I wanted to make a short video of weaving the wandering vine pattern on '"The big loom." Every project has it's own requirements, including the motions of weaving the fabric.
I will try to anticipate some of the questions you might have below, [since I can't figure out how to add captions to the video--Sheesh!]:
1) At this point, I am using up the remaining warp for the red Wandering Vine Coverlet on cotton towels, with 2 strands of thinner green Brassard cotton to balance out the 10/2 warp and tabby in this classic overshot weave.
2) Because I have 2 strands of the green, I am using a boat shuttle with a double bobbin to allow each strand to feed out as it needs to. It doesn't really work to wind both strands on the same bobbin because they tend to unwind at different rates.
3) Because the weaving width is nearly 1 yard long, I've learned to pull out as much yarn as will be taken up in that line. Otherwise, it gets caught on the bobbin and the shuttle gets stuck in the shed before it comes out the other side. That may be an issue with how I'm winding bobbins, but I've found a workaround. It's similar to using the rag shuttles where you unwind what you need for the line before you throw the shuttle.
4) The treadle beads across the top of the beater bar tell me what treadles to push next for the pattern. This method of tracking treadles works the best for me in keeping with the flow of weaving. In overshot, the tabby thread follows the pattern and is always 1+3 or 2+4. This pattern only uses 4 shafts. I am still getting used to the size of her. The next project will use all 8 shafts.
5) Yes, the Kessenich looms are heavy and noisy, but it is music to my ears to hear the clack-clack-clunk clack-clack-clunk. It's not everyone's cuppa tea, but it is mine. ;-)
Extra Credit: There is 1 point in the video where I had to stop and unweave a line. Did you catch it? I accidentally hit the wrong treadle and threw the green yarn as if it were for a tabby. Fortunately, it's easy to tell when you've made that kind of mistake and it's easy enough to fix it in reverse.
The Footwork / Treadles
6) You've seen what happens when I weave from the top. Here's what's happening down below with my feet and the treadles. Again, the beads across the top of the beater bar have numbers that tell me what treadle to push. Treadle Beads were a complete game changer for me when I discovered this method to track treadles!
7) The treadles are tied to the shafts in such a way that even though I'm pushing 1 treadle at any given time, it raises 2 shafts in the pattern or tabby.
8) Some of the treadles have hair ties on them ... also known as "braille for the feet." I know that treadles 2 and 4 (the even treadles) have those hair ties. If I'm pushing treadles 1 or 3, I know they don't have that extra bit of texture on my feet.
9) The outside treadles (A or B) on either side are for the tabby shots. They always follow the pattern shot, so I don't have to think about it too much. In other words: I don't have treadle beads for the tabby shots. They are built in and otherwise automatic in my brain.
10) This is an 8-shaft Kessenich Floor Loom made in the 1960s, with 10 treadles. Since I am only using 4 shafts, I am only using 6 treadles.
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