I've also been adjusting the shed as I go along so when I notice that a thread is hanging low or too high on a particular treadle I can adjust it. It looks so obvious now! What was all the fuss about?!
I have to say though that I found when sitting at the loom and pressing treadles I didn't realise how bad my shed was - it looks different when you sit looking down on it and I was constantly having to fiddle with threads. My boat shuttle was getting stuck in high seas rather than aqua-planing like it's meant to! I only realised how bad it was when I ducked my head down and looked through the shed and saw that it was a complete mess. Anyway it's much better now and much faster too.
Can you see the pattern? It uses a combination of tabby with a straight twill in black, dark grey and light grey wool. I don't like the horizontal stripe but I really like the verticals switching from tabby to twill and back again. I might use that again somewhere but without the horizontal - it just seems messy somehow. Maybe it's the tension changing from tabby to twill.
I'm also being really careful to move the warp on every few centimetres so the tension remains even and it works much better than it has before.
Another thing I like/don't like is the edges. On the left the edge is tabby for 6 ends which looks neat and on the other end (should have thought of this when I made the warp) the piece ends on a twill which seems to have twisted and made a bulky cord. I've noticed on other pieces using a twill that this happens but at least previously both ends have been the same. I'd be interested to find out why this happens and what I can do about it.
I've got to crack on with this as I'm meant to be weaving a blanket for a christening present - this weekend! Argh!
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Nice looking blanket, I hope the rest of the weaving goes well.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like the edges when it is off the loom and washed, maybe you could find a broad satin ribbon to bind over the edge?
Selvedges are tricky, and one experienced weaver I was talking to recently found she needed to change technique for managing selvedges when she got a new loom. My favourite is to try and use a plain weave threading for the selvedge and have the selvedge threads wound on weighted bobbins, not wound on the warp beam. Some people love this method, others don't like it at all, so I think it's a matter of trying different things and find out what suits you,your loom, and your fav. yarns.
Thank you Dorothy. Yes I thought about a strip of ribbon just to neaten the edges up. Good idea.
ReplyDeleteThat's very interesting about the weighted bobbins - I'll try it!
The blanket is a beautiful gift!!
ReplyDeleteI agonize over selvedges too. I was really paying attention to my results on a recent project and by the end of the warp the selvedges were looking better and better. So part of it for me is just practice.
If you've got plain weave on one side and twill on the other, I'm sure that's part of what made them different.
I wish I knew the secrets of beautiful selvedges!!
The blanket is awesome though. I'm sure the recipient (and family) will love it!
Sue