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| First 6 warps for my sock yarn destash project |
For the past few weeks, all I want to work on is my sock
yarn warp projects on the rigid heddle loom. Most of my other projects have
fallen by the wayside. That surprised me because I did not always
enjoy rigid heddle weaving. I found it clumsy and imprecise compared to weaving
on a shaft loom. The stick shuttle frustrated me, and it took a long time to
figure out how to beat evenly with an unfixed beater. Direct warping is very
efficient, but it didn’t work well for what I found myself wanting to do. I
kept putting the RH away, then picking it up again. Over the years, I
discovered some workarounds that suit me very well.
First thing to go was the stick shuttle. I did not enjoy
unwinding it every pick or so, and when I got caught up in the weaving I often
forgot and wrecked the selvage. I decided to use a boat shuttle instead. It
seems odd to use an 11” boat shuttle for a 10” wide warp, but it feeds evenly,
holds a lot of yarn, and easily moved through the shed without getting caught
on warp threads.
I often use the slats from 1” mini blinds as warp
separators. They work well, but also have another use on the rigid heddle: I
use one to get a better shed. Sometimes the warp thread bundles twist when
winding on the warp. When the weaving starts, sometimes that causes some of the
threads in the slots to stay low, making it easy to skip over them and causing
a flaw in the cloth. Easy enough to fix, but better to prevent it! With the
heddle in the down position, put your hands between the two yarn layers behind
the shuttle and sort everything out. When the proper threads are all up, slide
a mini blind slat under the top warp layer and move it back until it rests on
top of the back beam. It won’t interfere with the “up” shed but will make sure
the slot threads rise high enough for a good “down” shed. Slide it back onto
the beam when you advance the warp.
My favorite warp separator lately is a strip of woven beach
mat I bought at Walgreens a few summers ago. I cut it to size using regular
scissors, the same width as the warp beam. It fits rather snugly so threads
don’t slip off the edge, and as it unrolls while you weave, it is easy to tell
how much of the warp you have woven so far. Best of all, the entire mat cost
about $2 on clearance. I got 2 strips from one mat, more than enough for any
length of warp on my Cricket.
Another tip I heard online somewhere, don’t recall where.
Someone said they take the core of a paper towel roll, cut it to size, slit it
from end to end and place it on the cloth beam to cover the knots. Works great!
The knots no longer distort the cloth as it winds on, and that helps a lot with
maintaining even tension. I used to put the mini blind slats into the cloth
roll as they fell off the warp beam to help with tension, but I no longer need
to bother with that. If anyone knows where this tip came from, I would love to
give credit!
Lastly, I have given up direct warping. Since I have other
looms, I already own a warping board. I much prefer winding a warp and then
threading the loom. It takes up much less space so I can do it when other
people are home, and I simply prefer to design that way. It seems to suit my
thought process better. If I want a stripe to have an odd number of threads, it
takes no extra thought or effort. It also makes it easier to change my mind
partway through.
Just one of these changes make a small difference in how much
I enjoyed my RH. Taken all together, they transform frustration into joy. If
you would like to share any tips that make weaving on your rigid heddle more
enjoyable, please post them in comments.
Next time: more on the project!
Next time: more on the project!
