. . . do you need to start warping your loom? For each weaver (and project) answer is different. This fact was brought home to me dramatically this week.
I have always leaned toward long warps. I like putting on an all white warp and changing the tie-up and color as I go to create new patterns. I have taken the long warp to the extreme on the loom on which I weave the huck lace hand towels. The last warp I put on that loom was 125 yards long. This makes sense since the towels are production items for my website and Etsy shop. With that long of a warp I am always prepared to weave a towel to fill an order if my inventory is low on a particular color.
Just last week I noticed I “Only” had about 30 yards left on that warp. Oh No!! There was actually a feeling of panic setting in. I have been chuckling about it and giving others a good laugh too. I still have a couple of months of weaving before I will need to re-warp the loom.
Our local Guild is sponsoring a workshop next month. I am one of the people responsible for making the arrangements for the workshop. Yesterday I met with the other person I am helping with the workshop. The warp yarns for the looms had arrived and we decided how they should best be distributed to the weavers taking the workshop. Looking at the small balls of yarn in the bags made me laugh. My mind sees them more as leftovers than “warps.” You can tell it has been a LONG time since I have done a sample warp. LOL - the warp I am weaving samples on for my COE started at 15 yards!!!
So how much yarn do YOU need to start warping your loom? Are you happy with a few balls of yarn or do you need several cones at hand before you are ready? Me, I fall into the several cones and a spare category. And yes, I do have the reputation in my Guild of being a bit manic . . .
February 15th, 2008 at 8:41 am
WOW! 125 yards. I have never even put 30 yards on my loom. I think 12 yards was my limit. I was weaving some linen huck-lace towels. But by the time I got to the end of that warp I was frustrated with the tension because the edges, where the pattern always wove plain weave, had become much tighter than the rest where lace alternated with plain weave. I used weights to even things out, but it was frustrating nevertheless. Of course, I wove the entire 12 yards before taking it off the loom. I suppose that if you are cutting off the towels every few yards you could even things back out again. It is hard for me to imagine what that warp would have been like after 125 yards.
However, the two biggest things that keep me from putting on very long warps (and I would consider the 30 yards you have left very long), are that I have only one loom, and I work full time so do not get to spend as much time at the loom as I would like. It takes me longer than I would like to complete a project and I always have another project itching to get on the loom. Right now I am weaving some dishtowels for my friend who made my daughters wedding cake…4 months ago. I woud like to be working on a baby blanket for another friend who just had a baby.(Actually I would like to have had it done so I could have given it to her when she was born.) So I have learned that projects that require 10 yards or less (usually less) are a better choice for me. Someday (hopefully within this year) I will add another loom. And I can even see me adding a third. Once that happens, I might feel more freedom to put on a long warp, although I am not sure my definition of long will ever quite measure up too yours!
February 16th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Cathy,
You are so right! Time constraints are a major reason not to put long warps on a loom. My husband keeps asking me why I don’t weave the towels on the bigger AVL loom since it is my favorite. I would love to, but it is not practical to tie up that loom with towels when the smaller AVL works so well for them. This way I am always ready to weave more towels if needed.
He shakes his head even more when I put a warp on the Baby Wolf to weave scarves. Since I can only “weave” on one at a time he wonders why I need to have all three warped with different projects.