Use Tabby

Have we talked about the phrase/term "use tabby"? It is not unique overshot. I've seen it elsewhere but for now let's assume it occurs with overshot. It means: between every treadled pattern shot/pick/pass, treadle a row of plain weave to tie down the pattern threads. It gets more complicated than that, though. It means you have to set up two treadles that can be treadled as plain weave. On a four shaft loom with a straight draw threading and six treadles, this is means tying a treadle to shafts 1,3 and another to 2,4, leaving treadles the remaining four treadles handle pattern. All overshot patterns I've ever run across are configured so that they can be treadled in plain weave - or pretty close to plain weave.

pass 1: pattern
pass 2: tabby
pass 3: pattern
pass 4: tabby
etc...

This concept confounded me when I first started weaving. Less so when I understood it intellectually, and the mystery was completely eliminated when I actually did it. Sort of like double weave.

Almost immediately the next question comes up: which treadles should I use for tabby?

Kerry likes using treadles 1 and 6. When her shuttle is on the left, she uses treadle 1; when her shuttle is on the right, she uses treadle 6. For some this is completely intuitive.

I like putting the tabby treadles on the right hand side. I can slide one foot back and forth between the two tabby treadles (left-most when my shuttle is on the left, right-most when my shuttle is on the right) and my left foot operates the other four. If you have any music training, this might feel alot like playing the piano but with the bass line on the right instead of the left. That analogy falls apart pretty quickly if you go much further so let's not. In any case, I'm more comfortable handling the pattern treadles with my left leg.

Still, though, sometimes I miss the correct treadle. They are so close together! This was a constant problem for me with the Minerva. Slightly less of a problem on the new Tools of the Trade loom. Even less so on MayMac (my Macomber) but...sill an issue...until I remembered that I can shift my treadles! Bwahahaha!

Not everyone has this advantage. I do and I am using it. I increased the gap between treadles 4 and 5 from an inch to 5 inches. It's simply a matter of loosening the screw bolts and scooting the treadles (and their connectors) over.

There's no difference in the shed or the integrity of the lift of the shafts. That gap has made ALL the difference for me and I'm loving it for my latest overshot runner.

Not all looms have a long bar for the treadles but if yours does and there is an extra few inches available, give it a try. You could create a gap between treadles 1 and 2, and between 5 and 6.

Happy Weaving!
Erin

The Upside of Warping and A Little Side Trip

Is there really a downside? I think not, unless your name is Kerry and you get a sack full of email from me before 7:00 AM.

She gets all those emails because when I'm warping, and there are no distractions, I get a great deal of quality thinking time in. And I'm a morning person. We're deep in the planning phase for our fall Overshot class (8 weeks) and the two summer workshops we'll be doing - Dyeing (1 day) and Rag Rugs (two weekends).

I'm winding warp for the Fall 2013 Overshot class. We want samples of the project students will be doing and we need something to photograph for the catalog. The project is textile-based, in that they will weave two 22" square sections of overshot as pillow covers, or one 44"x 22" as a runner or for any other use they'd like.

It took me a little time to realize that I don't necessarily need to have an immediate purpose for the fabric I'm weaving. It's fabric. I can use it in just about any way I want (a million variables not withstanding). Liberating my design process to encompass the world of FABRIC and TEXTILE instead of limiting it to SCARF or RUNNER can be very exciting.

http://peggyosterkamp.com/gallery/
One of my favorite authors and weaving gurus. Peggy makes ethereal textiles in silk.

http://www.habutextiles.com/RIP-19-1







On the other hand...it's nice to have an end in mind. I have several skeins of sport-weight raw silk, that wonderful textured matte stuff in pretty browns and tans. I haven't quite decided what I want to do with it. I only know that when I saw it, at Tess Designer Yarns booth at the Maryland Sheep & Wool festival in 2012, I knew I had to weave something with it. I don't want a complicated structure but I do want to show off the colors. It isn't fabulously strong so I may need to combine it with something else as a warp.

In the meantime, I have PLENTY of other weaving to do for upcoming Fall art shows so as soon as the overshot sample comes off the loom I'll be onto that.

Later...
As Kerry mentioned in the last post, we're in a little bit of project overload, and we don't entirely hate it. The overshot is on Bam Bam, the Hearthside loom, and I'm almost done with the first sample. There will be two samples for photographing because we need something representative for the fall class and we need it early for the printed catalog. The next project is also overshot, this time for the class sample. Kerry is winding the warp for that tonight and I'll weave it on one of the classroom looms. In the Loom Lounge, Kerry is just started green and white towels, and I am tying on for waffle weave towels.

Last weekend we road-tripped to State College, PA, for a 36" Leclerc Nilus for Kerry, and to Alexandria for a 48" Macomber for me. Our personal projects are being woven on those and we're so excited! It's comforting to have looms with all their pieces-parts. Kerry's Nilus still had it's warp beam crank! Mine doesn't but I can use a wrench. Along the way we stopped at The Mannings (how could we not?) and had a wonderful conversation with Carol, one of the owners, about some of the very vintage looms they have. Kerry got huggy with the barn loom, and who could blame her? I'll let her tell the story of the barn loom. We also made some purchases but not as much as you might think. We pawed through Tom Knisely's pile o' rugs while Carol talked a little about them and that was worth the trip all by itself.

Weave on, dudes!
Erin