Now We're Getting Somewhere ... Progress on the Endless Warp

 

I had to buy some new heddles, because this pattern requires more than the standard issue that came with my old loom.  They don't make the flat steel heddles anymore, so I purchased some open eye heddles to make up the difference.   I thought the open eyes would be easier to thread, as I'm getting older too.   I got 4 bundles of these heddles from Ability Weavers in Michigan.   That's 400 extra heddles, although I only needed just over 300 more.

 

It didn't take that long to add them to the shafts.  I made sure they were all facing the same way (just in case that makes a difference).

Just look at that nice wide open eye!  Maybe I won't even need a threading hook?

  Here they are next to the old flat steel heddles.  I don't think it will make a difference, having two types of heddles on the shafts.  As long as they do what they are meant to do!

From the project notes in Fiberworks:

• Shaft 4 = 242 heddles
• Shaft 3 = 221 heddles
• Shaft 2 = 200 heddles
• Shaft 1 = 221 heddles

 

Now that the sectional warp is wound onto the back beam, and sufficient heddles added to each shaft, I can finally start threading heddles for the Wandering Vine coverlet.  

I was able to print off a threading table from the Fiberworks software that should make this step easier / smoother.

This is only the first page of the treading charts.  It goes on for another 7 pages, tracking nearly 900 threads over 37 inches.   I've learned to color code the numbers (which correspond to a shaft).  I have to keep everything in order and work methodically.  

 

From the front:  this is about 600 heddles threaded.  300 more to go ...  I'm 2/3 of the way there!

 

From the back:  2/3 of the way to finishing this stage.

 

This stage will likely take a few more weeks since there are a total of about 880 (Say 900) heddles to thread.   I'm still working full time, so it's not like this is my only thing to do ...

After 3 weeks, I have about 2/3 of the heddles threaded.  I'll say it: It's tedious and putsy.  This is not the fun part of weaving.  But if you want to weave, you have to make peace with the set-up stage.

After this, I still have to sley the reed and tie on, then test for threading errors, and hope that the sectional warp works as promised for keeping good tension.  It will be a while before I can start weaving.

Perhaps I will learn that I should save the big loom for rugs and other projects that are not so finely spaced?  Maybe smaller panels are not so bad because I can spend more time weaving.