Helpful/Not Helpful

 People want to be helpful (usually).  If there is one thing social media has shone a light on, is that people will pass on advice, sometimes even when it isn't asked for.  I have been guilty of this myself, and so I have largely stepped back from posting on social media groups and use this blog instead to air my thoughts and give unsolicited advice, without stepping on any particular individual's toes (or beliefs).

So I thought that from time to time, when I am reminded of 'bad' advice/information being doled out, always with the best intentions, I might address some of these 'myths' here. 

One that I see now and again is in answer to the question of 'bad' selvedges.  Sometimes someone will say that the OP should leave a 45 degree angle on their weft.

The photos below show why that advice isn't helpful:

Not sure what a 45 degree angle looks like?  You can fold a piece of paper on the diagonal, like the post-it note (yellow) in the photo, then lay the straight edge aligned with the fell.  Clearly a 45 degree angle on anything but an extremely narrow warp isn't going to be possible.

The actual angle I leave for the weft is more like 12-15 degrees

That would be the blue line in the photo.

Why 45 degrees?  I have no idea.  None.  Zip.  Nada.

Sometimes I see the justification for a 45 degree angle is that 'you need that much of an angle for the weft to have enough length to take up along the fell'.

Nope.  No you don't.  You just need the leading end of the weft to NOT be trapped in the selvedge.  

Trapping the leading end of the weft in the selvedge means there isn't enough wiggle room for the weft to take the curving path between the warp ends (so to speak).  

And how does the leading end *get* trapped (most often)?  By throwing the shuttle, leaving a nice angle on the weft, then bringing the shuttle hand towards your body as the beater comes forward.

Since the beater starts to obscure the weft as it comes to the fell, weavers don't notice what they have done, and get concerned when their web begins to have excess draw in, leading to abrasion on the selvedge ends, and even, potentially broken selvedges.

So they ask for help, and someone will say 'leave a 45 degree angle on the weft'.  Which clearly is not possible.

Others may advise to 'bubble' the weft, which can help, especially for weft faced rugs, for example, but generally the tendency with bubbling is that too much length is left in the shed and little loops of weft tend to poke up out of the plane of the cloth.

Much better (imho) to learn how to hold, throw and beat so that the weft has free rein to take up as much as it needs without doing all those other things which, in the long run, aren't possible, or helpful.

So *my* advice is to hold the shuttle cradled in your fingers, not over hand.  Use your thumb to control the let off of the weft from the bobbin.  Use your thumb to brake the bobbin and tug gently on the selvedge to seat the weft loop in the selvedge and then, as you bring the beater forward, lift the shuttle hand and let the beater pass under your hand, DON'T BRING THE SHUTTLE HAND TOWARDS YOUR BODY.

Getting good selvedges is a combination of factors, including having the tension on the warp such that you can do the little tug on the selvedge with the weft thread and have the warp ends then return to their proper position when the tension is let off as the beater comes forward.

These processes are subtle and easily overlooked.  To incorporate them into your practice you will have to be mindful and focused on them until they become your new default.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk...