Keeping Track

 

Someone asked how I keep track of threadings, especially when they might be complicated, and lots of shafts.

Over the years I've worked out ways to try and avoid threading errors.  (Don't always work, but tends to reduce issues.)

First of all, I number my shafts.  On the AVL, the shafts were wood and fairly thick - thick enough I could write the numbers on the top of the bottom part of the shaft.  I used a fine nibbed permanent marker and could then easily identify which shaft was which.  The Megado has wooden top and bottom shafts, but they are thinner so I used a pencil to number them.  The numbers are written on several places along the length if the shafts because as I thread the heddles will obscure the numbers.  So about every 7 to 8 inches I wrote the numbers 1-16 so I could easily see them as I thread.

Simple progressions aren't too hard to manage but things tend to get complicated when more complex threading orders are required.

After I got Fiberworks weaving software, I could print out the threading only, tape the pages to the side of the AVL and then mark off each section.  The progression would get broken down into manageable units, and as each group of ends was threaded, they would be marked off on the print out.  If I got interrupted or needed a break, I could see at a glance where I left off.  Each group gets tied into a slipknot so I know that group is complete. 

With many threads needed for a motif, as in the draft above, I also tie a slip knot when each motif is complete.  

The current weave structure I've been playing with is twill based, so I tend to thread 4 or 8 ends at a time - until the twill line changes direction;  then it might be 5 or 7 ends in a bundle.

The draft prints out with numbers for the shafts, my shafts are numbered appropriately, and I find it easiest to read the numbers off the draft, select the heddles on the appropriate shafts and 'stack' them in order, then select the number of ends needed for the group and thread them.  As I tie the slip knot, I lift the bundle up to see if I can spot any threads that are 'wrong' - maybe I missed the eye of the TexSolv heddle, or I mis-threaded the sequence.  It's a quick self-check to try and spot any errors.

That doesn't mean I don't make mistakes, of course I do!

On the latest warp, as I sleyed I spotted something 'wrong' with one group of 8 ends.  I had threaded the sequence the wrong way.  As in I threaded the progression / instead of \.  (If something looks wrong, it probably is!)  I checked the previous threads, saw which direction the twill line was going, realized I'd reversed the threads, so they got pulled out, the heddles stacked in the correct order and re-threaded.

On the previous warp I'd made a similar mistake - instead of threading a point progression 4,3,2,1,2,3,4 - I'd threaded 5,4,3,1,3,4,5.  Again spotted during sleying because it looked 'wrong'.  A quick re-thread after tying in two 'repair' heddles on shaft 2 quickly solved that issue.

I approach threading a complex pattern with the 'how do you eat an elephant' approach - one bite at a time.

As for the printed out draft, the Megado doesn't have a place to tape the draft so I dug out an old typists clipboard thingee and it gets set on a table beside me.  The draft gets printed out in a larger size font than when I was younger, which means I generally have about 5 pages of draft.  Fiberworks does indicate the page numbers so that makes it easier to tell where I am as I complete each page.  The clipboard has a little 'tray' so a pencil gets set on that and each time I complete a group, that group gets checked off on the draft so I know where I am in the sequence.

I find that threading needs a lot of concentration, so it becomes particularly important to set any distractions aside.  If I can't do that, it usually means I make mistakes.  I also find that the best approach for me is to play instrumental music, not songs where I might sing along (in my head!)  I need to pay attention and focus.  I need to take breaks.  Threading is usually an uncomfortable position and staying in that position for 'too long' means I start to lose concentration.  Far better to stop after a while (eg when the cd ends), take a break, clear my brain, go back and do another section.

The method of threading I learned from Norman Kennedy makes threading twill progressions very efficient and ergonomic.  Small moves, not large ones, means less fatigue and stress on the body.  

Threading is one of the tasks involved in weaving where you need all of your focus and attention, and distractions need to be kept to a minimum.

My advice?  Try to see the rationale of the pattern.  Try to see how the threads march through the pattern.  Try to sense the flow of the design line.  Set up self-checks, in whatever way works best for you.

For me, keeping the data in the same format (numbers in the draft, numbers on the shafts) helps me process the information in a way that makes sense to me.  I try to break the design down into manageable units.  If I can't find a way to do that, then 4 ends at a time is a manageable unit because I can easily hold 4 threads in my left hand (when threading a four shaft loom - I can do up to 8 when I'm working on the Megado with sectional beam.)

Think about what it is you need, then give yourself the tools to do the best you can.  Then do your best to stay in the moment, focused on the task and not let your thoughts wander.  As soon as that begins to happen, take a break, then come back after a rest.