Jennifer writes: <<The book has really helped a lot, but it also said the best way to get even tension on your warp is to not apply any.>>
I don't have the book so can't look to see if there's a misunderstanding, but I can tell you the most valuable lesson I EVER learned about warping is very simple: A thread under tension can't tangle. I, too, use Kati Meek's warping trapeze--makes warping a breeze if I don't skimp on other aspects of the warping process, because every thread is under tension at all times during warping. <<Just let it be loose and comb it out as the reed gets pulled towards the back beam, then grab the warp with both hands (in two sections) and pull on it every 2-3 rotations.>> This is similar to the process I was taught, and I found very early on that it doesn't work well :) I was always having tension problems while weaving, until I switched to back-to-front warping and tensioning the warp whatever way I could. What I found with this approach is that those dang threads, not under tension, wanted to play games with their neighbors, *inevitably* resulting in tangles in front of the reed, which in turn often led to breaks while beaming. At the very least, leaving the beater loose so it moves toward the back beam without breaking ends, you've got some threads under more tension while doing that--the ones that are tangled and pulling the beater's weight. NOT good for weaving purposes. Like others have mentioned, I gave up on paper as a warp separator very early on. My very first project should have been a clue--under the supervision of a very poor weaving instructor that I paid money for, in a weaving/knitting store, I wound a warp using newspaper as the warp separator, to weave a twill sampler table runner. The finished piece had a curve like, I'm not joking, a crescent moon, and was thrown away in the first year after learning to weave. What a waste of time and materials! Kati Meek recommneds wallpaper, and when a new-to-weaving friend, using a borrowed loom, was putting on warps, she bought some and we beamed a warp using it. We found, as with regular paper, that it was very difficult to put on straight enough. If the width of the paper is close to the width of the loom, every section of paper MUST go on perfectly straight; even the slightest tilt will be enough to make the paper travel to one side of the beam, which in turn tilts the entire warp slightly--leading to a curve in the threads, even if not quite a crescent-moon curve :) So, for me, I choose sticks of one sort or another. Trim from building supply stores works well. I've purchased small amounts at a time over my 20+ years of weaving, and have enough for quite long warps now. I've heard venetian blind slats recommended, and got some from a friend. However, they're pretty bad to use alone, as they're not nearly stiff enough; the plastic are especially bad, but the metal aren't good either. The warp package on the beam will look like a sausage when done--the edges will be tighter than the center because there's nothing to support them. I do use blinds slats when I have a really long warp--say over 20 yards--by using them at intervals between wooden sticks. One or two rounds of slats, then a round of sticks. You can also, *if* beaming under even tension throughout, skip putting in warp separators for 1-3 turns of the beam, then a good round with plenty of sticks, then 1-3 rounds without. There may be some yarns for which this is really not good--maybe really slippery fibers like silk or rayon, or really fine yarns--but it works fine for 8/2 cotton. When putting in sticks, make sure that you don't stack them on top of each other round after round. Looks nifty, but at the first advance of the warp while weaving, the 'towers' of sticks will topple, and you'll end up needing to rebeam--don't ask how I know :) Also, don't expect the same number of sticks to be inserted in every round of the warp. The warp package's circumference increases as more layers of thread and separators are added. I start with at least 6 sticks, the next round with sticks might need 7 or 8, the one after that maybe 10, etc. Thinner sticks or venetian blind slats increase the circumference less, of course, but since they're not very sturdy, you can't use them as often. I guess the best possible advice to anyone who's a novice at weaving is to buy Kati Meek's trapeze book. I'd been weaving over 20 years when I first was given a copy about 3 years ago, and I learned a lot from it. Kati's style of writing is very clear and informative, and every bit is lavishly illustrated with good quality B&W photos. I found her instructions to build a trapeze a little opaque, and the pictures weren't as good for that as I would have liked. But once I saw it in action, and DH built one from the instructions, it was a breeze to use, and I don't put on any warps without it now, except very short warps on my table loom--actually, you can use the trapeze with table looms, but I don't have a way to clamp the loom to a table while doing so, making it easier to have someone just hold the warp for tension in that one case. In the absence for the time being of a trapeze (but ask around--I'm the only one with a trapeze in my area, and I'm happy to travel to other weavers' homes to help them beam with it :), be creative in finding ways to tension your warp while beaming. I used to tie my warp bench's seat, a flat slab of maple that could be easily lifted off the legs, on top of my warp on the breast beam. If you have a tile or wood floor, you can weight the warp with books that slide along the floor. You can even use the breast beam as a sort of mini trapeze, or the castle, by tieing the weights to the warp and moving them along as they get to the top of the beam or castle. None of these are ideal solutions, but all are better than no tension at all :) Good luck! Holly
