It's been a while
since I've woven on
a continuous warp,

​and had forgotten
​ how delightful
it can be
​to slowly swirl
​an emerging tapestry
​around the top and bottom beams

as the prickly plants
gradually emerge,
a letter at a time.
(The names I use for the plants, that is,
​since I do not know what they call themselves). 

The length of the thing
means there is time and space
to notice unexpected words,

It has also been fun,
just after writing
Tucking The Tails,
to find another place
where the practice
of working in the ends as I go
adds moments
of enchantment
to weaving:
getting to glimpse
the elegance
of letters in reverse
out of the corner of my eye--
to admire grace of their shapes-- 
to relish the confusion of
of thinking a 'd'
is a 'p'
and trying to figure out
what word I had
 inadvertently written.
​
And how not to delight
in the dignified nod
of two 'r's
(distantly socializing as now is normal)
as they pass by, 
one going up, one down?

I'm weaving the letters
with naturally dyed wool.
The colors were a surprise
as at first I thought 
I'd write all the words
with black and charcoal fleece,
and I really appreciate 
the indigo and madder,
weld and lobaria pulmonaria,
insisting that they, too
​ get to promote
 the loveliness
of some of the sharp things
in my world.

The two-ply used coffee filter yarn
also had its way with me,
​thank goodness.
For though it is almost
too thick for a sett of 8 epi
(and anything but smoothly even),
it is a pleasure to touch,
to tap into place,
​to think about,
to make,
and to photograph. 

Using the two fibers together
does take a little getting used to--
 the extreme difference
in how each packs into place
 a little disconcerting
especially when I'm trying to count passes--
but I'm getting pretty good at eye-balling
how much the wool will pack down
in relation to the paper,
and the juxtaposition
of warm brown beads of coffee filter
against the smooth fuzz 
of fine spindle spun wool,
is a continual source of delight. 

Even if you're less
easily amused than I,
how not to adore
the exuberance
​of an 'e' coming to life?

I am hoping to fit
two more prickly things
onto the last few inches of the warp
and though am not quite sure there is room,
( the shed will be tiny no matter what
and I haven't even gotten to 
my list of local burrs),
I'm still going to try.

And luckily (hopefully)
I can soon put on another warp
for  apparently
my beloved PVC pipe loom
loves a good continuous one
as much as it loves four selvedge--
and there are so so many more
weirdly wonderful prickles
to investigate,
a letter at a time. 


ps. And in case you care about such specifics
 the warp is that merino/silk,
I wrote about back in May.
As you may recall
it didn't race my motor 
in the cloth samples I was weaving then,
but it does make a glorious warp
as I had hoped (3 ply for this tapestry),
​and I'm delighted that I have plenty more.

Oh goody--
back to the blog
after a whirligig of a month.

Except -- 
this business of typing words--
​ I think I must be rusty.

(Listening to Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi 
and here with Yo Yo Ma)

(Ki/Kin Pronouns from Robin Wall Kimmerer )

And oh yes,
a chemo holiday
​ is an amazing thing.

Well, if I hadn't just spent
half the morning
(and a good portion of yesterday evening)
​with my iPad camera 
pointed at this little tapestry,

​I might have gotten
to writing to you
​a while ago.

marveling at the light playing with its facets,
and noticing
how a slight shift of angle
could render it
 statuesque ​from one direction, 

Outside the frame of the camera
it is actually somewhat diminutive--
here is my friend Poppy for scale--
and though I made the darned thing,
the relative power of framing and angle
is still a surprise. 

At any rate,
I had a lovely time weaving this tapestry 
(on a PVC pipe loom as you can see--
one of my all time faves for some weird reason)
 though what I actually made
​turned out to be not at all
what I imagined when I began.

The original point
was to let each facet
explore some color theory idea
​and see what happened.

I planned to
mess around with
hue, saturation, triads,
split compliments,
or relative warmth--
whatever grabbed my fancy.

But as so often happens these days,
after only a few little squares
I was the one that was saturated
and almost unwove
those first busy reddish-orange shapes--
even though I loved them--
as it felt like it was going to be
just too much in no time at all.

