Robyn. Thank you again!

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1 Thank you for participating Weaving Today s first weaving webinar. Below are the unanswered questions that were forwarded to me after the webinar. I have responded to all of the questions in a dark red and tried to answer them as best as possible. I hope this information is helpful. Thank you again! Robyn First Name Vicki Lynn Leanne Vicki Questions Asked by Attendee Q: Is there a resource that explains how historic drafts are woven? If you get a copy of drafts from late 1800's or early 1900's, the manner the drafts are written, is not like we do today. A: Historical drafts can be challenging to decipher since the weavers were usually writing drafts for themselves. Plus, there are many dialects in how they wrote them. To completely answer your question, it would be helpful to see the historical drafts you are interested in understanding better. Can you scan it and it to me at robyn@spadystudios.com along with your address and/or phone number? On a related note, there is a Complex Weavers study group Early Weaving Books and Manuscripts led by Marjie Thompson. If you re a member of Complex Weavers, they may be of assistance. Q: When is next webinar A: The next webinar I m aware of is July 17, 2013 at 2:00 pm ET. It s the extended version of Weaving Tips n Techniques. If you are signed up at Weaving Today, you should receive an announcement on upcoming webinars or you can register here: Q: How do you repair a broken thread that happens in front of the heddles? A: I use the Russian Join technique to repair a broken warp end in front of the heddles. If it breaks at the fell line (where the weft is beaten in), I do one of two things: 1) I will carefully unweave until I have enough of a tail to connect it to another length of yarn or 2) Using a tapestry needle, I will sew a new warp end down into the woven fabric. Hopefully, it will not be noticeable. If it is, I can remove and reweave a new end in after I ve pulled the fabric off of the loom. If those don t work, I will often embellish over the repaired warp end. Q: How do you feel about using fishing line in conjunction with the floating selvedge? A: If the floating selvedge is to be removed, fishing line can work very well. I usually use the same yarn I warped with. Q: How do I obtain the proper PPI? A: The number of picks per inch (PPI) depends on a number of things: the firmness of the beat, the tension of the warp, the shed geometry (how large the shed is), and how close the reed is hitting the fell line at 90 degrees. This means that different people can achieve slightly different results weaving the same yarns at the same sett. I believe we all have a beat that is distinctive to each of us. Changing how hard/soft you beat may result in an inconsistent beat. Therefore, unless you re weaving something that requires a firmer-than-usual beat (e.g., rugs), consider the following Before adjusting your beat, adjust the sett of the warp in order to achieve the desired ppi Advance the warp more often Try to hit the fell line with the reed as close to 90 degrees as possible Be consistent with how far you press the treadle down to ensure the shed is open the same width.

2 Plus, the more you weave, the more consistent your ppi will become (Practice, practice, practice!) Lisa Debbie Q: what do you do if your selvedge is loopy on one side, but fine on the other if you can't figure that you are doing anything different on the two sides? A: If the tension on both sides is the same, getting different results at the selvedges can often indicate two things. First, it may mean a slightly different technique is used in how the shuttle is being used. This is pretty common since most of us are more dominant on one side. Therefore, if the results are different, technique or tension (or both) needs to be adjusted. I often tie the warp ends near the selvedge a tad more firmly than the rest of the warp. Also, try adjusting the tension a little... usually by increasing the tension. The second thing that may be occurring is the loom may be a little loose or is not completely square. Use a measuring tape to verify everything assembled is at the same angles on both sides of the looms. An hour or so measuring, adjusting, and tightening the loom may make a big difference. Q: Do you change your tie up after you have finished threading? A: Yes, after I have treadled by threading I change the tie-up according to my draft before I begin weaving. Q: I seem to always have trouble with my left side selvedge becomes loose after I have woven a bit--how can I prevent that? A: You are in good company... please review the response to the similar question immediately before your question. Andrea Connie Donna Q: Is labeling required on woven art? A: I don t believe so. Q: What is the easiest way to move heddles to alt. shafts. A: The easiest way to move heddles is to have someone else do it... But, seriously, I transfer heddles from my shaft onto a rod (I often use a rod I ve cut from the long part of a heavy wire hanger). To keep them from sliding off, I will wrap rubber bands about the ends. Then, I can slide them from the rod onto the heddle bar for the new shaft. Q: When you are working on a project like a scarf, how do you determine how long to make it, considering the stretch under tension? i tend to weave too much and can't find the right formula. A: Great question and the solution often comes from experience in order to anticipate take-up, etc. I like my scarves to be 6-7 long (not including fringe)... however, as it seems you have experienced, while the warp is under tension, stretch may be a factor and the amount of stretch may vary with how much tension the warp is under and the fiber (wool will stretch more under tension than Tencel, silk, or cotton). Also, different looms may have a slight difference in how much waste yarn there will be afterwards. For weaving a single scarf, I will often put on three yards. Q: If only one section of your warp is loose, will the foam trick work? A: Yes, you can use the foam trick with only one section of the warp loose. It doesn t work as well as it does when there is unevenness across the warp. It is an imperfect technique that can be handy in a pinch.

