Hi, Grace, and thanks for the kind words :) Do let us know how your rebeaming goes.
The last time I had to do that was about 18 months ago. I had run out of warps sticks while beaming a longish warp--I think it was 23.5 yards--and finished with newspaper. BIG mistake! It was a commission with provided materials, so quality really mattered, and I didn't have the stuff to replace the materials on hand if I chose to ditch the whole warp, plus of course there was a tight deadline. By the time I'd woven a couple yards on that warp I had massive tension problems, and by the time a couple more were done I really couldn't weave anymore. So, it came off--remarkably quickly :) And with my daughter's help, I combed every inch (of about 19 yards!) while she put in warp sticks a little less frequently than I had had them and wound on. Tedious, but worked; didn't have any further problems. And learned my lesson yet again: newspaper really doesn't work very well for warp separators. Nor do grocery bags. Since last June, when we visited her studio and saw the trapeze in action, I've used a trapeze built according to Kati Reeder Meek's book on trapeze warping, and have not had any problems beaming and weaving warps since. In fact, it has sped up the process so much that I can enjoy beaming long warps more than short, and enjoy beaming almost as much as weaving! I can put on a 23.5 yard warp now in 3 hours without breaking a sweat or a swear word :) And the rest of the tips she has in her book are fabulous. Many I had worked out for myself after nearly 20 years of weaving, but some were new to me and very useful. And there's an overview of her warp weights as a brake, which is infinitely better than the friction brake on any loom I've ever used. Imagine: having exactly the same tension automatically resume EVERY time you advance the warp; never have to step on a brake release lever, so you don't lose your place in your treadling; just advance and keep weaving! It's a dream-turned-reality :) Holly
