Beaming a warp

[altivo]

Beaming a warp
Originally uploaded by Altivo

Argos is experimenting with sectional warping, one of several common methods for getting a new warp onto a floor loom. This technique requires additional specialized tools, including spools, a spool winder, spool rack, tension box, and a warp beam divided into sections by pegs or posts; but it has the advantage that a weaver working alone can beam a wide and/or long warp without tension difficulties. It also eliminates several steps in more conventional hand warping, particularly the tedious process of pre-measuring all the individual warp threads while keeping them all parallel and untangled. There are five photos in the sequence. To view them all, click through the thumbnail on the right.

Comments

[farhoug.livejournal.com]

Handy looking contraption. I have some obscure memories of the difficulties involving that part, my mother had to get the new warp done somewhere else with the proper equipment before starting a new project.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I wonder why. I've made up warps for years with nothing but a rectangular frame with some pegs in it. You can even do it with the backs of two chairs set at an appropriate distance from one another.

This method is certainly faster and easier though, once you have the equipment, but the loom has to be present in order to do it. I'm guessing that your mother obtained "pre-measured and wound" warps. They usually come as a big bundle of yarn or thread that looks like a long crocheted chain. The chain loops are released as the warp is wrapped onto the warp beam of the loom. I've seen warp sold in that form occasionally.

The other old alternative is the warping mill, which is a large reel-like device, either vertical or horizontal, onto which the warp threads can be wound in a sort of helix adjusted to the desired length. That is in fact a big piece of equipment, sometimes large than the loom itself. I've never had one because of the space it would take up.

[farhoug.livejournal.com]

I guess that warping mill was the traditional way to do it here, there was some room-high vertical rotating system for that, though I never saw it in action to be sure.

I think we had the framework for the device somewhere in storage, and I remember having seen the slot for the installation in the ceiling somewhere, probably at my grandmother's house. Though I guess it gets tricky to reinstall one elsewhere, since it's unlikely the room height is the same...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yep, a room high rotating device would be a large warping mill. Looms used to be built into buildings that way too, at least here, taking advantage of timbers that held up the roof (typically in a barn loft) to provide very stable and solid supports that would tolerate vibration and tension well.

Today's warping mills are somewhat smaller, at least for home weavers. some even stand on a table. But those are not so good for long warps to weave bolts of fabric or dozens of rugs without redressing the loom. They are designed to accommodate the short warps used by hobby weavers and artisans who typically weave enough for just one item at a time.

Sectional warping is a sort of compromise that extends into both realms. Commercial looms in fabric mills are warped using a sectional method but that version is almost all automated. The method I'm using right now is more like the way commercial mills put on a warp a century or more ago.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

*looks at the machine with interest and pokes it here and there where it deems safe to* Does it need much maintanence?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Mostly just dusting and removing cat fur and occasionally ripped off tails and ears. ;p

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Why do all your weaving machines have such frightening characteristics O.O

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Only because I know it will tweak your whiskers, kitty.

Weaving and spinning tools do have some characteristics that might be dangerous for kittens or small children, mostly in the line of potential pinches or wrenches of small fingers or paws. I've never had an incident, though. Cats are smart enough to stay away from the noise the loom makes, I think. Though they are fascinated by knitting and crochet, even the drop spindle seems to drive them away (which is good, I guess, since interfering paws would make it very difficult to work.)