But before I could begin undoing though,
I remembered a thing Archie Brennan once said,
about changing your perception of yesterday's red,
by adjusting the colors you weave with today.
Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact quote
(Archie was a supremely quotable fellow
and I'm sure he said it with with perfect pith and pointedness 
so if you read/heard him say it, please let me know his real words),
but the principle was just what I needed.

So on I went.

And now that I think about it,
my variations on a theme of cream
actually has a little analogous/value stuff going on,
so I guess I got in a bit of inadvertent
​color theory practice after all.

At any rate,
since Marjorie asked
for more filter cutting/spinning info
in last week's comments,
​choosing these colors 
gave me a chance to try
to film a few of the steps.

Naturally, I got totally involved in that idea
but not being a video gal,
 had to cut quite a few attempts at filming
before I had something that made sense. 
And then,
even though I deleted a lot of footage,
 realized it would take forever
to upload all the video onto this post
so put them into the
"highlights" of my Instagram page.
You can see them by clicking
the three little circles under my name.
(Start with the circle on the right).
Below are two snippets  to give you an idea
of what I was about.
At the very least, the sound of hte scissors
​is weirdly soothing.

For those who would prefer still photos
this blog post  also has some how-to-cut pix
that cover essentially the same territory.

And now I've gone on and on as usual,
but before I close 
I do once again want to say
how VERY much I appreciate 
your supportive, kind, and heartwarming comments
which are more helpful than you can imagine
in the midst of this double  (or maybe quadruple?)
c-word moment:
cancer/chemo/coronavirus/Covid19.
And to show you that for the time being
we're well protected (after a fashion),
I'll end with a photo of the freshly blocked
Somewhat Slanted  Suit of Armor
I just finished for Dan--
(huge though it is, at 2 sts/in the knitting flew along).
As you might gather,
he's a teensy bit taller than me --like a foot, actually--
but suddenly, I'm thinking
that with slightly shorter arms,
I could sure do with
​ a Somewhat Slanted Dress)

I hope you are well
and staying safe
(at home if you can be there,
at work if you cannot),
and send a silent cheer to you/us  all.

Does anyone else get a thrill
when an idea that seems fixed
is suddenly turned on its head?
This happened to me just a few weeks ago
and I'm beside myself with delight.

I've been writing about PVC Pipe looms
since about 2003
when I first began to work 
​on my book Kids Weaving.
There, we used these looms
to weave inkle shoelaces, blankets,
scarves, bags, a ​tapestry dog collar,
​ and even knotted pile.

It's not a perfect loom by any stretch,
but it does have some serious advantages:
-- simple to make with readily available hardware store materials.
--easy to assemble (and disassemble),
--an adaptable design, 
-- inexpensive (esp compared with almost any other loom on the market)
--homely (everything you weave will look better than your loom)
--portable (you can weave almost anywhere)

I've blogged about them several times:
-October 2015: PVC Pipe Loom
-January 2016: Four Selvedge Tutorial
-February 2016: Long Warp/ Short Loom (continuous warping)

They are also an important component of Fringeless,
(the Four Selvedge class with Rebecca Mezoff),
and I use them regularly in my work.

For all these years though,
and in all these places, 
I've put the floating tension bar
at the bottom of the loom.
Then Judy Smith, 
who chose to build a PVC loom for the Fringeless Class,
put her tension bar at the TOP!
Judy shared a photo on the Fringeless private facebook group
and though I am not on facebook,
Rebecca thought I should see the fabulous work Judy had done.
She (Rebecca), thought she was showing me tapestry,
little knowing that I would get double the pleasure
when I also caught a glimpse
of the configuration of Judy's loom.

Of course I promptly had to try it --
and the reality was even better than I imagined.

The main difference is in the ease of set-up,
as the floating bar does not have to be
held in position with tape
while the warp is put on
(as shown in the third drawing at the top of this post).
It simply hangs in position
while the warp is wound on.

​Another advantage is that
 the weaving area is several inches lower 
so considerably easier on a weaver's back.
​
Also, the tension straps are out of the way
​leaving more room to work.

