Little Bit of White

Linen has very little elasticity and is not very forgiving of tension
errors, but it is well worth the challenge of learning to work with it. First, linen is stronger wet than dry.  Keep a humidifier going if your place is at all dry. Or, mist the warp, being careful that it is dry before winding onto the cloth beam.  You can also add more sizing at the loom (messy, but do-able).  I'm guessing that your warp packing has something to do with the tension problems.  Single layers of newspaper are too thin (brown paper bags will work) and towels are probably too soft.  Good luck!

Laurie Autio

Laurie,

thanks for that. I'm learning first hand that you're probably right that towels are too soft - too springy really. With the newspaper I did not think of it in terms of thickness as you mentioned but in hind sight I can see that that is a contributing factor.

I'm wondering if - since I prefer working with linen - it might not be a good idea to buy a roll of canvas and use that instead of paper/towel. I've seen other folks doing it with better success.

I had thought about misting the warp as I went along - hmmm.

I've not worked out how to "wet finish" linen while spinning it on a wheel without being covered in damp sticky linen and looking like a prickly yeti - but I keep trying.

I absolutely love working with linen, spinning it and weaving it. But there are a few . . . "kinks" to be worked out (grin).

To stay neat, put a towel in your lap. Only one hand goes in the water and does the smoothing and that hand only holds spun yarn. The dry hand does the drafting and touches loose fiber only.

Me too re loving that linen. I love the smell, too...

The project looks lovely.

Linen really isn't ideal on a rigid heddle (which I am assuming you are working with).  Pushing the heddle up and down will make the top of one shed tight, then the bottom of the next shed tight.  A rigid heddle loom is not deep enough to handle this with such an inelastic thread.  You may stretch one set of threads or run into other difficulties.  If you love linen (and I certainly do, particularly for lace), see if you can try it on someone's larger floor loom.  Or, you might consider building yourself a "countermarch" rigid heddle with a deeper frame.  This could have two rh, both of which would be moved to make each shed (one up, one down).  Each would move half the distance the current rh moves, and the stress on both layers would be equal. 

Also, look for a copy of Linda Heinrich's "Linen: from flax seed to cloth" and Kati Meek's "Reflections From A Flaxen Past : For Love of Lithuanian Weaving".

The canvas may work or still be soft (lots of variation in canvas).  You don't want the linen to sink in.  Some folks use sticks, blinds, vinyl wallpaper, heavier roller shades, etc. The old-fashioned paper bags are free, available, and easy to cut to width.  They do need to be the heavier type.

Laurie Autio

Hi Debbe,

Thanks for your kind words.

Your idea of having the towel on your lap . . . that might work. I've been thinking of a similar idea but to use a damp sponge and have the spun thread pass over the sponge before being wound on. This way - in theory at least - both hands stay dry. But I think I'll try your method first - sounds simpler.

Hi Laurie,

Yes, I can see that a RH loom is not strictly speaking ideal for home spun (thought I've had no problems using it for store bought linen thread). When weaving linen on my Ashford I don't use the reed as a beater, this greatly reduces the stress (and frizzing) on the warp. Instead I use either an extra long shuttle, or a long plastic ruler (because it has a beveled edge) as a beater.

A floor loom is out of the question - I simply don't have space. Though I have been "adapting" my existing loom to do some fun things with it so you're idea of making my own countermarch might be something to play with.

Your suggestion of the Lithuanian book is wonderful - I'm Slovak and have been looking at finding a similar book for Slovak patterns, history, tradition. Sometimes I wonder if I had known when I was in my early 20's what I know now (in terms of being very interested in weaving) I would have asked my great-grandmother to tell me her stories (she grew up in the late 1800s in "the Empire" he he he. I often wonder now if she learned as a young girl how to spin and weave. Sadly she's been dead for more than 15 years now. I'll look up the Lithuanian book - it might point me in the right direction (grin).

Your right of course - what I've noticed with the news paper (to roll on) is that linen slips around, gets tangled, and one layer almost cuts into the layer below. With the towels - everything stays in place, but the towels (even very thin ones) are simply too springy - so I'll have to look into some of the other suggestions you've made.

Respects,

a

Hi, I haven't done much weaving of linen, but I can see a couple of things that might help you. I definitely agree with Laurie that you should wind your warp with something other than newspaper or towels. When you wind your warp on the back beam it needs to slip around on the final step, and not cut in. Newspaper lets it cut in and the towels won't slip properly when you tighten the warp. Heavy brown kraft paper works great, so does Tyvek house wrap. When you wind on the warp, you need tension at the front of the loom. If you use a length of PVC pipe with a cord through it, you can spread the warp evenly on the pipe, tie the safety cord, and tie on a weight (gallon water jug or whatever) As you wind the warp it should slide towards the loom with even, gentle tension. After you've threaded the heddle and tied to the front apron, you tighten the warp on the back beam. At this point, the paper will slide around and the warp will tighten up throughout its length. The beam will make a few additional complete turns in this process. Sliding is good, and if the threads can't cut into your paper, they won't catch and tangle. Towels or canvas won't gently even out the tension, so it will continuously change as you advance your warp. Check my post in the efficient weaver group for a tip on warping the Ashford rigid heddle with one peg, as you have mentioned that this is the method you use.

And I really like Laurie's suggestion of two heddles.

I almost forgot to mention. I too use a long shuttle as a beater instead of the heddle. Whatever you use must be VERY smooth. I make my own and sand, sand, sand. Then give them a really slick finish with some beeswax and linseed oil melted together.

You can also bolt on a warp extender to your rigid heddle to spread out the stress.  It's a very simple woodworking project, and removeable to save on storage space.  I think there are pictures in Faith Nunneley's Thrums book (a lovely book of hints and tips, try interlibrary loan or used bookstores).  You can buy a wooden weaving sword (or make one) with a simple beveled edge which would work better than a shuttle or ruler.  A lot of the floor looms fold to take very little space, not much more than the rh loom leaned up against a wall.

Kati's book is well written, with information that would be applicable to much Slovak weaving, I think.  There are also books of patterns (Dover) from this area, supposedly for embroidery, but looking like they were originally woven in.  Good for pickup on any loom.  Have fun!

Laurie Autio

Hi Laurie,

If you're describing what I think you are I played with that (in a very crude fashion) yesterday while working on the weaving and it made a big difference in the ease with which I could run up a few cm of weaving. I'll have to look into a more secure version via your suggestion.

Thanks for that I'm really liking the idea of the weighted PVC pipe . . . hmm maybe for next time.