Loom | Pronounced "Four Five"

I have looked at loom designs for years and it has always seemed that there MUST be a simpler way of weaving.

To start, the most basic weaving loom is no more than a frame of some sort that can hold the warp threads under tension while the weft is weaved in. This can be simply stakes driven into the ground, or a branch of a tree with a stick at the bottom, or a constructed or improvised frame of some sort.

The problem with this simple frame is that each weft must be woven between the warp threads individually. If the weaving is thin, like a belt or strap, this is not much of a problem, as there would only be a few warp threads to deal with.
Weaving something wider, over a foot wide, with twenty or thirty warp threads, the weaving process becomes quite tedious very quickly. In addition the entire remaining length of the weft thread must be passed between the warp threads each time.

The common recourse is to use a heddle, a heddle is a simple device that holds alternating warp threads, allowing the remaining warp threads to be stationary. What this does is to create a hole between alternating warp threads that the weaver can pass the weft through, making the process much faster.

The common heddle configuration is a mechanism to raise and lower the heddle so that each weft passage crosses alternating warp threads, creating the weave.

It is the mechanism for raising and lowering the heddle that makes loom construction such a pain. In addition, adding the heddle creates problems for setting up the warp threads. Remember the warp threads must be under tension, and for a nice weave that tension must remain constant for all the warp threads.

Warp thread management can become a nightmare for some looms, and some loom manufacturers employ people who do nothing but set up warp threads for sale.

A heddle can be simple, as a stick with strings tied to alternating warps, or complicated, with individual control over exactly which warp thread is picked up, usually these are found in high end factory looms, computer controlled.

Some looms have multiple heddles to allow some finer control, without manipulating individual warps.

Modern heddles are a frame with slats, each slat has a hole in it. I actually built a small loom, and my own heddle:

The loom let me weave a piece that was about 10 ” wide and about 16″ long.
In the end, I found the loom unsatisfactory and the process nearly as tedious as merely using a simple frame.

So, as I began, I have from time to time researched different weaving loom designs and have never found anything simpler than what I constructed that has any hope of being less tedious. Last night however as I was glancing through a book on weaving I again asked my mind to consider alternative methods of moving alternate threads within a framework that would allow me to quickly weave my wolf fur yarn into useable cloth. My goal is to make a blanket from wolf fur. I would need something that would weave about 3 foot wide and 8 feet long, I imagine making 2 strips 3 foot wide and sewing them together to make the blanket 6×8 foot.

I DID it.
I knew that the trick would involve an alternating rotation. The problem with a rotating heddle is overcoming the interference with the stationary warp threads.

I took some time on the puter last nite to draw out a basic plan, and I intend to spend some time building a “proof of concept” model. When, (not if), that model is completed, I’ll be building the actual loom itself.

On a side note, while I was waiting for the loom epiphany to occur, I considered alternative fiber sources. I know that hemp is a favorite fiber, for obvious reasons, but unfortunately hemp is rather a problem, as the plant is considered marijuana, and is illegal in the US. There is another common weed however that seems to have similar qualities, and may be suited to providing fibers that could be commercially viable. I hope to do some research on processing on hemp and flax to see if the same kinds of process will work. If so, I may be able to get a grant to study this further. The grant may even pay for setting up the business end of processing the fibers into usable products. Anyone know anything about applying for requesting grants for research and business development?

Yesterday, I decided to hook woof up to the scooter and mosey on down to the store for smokes, I knew that I would be going to the park from the store, so we headed off to woodland park. We made a couple circuits around the pond and of course he wanted to jump in the water several times to cool off and get a drink.
The second time around was rather a surprise, as he insisted on going round again. Normally he only wants to go round once. In any case we were just about done with the second round about when we came upon some folks sitting on a bench feeding the ducks. He became quite interested in the lady there, and I assured her that he was friendly, (I shoulda known better, rattz). I did NOT notice that she was holding a small piece of bread to throw to the ducks. he lunged and grabbed the bread from her. I was mortified!! It scared her but no damage done. I apologized profusely and scolded him thoroughly. Low point of the day. That could have been much worse, he is a fiend for bread, dunno why.

ummm, I thought I had more to say, but this looks like plenty anyways.

Huggz
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