Saturday, November 23, 2013

Pinwheel Tea Towels on Eight Shafts ~ Cutting Out

 The beautiful 8 shaft pinwheel tea towels have become the bane of my weaving world.  I just can’t believe how many problems I’ve had with this warp!

The first 36 inch tea towel had been woven and I was about 8 inches into towel number two when I started to notice that there were loose threads in the centre of the web. 
This was essentially the same place where the threads had snarled when I was pulling the warp through the raddle when I beamed the warp. 
As you can see the stripes are bowing toward the centre….not good!

There is really only one fix for a poorly beamed warp and that’s cutting it off and re-beaming.  This is my process.
I choose a spot near the selvedge and push apart the warp and carefully clip each weft thread.  I do the same on the other side. 
I don’t clip the weft right on the selvedges because it can put too much stress on the selvedge threads.
Then using a blunt needle I pull out each thread from somewhere around the centre of the web.  I change up the spot from time to time to minimize damage to the web.  I unpicked the weft right back to the end of the first teatowel.
Before I went any further I inserted my lease sticks back into the web, to help with re-beaming.
Then I cut off my first tea towel.  Here it is off the loom but still not washed.  It is so pretty and light, but I’m not sure if I’m preserving with this hideous warp because it makes a pretty cloth or if I’m just too pissed to quit!
At this point I needed lots of hands, so my husband manned the back beam and brake and Ngaire and I pulled the warp through the heddles and the reed from the front.
This warp didn't pull through the heddles and reed without a fight and there were more snarls and snags to contend with; but thankfully it finally came off the back beam and I could start the process of beaming all over again.
I could not believe the difference in the length of some of the threads when I tied on, it was several inches between the shortest and longest!  While I was teasing these twisting, torqueing  threads onto the beam the first time I beamed it; I was sacrificing the overall tension of the warp and boy did I pay the price.

2 comments:

Liz aka Fibergeek said...

I've rebeamed a couple of warps due to this same problem.

Now I know that a snarly warp is going to need to be rebeamed, so when I have that issue I rebeam before I even try to weave it.

Just did it to a painted warp that had become pretty messed up. I'm so glad I did as it has had no tension issues. There have been other challenges but not due to tension.

Linda said...

Wow...I don't think I've ever successfully done that (I do remember a nasty mess in the attempt, though. I think I made the mistake of trying to move it to the cloth beam, which did not work). It's good you have such willing and knowledgeable helpers! The towels are so pretty....you'll be glad that you persevered. These towels are lovely!