I decided to take Chris Laning's advice and rewarped my Lagore Crannog band on larger tablets, ones that are 3 inches square. I also tightened up the warp threads.
Unfortunately, these changes haven't done me a lot of good. The warp is nice and clear *until* I get about two or three turns into the work. Then the warp tends to bind the threads in the middle together, making it nearly impossible to tell where the warp should be. I can stick my hand between the threads, granted; but I can't tell where to put it; I can't figure out whether I've put my hand in the right place or simply have arbitrarily parted the warp threads.
Part of the problem is that this band employs a lot of skip-hole threading. They are threaded "to the right" with the two colors/types of yarn as follows:
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| Starting position for Lagore Crannog band |
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| My Lagore Crannog band after three turns forward, three back |
A=Color 1
B=Color 1
C=Color 1
D=Color 1
Card 2
A=Color 2
B=OPEN HOLE
C=Color 2
D=Color 2
Card 3
A=Color 2
B=Color 2
C=Color 2
D=OPEN HOLE
Card 4
A=Color 2
B=OPEN HOLE
C=Color 2
D=OPEN HOLE
Color 1 is the rust-colored yarn, and Color 2 the off-white. The weft is Color 1. I've included a picture of the starting position in the hopes that it will give someone an idea to correct my incompetence help me out here. Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated. I'm not very experienced at tablet weaving, but I had no idea that this would turn out to be so difficult.
EDIT: I have added a second picture showing my set-up after I have completed the first three turns forward and three away. It is difficult now to discern a shed--and it will get worse with the next turn of the cards (I tried it, that's how I know). With each turn, I become less and less certain where to put my hand into the strings to try to find (or make) a shed.
Hm. I'm not sure I have any better advice, but: I tend to stick my shuttle into the shed somewhere far out where it's clear exactly where the shed is. Then I pull the shuttle slowly towards myself (i.e. towards the already-woven bits) until it's at the end of the woven part, then pull it through.
ReplyDeleteIf the center warp threads are all jammed in together, it may be that you are pulling the weft too tight. It needs to be looser than one would think -- you want it to be just barely tight enough that you don't get a little loop sticking out at the edge.
I'm not an expert, but I've tried to cardweave with wool and have experienced some of these problems. Wool is tricky to cardweave because it doesn't take friction well and because it's fuzzy and sticks to itself -- it really needs to be dipped in a solution of flaxseed gum and dried (or some other kind of warp dressing) before you try to work with it. (The dressing washes out when you're done.) You haven't said what material you're using, but it sounds like you are having similar problems.
I probably am pulling the warp too tight, too soon--I can try changing that, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am working with wool--the original band was wool (and a fuzzier wool than I have). Hopefully, I won't have to explore using a warp dressing.
I'm not sure if I'm picturing your problem correctly- the threads from a single card are sticking to each other, all the way from the cards to where the pattern is emerging, is that right? When you say things go sideways 2 or 3 turns in, it sounds like the problem is cumulative, which isn't something I've experienced. You should be able to get as clear a shed after the first turn as before it (and after the second as before it etc) so that problems do not build up over time. My problems tend to come on me suddenly :-) Could you take a picture of the afflicted portion of the band?
ReplyDelete@ amalie: "I'm not sure if I'm picturing your problem correctly- the threads from a single card are sticking to each other, all the way from the cards to where the pattern is emerging, is that right?"
ReplyDeleteThat's almost right. It's not just threads from a single card sticking together, it's thread from several cards pulling the entire warp together, so that it's impossible to tell where the shed really is.
I just did the first three turns forward and three back and will post a photo of it here.
Or maybe I have it right at last, after all. Photo later to test that.
ReplyDeleteYou might try putting a cross in to keep your warp a bit more separated and orderly. It works just like the cross on the large loom, with the only difference that you cross all the threads from a tablet together. I'm not sure this will help you, but it might be worth a try...
ReplyDeleteKatrin, what do you mean by a "cross"? (I don't really understand fabric weaving, as opposed to the weaving of small bands with cards, very well.) Something like one of these?
