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At 04:47 PM 10/17/01, Carla wrote:
>I don't understand something in your note about the warp-weighted loom:
>
>>You and I know the advantages of this approach -- small space
>>requirement, inexpensive, ergonomic (easy to keep fell line at a
>>comfortable height, work standing or sitting without bending over, use
>>gravity to aid beat).
>
> From the pictures, it looked to me as though the beat would be _up_ which
> is against gravity. How do you set up a warp-weighted loom where you
> beat _down_ to the fell? If you can explain it I'm going to try it.
I tried to set up a vertical loom to beat down, but gave up as the
arrangement was not nearly as comfortable for me as beating up. I think
that was because the weights can't seem to hang from the weaving and still
work as well as they do when they hang from the unwoven warp. Also,
advancing the warp and moving the weights on the already-woven band is much
more troublesome. Warp-weighted interlacement looms from antiquity all
show the weaving progressing down, so I believe that it is functionally
advantageous.
I had a table top tablet weaving loom made for me a couple of years ago,
after I had been weaving vertically for several years. When I used it I
noticed that I didn't seem able to get as firm a beat for the same amount
of weight -- but then I've only woven two pieces on it so it's not a really
well-tested hypothesis ;'D
I attribute the advantage to the fact that on my horizontal loom the warp
is in contact with the "back beam" for about 1.5 inches before it drops off
vertically to the weights. This causes the warp ends to pile up and thus
get much more disorderly (gravity-wise) then they are when hanging straight
down. The disorder increases as the tablets are turned, particularly if
they don't turn all together. By contrast, the distance from the tablets
to the weights using a vertical system is both arrow-straight and generally
much longer, and hence the individual yarns in each card have ample
opportunity to stay very well organized.
I use a fairly hefty wooden beater to beat up on my weavings, but the
actual impact comes not when I beat, but when the (slightly-lifted, about
1/2") weights fall, causing the fell line to press quite firmly against the
beater. It seems to me (but I could be mistaken) that this action is quite
efficient.
Geoff and others who have woven vertically -- do you agree?
---
Bonnie Datta : Itinerant Weaver
Airdrie, Alberta, Canada : Currently in Princeton, BC
---
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Send private reply to Bonnie Datta <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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