Today’s spotlight is on the weaving reed – the reliable reed, we’ll call it. See, the reed is one of those pieces of the loom that you mostly take for granted. But try a project once without it? You’ll be hurting. And you’ll NEVER again dismiss the lowly, but critical reed.
The reed is a rectangular frame with dividers that sits in the beater bar. It’s job is to keep the project width consistent, keeping all those warp yarns in line. Now that I think about it, it’s a bit like the project baby sitter. But, a really good one who plays games with you and fixes grilled cheese sandwiches. (Not like when a sibling just phones it in. You know what I’m talking about…)
Check out episode 33 of A Handwoven Experience to hear more about the reliable reed!
Show Notes –
Weaving reeds – Reeds come in number of widths, as well as various dents per inch (how many spaces per inch). I’m a Schacht girl myself, so if you want to see what your options could look like, check out their selection of reeds right here.
More reed-y details – Wikipedia actual does a pretty good job of explaining the reed and providing some history! I’ve got the link here if you want to soak it all up!