Thoughts on 3.5.2 – Warp Faced at the Loom

[Ginette]

Let us know your thoughts on 3.5.2 – Warp Faced at the Loom.

[tricia]

Hi Jane,
I realize episode 5 is all about basic warp faced weaving structure, which has helped me to learn about the basics. I am looking forward to learning about using blocks and blending yarns to create various hues in rep weave. When I look at patterns for rep weave I am a bit overwhelmed, to say the least, with winding the warp as well as dressing the loom when I see various rep weave patterns that call for winding two warp chains, including both a threading cross and a raddle cross in each warp and laying one warp on top of the other warp in the raddle. I am having difficulty imagining how to wind the warp, beam the warp and thread the heddles with what seems like four crosses in each chain.

[Jane]

Hi Tricia,
You are not alone…:). A lot of weaving books confuse me too. We will get to repp with blocks down the road in a bit but I can tell you one thing. I have never made block repp in two warps (I just change the colours in the warp) and I have never used more than one cross. It is still super duper easy peasy. Like everything in life, we can approach it with simplicity or complexity…I really think it is a personal bend….the great part is that you get to pick your approach 🙂

[tricia]

Thank you so much for that response Jane. I have been spent weeks trying to understand raddle crosses and for the life of me, and lack of weaving experience, I cannot understand its purpose. I am sure it has a purpose but not to me, yet. I am so glad that I found your on line guild. It is so helpful to me.

[rachel]

It such an interesting optical illusion that the light ‘lines’ look fatter than their corresponding dark ones. I guess it is true what they say – dark colors are slimming! 😉

[Patty]

I have tarted a rep weave project, and I see what you mean about unruly teenage boys! I am trying to control them…
I do have a problem with one harness sticking in the up position on my jack loom, do you have any suggestions?

[Ginette]

Hi pcjm22, did you get your sticky harness sorted out?

[fudsy1]

the Pattern calls for a 12 dent reed w/ 3 per dent but in the demo looks like Jane is using a 6 dent reed? so would that be 6 threads per dent and hemstitching 12 threads?  I know it’s all personal choice but just wondering

[Sandra]

It doesn’t really matter what size of reed you have, what’s more, important is maintaining your 36 epi.  I would probably hemstitch at 3 or 4 threads, 6 seems a bit of stretch to me.  And, you are absolutely right, it is a personal choice.  As we hear Jane saying in our heads – it’s not right – it’s not wrong, it’s what you like 😉

[Anonymous]

Dear Jane,
I am so looking forward to more on rep weave. I am very familiar with this structure but there is almost nothing (except a few very expensive books, on rep for 8 shafts. I feel almost sure that some overshot patterns may be adaptable to rep but I don’t know how to do that. Is there some slim hope that you might include us 8 shafters in your workshops in the near future? How to expand 4 shaft threading to 8 shafts for this year’s twill? While I understand the theory of designing rep patterns, I am ‘blocked’ when it comes to applying that theory. Will you be showing us how to design for both 4 qnd 8 blocks? This is my favourite structure for place mats using 10/2 doubled for the warp and mop yarn for the thick pick.

I have been very inspired by your guidance through the expansion of plain weave possibilities. Thank you for rekindling my excitement at the loom.
Sylvia

[Jane]

Hi Sylvia,

I will be doing this but not for awhile yet.  We will do a bit of block work next year as it pertains to lace weaves and if you understand that you will be able to take it to repp.  I’m sure there are many great articles on this in Handwoven Magazine….if you go to their website you can search their index and perhaps find some of those articles.  You might have that issue of your guild might…or you could purchase it.  If you can ever get you hands on books by Laila Lundell they are worth every penny.

Hope this helps,

Stay safe,

jane

[nc345]

WOW.  I love how these lessons are coming all together.  I can’t wait to get the warp faced on the loom to try.  I’ve always wondered how all those different stripes came together. I really need another 100 years … so much to try.

thank you!!

 

[Margaret]

How would you suggest weaving a hem for a warp faced runner?

[Margaret]

I mean a turned and stitched hem.  I am thinking of using sewing thread as the weft, but it will still be bulky.

[Sandra]

My thoughts are that it will be bulky, no matter how fine your weft is. You don’t want use a fringe that would keep your runner flat on the table?

[Anne Brickman]

Is there a conversation about winding on? I tried to use my Delta’s raddle, and that was 7 threads in each slot. The winding was uneven and one strand frayed, so I gave up and laid a piece of paper on the raddle and let the lease sticks sort it out. That wasn’t highly successful either, but was better than what I was doing.

I was a rank beginner when I started this series last year, so I may be missing something obvious.

good thing it was only 4 yards!

[Sandra]

Hi Anne, your Delta’s raddle is metric and I use a trick that I’ve heard Jane refer to, but I can’t remember when or where.  I just use it on my Louet David.  I use the column for the 5 dent reed.  If my sett is 18 epi, I look at that column next to 18 epi and spread my warp out using 3, 4, 4 – filling my slots using that formula.  It does a pretty good job of spreading my warp out in the raddle close to the width it will be in the reed.

[Anne Brickman]

Sandra, thank you for your prompt reply.

I do spread my warp the way you describe, I just didn’t specify the details. My actual problem is that, for this project the yarns are so thick and so many that they don’t fit well in the raddle slots. I use rubber bands over them but they still are so squished.

I wonder if people warp front to back for repp weave, typically?

Or how to manage the crammed together ends so they beam on with even tension.

 

[Sandra]

Good morning, Anne.  In a case where you are working with thick yarn, like you are for the repp weave – I would use a more open raddle.  They are easy enough to make and to clamp onto your loom with something like the Irwin Quick Grips that Jane loves.  Jane uses them for her mohair warps as well as on looms without a built-in raddle.  You can revisit that possibility in Season 1 – Episode 2 – 2, Dressing Your Loom Back to Front – Warping a Counter-balanced Loom.  A more open raddle is a handy tool to have in your weaving tool box.  If you have one on hand, then you have the choice to warp Front to Back when you are using thick or sticky warp threads.  That warp would have been almost impossible to easily move through your Louet raddle 🙁

[Anne Brickman]

Yes, yes it was impossible! Thanks for the answer, I will try to come up with a more open raffle next time.

[Anne Brickman]

Autocorrect doesn’t like the word raddle.

[Sandra]

😂

[Danette Cross]

Interesting how the selvedges on rep act the same way as on tablet or inkle weaving if you don’t pull that warp in.

[GAIL HALKIAS]

When you look at the three strips to the right, it looks as if there is a white framing thread in there.  There was no discussion of symmetry or framing threads.  Are they applicable to this?

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by GAIL HALKIAS.

[Sandra]

The warp threads I think you are seeing are part of the design and are not framers or symmetry threads.  Framing is when you use the warp and weft to actually “frame” a section of the design you are weaving and symmetry threads are often used in Colour and Weave repeats in the warp and weft.

[GAIL HALKIAS]

Thank you, Sandra.  I got to the next episode and saw that Jane explained the white threads.  I shouldn’t have been so impatient!

[Author]

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