Alas, I don't have a photo of Judy's Loom and Tapestry
but happily Judy gave me permission to share her thoughts,
and here is what she has to say:
Love my pvc loom. I think I set it up that way because I was used to the top bar being tensioned when I did Navajo style weaving. A little more about that loom: most of the loom is made of the heavier pvc (#40 something) 1” size. It is all lined with the thickest wooden dowels that will fit inside in an effort to prevent bending. The “tension bar” is a 1 1/4” dowel. That will not bend. That bar just happened to fit into a slightly different pvc (must have been 1 1/4”) that both held the sturdy wooden bar and slid on the 1” pvc side bars. 
Love the fringeless technique. Being used to Navajo weaving, I hated dealing with fringe when a piece was finished. If weaving an actual rug (really going to put it on the floor), then I would want the toughness of the Navajo edges. But for all else- I sure love the fringeless.

Wow, Judy --
this is so helpful, both to me
and to anyone else who might want to try a PVC Loom.
Though I, too, have reinforced the PVC with interior dowels,
it is not a thing I've done for a while
and I appreciate the reminder. 
As for the position of the tension bar --
the idea is so wonderful and obvious that I feel a bit dense
for never having thought of it in all these years,
and can't thank you enough
for your vision
and for blowing my mind.
​Sharing ideas is just the BEST.

​One of these fine days I might get it together
to draw an instruction booklet 
on ways to warp this loom,
but for now, the links above will have to do.
Kids Weaving, though now out of print,
is also still a great source of information--
copies can be found at close to the original price.
And now we have Judy's idea 
that I get to add to the PVC Loom canon
and share here, with you. 

So now that I've waxed nostalgic
from looking at Kids Weaving
and thinking of the grand time we had
making stuff on those looms,
 I'll close with this photo
 taken in the late 1990s by Jodi Gear
(of the Pigment-dyed coffee filters I wrote about last week).

It feels astonishing to me
that I  still have the dress (if not the hair),
am still making yarn to weave with,
and happily,
still have a thing or two
or ten
​ to learn
​about all of it.

You will need:
-Frame loom (PVC, Copper, Galvanized etc) with tension device ​
-Warp Stick:  dowel 1/2 or  3/4 inch in diameter, approximately 1" shorter than inside width of the loom 
-Straps or string for suspending warp stick
-Warp: yardage= circumference of weaving area (top to bottom plus an inch or two) x sett x warp width
-Scissors
-Tape

1. Set up loom 
a. Make sure it is square and that the tension mechanism is in a position that allows you to add (and perhaps also subtract),  tension later. 
b. Mark warp stick and top and bottom bars of loom with increments of your choice (in or cm).
 I usually do the marking on a piece of tape so I can change it later. For a sett of 8 epi, the marks can be 1/8 inch apart 

 2.  Position warp stick at a comfortable height for warping (eye level is good whether you are sitting or standing) and secure with string or straps. 
-Make sure it is level (or approximately level).  Make sure your loom is level too...
 - check to make sure that the center of top bar, bottom bar and warp stick line up 

3. Attach warp to stick with half bow
to the left of center, half the planned width of your warp
​ (i.e. for a 4" wide warp, tie two inches to the left of center).

 a. Beginning at  the warp stick,
bring your yarn down and under the bottom bar of  loom (front to back)
 -in the case of a PVC loom with straps see illustration above-
b. All the way up the back and over the top bar (back to front)
c.  Down and under the Warp Stick (back to front reversing direction)
d. Back up and over the top bar
e. All the way down the back and under the bottom bar (back to front)
f. Up and over the warp stick (back to front, reversing direction again)

repeat from a.

NOTE 1: for a sett of 8 dpi, warp strands will be 1/8" apart where they go over the top and under the bottom beams.  On the Warp Stick the alternate loops will also be 1/8 inch apart
  -- try to keep warp evenly spaced (it is easier to deal with and to count this way), but exact positioning is not critical. You will have the opportunity to adjust later

NOTE 2: check periodically to make sure the winding pattern is correct and that the yarn running up the back does not cross over to the front.  If you have accidentally done this,  unwind to that point and redo it

Continue in this pattern until you have the number of warp ends you need.
one full repeat makes two warp ends

Temporarily tie or tape the end of the yarn to the warp stick before adjusting tension​.
 A double half hitch works well as you can take up the slack without untying it.

