I was going to do a scarf of 60/2 silk.  I have never warped threads thinner than 20/2.  Is there a preferred way to measure and wind on the warp?  I am very worried about excessive tangling.  I typically warp from front to back....

Comments

Fri, 10/03/2014 - 04:23

Sara von Tresckow

This might be a good time to try warping from the back to the front - especially if you are planning to put more than one thread in a dent in your reed.

The tangles that come with front to back stem often from having 2 or 3 threads in a reed dent and not keeping the correct order of the cross when threading the heddles.

Fri, 10/10/2014 - 08:15

Andrew Kieran (not verified)

Sara is right.

F2B might be simple to begin with, but it's a right pain in the long run. B2F warping is my favourite method. That being said, there's more than one way to skin a cat, and I know about 4 ways to warp Back 2 Front, so it all depends on the width and length of your warp, what equipment you're using, how much space you have and whether you have a friend to help you with the beaming.

Fri, 10/10/2014 - 23:58

sandra.eberhar…

I also use BTF, which is especially good for fine or difficult yarns.  I would worry about dragging fine silk through heddles and reed twice in FTB.  That said, if you decide to use FTB, you need to transfer the cross through the reed, so you don't lose the order in multiple threads per dent.  You tension the warp after sleying, raise one of the lease sticks to give you a shed through the reed, and capture this with a lease stick after the reed.  Repeat with the other lease stick, and thread from this new cross.

Sat, 10/11/2014 - 18:02

JPMorabito

Starch the warp. While it's still on the warping board/mill starch the warp with a spray starch (niagara works well). It will prevent tangling and strengthen the threads. It washes out easily after weaving. You usually only need it with extremely fine yarns, but it's good for sticky warps and getting used to finer yarns. Also, be sure to wind narrow bouts, no more than 4 or 5 inches in a single bout. Other than that I agree, beam and dress back to front.