At the end of a weaving project, when there’s still some warp left on the loom, I pull cones of yarn from my stash and weave with them to see what kind of fabric I’ll get. At the end of the table runners I cut off the big loom a couple of weeks ago, I tried a mill end that had been on the shelves for a while. It’s a gorgeous linen blend and I thought it would make great yardage for tote bags. Any weaver will tell you that the cloth isn’t finished until it’s been wet finished (washed). It still amazes me the change in fabric from off the loom to after it’s wet finished. It can go from cardboard to cloth with magnificent hand and drape. This fabric couldn’t have surprised me more. It’s way too luscious for a tote bag. I wish I had more of the linen blend weft because I’d weave yardage for a jacket or skirt. Instead, I’ll have to settle for throw pillows. I just tied another very long warp on that loom to weave off the three cones of that linen blend. There will be plenty of warp left to weave some thicker cotton for tote bags and probably still more left for towels. This threading has been on that loom for almost a year now. After this, it’s time for something new, but it’s worked hard for me… table runners, place mats, pillows, totes, towels and blankets.
For my weaving friends: I’m lazy… or efficient… you be the judge. If there’s a shortcut, I’ll find it. I have a love/hate relationship with winding warps. If I’m winging it and creating color changes at the mill, I love it. If I’m winding for a specific project, especially one color warps for dyeing… not so much. Over the years I’ve changed the way I wind a warp more times than I can count. I have a plethora of DIY threading stations and I change them up depending on my mood (pic above) or the type of bobbin or cone the yarn is on. I try new things as I hear about them on the weaving forums or as I learn them in workshops. Some stick, some don’t. I really want to love winding with the tubes vertically because it’s so simple to switch them out of the holder. I get a lot of twist when I do that though. My warps beam smoother if I wind the tubes from a horizontal position, so that’s usually what I do. There are a lot of ways to do everything. I say that the way that works for you is the right way. If you paint or knit or weave, there will be people that tell you, “Oh… that’s not the the correct way…” I’ve heard it plenty myself. If you end up with a painting, a sweater, or a stable piece of cloth that you are happy with, then you’ve done it right.
I never got the hang of a warping paddle. To be honest, I didn’t try that hard because what I do works for me. I almost always wind with at least two threads in the cross. Most of the time I have four. Sometimes I feel reckless and go with six, but 2-4 is my comfort zone. I just hold them together and get them on the mill winding all four together into the cross. I’ve done this hundreds of times and have never had a problem, but I’m still told it’s not the right way to do it.
I also don’t use a guide string…. I can hear the gasps from here. lol. They get in my way and I always end up forgetting about them and tying them into the warp before pulling it off the loom anyway and then I’m lost for winding subsequent bouts for that warp. I came up with my “connect the dots” method. I painter’s tape on the uprights of my mill. When I wound a warp, I would mark the length along it’s path on the uprights and then when I wanted another warp that length, I’d just connect the “dots.” Again… I’ve done this I don’t know how many times, but it’s A LOT and I have never had a problem. Here you can see a warp wound this way… two halves wound separately (I only wind 8-10″ worth of warp per bout) and they are exactly the same length:
Recently I started using the following method more: I know my mill is 30″ across. I figure out how many times 30″ goes into whatever length I want and I count sides as I wind. So… say I want a 10-yard warp… 10×36 = 360/ 30 = 12 sides. I usually add one more side for safety sake. Better too long than too short and it gives me sampling room at the beginning or a warp or play room at the end…. So I need 13 sides. I don’t count the first bit from the cross pegs to the first upright. That is an automatic 22″ on my mill. I count that as my built in my loom waste. So, I start the cross, go to the first upright and then start counting as I pull the yarn at a slight angle upwards across to each upright after that until I hit seven. I add the path to the painter’s tape so it’s there next time I want that length. Lazy or efficient… I don’t know, but it works for me. I’ll just let that sit for a while before I confuse you more with how I usually wind my towel/blanket warps double the length I need, with a cross on each end and fold them in the middle. Man, does that speed things up. Especially if you’re winding symmetrical stripes. 🙂
