Warp Weighted Loom Update

So last night was Tuesday and weaving class. Someone at class mentioned that I should take pictures to document what I was doing. So I will do that next time I'm at class and post them here.

Last week, I had counted the warp threads and slip knotted them by groups of 10. The final count was 440! This week during class, I spent the time separating the front and back threads. I used a weaving sword or pickup stick (whatever) and lease sticks.

Here are a few terms for you if you are new to weaving (I can feel eyes glazing over):
A weaving sword or pickup stick is a long, thin, flat, slat of wood that is pointed at one or both ends. Its purpose is to slip in between the threads so you can lift or pick up all of the warp threads at once in order to weave.

A lease stick is also a long, thin, flat slat of wood, with the ends rounded, not pointy. It is slightly thicker than the sword. Lease sticks are usually included when you buy a modern floor loom. A lease stick should be slightly longer than your warp. If you have a place that sells lumber, like one of the warehouse hardware stores, they would be cheap and easy to make. Lease sticks must be sanded smooth so the warp won't catch and snag or fray.The purpose of lease sticks is to keep the cross of the threads.

The cross (weaving, not Christianity) is where the front and back threads cross each other so you can pull the back threads forward in order to weave.

In order to make things a little easier, I am going to refer to the group of warp threads in front as the A threads. The warp threads in back will be the B threads. With a warp weighted loom, the front and back threads are divided by the bottom brace, and weights are hung on the warps instead of wrapping the warp between two beams as in more modern looms.

Now that we have definitions of terms, we can proceed. I picked up every other thread in a group of 10, and slipped it on top of the sword, so that I had 5 in front and 5 in back. When I was done, I stuck a lease stick in the shed.

Next, I took the back threads and brought them forward through the front ones, and slipped the sword in between them. I did not finish this part by the end of class. I only have a few more bundles of 10 to do, though, so I am happy with my progress. Besides, next time, I will bring my camera so I can take pictures!

The bottom stick is a lease stick and the top pointy one is a weaving sword.
The threads in front of the bottom stick are the A threads..

Taking a group of threads and dividing them.

A pair of threads: A and B.
A is on the right.

I slip the A thread to the front of the lease stick.
Note that both threads are to the front of the weaving sword.

Now the A thread has been slipped behind the sword.
The B thread has been slipped behind the lease stick and to the front of the sword.

Note: It is much easier to do one set of threads (A or B) at a time. The reason I'm doing them at the same time is because I messed up. I skipped several when I was slipping them from the sword to the lease stick.

The blue thread on the counter is a loop heddle.

I still have to make more heddles. I have 10, so far, so that's 430 more to go! Ha. I also have to make more weights.