I am making a stole out of 8/2 cottolin. I have warped the Jane Loom with 288 ends, and have used all the dents in a 12 reed with an epi of 18. When I started to weave I opened the shed (am only using 4 sheds) threw the shuttle and it started to fall through the bottom warp threads. I then noticed that the tension on the bottom was much looser than the tension on the top. Is this normal? Is there any way I can equalize the tension on both the top and bottom?
The first thing I would check is the tension. Do you need more tension on the warp?
I am at the beginning of my weaving and I am using mini blind slats as spacers for the fringes. I think that might be part of my problem as the are still on the front beam.
Another question – when the warp is on the loom should it dip in the middle where the shafts are? Do I need to raise the shafts so the warp is straight from the front beam to the back?
I think the slats may be the problem. Move them over the breast and see what happens. The warp should dip, don’t raise the harnesses. This is the sign of a good jack loom, they need to be lower, that is what makes the bottom shed tighter. Imagine them lower, then imagine half starting to move up, past a neutral point until they are totally up. Because they are lower to start with the end tension is closer when the shed it open.
