New to Me

I'm kind of a Luddite sometimes, slow to adopt change or new technology. In the case of weaving, something I never tried before now is to tie new warp threads onto already-threaded warp, from the last weaving, and beam up a new warp without having to rethread all those heddles. I suspect most weavers have been doing this for a long time, as it's a keen way to put more warp onto the loom without the task of rethreading the loom. Of course, this only works if the old threading will suffice for the new weavings. In my case, this time it did.

Here we see the new grape silk warp being tied onto the old green/gold silk warp. I was amazed at how easily those tiny overhand knots slipped through the heddle eyes without a hitch. I think I'll definitely be trying this technique again in the future. It saved time in my not having to rethread the heddles, it also saved wear and tear on my back!

And here's that luscious grape warp -- hand dyed, handspun bombyx silk -- in chains at the foot of the loom.









This warp should weave up quickly. The first of two pieces is being woven with a weft of hand dyed, handspun bombyx hankies. As with my other recent pieces, I'm loving the interplay of two hand dyed silks together, plus the nubs inherent in the hanky yarn.

I'm hoping to get in some good loom time today, although I have other things that need to be done, first. Sometimes getting to weave at the end of the day is my reward for having a productive day, otherwise.

Enjoy your day!