3 Betz Caroline Mary Kathy Paolo Q: How to you repair a broken thread if it breaks right at the fell line? A: If the warp end breaks at the fell line (where the weft is beaten in), I do one of two things: 1) I will carefully unweave until I have enough of a tail to connect it to another length of yarn or 2) Using a tapestry needle, I will sew a new warp end down into the woven fabric. Hopefully, it will not be noticeable. If it is, I can remove and reweave a new end in after I ve pulled the fabric off of the loom. If those don t work, I will often embellish over the repaired warp end. Q: is it possible to have a floating selvedge on a rigid heddle loom? A: For a traditional rigid heddle set-up, half the warp ends remain stationary and the other half rise and fall. A floating selvedge would remain with the stationary ends... although, it could be manipulated my hand with each pick. Q: Great presentation! Q: name of app with sley information A: One source for a sleying chart is in The Weaver s Companion, a book published by Interweave Press. It s available in both print and digital version. I have a copy downloaded on to my ipad. It s full of a lot more helpful information. Q: What about hanging a weighted bar or something below the back beam, going just thru the sagging warps? A: Yes, that can work too. I find it can be challenging to make sure it is suspended evenly. Also, if the unevenness in the warp is uneven, a weighted bar may not come in contact with all of the loose warp ends. Q: What is Lift Plan? Paolo from Italy A: A lift plan is a different way of documenting the treadling sequence and is used when weaving on a table loom, dobby loom, or while weaving with a direct tie-up. The two treadlings below weave the same thing, except one shows a tie-up and treadling sequence and the other shows the lift plan. Cathy Tie-up and treadling Lift plan Q: What is the percentage for determining lace weave if you have the wpi? A: Depending upon the desired results, a lace sett percentage would be 40%-45% of the wraps per inch (WPI) If I were to sett 5/2 cotton for lace, I would probably sett it between epi.

4 Lynda Q: I also have an older loom - that has some slight rust on the reed - when is a reed past being able to be used? Is steel or wool too aggressive to try and clean it? A: I would try the steel wool at one end to see if it works... although, my preference would be to try to remove the rust with naval jelly first (don t forget gloves!) Q: Do you have advice for weaving with silk threads - I have a flat japanese silk I want to try - have you ever used it? A: I ve woven with silk... usually a 20/2 silk. I haven t tried a flat Japanese silk thread, but it sounds intriguing. My advice for weaving with silk is to plan carefully since errors can be costly, be gentle, and expect little elasticity. Joan JoAnne VICTORIA Q: Do you beam your floating selvedge or hang it off the back separately A: For a short warp (2-3 yards), I will use the outer most warp end from the warp beam for my floating selvedge. For longer warps, I suspend the warp end off of the back of the loom. I will be showing this in the July extended Weaving Tips n Techniques webinar. Q: I also have problems with gaps appearing as the woven fabric goes over the front beam. A: If I understand your question correctly, you may have one or more things going on the shape of the front beam and the tension applied as the woven fabric passes over it may be pushing the warp and/or weft ends in a manner that causes them to distort. If I m weaving a gauzy fabric or something where the interlacement is supposed to be open, I will often wrap a terry cloth towel around the front beam to give the ends something to cushion the fabric as it rolls around. Sometimes I will use terry cloth towels to wind behind the fabric as it wraps around the cloth beam. Q: Is it okay to share some of these tips at weaving guild meeting on Saturday? I LOVE the one about avoiding threading errors! Thank you. JoAnne A: Yes, please share some of the tips at your guild meeting. This webinar will be available on the Weaving Today website in a couple of days if your guild members would like to go out and view the information for themselves. Q: Could you send me the names of all of those authors you mentioned? A: The books I mentioned are as follows: Learning to Weave by Deborah Chandler The Handweaver s Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon A Handweaver s Pattern Book by Marguerite Davison The Weaver s Companion by Madelyn van der Hoogt (I mentioned this for sleying information, but there s much more in it) Phyllis Q: The notebook is in addition to the record sheet used at the beginning of a project-- right? A: The notebook doesn t replace a proper and complete record sheet; however, I have found it invaluable while I m weaving so I have information when I sit down to complete the record sheet. Marianne Q: Are the downloadable Handwoven CDs searchable, for instance, could I look up 8/2 and get all references to that? A: I m not sure... but, I doubt it (although it s a great idea). This is a question someone at Interweave Press may be able to answer.

