Does anyone have any suggestion on how to fix or what to do about loosening warps on the right side of my 16 in sq first ever navajo weaving? About four outside ones are getting quite loose/ sloppy compared to the rest. This warp I'm finding is not very good but stuck with it now. Wool and mohair and seems to be stretching, pilling, sticking, shedding, u name it. Just makes this first piece all the more challenging. Teaching myself, so reaching out for ideas that might help. Otherwise, really enjoying the process. Thanks in advance for any good tips!

Comments

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 04:33

Doanart

I often find the first warp strings are loose after I warp the whole thing. What I do is after getting it all strung up, let it sit for 25 hours, then tighten the warp. If there are some loose strings I adjust them individually by working from the tight section to the loose section by pulling up each string to take up the slack. If you move left to right pull up on the warp strings, if you move right to left pull down, then retie the end of the warp. If they loosen after I begin weaving, I try to adjust the tension on the side that is loose. But the best way is to make sure the tension is right from the very start. I tried working with a warp that had a few loose areas and the weaving didn't hold together well when I took it off the loom.
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 04:55

manyfibers

Thanks... Unfortunately I am a third of the way into the weaving so not much I can do I guess. I read something about maybe retying them, as would be done with a broken warp, but that sounds scary. Thats why im seeking suggestions. Fortunately this will be a pillow so maybe that can hide a loose side! I have no idea, I've never done this before!
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 13:20

Artistry

Many fibers, First I must say I am not familiar with Navajo looms. However I am a tapestry weaver. Since you can not tension these warp ends at the bottom of the loom can you tension them at the top of the loom? Maybe this could be done by taking the threads , making a loop with a cord, putting the threads inside the the loop and attaching to an upper frame? Then you could adjust the cord to the proper tension. As I said earlier, no Navaho experience, but it seems to me there must be an upper frame or cords. Let me know if you think this would work.
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 15:25

Doanart

Did you warp the loom in the navajo way, which is to twine the yarn to the dowel? If so then you can do some minor tensioning by tightening the ropes (or turnbuckles if you have those instead of rope) on the loose end. You don't want to do it too much or your tapestry will be crooked. I highly recommend the books by Noel Bennett (Working with the Wool and Designing with the Wool) they both give good troubleshooting help, including tensioning. I really like those books a lot. I think at this point the best way is to see if you can tighten the strings individual and retie the end of the warp. Just be careful because I have snapped the warp string doing this once I started the weaving. Part of the learning process is making mistakes and sometimes the mistakes can be corrected and you learn from that, other times you have to scrap the thing and start over. I have learned it is not worth working on a poorly warped tapestry. It is better to start over. Yes, a pain, but the end result of a good tapestry is worth it. I recently had to warp and rewarp one tapestry five times before it ended up being right. The end result was the best tapestry I have made thus far. Good luck!
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 15:00

trkeyfrm

i use a Navajo-ish loom, but i do not do traditional pieces..   i am assuming that you are, as in without tassles.    for me, having a foot or two of extra warp at the top, it's easy to add a knot well above the work for individual loose loops.  you would probably want to do it closer to the middle of the piece..  with very strong knots.   good luck.

i have found that these situations are where you learn what works, and what.. well, not so much.  

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 15:09

Artistry

Doanart, Yes, I essentially agree with you. Unless it's a minor error that can be fixed it is miserable to weave a tapestry on a poorly warped loom. Plus the results are hardly worth the effort. Tapestry is a very slow process with a lot of effort behind it, so you want to start of right. I learned this lesson well on my big tapestry loom the first time I warped it. Lots of tension problems, even though I had been a floor loom weaver for years. 1/3 the way through there was no way I was going to fix this , so off it came. Manyfibers, please don't be discouraged! As you can see tension takes practice. Hopefully you'll be able to do as Doanart has suggested and all will be fine.
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 15:33

Sara von Tresckow

Good advice so far - next time look into purchasing some proper warp. For small pieces, the singles warp from Brown Sheep is indestructable, and there is also 2 and 3 ply available - R. B. Burnham is probably the best supplier.

I find that an 8 ounce ball of Brown Sheep singles lasts for several smaller pieces and is not at all expensive.

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 16:38

manyfibers

Thank u everyone. I am not ready to give up. As a learning piece I would like to tweak it to make it work. My thought is to treat these 6 - 8 warps as broken ones and tie on new warp then weave in the ends when it's completed. I am self teaching from the Pendleton, Bennett and weaving in beauty books, among others, which do explain how to handle broken warps. Tightening one side does not pick up the slack in these suckers. I did buy the warp from a reputable dealer but perhaps it is a bad batch?. Lesson learned that is for sure! I might ply this before making the repair. Yes will be thicker but it's also under a black area and again, this is a learning piece as much as I want it all perfect! It will also be a pillow eventually so that might also hide some variance. What do u all think? Ill try to post a photo do progress. Onward!
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 16:45

Doanart

I think the best way to learn is just to try. Lowered expectations is a plus too! When you finish, you'll have a better idea what works and what doesn't next time. My third sampler gave me many troubles. I learned on that piece about the importance of an even tensioned warp and how it affected the design. But I kind of had to struggle through it to really understand the lesson. The struggle in the beginning is the key to improving your skills.
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 17:29

Sara von Tresckow

As my  instructor in the first class in Navajo techniques said, as I was about to try something over my head, "Not yet, maybe next time".

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 19:00

mrdubyah (not verified)

You may also be able to control the pilling, sticking, shedding, etc. by applying a bit of sizing, some spray starch, or a touch of cowboy magic. These are great for controlling fuzzy warps and wash out once the piece is off the loom. 

Sat, 08/03/2013 - 20:51

manyfibers

Excellent tip! Thanks - I will try that!
Sat, 08/03/2013 - 21:36

Artistry

Do post a photo of your progress! Good luck and I'm sure you'll learn lots from your project that you can apply to the next. I hope you have fun working on it too!
Sun, 08/04/2013 - 00:23

Sara von Tresckow

Your photo is lovely - just keep "nursing" things along, finish the piece, and I think it will look nicer than you anticipate. That is minimal loosening that will be frustrating, but not a fatal flaw.

Sun, 08/04/2013 - 12:33

Artistry

Yes, The colors are great ! So glad you posted a pic !It looks like a very nice design too.
Sun, 08/04/2013 - 23:49

manyfibers

Wanted to post a photo of a partial fix which might be helpful to others. While I haven't yet tightened or replaced the 6 or so loose warps, I was able to stabilize the edge by needling down thru the edge wraps of warp  with a 2-ply strand of churro wool and secured it to the top and bottom rods to at least hold it tighter so i can keep working.