5. Adjust tension: 
Pull on the first strand on one side above the warp stick, then on the adjacent one below the stick to take up slack. Repeat across.  Then do it again -- not to make it  more tight, but to make it more even.  Run your fingers lightly across the warp at the back; when you are done it will feel even and all the strands should stop wiggling at about the same rate.
Tie the end firmly to the warp stick. (I use a half bow again)

​6. Adjust  position of loops  on the warp stick
 The loops should be 1/8" apart (one facing up, 1/8 inch space, then one facing down). 

7. Remove string/ straps holding stick in place
and pull down on the stick, sliding it closer to the bottom of the loom (approx 4 inches above the bottom beam).  Note how the warp rotates around the loom. If you have made the warp very tight, you may have to release a little bit of tension to do this. 
When it is in position, tighten tension so it stays put.
  NOTE:  On a frame loom without an intrinsic tension device it might be possible to add tension by using shims -- sticks shoved between the warp and the top and bottom parts of the frame -- to add and release warp tension. 

8. Adjust position of warp at top and and bottom beam.

11. Half Hitches with craft thread
Before starting to weave, I tie double half hitches around each warp end just above the twining.
This makes extra sure that the tapestry stays in place when it is cut from the loom.  
When the tapestry is done, I repeat the double half hitches at the top before cutting off.

Now start weaving as you would on any warp.

When the fell gets uncomfortably high, advance the warp by loosening the tension on the loom and moving the warp stick until the fell is again in a comfortable position. 

The stick will soon slide under the bottom bar of the loom (this needs a VERY loose warp), and then continue up the back over time as you advance the warp.

I usually stop before the stick comes back over the top bar, but it is possible to keep going as long as you can make a shed.

Well, I think that's it!
 Hope things are clear for those who want this info.  Most of this is repeated in a slightly different form in my book Kids Weaving, so if you have the book, you're all set.
​ Happily it is due to be re-issued in the spring of 2017 so then I can just refer to it
​
Next week I plan to be back to my usual meanderings.
Nuff with the instructions, eh?

Four Selvedge Overview:
1. Wind your warp around a jig
​2. Lash that warp to a loom, top and bottom, with supplementary warps
3. Weave your tapestry
4. Remove the supplementary warps
5. Done!

The resulting tapestry will have no fringe  and thus need no hemming. This technique resembles the Navajo approach to warping except that one can  easily open the shed all the way to the top of the tapestry so there is no need to cram in the last rows.
​

You will need:

-Fine, Strong warp (Actual Warp)
-Fine strong cord for supplementary warps (I use Fly Line Backing)
-Loom with a tension mechanism
- A Jig
-Shed Sticks
-Tape (masking or painters blue)
-Scissors
-Ruler/ tape measure
- Weft for your tapestry!

At the end of these instructions is an appendix of sorts with more info on warp, jig and loom variations.  
​

1.  Wind Actual Warp
​
a. Measure out your warp of choice and wind it onto a bobbin.
Calculation: Jig Circumference x sett x width of tapestry= ammt. of warp you will need
 --jig circumference = tape measure circled once around the bars of the jig--

b. Tie a half bow on the bottom bar of the jig (something you can undo easily)
and wind 1 complete round for each warp end planned. 
 --The warp should be even and snug but not tight--
​Make sure the strands so not overlap

-b. When done,  break off warp leaving a 6 - 8 inch tail
Attach the  tail to the bottom bar of the jig in some way that can be easily undone and adjusted:
--Half bow, two half hitches, or tape as below--

c. Attach Jig to Loom if not already there

d. Adjust warp tension.
Pull on alternate strands with even pressure
taking up the slack as you go across.
I usually do this 2 - 3 times 
using the same amount of tension with my fingers each time.
----The strands should be firm and even but not tight.-----
Do NOT make it tighter and tighter with each trip across.
Try not to bend the bars of your jig.
If you run your finger across the warp you can feel the tight and loose places, if any.