ReplyDeleteI had a similar problem when I started doing sprang using my hand spun yarn - the strands stuck together. To overcome it I gently pluck the threads apart after each turn before packing the threads tight. I think the same would work with tablet weaving, especially since you only have 4 cards.
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous: I would cheerfully pluck every one of my twelve threads separately with each pass--except by the time I've done two turns of the tablets, I don't know where to put them!
ReplyDeleteKatrin's idea of putting in a cross sounds useful. While I look for appropriately-sized pieces of wood to use for the purpose, I'm retying the warp threads so the threads for each card are separate, to see what that does.
If I can get the first dozen turns of the cards approximately right, I'm convinced that the problem will sort itself out and that the shed will be detectable thereafter. It's the first dozen turns, though, that are driving me nuts.
I appreciate everyone's input, though; I think I've been learning from all of it. Hopefully I'll be more knowledgeable by the time I try starting my Snartemo band with fine wool thread.
OK, you had me truly intrigued. So following your directions, first I made a small test using cotton thread, so I could see what the pattern was supposed to look like. Then I warped it up using my own handspun BFL (plied = 24 wpi). It was my first attempt at card weaving with wool, but I didn't find it too difficult after the first few passes. The warp definitely has to be tight, and the threads did stick together sometimes, but gently plucking them apart did the trick. After about 6 passes, the warp threads became better organized, and they often didn't need to be separated at all before placing the weft. You may also want to try placing your cards closer to the weaving, rather than at the far end of the loom. That helps to separate the threads. And if the threads from adjacent cards stick to each other, just separate the cards a bit with your hands after you turn them.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous: I've had the cards very close to the weaving through most of my attempts--it didn't help.
ReplyDeleteBut trying it first in cotton might. My problem is not with separating the threads--it's with figuring out which threads to separate for each pass. Thanks.
Hi, I've just started tablet weaving myself, so, not sure if this will work for you, or if you're already doing it, but I find that if you take hold of all the cards and slide them forward, toward the working end, and then slide them back, it will help make the shed clearer. My first attempts were with a very sticky, cheap acrylic yarn and I kept dropping or picking up threads that I shouldn't be until I started sliding the pack back and forward after each turn. Maybe that will help! Good luck!
ReplyDelete@ 2x2: I'm familiar with that technique, but it still wasn't getting me enough space inside the shed to figure out which threads were above and below it and which threads were falling down into it because the warp wasn't tight enough.
ReplyDeleteBy starting the weaving all the way back against the end of the frame, I was able to conquer the problem and start weaving. But thanks for your suggestions and interest!
Yeah, I've discovered that too; tension seems to be everything. I was working on the Snartemo II band, and I was having a nightmare of a time trying to keep the cards in the proper orientation, but once I increased my tension sufficiently it suddenly started working quiet easily! I'm glad you had success! Really enjoy your blog :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, 2x2. I've been preoccupied with personal matters lately, but I hope to do more blogging--and more costuming stuff to blog about, soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm also thinking of doing the Lagore Crannog band again, now that I know what I'm doing and have more confidence in my ability to get the turning sequence consistently right.
I know this is an ond post, but I am going to attempt this band. I was trying to find some of the original documentation and do not have access to it all, and I have a question. You used two colors, but the limited info I have on the original does not talk about different colors. Was this your interpretation, or is it in some od the docs I have not seen!
ReplyDeleteHi, Karstyl, welcome!
ReplyDeleteThe only information I have on this band comes from the newsletter of the Complex Weavers' Medieval Textiles site. You can download issues of their newsletter here, The information on the Lagore Crannog band appears in Issue 38, the last issue. The author of the article used a single ply yarn spun of Icelandic fleece and a double ply yarn, instead of yarns in two different colors, as I did; I don't know what the original piece used.
Rereading the description, I see that the pattern doesn't require four turns forward and four turns backward, but THREE turns forward and three backward! Maybe that's why I had so much trouble. (That also suggests that perhaps the original was adapted from a triangular tablet pattern, or even was woven with triangular tablets.)
Good luck with your piece! If you blog about it, please let me know!