Hello, friends! I’ve just started a project including a variety of purples sandwiched in between sections of pale blue. I was feeling the cool colors, if you couldn’t guess! The project has been measured on the warping board and is moving to the table to sley the reed!
A warp, a reed and a pair of lease sticks walk into a bar…
So, here are the players – the project (I have mine in 2 chunks because of its size), the lease sticks (this pair of sticks will help keep the cross, therefore maintaining the consecutive order of the yarns), and the reed (a long, skinny, metal frame with evenly spaced slots to keep the project width the same). Some weavers like to use a sley hook for threading, too. But, I’m using a reed with fairly wide slots, so it’s not too tough to get the little buggers in there!
In go the lease sticks!
A close up of the lease sticks book-ending the cross.
When I was winding everything on the warping board, I carefully kept each yarn in order by using the “cross”. So, I don’t want to lose it now that the project has been moved! Here is where there lease sticks are critical. I’ve tied a contrasting yarn around the 2 sides of the cross so I can tell where the sticks slide in. From here on, the lease sticks will stay in the project until I’m nearly finished dressing the loom! (“Dressing the loom” refers to the process of setting it up. You know us weavers – we can’t just say “setting it up”! It has to sound old and formal and like we’re drinking Earl Grey with our pinkies in the air… or something like that!)
We’re ready! Let’s sley!
Threading the project into the reed!
I am using an 8-dent reed for this project, which means I have 8 slots per inch. I’ve planned for each yarn to get their own dent, with the occasional doubling up! Once upon a time, I unintentionally put multiple yarns in a dent. Now, I do it on purpose! Funny how that happens!
Each yarn finds a home in a dent…
It’s all in!
In the weaving world, there are 2 opposing camps when it comes to dressing the loom – front-to-back (go through the reed, then the heddles, then wind on), and back-to-front (just the opposite). I’m a front-to-back weaver, which allows me to tackle this stage sitting at a comfortable table versus leaning over a loom. I’ve always appreciated that perk! I’m sure there are various benefits to going the opposite direction. I’m just not as familiar with them. Of course, I am completely biased. So, there you have it…
Next up, the reed & the loom will converge!
The reed has been sleyed! (It always sound more exciting and violent than it actually is!) Next up, I’ll slide it into the loom and pair up the yarns with the heddles. Ah, sweet progress… Talk to you soon…
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Art, Dressing the Loom, From the studio, Planning a Project, Weaving, Weaving Terms
