Cameron Hunting Tartan Sample (first project)

This is only my second floor loom project. The first one was a baby blanket that I made in a weaving course about 25 years ago at the Sawtooth Center in Winston-Salem, NC. That blanket, sadly, was felted in the washing machine and then eaten by moths :-(

I recently bought myself a Bergå Savonia 8harness countermarch loom and this is the first project that I'm putting on it. My goal is to weave enough fabric in the "Cameron Hunting" tartan so that I can make a kilt for myself. I'm still undecided about whether a Great Kilt or a tailored modern one.

Anyway, first things first. To get an idea how all of this works, I decided to start with a small sample. I'm using 20/2 worsted-spun MORA (a Swedish wool) at 11 EPC (28 EPI). The full tartan pattern is about 17cm wide, so I decided to use 2 patterns of warp width (35cm) and put about 2 meters of warp on the loom. I just threaded and tied-up 4 harnesses and 4 treadles to start with. I'm using this project to figure out how the loom works, how the yarns work, how the pattern works and what the fabric will look like when finished. Once this project is done I will then decide how to proceed.

I wove the first 20cm or so (just past the first yellow horizontal stripe) and realized that the stripes were wavy (don't know why) and that I was beating too hard so that the checks are not square like they should be. In the next large blue horizontal stripe I tightened up the warp tension and started beating more lightly so that the checks would come out square. This seems to be working now. In order for the tartan to be "correct", I need to make sure that I have the same number of EPC/EPI in the warp and in the weft. The stripes are still not exactly straight and I'm not sure why that is. Any suggestions?

I'll post more comments/pictures as I go. Thanks for your interest/feedback/comments!

Nice colors. Looks like the start of a process. I also encountered the "wavy" and found it to be uneven tension. Look closely where the weft deviates and you see it happens with certain bout ties.
One other thing to preplan and consider it the twill angle. As shown in Teweksbury book you want the twill angle on the front of the finished kilt to go top left to bottom right on which you choose to be the face side of the cloth. So if the left selvege is the waist and the right the hem, the angle should run bottom right to top left as you see it on the loom. If you have done a standard twill tie up it is just a matter of treadling 4,3,2,1 instead of 1,2,3,4 to reverse the angle.
I also found out the hard way that 'achieving pattern square' is hard to do. I should have sleyed to the maximum the yarn would allow and there is always variation in the yarn itself as well as the beat by the reed.
Do post more photos-

I am not experienced at tartans, but I *have* been weaving awhile. I just wanted to say it is EXCELLENT you are sampling first. NICE colors, and nicely woven for a "reboot" after many years of not weaving! (Are you sure the wavy lines weren't caused by that glass or two of wine? ;-)

Upon first read, your sett sounded a bit open to me, but I would wait to make final judgement on your sett until after you wash a sample and see how the wool "blooms". 

I was told early on it is far easier (and faster) to resley than to try and change your beat *significantly* for the length of the yardage you plan to weave. 

Also, it looks like the fell line has evened out as you continued to weave. Could the waviness have been caused by the tie-on knots going over the breast beam unevenly or when they started to wrap around the front cloth beam? I typically pack my front beam (like the warp beam) with a few sticks at the base to keep the knots "covered", and I try to time my warp advancement to keep the knots either before or after the breast beam, but not right at the edge of it when weaving.

So you figured out to weave under tighter tension, and perhaps sley more densely. I might also consider using a temple. The last thing I would consider adjusting is my beat. If the blocks are a tad elongated in the warp direction, you may find that off loom and after washing, they ARE perfectly square. (So square on the loom may not be square once washed...) 

P.S. Don't forget to measure your samples — in the reed, off loom width and length, and then after washing, to collect take-up and shrinkage estimates to apply to the real project. Also, as this loom is new to you, now is a good time to note loom waste at the front and back for future project planning.

Gosh, good luck and can't wait to see more photos!

Thanks for your comment, Sally! Since this is a worsted-spun wool I don't actually expect it to "bloom" much, but you never know. I'll definitely wash it and take a close look before deciding what to do next.

I think the suggestion to resley the reed is an excellent idea. I actually wanted a somewhat heavier fabric than what I'm getting now, so packing the threads tighter will probably give me that too. It will allow me to beat hard and hopefully have the pattern come out square. As I have 2 meters of warp on the loom and loooong cords connecting the warp to the warp beam I'm not expecting much loom waste and I can probably try some different things before I use it all up.

Thanks again for your suggestions. So many things to think about! But I'm having fun with it so far :-)

Looks like your doing a fine job. But like anything "new" there is a learning curve. :)