e. Adjust spacing at top and bottom of jig

2. Supplementary Warp #1

a Wind fly line backing onto a bobbin, or slim stick--a pencil would probably work
--It doesn’t matter if you run out as you can knot one piece of supplementary warp to another--

b. Untie half bow at beginning and tie it to the fly line backing.
--I use an overhand bow, my go-to knot for this technique--

c.  Center First Warp
​Bring the bobbin around the bottom bar of loom,
  circle it around itself, then back around the bottom bar to the front.
​(see two photos below)
The warp end end is now centered on the bottom bar of the loom 

d. Begin Lashing on
Slide the bobbin through the front of the first warp loop,
down and around the bottom bar
then up to grab the second warp loop.
--Pull each loop so that the bottom of the actual warp loop is ever so slightly below the jig. This is an easy way to tell that you are putting the same amount of tension on each loop and that the supplementary warp is neither too slack nor too tight--

e. Continue across, carefully spacing the supplementary warp and keeping the tension consistent.

 f.  When you reach the last warp
Untie the end of the Actual Warp from the jig and use the supplementary warp to circle around and center it on the bottom beam as you did at the beginning. 
Wind both strands in opposite directions around the bottom beam then tie together firmly.
​ --I use a half bow as usual with a half hitch around the loop to make sure it doesn’t come untied--
(see photos below)
If you are not a knot person, it is possible to use tape to hold the ends in place, but make sure it is good and solid as there will be increased tension as you weave and it is not fun if your warp loosens up and you are fighting with it rather than appreciating its wonderousness.

-- Before untying the end tail, I sometimes put a temporary piece of  masking/ blue tape over the loops at the top of the jig to keep the tension even while the end is untied--

3.  Supplementary Warp #2
Note: there should be 12 - 18 inches between the top of your jig and the top of the loom. This allows you to get a good shed to the top of your tapestry which is, after all, the point of this whole enterprise.
a. Wind more fly line backing onto a bobbin if necessary
b.  Tie the end to the top beam of the loom

c. Bring the supplementary warp down, scoop up a loop of warp at the top of the jig,
 bring the bobbin back up and over the top of the loom.  Repeat across

--this is just like what you did with supplementary warp #1 only with longer strands and without the  tension tension of the loose tails at beginning and end--  

5.  Weave in Shed Sticks
​— you can see that each warp end consists of  two strands together--

 6. Add Guide Strings if you like them
-Once upon a time I thought I didn't need them but have since become addicted to the ease of having a constant visual selvedge reference, esp. on small work where slight variation is so obvious--

7.  Weave your tapestry. 

10. Lock the tapestry in place
a. Select a piece of yarn several inches longer than the width of your warp. 
--This could be the weft you are using if it is strongish, or a piece of the actual warp, if it is wool--
Thread it on a blunt needle and either bury the end in the body of the tapestry or leave it dangling to weave in later.

b. Untwist each supplementary warp loop
then slide the needle through the Actual Warp loop.
Run your finger down between each strand of supplementary warp to remove the twist that has accumulated as pictured below. The twist will go into the actual warp.
-- Not every bit of twist has to be gone, but removing a highly twisted supplementary warp is harder than an untwisted one and can put undesired pressure and friction on your actual warp loops--
(See next three photos for details).

c. Repeat across top of warp
CHECK to make sure you have caught all the loops
​
d.  Bury the end in the body of the tapestry, or leave dangling to sew in later

11. Release the Tapestry

a. Untie the end of supplementary warp #2 from the top of the loom and pull it out of the loop at the top of the tapestry.
--Pull GENTLY — if you yank you could potentially snap the loop.  This is fixable, but not desirable--

b. Continue  across.
If you come to a knot, snip it.
--As you free the loops of the tapestry, the strand of removed supplementary weft will become awkwardly long, so even if there are no knots yet (on your first one for instance), you’ll eventually want to cut the fly line backing. You can tie the ends together using an overhand knot looped twice. Test the knots for strength the next time you make a supplementary warp. 

c. Repeat at the bottom, removing supplementary warp #1
I have a video of this on my Instagram Feed (@sarahcswett)

d. Your tapestry is now free.

Appendix:
More on Warp Yarn, Looms and Jigs

1. Fine, strong warp — definition of fine is loose. Experiment.
I generally weave at a sett of 8 - 10 epi.
Yarn I’ve used: 
Brown Sheep Weaver’s Warp (1,100 yards per pound)— a singles
Brown Sheep Fingering 2 ply at 2800 yards per pound
(yes, it is knitting yarn but  if you're gentle it works well for very small tapestries).
Handspun in a variety of weights — usually two ply at 2-3000 yards per pound,
Romney, Coopworth, Lincoln, Wenslydale or some other strong fleece is recommended to start.

