Four ways to calculate sett when weaving (Ashenhurst’s Rule Part 2)
Need to find the sett for a draft that isn’t plain weave or twill, or in an unfamiliar yarn? Here’s how to calculate it.
How to calculate sett using Ashenhurst’s Rule
Need to calculate sett for an unfamiliar yarn? Ashenhurst’s Rule will help. In this blog post and its sequel, we’ll explain how Ashenhurst’s rule works and how you can apply it in your weaving. What is Ashenhurst’s Rule? Thomas R. Ashenhurst (1849-1902) was the chief instructor in weaving and pattern designing at the Bradford Technical […]
How can I fix twill floats that are too long?
When a twill’s floats are too long, the solution is to change the float lengths in its tie-up. “But tie-ups don’t have floats!” you say? You’re quite right: a tie-up doesn’t have actual floats. A tie-up is the connections between the shafts and treadles that make the sheds required while weaving, and those connections don’t […]
What to do when you haven’t got enough heddles on a shaft
A question came up in a Facebook group from a weaver who wanted to use a huck threading like this… …but she didn’t have enough heddles on Shafts 1 and 4. If she was working with a four shaft loom, she would be limited to either moving heddles, or adding repair heddles to Shafts 1 […]
Making and Fixing Spaghetti
No matter what the actual topic of my in-person weaving classes happens to be, there’s always someone who says that some random, unrelated tip is the best thing they’ve learned that day. It’s usually a tip for fixing a problem that they’ve struggled with several times, and more often than not it’s this simple trick […]
Using a Trapeze
This blog was written by Sue Willingham. Each year, about this time, I’m preparing the looms in my studio for a three day class that Janet and I call “Towelapalooza”. All ten looms in my studio are pre-warped with ten different drafts, checked, and ready to weave on when folks arrive. Since we have up […]
No Fuss Floating Selvedges
I’m not a fan of floating selvedges. Moving their weights, separating them from the threaded ends they’re next to, lifting them up to go under or pushing them down to go over – that all detracts from my weaving experience. Anything that slows me down and interrupts my weaving zen irritates me every single time. […]
How to use any reed, for any Sett.
There are lots of denting charts online (often called reed or sett substitution charts) but in my opinion a chart just doesn’t cut it. For one thing, there are often entries missing. Want to know how to get 22 EPI in a 10 dent reed, or 17 EPI in an 9 dent reed? Good luck […]
Design your own twill, with the new Twill Generator
There are a lot of fabulous twill drafts out there, but how do you create something that is truly your own? In the past, a weaver would sit down with some graph paper and start sketching. It takes significant time to fill in the threading, tie up and treadling, then fill in a repeat or […]
How to wind thread by thread stripes
If your stripes are wide, it makes sense to wind them one color at a time, holding however many ends you prefer to wind at once. But what if you’re mixing colors together thread by thread or very nearly, as in color and weave? You could wind the warp one thread at a time, starting […]
