CAPSLOCK IS HOW I FEEL INSIDE!!!
Let's back up a little.
Years and years ago, I fell in love with weaving. I owned a loom. At a
yard sale, I found a 10-yard warp another weaver had wound and then
abandoned from some superfine wool. It was super cheap. It was 800 ends.
I bought the warp, and slayed my reed, intending to weave some garment-quality fabric for reenactment purposes. But that didn’t happen, years pass, I sold my looms but kept the threaded reed with the expectation that I would one day have another loom and weave my epic fabric.
Now I have that loom. I threaded the heddles, all 800 of them, but I really struggled winding the warp onto the beam. It was a disaster. Threads broke. Threads tangled at the heddles. Threads tangled at the reed.
I realized I was frustrated and struggling, and it was time to cut my losses, and the warp.
I still desperately wanted to weave fabric to sew with, and I’ve been planning this fabric from this warp FOREVER but that doesn’t mean it’s worth continuing if it doesn’t bring me joy.
So I cut off the tangled mess, and ordered new thread so I can start fresh. But I’d already wound a couple yards on, so I finished tying it on to the cloth beam, so I’d get at least something from this warp I’ve been carrying around for a decade.
I am *so glad* I did this. Cutting off the tangled warp kept me from hating the project before it was begun. Tying on as much warp as I *had* wound on got me the near-instant gratification I was craving.
And the fabric is LOVELY.
And the cat approves.
Once off the loom, I had to weave in the ends of all of the broken and repaired warp threads:
A little under a yard and a half of fabric, a little over 18" wide. Not the medieval gown I was hoping to get from that warp, but enough for a hood, which is good enough.
I bought the warp, and slayed my reed, intending to weave some garment-quality fabric for reenactment purposes. But that didn’t happen, years pass, I sold my looms but kept the threaded reed with the expectation that I would one day have another loom and weave my epic fabric.
Now I have that loom. I threaded the heddles, all 800 of them, but I really struggled winding the warp onto the beam. It was a disaster. Threads broke. Threads tangled at the heddles. Threads tangled at the reed.
I realized I was frustrated and struggling, and it was time to cut my losses, and the warp.
I still desperately wanted to weave fabric to sew with, and I’ve been planning this fabric from this warp FOREVER but that doesn’t mean it’s worth continuing if it doesn’t bring me joy.
So I cut off the tangled mess, and ordered new thread so I can start fresh. But I’d already wound a couple yards on, so I finished tying it on to the cloth beam, so I’d get at least something from this warp I’ve been carrying around for a decade.
I am *so glad* I did this. Cutting off the tangled warp kept me from hating the project before it was begun. Tying on as much warp as I *had* wound on got me the near-instant gratification I was craving.
And the fabric is LOVELY.
And the cat approves.
Once off the loom, I had to weave in the ends of all of the broken and repaired warp threads:
 |
| A repaired warp thread: the ends of the old and new strands |
 |
| Follow the weave with a needle, to create an inch or so of overlap between the two broken ends |
 |
| Cut the ends off long enough to allow for shrinkage during wet finishing but short enough not to tangle. |
 |
| The repair, after being washed in warm water, dried, pressed, and ends trimmed. |
A little under a yard and a half of fabric, a little over 18" wide. Not the medieval gown I was hoping to get from that warp, but enough for a hood, which is good enough.
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