AVL - What a Pleasure

I am currently threading up a warp of 16/2 cotton for towels.  It has been a while since I have woven on this loom and I had forgotten how pleasurable it is to use, hence I am having second thoughts about selling.  I have the auto warp advance set up so I can weave up these towels quickly.

Raddle Me This Batman!

Last night I realized the 1 1/2  foot of space behind the warp beam of the AVL is insufficient to beam a warp.  Not only did I wind up with several broken ends but I also did not place the cap on the raddle and not once but TWICE did the raddle slip of the loom and ends were misplaced.

I finally did manage to get the warp beamed nicely and will have to wait and see how many ends need to be replaced. On that note:

Remember to always secure the raddle (even if mounted on posts)
remember to always place the cap on top and secure (rubber bands will not hold the threads as securely in place of the cap)

Try to have several feet behind the loom or at the front to allow for less tangling of the warp.

Threading the Pattern Heddles of the Single Unit Drawloom

Two Sets of Heddles to Thread

I am sure a novice weaver would be very confused if I were to tell you I have to put each warp end through two heddles on different shafts.

The draw loom warp is beamed and I am preparing the pattern heddles into groups or units.  In damask/satin weaves a five shaft satin works well for patterns with curves as it does not have a clean cut line.  I love curves!  So this weave will be a 5 shaft satin.  Pattern heddles are in groups of 5 attached to one weight called a lingo.

The calculations are:

16/2 cotton warp at 560 ends, epi of 28.  5 shaft satin = five heddles per unit.  560 ends div by 5 = 112 units.  112 units div by 4 pattern shafts = 28 per shaft.

Drawcord warp is in groups of 10 so 112 div 10 = 11.2 groups.  I am excited to get my draw loom back up and working!

Drawloom Makes Progress

FINALLY!!!!

I went down to my studio and actually got something done!

Some time ago I documented the building of the frame extension for the Drawloom.  Today I was able to sleigh the reeds (two are required for the draw harness) and position the drawcord warp.

The drawcord warp was beamed on thewarp beam over head when seated at the loom.  This warp is in groups of ten.  10 yellow alternating with 10 brown.  The drawcord warp lifts the pattern shaft units according to the graph drawing/design.  Spaces are left so that the drawcord warp can pass between the texsolv cords that support the shafts. (above)

The drawcord warp is then threaded through a second reed which is set above the pattern shafts at the back of the loom.  No spaces are left in this reed. (above)

The second reed is placed into position above the pattern shafts. (above)

This is a view of the front of the loom with the reed in place.  The reed allows for easy selection of cord to lift the corresponding pattern shafts. (above)

The view from the back shows the drawcord warp in position in the second back reed.  The actual warp needs to be beamed prior to positioning these drawcord threads.  The "warp" will be threaded first through pattern shafts and then through ground shafts at the front of the loom.

As the loom requires an extension, the pawl for the back warp beam is relocated.

Hopefully tomorrow the actual warp can be beamed.  Then the pattern heddles have to be grouped into the appropriate units and weighted with lingoes before the warp can be threaded through the long eye ground heddles.

New Toys

I have used Fiberworks PCW for years.  I use it to run my designs on my AVL compudobby.  I use it to create designs for all my looms.

Today I was able to load the MAC version and it is fabulous!  Still playing around a little as some things obviously work a little differently but as with most things MAC, it is a pleasure!

It All Looks Rather Confusing?

The problem with this style of drawloom set up is - 2 warps initially and two sets of harnesses to be threaded!  I chose gold and brown carpet warp (strong and inexpensive) and the warp is in blocks of 10 threads per color alternating for 360 ends.  Now it has to be beamed and I need an apron for the overhead drawcord beam.

As I am studying for a fitness certification - it may be another week before I get to it.

Draw Harness loom

Here are some photos of the almost complete Draw Harness conversion:

Big Lola - Li'l Lola

On my old Blog at Wordpress I wrote about my big girl "Lola."  Lola is rather voluptuous (unlike me) but she wears my goods well.

Here she is modeling my unfulled - soon to be fulled merino scarf.

Now meet Li'l Lola

Standing a stately 3" tall,  cute huh?

Too Tired to Talk

Ok, no pics, but the good news is, I am almost finished with converting the Glimåkra to a draw harness damask loom.  I had the front shaft frame for 75 shafts, I had the 10 shaft Opphamta attachment, lingos, long eye heddles etc. but the basement is tight quarters and not enough height for a 75 shaft system.  Plus I dislike setting up that system.

I will post pictures next week, I am covered in sawdust and my arm muscles hurt!  I can't wait to actually get this up and running!

Old Loom - New Topic

Recently on Weavolution there has been discussion of loom conversions for drawloom weaving.  Here are pictures from my old Wordpress Blog of a Varpa loom which underwent a successful conversion to a drawloom:

Ouch!

I have spent the past two days constructing a live weight tension second beam for the Liisa, I like to weave quickly so I want to advance my warp with a simple maneuver.  It took a little time, sweat and frustration but I am half way there.  In the midst of this I also had to lower the treadle set and drill new holes in the frame for the main beam.  I am not sure if I will add sectional rails yet.  But now I have heavy tension with the ratchet and adjustable tension where the warp can be advanced with the new beam.  My hands and head are very tired!

