Help! I set up my Glimakra and have woven several projects on it. But now with the latest treadling, it doesn't fully close the shed when I take my foot off the treadles! Yhe threading is 4 3 2 4 1 2 3 1, with a 2/2 twill treadling! I'm obviously weaving on only 4 shafts and using 6 treadles, the twill plus tabby. The loom has 8 shafts and I've taken off the shafts and lamms, but must admit I've not take the jacks off. I don't think this is what's causing the problem, but I'm one with the fact that I could always be wrong! :)

I've checked that all the lamms are even and the 2/2 twill treadling is a balanced treadling, so I'm not sure what else to look at. The loom behave perfectly for the first two projects on 8 shafts, or rather I had everything set up right. I just need to learn waht I've changed and how to trouble shoot this. I've gone through Peggy Osterkemp's dressing the loom and can't see waht is wrong. The threads are in the middle of the heddles, or so I think! I'm weaving with wool so it tends to stick in one place in the heddle!

Thanks a million for your help!

Erica

Comments

Fri, 02/04/2011 - 16:24

Joanne Hall

Hi Erica,

Only a jack loom must close it's shed when you lift your foot off the treadle.  That is because the shafts are heavy and they have to fall hard for the next shed to be usable.  But on a cb or cm loom, putting you foot on the next treadle is what makes your shed.  So, do not worry about this.  Just continue weaving.

Joanne

Fri, 02/04/2011 - 16:28

Joanne Hall

PS It is fine to leave the countermarch in tact with all the jacks, since they are not in the way.  And another PS, Peggy weaves on jack looms so she would not have this information in her book.

Joanne

Fri, 02/04/2011 - 17:07

Erica J

Thanks again JoAnne! You're a lady and an artist!

The first time I set it up, before I dressed it, the shed closed itself, which is why I thought it was supposed to, that and I've always used jack looms before so it seems natural! Peggy does have a nice section on dressing CM and CB looms in her book, though I admittedly would have beeen better served by referencing your book, which I have also! I just haven't had it as long, so I'm not used to grabbing it!

 

Cheers,

Erica

Fri, 02/04/2011 - 17:27

kerstinfroberg

To me, the idea of tying up treadles when there is no warp on the loom is just... Very Strange. After all, it is the *warp* that should have clean sheds, not the loom, right?

If it irks you that the shed say open when you leave for the day, level the shafts by leveling the treadles  - just put the foot over several of them, and they will go back.

Fri, 02/04/2011 - 20:33

Erica J

Thanks for the comments Kerstin. I do have a warp on the loom and pretty much have had this loom constantly warped since it arrived! It's a fabulous loom. The question was asked out of my misunderstanding of how the loom works. As I said to JoAnne I've always woven on Jack looms before and just simply didn't know that the CM works differently. I just had that odd moment of doubt that I think we all get where something was different that I've experienced before and assumed that meant I had done something wrong!  :)