2 October, 2016
an experiment:
hand spun singles tapestry weft
used as both warp and weft
in a balanced plain weave
on a backstrap loom
an experiment:
hand spun singles tapestry weft
used as both warp and weft
in a balanced plain weave
on a backstrap loom
3 October: It's working!
5 October: Never mind.
15 October: same yarn, trying again
16 October: not a single broken warp!
The only difference is twist.
18 October: MORE OF THIS
left = added twist; right = original yarn
But spinning everything twice is a waste of time.
Time for the super high speed flyer on my Lendrum Saxony Wheel (70/1 ratio)!!
Time for the super high speed flyer on my Lendrum Saxony Wheel (70/1 ratio)!!
But this flyer is a technical and sensitive creature,
most particular about the yarn it makes.
Anything under 4000 yards per pound and the yarn won't draw onto the bobbin, causing endless 'eyelashes' and a bobbin like a baby hedgehog.
Fewer fibers in the drafting triangle, however, and the yarn flows like water.
most particular about the yarn it makes.
Anything under 4000 yards per pound and the yarn won't draw onto the bobbin, causing endless 'eyelashes' and a bobbin like a baby hedgehog.
Fewer fibers in the drafting triangle, however, and the yarn flows like water.
Result: singles both finer and stronger than the early experiments,
cloth even more translucent -- the very thing I was after in the first place!
cloth even more translucent -- the very thing I was after in the first place!
A couple of weeks and several warps later, I had learned a great deal,
not least that when spinning a singles warp very very fast
each and every join must be perfect.
While I had no more actual breakage, a few areas grew worryingly fuzzy after repeated trips through the rigid heddle. PVA glue rubbed into the yarn with my fingers and allowed to dry (a scrap of wax paper keeps it from touching the other warp strands while it dries), fixed individual problems, but this is an emergency fix, not a long term plan.
Time for another experiment,
which I will have to write about next week as this has already gone on too long!
not least that when spinning a singles warp very very fast
each and every join must be perfect.
While I had no more actual breakage, a few areas grew worryingly fuzzy after repeated trips through the rigid heddle. PVA glue rubbed into the yarn with my fingers and allowed to dry (a scrap of wax paper keeps it from touching the other warp strands while it dries), fixed individual problems, but this is an emergency fix, not a long term plan.
Time for another experiment,
which I will have to write about next week as this has already gone on too long!
But before I go, a note on finishing the singles skeins:
When weaving with singles, some people like to let freshly spun yarn rest on the bobbin for a time (from a few days to many weeks) to calm down the twist. They then use the yarn, winding both warp and weft directly from the bobbins.
My preference, however, is to wind the singles onto a niddy noddy as soon as the bobbin is full, tie the skeins carefully in several places, dunk them in warm water, agitate the wildly twisted strands just a bit to help the fibers grip to one another (a very gentle fulling), and then dry them under tension with a smooth heavy rock tucked into the bottom of the skein.
When weaving with singles, some people like to let freshly spun yarn rest on the bobbin for a time (from a few days to many weeks) to calm down the twist. They then use the yarn, winding both warp and weft directly from the bobbins.
My preference, however, is to wind the singles onto a niddy noddy as soon as the bobbin is full, tie the skeins carefully in several places, dunk them in warm water, agitate the wildly twisted strands just a bit to help the fibers grip to one another (a very gentle fulling), and then dry them under tension with a smooth heavy rock tucked into the bottom of the skein.
All of this makes the yarn smooth, manageable and, I believe, a little bit stronger than it might otherwise have been. Also, I can weave sooner.
Another bath once the cloth is off the loom allows the fabric to bloom, releasing the temporarily tamed twist energy into the fabric itself.
Should I ever want the cloth to be less energetic, a hot iron and a camp press cloth--or lots of steam--will of course smooth it out.
OK -- now I really am done.
Back next week with "Sizing So Far"
Another bath once the cloth is off the loom allows the fabric to bloom, releasing the temporarily tamed twist energy into the fabric itself.
Should I ever want the cloth to be less energetic, a hot iron and a camp press cloth--or lots of steam--will of course smooth it out.
OK -- now I really am done.
Back next week with "Sizing So Far"
