Warp's On!

Before Christmas, I ran out of warp on one of my Union looms. It was bad timing, as it was just before Kerstmarkt, and I like to be able to weave more, if things sell well. The blue jean rugs did sell well, but I only had time to put the warp on--winding each section individually (see the pegs on the beam in the lower part of the photo?).

Part of the trouble was that I was changing the number of threads per section, while trying to retain the log cabin threading I've used on this loom for years. Blue black blue black blue black black blue black blue black blue blue black blue black...

Did you see where it switched? Or were your eyes glazing over? I know the feeling.

This past week, I blocked off an afternoon, fired up the furnace out in the shop, and got to figuring. If you smelled smoke, it was my brain, overheating. (Now those of you weavers who do complex threading patterns on 8 or more shafts can just kindly refrain from posting disparaging remarks. I'm feeling puny enough as it is, thank you very much.)

Sat down in my naugahyde covered old kitchen chair and went to it.

By the end of the afternoon, I'd tied on and pulled through all the new warp threads. And best of all, the pattern worked! Whew!

Well, it mostly worked. Look closely. See that warp thread hanging down off the back of the beam? That'll be my little reminder, the whole time I weave, that I was "close, but no cigar."

Oh, well. There's always next time!