As you no doubt noticed the variegated turquoise Tencel really hid my weave structure and it took 48 picks to make 5/8", so off it came!
The Tencel warp threads and silk selvedges are fragile and can’t take a lot of unweaving so cutting out was my only option.
Choosing a spot about ¼” in from the selvedge I hook out a few weft threads and cut. I repeat this on both sides. 
Using my fingers I pull away the warp threads from the selvedge, one at a time. 
That just leaves a fringe of selvedges threads that basically fall into your hands. 
Now I use a blunt needle and hook out several weft picks from the still woven center.
Using my fingers I pull them out.
The hard part is tossing these wee bits of yarn away, especially if they are expensive!
I’ve changed the weft to 2/8 bamboo in a lovely blue, so now the pattern shows nicely and I'm much happier about finishing the scarf. You can see the circles beginning to develop in the scarf, finally!
Now for something fun; I bought a Lucet when I was at ANWG and have made my maiden braid. It will be great for handmade frogs or Chinese Knot buttons! Have any of you tried one yet?
The Lucet is a tool from medieval times and it was used to make a square braid that is essentially knitted. This tool gives you a nice tight braid that was used for lacing corsets because a square braid didn’t slip undone as easily as a round braid, and we all know how important that is! It is just like spool knitting or finger weaving, fast and fun - great for kids!
The Lucet came with this neat yarn spool that reminds me of a suction cup, you open it up to wind on your yarn then fold it in on itself to hold it in place. I bought 16 more to use with my Kumihimo Plates, so now I can't use tangled yarns as an excuse not to Kumihimo!Weaving Words
The English surname Walker actually means felter because the verb walk is derived from waulk the act of compressing wool into felt.
12 comments:
Thanks for the lesson on 'fearless' weft removal! I just had to unweave a few rows because I forgot my own pattern repeat when I got into the rhythm of throwing the shuttle and forgot to change the color......
It is nice to know that there is a drastic way when called for?!
(Could you have unwoven it..?
ie-throw the shuttle the reverse of what you just wove?)
You could save the bits of yarn to use on handmade paper. :-)
I bought a new lucet in Tampa from Ziggy who was at the Braidmakers booth. His lucets have straight "legs" so the process is faster and easier on the fingers. They do make such nice firm cord.
Ok....now I'm insisting....you must write a book! ;) Thank you so much for sharing....you seem to have all of the best tips and tricks;)
You're so right, that is a stunning new weft! Luceting looks like fun. It is about my speed right now.
I am stunned - and scared. I hope I never have to exercise that procedure.
Thank you for showing this procedure, I have never seen this before. On account of the word of the day: we still use the verb "walken" in German, which nowadays means kneading hardly. In Swedish "valkning" is a common word, which actually still means felting of a woolen cloth.
The pattern is nicely sharpened with the new weft! Great colour combination too.
Great tutorial! I use this method on sticky fibres such as a fine silk, where the weft can almost 'fuse' with the warp. Linen benefits from a cut and remove method. I sometimes do it on warps that have a floating selvedge as that's a pain in the ar$e to reverse weave. Sometimes it's easier to cut and remove than to fuss around with unweaving, unless the weft is in short supply or *very* expensive!
Thank you for the lucet braider...it's wonderful! It fills the hands nicely as you sit by the TV. You'll be happy to hear that I'm able to start weaving once more and the exchange runner is first up!
Susan
Thanks so much Charlotte! Isn't it amazing how similar words can be in different languages! Now if I can only find a reason why the word for Pattern in Swedish is Monster!
Thanks also to Delighted Hands, my poor handspun silk selvedge threads just couldn't stand up to the wear and tear of unweaving, especailly since it took me 8 inches to decide the weft wasn't working at all. I just kept hoping it would improve!
As I was looking at your pictures I found myself holding my breath. You are so brave!!! Thanks so much for the lesson. New weft looks great.
I bought a beautiful lucet made by Tom Golding and still haven't figure out how to use it.
I love a daring weaver! And your instructions make it a fearless procedure. Hey, when it comes to saving the project...
And lucets are one of my favorite hand tools. I took mine while on vacation this week and make yards and yards of cording for a project.
Whew, what a task. But I agree, if the weft just doesn't meet the need, then it's history. Great choice the 2nd time around.
Thanks for the demo of how to cut out weft that's not working. I've unwoven, but not cut....and I know that when I do have to cut something out, it will help to have seen your demo. (Finger's crossed that I don't have to use that knowledge any time soon!)
The new warp looks great with that weft!
The Lucet looks like a cool tool. I've never seen one before....but now I want to find one!
Sue
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