Stick Shuttles

 

Yes, I still have - and use - stick shuttles.  Yes, they are slower than boat shuttles.  Sometimes it is faster to your goal to work more slowly.  And when the tool is the 'right' tool, then I use it.

A lot of people don't realize that if you wind your shuttle as above (a figure 8 on just one side of the shuttle) you can use your shuttle as a beater.   Very handy on a rigid heddle loom.  Also, by winding the yarn this way, the majority of the yarn sits on the 'top' of the shuttle making the shuttle easier to slide through the shed.   The yarn package builds up in a 'wedge' shape that fits the shed more closely, and reduces the abrasion of the weft yarn on the warp threads.  If you are working with 'tender' warp yarns, this can be a significant benefit.   

When I was weaving 40 yards of 'sashes' for the local Ukrainian dance troupe, the stick shuttle eventually turned out to be the 'best' tool to use, and by going slower by pick, I arrived with the (nearly) perfect sashes with a lot less hair pulling than trying to use a boat shuttle on such a narrow warp faced warp.

The samples that I have been weaving for the next WEFT article also benefited from the use of a stick shuttle.  However, I don't know that anything more will be said about why I used a stick shuttle than a passing note that I did, so I thought I would go into more depth here.

The samples were being woven with bundled weft threads.  The number of threads in the bundle was changed to show how bundled yarns at different numbers in the bundle changed the nature of the cloth.  

In some of the samples I used up to 7 fine threads in the bundle; some had as few as 3.

Part of the approach to do these samples was to use *bundled* threads, not *plyed* ones, so the object was to create a bundle and then reduce the number of twists that were applied to the bundles.  Winding a stick shuttle meant I had the ease of quickly changing the number of threads in the bundle, and applying very little twist.  I used my spool rack to mount the tubes on, which meant that by carefully - and consistently - pulling the yarns off the tubes and placing them on the shuttle as shown above, the yarns did not tend to pull off inconsistently causing loops and went on with few twists along the length.

I just pulled the last sample off the loom, and now I need to re-sley the warp so I can weave the rest off to make tea towels.

The samples need to be cut/serged, tagged so that they can be identified easily (especially after wet finishing) and frankly, the yarn 'tags' I'm using take me longer than the cutting and serging.  But these samples are not just for my benefit (curiosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back) but I need to write up what I did and describe the results.  And I will be making further suggestions for anyone who wants to take what I did further.  Because I could weave another whole set of samples, but I have a word count, and besides, might as well leave something for others to do?  :D  

I can't be having ALL the fun!  

I forget which issue these are intended to be in - if what I've done pass muster.  

The other day I mentioned to a local weaver I had all these samples and I'm mulling over the possibility of having a show and tell for anyone interested to attend and show the magazine and the actual samples for people to get the Full Meal Deal.  I don't feel like I'm doing enough to encourage local weavers and - if they all agree to wear a mask to protect me against the various viruses floating around these days - I would feel safe enough to attend an in person 'study group'.

Plus, maybe by April I'll not be stuttering/stammering etc., so much.  Most people say they can't tell how hard I'm working to speak, but it's exhausting to try and find the words I want to use.

Which means I am probably done with doing 'remote' presentations.  But small groups at my local guild?  I think I can manage that by spring.  We'll see.