,

The Warpping board is actually on the back of the loom built in.  It has removable pegs.  So you flip the loom put in the pegs and voila.  I never got a warping board initially because I could direct warp.  But now I want to work with my Structo table loom and need a board so I wanted to figure out how to use what I have before making a big investment.

WV

[Ginette]

Hi Wendy, totally understandable! How about some shelving brackets that you can screw into the wall and have the warping board slide onto it? It may not be as stabled as actually screwing other type of warping board onto the wall but with smooth going warping, it might help? I go to fast to have it not move on me if I did brackets but it might be worth a try.

[Johana]

Very useful lesson, not only for weaving. I often prepare a warp for sprang knitting and use a warping board.

[Angela]

Great, all the little things explained are making things so much easier.

[Gisela Towner]

I just signed up today and I think the price is already worth it for showing me all the things I’ve done wrong in the last couple of years — lol.  I always dread warping and it looks like a fair bit of my difficulties may stem from the warping board.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I’m actually looking forward to it now!  😀

[Elizabeth Borajkiewicz]

<p style=”text-align: left;”>Hi, I am brand spanking new to this Guild, forum, warping, weaving etc.  I completed winding my warp and chained it.  I love lesson 1.2 as it was most informative and I wished I had watched it before.  My question is this:  If I wasn’t going to immediately use this warp, how do I end the chain to be used later.  Thank you for your response </p>

[Sandra]

Welcome aboard, Elizabeth!  All you have to do is take your cross end and tuck it in the last loop and put it safely away where it can’t be a toy for a cat or a dog 😉

[Heidi Nerurkar]

Probably this is a stupid question, but unfortunately I am a total beginner and new here 🤗. What material should I use in season 1 (warping) or is this irrelevant? Everything which is a 2ply is suitable? Are there any kits available in the shop for season 1? If yes – I can‘t find them.

[Kimi Tuxford]

Every time I create my warp, I end up with a false cross that completely prevents my warp from going through the raddle. This last time, I had my husband help me move it to the end of the warp, since I’ll be cutting that end off anyways. But I’m concerned if I do a very long warp, this isn’t going to be the solution. How do I prevent a false cross in the first place?

[Sandra]

Can you post a photo of what you mean by a false cross, Kimi?

[Kimi Tuxford]

Darn it, I just finished warping. On the next one I will definitely post a photo

[Sandra]

I’d much rather you post a photo of your warp without a false cross, so we know that you have mastered winding a warp.  Please don’t make one on purpose 😏

[Nicky Buss]

I’ve been weaving for  few years and learned so many tips from you. However, your finger management in counting how many threads you have on the warp baffles me. Please show me slower?

Thanks

nicky

[Sandra]

Have we got a little trick for you, Nicky!  At the bottom left, where you can choose closed captioning, etc., there is a settings “cog”.  Tap that and you can make Jane talk faster OR slower and even slower still!

[Janny]

Have just registered for the classes and what an eye opener to warping so I cant wait to get on and practice all the new tips Jane has shown. Will have to get around the finger action with two threads and how to keep my cops from tipping over . Just little things I would never have thought of and never been shown ie rubber bands. Fantastic that I can go back each time to look at the videos again

[David]

Big oops winding my warp! About to start chaining when I noticed one thread running diagonally back to the last peg. Looks like after i wrapped the thread around the last peg and started to work my way up, instead of going across to the next peg I went diagonally down to the last peg again and then continued back around warping the remainder. Difficult to explain but I now will have a warp thread that’s too long.  If I chain as is I’m worried that the threads will slip. Help!

Joan

• This reply was modified 2 years, 6 months ago by David.

[Sandra]

The good news, Joan, is that you attach your warp to your loom through the cross.  I probably would chain it starting at the bottom, of course, and when you get to that one thread maybe tie an easy to remove knot in the extra yardage and secure it in your chain.  Wind on carefully until you get to that area at the front of your loom, then start gently working that thread back to the end of the warp as you wind on.  You’ll be fine and you can cut it off as you get ready to thread.  Skipping the final peg would have been a different story!  Let me know how you make out!

