So I've got my new-to-me Varpa set up for an 8H pattern. (I successfully wove a 4H pattern on it already, threading the treadles in every other hole in the lamms to keep them separated.) I am having quite a bit of difficulty depressing the correct treadle. My feet, which I think are average size, have a hard time stepping on just one treadle at a time. I have used Su Butler's trick of putting a clothespin betwen the treadles at the back of the loom on the treadle bar, but by the time those treadles 'float' all the way to the front of the loom, those spaces are gone.
Because my loom can accommodate 12 harnesses & treadles, I used holes 11, 10, 9, 8, 5, 4, 3, & 2 on both sets of lamms. That is, I left holes 12, 7, 6, & 1 empty. This way there's a decent space between treadles 4 & 5 so I can easily find those two. I can easily find treadles 1 & 8. It's 2, 3, 6, & 7 that present difficulty. Getting just one treadle REALLY slows me down.
For a bit of history, I've woven for several years on a 4H counterbalance (front hinge treadles) and an 8H Macomber (rear hinge treadles). IMHO, it's the fact that the Varpa's treadles float for the entire depth of the loom that causes me the difficulty.
I did read the other post on the Varpa/Toika group about treadle spacers (that's where I found Su's clothespin tip), and although mine didn't come with spacers, I'm not sure that they would really help me if I had them. I feel like putting a clothespin on one edge of the front of each treadle would serve me better, keeping those treadles apart.
So my question for countermarch loom users is this -- is this something that will simply take time to get used to, or am I doing something wrong, or is there something I am missing about either set up or 'tricks'?
Thanks!
Peg