The Efficient Weaver
From time to time I do a check on my productivity. Partly it is a way to see how I'm doing. Partly it is curiousity. With all my health issues and not being able to weave over the summer, I started wondering if I had slipped on my skills. Or was I back up to speed?
With the AVL and weaving software, I can easily count how many picks I weave in a session if I just keep track of the number of picks when I start and stop. So today I did that.
In a 45 minute session I did about 1750 picks. Now this includes the bobbin changes, the shuttle jams (because, linen), backing up a couple of times because the weft loop pulled in too tight (because shuttle jams), and so on. So my actual weaving speed is higher than that. I have been estimating about 48 picks per minute. With all the stoppages, actual productivity was about 38 picks per minute, so it seems as though I'm pretty much back up to speed.
As I've said before (and will no doubt say again) working efficiently is not hurrying. It is rather, a mental attitude first and foremost. The attitude that one's time is more precious than anything else, and then consciously working towards minimizing the amount of effort put into a physical activity. It is not something that happens overnight, nor all of a sudden. You have to work at it. The more often you do a physical skill (whatever that may be) the better you will get at it if you pay attention and constantly monitor your progress.
"If I change this to that, does it make it better? Does it allow me to work more effectively with less strain?"
Minimum input, maximum output.
It's the name of the game.
From time to time I do a check on my productivity. Partly it is a way to see how I'm doing. Partly it is curiousity. With all my health issues and not being able to weave over the summer, I started wondering if I had slipped on my skills. Or was I back up to speed?
With the AVL and weaving software, I can easily count how many picks I weave in a session if I just keep track of the number of picks when I start and stop. So today I did that.
In a 45 minute session I did about 1750 picks. Now this includes the bobbin changes, the shuttle jams (because, linen), backing up a couple of times because the weft loop pulled in too tight (because shuttle jams), and so on. So my actual weaving speed is higher than that. I have been estimating about 48 picks per minute. With all the stoppages, actual productivity was about 38 picks per minute, so it seems as though I'm pretty much back up to speed.
As I've said before (and will no doubt say again) working efficiently is not hurrying. It is rather, a mental attitude first and foremost. The attitude that one's time is more precious than anything else, and then consciously working towards minimizing the amount of effort put into a physical activity. It is not something that happens overnight, nor all of a sudden. You have to work at it. The more often you do a physical skill (whatever that may be) the better you will get at it if you pay attention and constantly monitor your progress.
"If I change this to that, does it make it better? Does it allow me to work more effectively with less strain?"
Minimum input, maximum output.
It's the name of the game.
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