The reed is ready!

Last we chatted, I had measured the yarns for the project on the warping board, slipped them off the pegs, and moved them to the table. Thus, the stage is set to sley the reed – my favorite part of dressing the loom! (“Dressing the loom” is the the phrase used to describe the process of getting the loom ready to weave!)

First up, adding the lease sticks! Lease sticks are 2 sticks with holes drilled on each end. Not very glamorous, mind you, but critical!

Before the project came off the warping board, I tied the yarns such that I could keep track of their order. But, the ties are temporary – that’s where the lease sticks come in! Once the ties are cut, the sticks keep everyone in their spots! Weaving becomes much less fun if the lease sticks aren’t in place doing their job! (Check out the photo below where I haven’t cut the ties yet!)

Once the lease sticks are in, I’m ready to sley the reed!

The reed is a metal frame with slots spaced the entire length. I’ll be using an 8-dent reed for this project – translation, there are 8 spaces in each inch of the reed.

For the most part, I’ll be laying in 1 yarn per dent or slot. The natural-colored yarn acts as a design element and will share a dent when it comes up in the order. But, that’s just a little something extra I threw in to keep it interesting!

Depending on the project, I will either start in the middle or at an end (and really, what other options are there?). If the project width is narrower than the reed, starting in the middle is a great way to center it. But in this case, I’ll be using the entire width. So, I started at an end. What I found (and should have remembered from prior projects) is that this reed is about 1/2″ wider than the 36″ I planned for. In an effort to use every last bit, I went back over to the warping board and measured out a little extra – it’s the pale green colored group at the end!

I like to knot each inch as a way to double check. (There’s a fine line between careful and anal, I know!)

It’s all sleyed! Next up, the reed, the lease sticks and the warp yarns will all take a little stroll over to the loom and climb right in! (Don’t let the anticipation keep you up at night!) Talk to you soon…