HALF-WAY THROUGH THE THREADING

Posted by Peg in South Carolina 

800 heddles is the half-way point.  I have now threaded 808. 

I did think for awhile that I would never get back to this, that I would never weave again.  At least not on this floor loom.  I was busy with other things so that possibility didn’t depress me too much.  But it is good to find out that I was wrong!

I have been watching with sorrow Laura’s saga.  While I am so sorry about her foot problems and now, with her still needing to use crutches, her back issues, I also rejoice at her fortitude and her ability to find ways she can keep going.  If anyone wants or needs a model about handling adversity, it is right there in her blog, “Weaving a Life”.

Related Post:  Back to the Threading

“Half-way through the Threading”  was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on May 8, 2010. ©2010 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina

AVOIDING THREADING ERRORS

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

Yesterday I whined about error problems when I tried to thread two sets of blocks in one sitting.  Today I decided to address the problem.  The problem lay in misplaced confidence.

By the time I got near the end of threading the first set of blocks, I was confident enough that I didn’t have to look very much at the threading diagram.  Unfortunately, that confidence continued into the second block. 

I had to counter that mis-placed confidence. So this today I forced myself to continually refer back to the threading chart as I was threading the heddles for the second block.

I did the same for the third block set. 

No threading errors.  I was happy.

That, however, does not solve the problem I have trying to thread heddles correctly in the afternoon……..

Related Post:   Back to Threading

“Avoiding Threading Errors”  was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on May 5, 2010. ©2010 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina

BACK TO THREADING

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

I am back, at last, to threading the loom.  I am not making rapid progress.  At first I blamed that on my back—on my not being willing to sit at the loom for long periods.  But my back is recovering nicely.  And what I now know absolutely, is that threading the first block goes smashingly well, but on the second block I nearly always make errors. And more errors.  And more errors.

Each block has roughly 50 ends.  And each block has its own peculiar threading.  The problem is that I get so used to the first threading that my mind cannot seem to get used to a new threading. And once I start to make errors, I cannot seem to stop myself from making more.

Today, the threading went so badly that, instead of making individual errors here and there, I totally misread the second threading group and had to pull out all 50 ends and start over again.

Let me illustrate the problem a bit.  Here is the theading pattern for the second block:

6 8 6 7 2 4 2 3

When I thread, work from right to left, so that is how I read the threading.  And here is what I actually threaded:

8 6 7 6 4 2 3 2

I even took a break before I start the second group of ends.  And, actually, I made not a single error.  It was simply the wrong threading.  You have no idea, then, how hard it was for me to wrap my head around the correct threading.  But I knew I  had to do it before I quit.  And do it I did.

These threadings, by the way, are not really as difficult as they might appear. I you were to think of shafts 5 to 8 as if they too were numbered 1 to 4, you will quickly see that the pair of threadings are identical.

THREADING IN THE AFTERNOON

I could always come back to the loom later in the day and do some more threading, but morning is my best time—the time when I am least likely to make mistakes. Yup, that is right. 

This afternoon I had some extra time, so, why not?  I threaded the group of heddles.  I checked them.  A mistake in the second group.  Had to start over.  And in pulling out the threads I accidentally pulled out the threads from the second group.

Threaded again.  Went to check.  An error in the first group. 

Threaded again.  GOT IT RIGHT.  It took me only 45 minutes………..

Related Post:   Threading Error Revisited

“Back to Threading”  was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on May 4, 2010. ©2010 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina