Weaving or not discussion

1. No matter how careful, I still missed threading a couple heddles and had redo work.
2. I had a warp thread break during the initial wind to the back bar.
3. I missed a position in the reed
4. One should would invest in a rigid heddle so you could “sample” first, similar to checking gauge in knitting, which requires a small loom and its equipment.

I really find this warping-threading-slaying tedious.
I know only a little on how to fix mistakes.
I don’t have processes to ensure I don’t make mistakes, while in knitting I have developed little rules I follow to help prevent common mistakes.
Cost is a factor, as is true in knitting, but I’ve developed knitting tools over years, and know I love it.

Dec 20th - I don’t have a warping board, so I put 3 chairs, laying on their sides with the feet sticking out, on top of my kitchen island. I positioned them the distance apart that I wanted the warp yarn length to be and did “the cross” by winding between legs . The dishwasher rack looked mighty enticing as a warping board but was too short for my project.

Dec 21st - I am now weaving and I must say there is a huge satisfaction on seeing fabric produced (if it looks nice), as this one is very attractive and a good choice of yarn. I’ll probably forget the tediousness of set up and hopefully improve or learn the pacing needed to break that into achievable, expected steps. I’ve reached my goal - to have a scarf for my daughter set up and in the weaving process for Christmas. I picked colors she would like and I think this will be a fun family thing to do while she visits.

I’m using a gatoraid bottle to tension the broken warp thread that I had to replace. I just have to remember to wind and an unwind it as I go or else I’ll break it too.

PROJECT SPECIFICS

• LeClarc Dorothy 4 Harness Table Loom
• 12 Dent reed (but need a 10 dent)
• Slaying pattern 0111 (since I have only 12 dent reed)
• Yarn is 10 EPI

I want the scarf to be about 8 inches wide and about 7 ft (84 inches) long. So I am planning a 10 weaving width and putting 9ft (108”) of warp. Weaving will draw in once released from the loom, and the warp needs at least 2 ft of “waste” including whatever fringe length. My guess is that I’ll waste more of it, so I’ll be a bit short of 7 ft, which should still be ok.

Length wise (“warp”) will be White, small strip of gray, blue, small strip of gray, white, repeat gray, blue, gray, and then white.

I’m not sure what I want the color combo of the weft to be. I want the blue to not get lost, and only a bit of gray.

So the warp is:
20 ends white
20 ends gray / blue / gray = 4/12/4 ends of each
20 white
20 g/b/g as above
20 white

Since this is 10 epi, this should produce a 10” on loom weave width. (The 0111 reed added another .5 inch to that)

Weft beginning -
10 Blue, 10 White, 10 Blue
4 Gray Twill
10 Blue, 10 White, 10 Blue, 10 White, 10 Blue
4 Gray plain weave
10 Blue…

Finished size, just off the loom and post blocking = 10” wide. Length is 63” of woven material plus 6” fringe on both sides.

I got in a hurry and might have been able to do one more complete pattern in the main body, but it would have been close, so instead I ended it and had very long extra strings on both sides. I had bought 6 skeins of yarn (about $10 each) and was able to 2 to the store, and some of every color left over to knit into something.