Tying a String Heddle

Surprisingly I have never had to tie a string heddle before but I made a drafting mistake with my Crackle shawls.  I need to add six threads but with 852 threads I am not going to re-thread the entire warp!

So to start you need a strong piece of thread, I am using pink 2/8 cotton.  You don’t have to use pink, but it sure is pretty!  You will need a piece that is double the height for your harness plus a couple of inches for the take up from the knots.

Loop the thread over the bottom of the heddle.  Straighten up the ends of the soon to be string heddle. Push one of the existing heddles on the shaft nearby as you will need to measure off it.

Make an overhand knot in the string heddle that lines up to the bottom of the eye in the heddle that you are matching.  Make sure that the string heddle is held taut, not loose.

Do a second overhand knot above the first on; it will close the eye of the heddle.  It is important that the loop you are making also matches up with the eye of the heddle that you are matching.

Last step is to go around the top of the heddle and tie two knots to hold the string heddle in place. Make sure that the string heddle is tied not too loose or too tight; you want it to slide across the harness but not to be sagging.

The last step is to trim the long tails above the knots so they don’t get tangled in the other heddles.

The string heddle is now ready to use.  Well I guess the very last step is thread the heddle!

Final Garden Photo is Sweet Box (Sarcococca) it is just starting to bloom and it has a lovely strong vanilla smell.