5 Andrea Q: Is labeling required if you are giving a scarf or towel as a gift as opposed to selling? A: No, woven gifts don t need to comply with the FTC s labeling requirements. Line Cindy Bernadette Ellen Joanne Q: do you leave the foam there A: Yes, while I m weaving, I leave the strip of foam in place to help keep the tension of the warp even. Every time I advance the warp, it will pop out and I have to re-insert it. It s not a perfect solution, but something that can come in handy when necessary. Q: What is the easiest weighting method to use for broken threads when you are not at home-i.e. at a workshop? A: I like to take a couple of film canisters with me. I can add coins, rocks, etc. to weight them. If film canisters are not available, prescription bottles are handy too. Q: If you could only have 2 reeds how many dpi would each have? A: I would probably choose an 8-dent and a 10-dent reed. The first 30 years I wove, I had nothing but an 8-dent reed. It works well for many of the projects I weave using 5/2 cotton (16 epi sleyed at 2/ends per dent) or 10/2 cotton or 8/2 Tencel (24 epi sleyed at 3/ends per dent). I like the 10-dent reed for weaving 8/2 cotton at 20 epi (20 epi sleyed at 2/ends per dent) or 16/2 cotton at (30 epi sleyed at 3/ends per dent) Q: Does your warp repair technique work with rug warp that needs to be under strong tension? A: I have used it a couple of times for repairing warp ends with a rug warp; however, it depends on how firmly the rug warp ends are spun. Q: On the foam -- it goes under all the warp and not between the loose and taunt threads? Just to clarify A: Yes, the piece of foam goes under all of the warp ends. Marilyn Mary Lou Q: Should I beam my floating selvedge with the rest of the warp or should I just weight it off the back? A: For a short warp (2-3 yards), I will use the outer most warp end from the warp beam for my floating selvedge. Since the take-up can vary for a floating selvedge, for longer warps, I suspend the warp end off of the back of the loom and weight it. I will be showing this in the July extended Weaving Tips n Techniques webinar. Q: What is the best way to thread using the treadling the threading method if you are a front to back weaver? I sit in the back of the loom to thread. A: Let me check into that with a couple of folks that warp front-to-back. Nancy Q: What do you do when the front straps of your metal tie on breaks when you are about a 1/4 of the way through your project? A: First, I curse and say lots of bad words. Second, I try to re-secure it with heavy cording. If I have a difficult time getting it through, a tapestry needle can come in handy in tight spaces.

6 Annie Q: I discovered that my breast beam was slightly warped causing "smiles" to appear. A: If the tension on both sides is the same, smiling may indicate a few things. First, it may indicate an under- or uneven tensioned warp. Second, the reed may not be hitting squarely against the fell line. Check to make sure the reed and/or beater are not warped. The third thing that may be occurring is the loom may be a little loose or is not completely square. Use a measuring tape to verify everything assembled is at the same angles on both sides of the looms. An hour or so measuring, adjusting, and tightening the loom may make a big difference.