Cotton seine twine works and is popular, but I don’t use it for tapestry so can’t speak to what size would be appropriate. Wool is my warp fiber of choice for a number of reasons, not least how good it feels on my fingers.


2. Cord for supplementary warp
My favorite: Fly Line Backing
— very fine, very strong, slightly waxy so holds tension well and is easy to remove--
Fine Seine twine works here too but in my early experiments I found that it wore out after only a few uses (snapping at inappropriate moments), and as I said above it annoys my hands. 
But you get to experiment and make up your own mind.
 And do me (and others) know what you discover.


3. and 4.
LOOMS and JIGS

3. LOOM with Tension Mechanism
As I've mentioned before, most of my weaving is done on black or galvanized pipe looms
based on Archie Brennan Plans (link below)
For big tapestries I use 1 +" pipe.
The looms pictured here are built of 1/2" or 1/8" pipe
--black and galvanized pipe come in the same sizes so work together though the black is less expensive--

Here are links to Archie's plans
Archie Brennan Style Copper and Archie Brennan Galvanized
(Both sets of loom plans are on this page -- scroll down)

Here are links to inexpensive variations
-PVC version of Archie's Copper Pipe Loom from Vancouver Yarn
-PVC loom with strap tension from Kids Weaving
-Simplified version of PVC Strap Tension Loom as in photo above

Mirrix Looms are also excellent frame looms with adjustable tension.
-- I've never woven on one myself but many of my students swear by them and have used them for four selvedge warps with great success-- 

A rigid heddle loom genius could probably figure out how to use one for four selvedge warping but as I've never done it, I don't really know.  Let me know if you do though!


Jig
-A tied on jig (pictured above left with the PVC Loom)
-​A quick and dirty jig using dowels and pieces of PVC Pipe
(pictured above right. Click here or more photos and discussion of this).
-Michael Rohde's Jig (sounds like a dance tune) pictured below and in most of the photos in this  blog post. Note that there are several sets of holes in the side bars of this jig so it can be used for a variety of tapestry sizes, or to weave a bunch of tapestries exactly the same size--
-Some cool new variation you just thought of and can't wait to try.

So here we are at the end of a very long blog post.
I'm glad to have this out in the world
If you have questions, ask.
Next week, I'll aim for something a teensy bit shorter...

​And don't forget to go to Terry Olson's Site
tomorrow (Wednesday, 6 January 2016) on the ATA Blog Tour
Can't wait to hear what she has to say!

I got a good start writing down the PVC Tapestry Loom information

To Build The Loom You will Need:

1 10' (300 cm) length 3/4" PVC Pipe
cut as follows:

2 24" (60 cm) pieces
2 12" (30cm) pieces
1 11.5" (28.5 cm) piece
​4 8" (20 cm) pieces
2 2" (5cm) pieces

Pipe Fittings:
4 3/4" 90 degree elbows
4 2/4" Ts
2 1" x 1" x 3/4" Ts

1 12" (30cm) piece of 3/4 " wooden dowel

2 2' (60cm) strong utility (aka camping/ sleeping bag) straps with easy to use buckles

Some Tape

(note that the drawing above does not include elbows on the feet, but the photo below does, if you were wondering what the other two 90 degree elbows are used for)

Even labeled the sketch .

 But then when it came to describing how to put on a continuous warp,
which is the thing I really wanted to talk about,
I didn't get as far as I would have liked --
at least not far enough to put the instructions here.

I've attached a few photos for the ambitious though,
because who could resist?

The Photos and drawings above are for
a simple tensioned frame loom
without a shedding device.
Sadly, I really didn't provide enough information to work with.
But if you want to try anyway, read on
because....
Kids Weaving has plans and straightforward instructions
for building, warping and using a PVC loom.
The version in the book uses a little more pipe
because it includes a shedding mechanism
but it'll work perfectly well for tapestry
as well as for scarves and blanket strips
and bags and shoe laces and a dog collar and....

Kids Weaving is secretly,
or maybe not so secretly,
​for makers of all ages--
 pipe looms
an integral part of my
secret plan for weavers
to take over the universe, 
 bringing peace and joy
​and fabric to all.

Come on! Let's do it.