[David]

Hi Sandra, I just remembered that I forgot to let you know that my warp worked out just fine. Thanks for the help. I used this warp of shades of blue for the denting sample. 4 scarves just came off the loom and I really like the effect!

Joan ( not David)

[David]

Thanks Sandra. I’ll give it a go!

Joan

[Sandra]

It’s always good to know when a weaver has a successful outcome after a challenge!  Thanks for the update, Joan.

[Katherine Tetlak]

A couple of questions: (1) How would you wind a spool manually? I don’ t have an electric spool winder. (2) Is winding onto a spool necessary? I’ve wound warp directly from the swift (a single yarn).

[Ginette]

Hi Katherine,

I’ve done that as well! Wound directly from the swift to the warping mill for a single yarn or if I needed a few threads of a special yarn thrown into my warp 🙂 It works, it just takes me a bit longer to set the swift in the rights spot to let the yarn flow off of it smoothly.

If you’re able to wind a spool instead, it does make it easier but it’s not necessary. If you do want to give it a try, you could wound using a manual winder but it’ll take a much longer time and you might end up with a fatigued arm so take some breaks 😉

 

[Frank Reiter]

If I am starting with a skin I will generally use an inexpensive ball winder to wind it into one or more balls.  I find a ball in a bowl much easier to deal wth than a skein on a swift when winding a warp.

[Merel Fabre]

Just signed up and watched my first lesson. I already know how to fix a lot of mistakes (not pushing the warp back every time and wait too long), thanks for that!!
I have a question though. I’m also taking classes in the Royal Academy of Arts and there they teached us another way of warping. We had 2 crosses: a single cross and a multiple cross. The single cross is just about the same as you do but the multiple cross has the ends per inch so we have nice packages to put into the raddle.
I wonder what are the pro and cons of warping with only a single cross?
Many greetings from Belgium

[Sandra]

Welcome to the Online Guild, Merel.  The method that Jane uses works well for the Back to Front method of dressing of the loom and I would think, a faster way of winding the warp.   There are so many different raddles available to weavers, from the ones that come installed on Louet looms which are metric and finely spaced, for instance, to others that are handmade.  There are many styles of winding a warp and you will soon learn that one of Jane’s mantras is “there is no right way or wrong way – just the way that works for you.” 😉

[Susan Favro]

When using yarn off a spool, does it matter if it feeds off the side of the spool (stack wound) or from the top of the spool (cross wound)? Would one method create more twist in the yarn compared to the other?

[Sandra]

I sometimes put a chopstick or straight knitting needle into a shoe box by creating matching holes on both sides.  Then I have a place for the cone or spool to wind off as I make my warp.  The cone sits nicely and lets you pull it off over it’s top and isn’t a problem.   Don’t worry about the twist, you really don’t add a lot of twist when winding your warp.

[Katherine Tetlak]

Each time around the warping board gives you two ends (once the loops are cut), and so when I count, I multiply the number of top threads by two. Alternatively, when figuring the number of warp ends I need, I think in terms of “10 inches wide in a 10-dent reed requires 100 ends, so I wind the warp 50 times.” This doesn’t seem to be what Jane is doing, though. Can you explain the difference? I’m confused.

[Sandra]

You always count in the cross, Katherine.  You are understanding it correctly.  Jane covers more about planning your warp and therefore your project, further in this season in Project Planning 101.  It will all become clear to you as you move through this seasons episodes.

[Robin Heggeland]

I have a question about materials.  I want to weave a baby wrap for my daughter who is expecting.  The main warp will be cottolin, but I was thinking about adding some cotton into the warp too.  My question is, do the two yarns shrink at the same rate? I would hate to end up with a fabric that crinkles.  I would try to sample, but I don’t have the time.  Thanks,

Robin

[Ginette]

Hi Robin,

I use cotton and cottolin together quite often actually and they shrink the same. I do use the yarns at JST. If both yarns are the same size, for example 8/2, you should be fine.

[Katherine Tetlak]

Is it ok to use four smaller chains so I don’t end up winding warp out to the ends of the pegs?

[Ginette]

absolutely! What works best for you on your warping board. When you winding on the loom and if you use the book technique Jane shows, try to use a wider book and get all 4 chains under it.

[Author]

Posts