I have a bought a four shaft weaving loom. I have just finished off a rag rug as it already had some weaving on the loom and repaired what needed repairing. Now I am wanting to try something more substantial (it had only been set up using 2 shafts) I am wanting to have a go at a pattern. I googled patterns and came up with this pattern on http://allfiberarts.com/2011/blsummerwinter.htm 

I think from the pattern the warp is in two colours both 8 'threads long and the 1st,3rd,5th and 7th 'thread' for colour 1 goes into the back shaft, none go into the 3rd sahft (but do for the 2nd colour) into the 3rd shaft goes thread 2 and 6 and 4th thread is 4 and 8. Now i think Im not sure. Do you use shat 4, then2,4,2,4,3,2,1 etc or what?

 

People keep writing to try so and so book but I just want to have a quick go to see if weaving suits. Can anyone suggest sopmething simple which kinda says take 80 yards of wool. thread up your loom with a piece of wool going through each shaft in turn and the weave by taking shaft 1,3,2,4 with a different color. 

MAny thanks

PAul

Comments

Claudia Segal (not verified)

On Weavolution you can go to the Drafts tab (in black bar at top of every page) and move the slider for only 4 shaft drafts and choose one from there rather than a Summer & Winter online.  There is also handweaving.net which has thousands of drafts in the public domain.

I just found one I have enjoyed weaving HERE on Weavo.  You might want to give it a try.  It's a bit easier threading and weaving.

The draft you chose, Summer & Winter, is an overshot draft and relies on a ground cloth and a supplemental weft thread.  Most of the books will give you a hand with reading the drafts and explaining the weave structures.  You can also use the Search box on every page on Weavolution and read previous posts about a particular weave structure.  

Anne Dixon's book is very nice and explains things in detail for beginners to advanced handweavers and is usually available online or from your local library.

Claudia

paulz

Sorry to bother you but a) the link you kindly posted hasn't worked for me and B) I have gone to the drafts page and decreased the shafts to 4 but then it seems as if most of the designs are for several treddles. I am not sure I have treddles as its a table loom so how does that work?

I think I will invest in a book but does Anne Dixon's book rely on a loom with treddles?

MAny Thanks

Paul

Claudia Segal (not verified)

Hi Paul,

Sorry about the link.  YOu may want to try handweaving.net.  There are tons of 4 shaft drafts there.

Yes, you have treadles.  You use your hands on yours and some use their feet on theirs.  There are directions for reading a draft in Anne Dixon and HERE.  Although the link is for use on a rigid heddle loom, it covers the basics nicely.  

Claudia

paulz

Thanks for that. I couldn't believe it but in the same computer session I got a download from another craft website (unsolicited) all about reading patterns.

Paul

Su Butler

Hi Paul....Summer and Winter, more accurately called Single Two-Tie weave, is a tied weave, not overshot as someone else has stated. It is the most basic of the tied weaves and is pretty easy to set up and weave. 80 yards of wool is not very much. Depending on the loom you have to use, you need enough for each thread to be the length you want the finished woven item, plus take up plus loom waste. Lets say your loom waste is 15", your take up 10% - you could wind 40 ends, 2 yards long each. I don't know the size of your wool, but let's just say you were to sett it at 10 ends per inch, you could then weave a piece 4" wide. If you wanted to do Summer and Winter, you could thread 10 blocks - say ABABAABABA, on four shafts. To thread this arrangement, thread 1-3-2-3 each time you see Block A and 1-4-2-4 each time you see block B. You can change colors for each 4 thread block if you want to. To weave, you will need a pattern thread and a tabby thread. The tabby thread should be much finer than the pattern thread. Weave: (Treadle + raise the shaft numbers shown) Block A - Treadle 1-2 tabby Treadle 1-4 - pattern Treadle 3-4 - tabby Treadle 2-4 - pattern Block B - Treadle 1-2 - tabby Treadle 1-3 - pattern Treadle 3-4 - tabby Treadle 2-3 - pattern If you want to weave a solid color of the pattern weft all the way across the warp Treadle 1-2 - tabby Treadle 1 - pattern Treadle 3-4 - tabby Treadle 2 - pattern If you want all background across the entire warp Treadle 1-2 tabby Treadle 1-3-4 - pattern Treadle 3-4 tabby Treadle 2-3-4 pattern Play with the colors in the pattern weft for different effects. Hope that helps, Su Butler :-)

Claudia Segal (not verified)

Thanks for the help Su.  I need to study more about weave structure clearly.  Time for me to crack the books and shut my mouth.

Claudia

paulz

I hope you don't mind me asking but whats tied weaving?

tabby thread and pattern thread?

1 3 2 3 block A

1 4 2 4 block B?

MAybe I'll try something easier?

Thanks

PAul

paulz

I hope you don't mind me asking but whats tied weaving?

tabby thread and pattern thread?

1 3 2 3 block A

1 4 2 4 block B?

MAybe I'll try something easier?

Thanks

PAul

paulz

I hope you don't mind me asking but whats tied weaving?

tabby thread and pattern thread?

1 3 2 3 block A

1 4 2 4 block B?

MAybe I'll try something easier?

Thanks

PAul

Su Butler

HI Paul....tied weaves are weaves that create a ground cloth to which pattern threads are "tied" during weaving. The ground cloth is usually plain weave and the pattern can be anything you have enough shafts to weave - from simple block designs to curving and interlacing lines. Tied weaves require you to use two shuttles - one that carries the "tabby" thread - which is actually the weft that weaves the ground cloth, and one that carries the pattern threads, which are tied to the surface of the ground cloth by the tie down threads in the warp. Some books will tell you that tied weaves are weaves that use a supplementary weft tied to a ground cloth, but I disagree. In my opinion, for what it is worth, tied weaves are compound structures, meaning that two warp systems and two weft systems are essential to the final woven cloth. The warp consists of threads that are used to place pattern and tie down threads. These two separate functions are essential to tied weaving. The ground cloth is woven using the tie down threads against the pattern threads. The compound wefts required are a ground cloth weft, usually called tabby in the weaving books, and a pattern thread to be tied to the surface of the ground cloth. Tied weaving is not hard and Summer and Winter is the simplest form available for handweavers. If you set up a loom with the two blocks you mentioned in your post, you will have a good, solid piece of cloth that has short floats and maximum pattern. Hope that helps.... Su :-)

paulz

I've noticed that as I've been using my loom there has been a quantity of dust and fluff dropping onto the table. Is this usual? I have just been clearing it up and dusting the loom down as I go but as I've nearly finished my first practice piece it got me wondering about anything I should do to keep my loom in good working order?

MAny Thanks

Paul