I still have to build up the beam with 4 pieces of 1x2 and then quarter round.  Drilling into the steel was the most time consuming (aside from hand sanding to enlarge the holes in the support blocks).

The treadle set now allows me to insert treadle pins through the texsolv and hold on the pins, this eliminates the need for being under the treadles with a crochet hook!

Warping Mill

As requested, here are photos of the mill with some rudimentary dimensions:

Mill folded stands about 52 inches high - center pole is a 1 1/2 diameter plumbers metal pole with screw cap top.

Base is made up of 2 x 2s and some mitred 1.5 x 1 pieces, metal pole is capped by a plastic 2 inch piece which sits in a hole all the way down to the bottom (metal pole sits 1/2 inch up from floor)

Cross pieces which support the side poles are 30 inches across, 1 1/2 inch wood pole is countersunk and screwed/glued.

The frame consists of 2 frames 30 in width, wood poles 40 inches long.  One frame interlocks with the other so the frame can fold (see how cross piece is one above and one sits below)

Cross pieces (24") with 1 1/2 inch dowels 5 inches long countersunk, glued and screwed.  Cross piece is 1 1/2 x 1 x 24" long, half circle cut to wrap around the wood vertical poles.  Screw eye bolts secure the two pieces together to secure the frame and make the cross bars/posts

Cross bars in place, the lower cross bars can be put according to your warp length.  Total circumference is 2 yards around.  Wood used was poplar and lightly stained.

Warping Mill Plans

In a recent discussion on Weavolution I described a home made warping mill I had made.  I will post photos as soon as I can access the mill and will include measurements for those interested.  I have had it for at least 6 years and it is holding up very well for a cost of approximately $50 dollars.  You can also email me privately via contact info or comments.

Damask - Setting Up The Loom

I am preparing a warp for the 10 shaft damask attachment on the Glimåkra loom.  Below you can see the warp beamed and ready to be threaded through the back set of pattern harnesses.

The set up for damask is a 6 shaft 6 unit threading.  That is a 6 shaft ground damask with a 6 thread unit on the pattern heddles.


Here is a view of the pattern heddles being threaded.  The warp was prepared with 3 threads in the cross.  Therefore one complete "there and back" of the threads results in 6 threads (2 sets of 3).

Above - the pattern heddles being threaded. The pattern heddles are grouped into units (4-8 depending on ground weave) and joined at the bottom by a lingo weight.  

once all the pattern heddles are threaded, the beater, knee beam and breast beam are removed and the ends are selected from one of the pattern heddles (also using the lease stick threading sequence as a guide) and then the same end goes through one ground heddle on shafts 1-6.  Each end is threaded two times - once through the pattern heddle and once through the ground heddle

The ground threading goes rather quickly as the heddles have long eyes and can be threaded by hand without a hook.  The threads are then dented in the reed and attached to the cloth beam.

The shafts (both sets) are then adjusted in height.

Here it is in a little more detail:

More detail: Double harness & Damask weaving - loom has two sets of shafts: In the back of the loom are the pattern shafts (10-100) which hold the pattern threads, and the regular shafts on the countermarch using long eye heddles (2/3 inch eye)  in the regular shaft location.  


The pattern heddles are grouped into 6 per unit (or unit determined by weave) and are weighted by a lingo (long heavy looped hook to weigh down pattern shaft unit). The entire warp is threaded, 1 thread thru 1 pattern heddle grouped into 6 - joined by a weight whilst being held on a temporary holding shaft. 


The units once threaded are dispersed onto the pattern shafts according to the pattern drawdown (can be anywhere from 10 to 100 shafts - the more shafts the more of an extension the loom requires).  Even once the weaving has begun, the pattern units can be re-distributed to create a different pattern sequence such as straight draw, pointed repeat or single large point.

Then the regular ground shafts are put back in place (these use long eye heddles but regular length of 11.5 inches long.  The warp which is already threaded thru the pattern heddles on separate shafts from the regular ground shaft, is then threaded in a straight draw as with normal weaving (ground weave is a 6 shaft satin)  Denting and tying onto the apron is done in the usual way. Therefore; each thread is threaded through two sets of heddles - one pattern and one ground.

The long eye heddles allow the back group of pattern shafts to manipulate the threads whilst allowing the ground weave front shafts to move.  The blog was a very brief synopsis of the type of weave.  I have a few resources on damask if you would like to know more.

Catch Me On The Fly!

Glimakra single fly box on the damask loom

I have been straightening up my supplies, repairing and tinkering.  I finally got the pieces to the double flybox cleaned up and ready to use.  My first project is going to be an overshot blanket.  I like to weave wide and I like to weave fast!

The damask 10 shaft attachment is re-assembled and a warp ready to be dressed.

10 Shaft Pattern Unit - in the background you can see the 6 ground shafts with the buttonhole elastic used with the drall pulleys.

View from the front of the loom.

view from inside the loom

AVL double flybox

view from front

and the back