I am in need of some advise...  I have warped my loom with linen 5/8 and consulted various patterns for Krokbragd.  My warp seems to be right and my treadles seem to be right -- but when I weave the warp shows.  I have tried packing in the weft more firmly, but it just won't pack down.  Has anyone had trouble with this?

 

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!

Comments

Thu, 02/25/2016 - 01:03

sally orgren

What sett?


What are you using for weft?

 

What kind of loom?

 

And are you assessing this based on the most recent inch or so that you are weaving, or looking back several inches? (Krokbragd compresses when you are further away from the fell line.)

 

The Krokbragd sett is somewhat open, and it requires a forceful beat, to pack the weft in properly, especially on a jack loom. (Ask me how I know!)

Thu, 02/25/2016 - 01:36

sue lukins

I have a Glimakra loom - I have used it primarily for rag rugs (rep) and blankets.  It should be great for rugs.  This is my first linen warp.

The SETT may be about 8 pics

This is my first inch (!) -- so perhaps I just need patience.  Still, seems funny that it isn't packing down better.

Thu, 02/25/2016 - 02:46

sally orgren

What kind of weft? 

It takes at least 3 picks of Krokbragd to equal one pick of "regular" weaving, and the treadling sequence allows each row to nestle down into the previous row. 

 

See how the beginning looks after weaving 5-6 inches.

 

Another adjustment might be your tension, maybe it is too tight?

Thu, 02/25/2016 - 03:12

sue lukins

I am using halcyon rug yarn -- following a Handwoven pattern..

I will weave 6 inches and see what happens.  Thanks!

 

 

Thu, 02/25/2016 - 18:33

Nakia

sue lukins, I have not worked with Krokbragd yet. It is on my future project list. Since Krokbragd is a weft face weave you might try using a comb to beat the weft in a little tighter when  it doesn't cover the warp. If you don't have tapestry combs, metal hair pick combs work as does metal forks with a few washers taped to them for added beating weight. 

 

As a tapestry weaver I find I still fall back on using tools associated with that style of weaving when I am working on my floor loom weaving projects. I give a few beats on occasion to  my lines of weaving when it is weft faced. Worth a try if you are still having problems after trying Sally's excellent advice. 

Fri, 02/26/2016 - 00:16

sue lukins

Thank you, Nakia, I will give that a try --

Fri, 02/26/2016 - 14:33

Missus T.

Hello,

I completed a krokbragd sampler on a Toika countermarch at a local weaving center last year and discovered that the weft and sett are all important variables, and that they are related to each other.  The principle involved is to cover the warp completely with weft, so the weft has to be of the right size and character to properly snake in and then be packed down with a heavy beat.  By weft "character" I refer to the ply, twist, and fiber content traits of the weft yarn being used. 

At the weaving center where I worked, the teacher opened up her unlimited stash of weft yarns for us to experiment with.  My first instinct was to pick a bulky, single yarn.  It did not pack well.  Then I tried a worsted-weight 3 ply knitting yarn.  Nope.  I had the best results with a worsted weight single in 100 percent wool -- it matched my sett (sorry, I do not remember this) and the fiber hooks interlocked with each other as I beat in the fell.  I knew that I was having better luck almost instantly b/c this weft would begin to pack and stick together almost immediately instead of springing back on me despite repeated beats.

  Looking back on this experiment, I now realize how all of these variables work together.  Even if I do not yet fully understand krokbragd, what I can say is that extensive weft experimentation on a given sett is essential before you can settle on what you really want for your project!

Hope this helps and good luck! 

Fri, 02/26/2016 - 15:19

sally orgren

You are correct. In my experience, no additional packing in with a second tool should be necessary with this structure (and Nakia said she hasn't woven this yet).

 

Also, something that none of us thought to mention was "bubbling the weft", or leaving enough slack that the weft has room to snake between the warps. Jason Collingwood demonstrates this in his rug workshops. (It's not just a throw of the shuttle at an angle across the warp like regular weaving.) This could be the problem.

 

It sounds like Sue is following an established pattern, and if she is using the exact draft, sett, and materials described by a reliable source, it's a reasonable assumption she should be getting the expected results.

Fingers crossed for Sue!

Sat, 02/27/2016 - 00:04

Deirdre King

8 epi is a little close for 8/5 linen.  I would set it at 4 or 5.

Sat, 02/27/2016 - 13:09

tommye scanlin

You've had some good suggestions about making your krokbragd project work for you.  For instance, the last comment about the sett probably being too close is good, as is the earlier one about bubbling the weft well to allow it to have the slack needed to press into place as needed.  The warp should be pretty firmly tensioned to help the weft do the work of "snaking" around the warps and seating into place side-by-side of previous picks to give the weft coverage and the pattern development potential.

A couple of resources that are very helpful for understanding weft-faced pattern weaves like krokbragd and other boundweaves are Nancy Hoskins book, Weft-faced Pattern Weaves: Tabby to Taquete, and The Woven Coverlets of Norway by Katherine Larson.  Mary Black's book, Key to Weaving (or New Key to Weaving--depending upon edition), also covers weft-faced pattern weaves on various twill threadings.  Krokbragd as well as other weft-faced pattern weaves are described as boundweave. 

As Black describes boundweave: "Boundweaving is not, in itself, a technique.  It is a method of treadling."  One of the key points to understanding krokbradg pattern development is to see that pattern areas develop over warps that are covered by weft--and that the number of times in which a color is used to cover a particular warp can be many times over, if desired.  No complicated treadling needed, just watching how the weft color covers each warp in the threading and proceeding to make it as tall or short as you want with each part of the design. 

Graph paper is very helpful to plan your own patterns.  Hoskins's book describes how this maybe be done very well.  Once you understand the concept of how the pattern is created through the use of the weft colors to cover particular warps then you have the ability to create within the limits of the threading/treadling method! 

Good luck with this beautiful way of weaving.

Tommye