Making Changes

Decided I wasn't loving the twill blocks as much as I thought I would, so changed the tie up to a more 'traditional' look. In the process I reversed the twill line so it now begins with the snowflake motif on the outside and the snowballs in the centre. oops. Oh well.

The tie up is a 1/3/2/2/3/1 twill for the motif and 1/3 twill for the background. Of course the other side has a blue background, not the linen.

Sharon S mentioned in a comment that she had a problem warp on the loom. Threads were breaking and she suspected the yarn was too tender, making weaving not fun.

There are a number of remedies that you can try in this instance. A warp dressing or sizing will add strength to a tender yarn. I've even used a really cheap hairspray that I had on hand and that helped, too.

There are recipies for warp dressings or sizings in Magic in the Water - flax for cellulose fibres, gelatin for protein. I suspect one could use either for both fibres.

Another option is a warp dressing sold by Leclerc called Clerco. But generally gelatin or flax seed can be readily purchased at the grocery store and fairly quickly made up. Some people also make warp dressings from rice or potato starch. I've not tried either of those.

Once the warp is on the loom you can paint it on, although the sizing might drip onto the loom. If you are really liking your warp and it needs something to strengthen it, you might go ahead and use it and wash the loom off later.

I found the hairspray worked fairly well and since it was in a pump spray bottle I could direct it where it needed to go fairly easily. It also dried more quickly than a water based solution so I could get back to weaving faster. :)