I am encountering an issue with warp tension while weaving damask with half-heddle sticks. Several warp threads, all where the pattern is (most in the center), have become loose which is resulting in an unclean shed on several, but not all, of the treadles. I have weighed the loose ends but new (or the same it's a bit hard to tell) ends have become loose. I would appreciate any suggestions on how to correct the issue.
I am weaving a 6-end broken twill with 8 half-heddles (Wreaths from Weavers' Delight) using 16/2 Unmercerized Cotton in the warp and weft sett at 40 epi on a Glimakra Julia Countermarch. I am using elastic bands on the shafts and have tied all the lower lamms to the outer treadle which corrected an issue I had previously with floating shafts using this method (thank you to Joanne Hall for these suggestions).
The usual approach to loosening warp threads is to weight them. This results in the threads continuing to stretch and cause difficulty for the length of the warp.
When you come to a "stopping point" between 2 pieces on your warp, try to pull those threads tight on the fell line and secure with straight pins as you would a broken end - possibly even consider breaking them and re-fastening them with even tension. This will put all threads under even tension and you can continue without needing to pay attention to the weighted threads any more.
Sara has given you some very good suggestions for dealing with your problem. But for your next warp, it would help if you beam the warp more tightly. Any time you weave with half heddle sticks, a drawloom or any type of pick up weave, you will be pulling more on some warp threads than on others. This requires that the warp be put on the warp beam very tightly, so that the warp threads you are stressing do not get loose.
When I beam a warp, I lay out the warp chains on the floor. I put a towel under the warp and covered bricks on top. I show this in my warping book. When you start winding the warp, you should feel the weight enough so that it is hard to turn the warp beam. If it is easy to turn, add more weight.
If you have a long warp on the loom and you plan to weave several items, you might want to rebeam after you are finished with the one you are weaving.
Joanne
Thank you. I'll try this solution on the current warp.
Thank you. I'm glad to have a solution to try and prevent this issue on my next warp.
