I only took a few photos in the Eklands Mill in Sweden - this is the beam of the 'test' warp the two guys running the beaming equipment the mill had just purchased, and they were testing it to make sure they knew the best way to do the job with the new equipment.
What you can't see, waaaaay down the room, is the spool rack which was filled with 280 (about) cones, positioned so that they were oriented horizontally and each end individually tensioned. Just a day in a life for the two guys doing the work of prepping the warp. By the time we did the rest of the self-guided tour and arrived at the loom room, the forklift had delivered the beam and set it into the loom and the guy there was prepping it to be tied onto the existing 'waste' of the previous warp. (They do that at the back of the loom, tying to the back end of the previous warp, pulling those through the heddle and then tie on at the front.)
For these guys, setting up a large loom, was just part of their 'normal' lives. For us watching, it was 'normal', but not at this scale and we were, frankly, mesmerized.
I should have a few other photos - somewhere - and if I ever find them, I'll do a little 'tour' - although I wasn't sure I should. I had ignored the 'no camera' sign when I took these, but my companion said it was ok - she had seen the sign, explained that I was a weaver from Canada and asked if I could take photos. And got permission to take some.
There are some things that are just assumed to be 'standard' in weaving. It seems one of those is that *most* well engineered looms will have about a 15" circumference beam at the 'core', no matter how long the warp being used. My Megado has about 14.5" or about 36-37 cm, for the 'core'. The empty beams stacked against the wall appeared to have a similar circumference.
Another number that keeps coming up is 100 pounds or 45 kilos. My little flat bed press applies 100 pounds of pressure of the hot shoe to the bed; the water powered mill had 'hammers' that weighed about 45 kilos each. I believe the old industrial steam press also used 100 pounds of pressure.
As I have been reading Michelle Boyd's books, I keep seeing 'themes' repeated between the various yarns and the crafts that utilize them.
I finished reviewing Michelle's ms yesterday. I've typed up my comments, but I'm going to let them sit today and re-read what I will submit tomorrow, then send. They need my comments before Oct. 24 so I kind of set everything else aside.
This kind of 'reviewing' (one thesis, one ms, one more thesis) has lead me to review my life. Again.
I have been made well aware that most of society views what I considered 'normal' as not at all 'normal'. Some assumed that I wove because I had nothing 'better' to do.
Happens that I actually wove because I could not envisioning the coin of my time and energy on anything *not* weaving.
This morning I was reminded of the trip to Sweden and doing the tour of the mill. And how even then, I could not do the tour 'normally'. The 3 of us were all handweavers and we were fascinated. And so we wound up overstaying our welcome and got locked into the stairwell, long after the self-guided tour was over. The person who 'rescued' us from the stairwell was quite miffed. But I got a very rare and extremely informative tour that was way beyond what 'normal' people experienced, just because we *were* fascinated, respectful, asked specific questions that let the guys in the warping room and loom room know that we were genuinely interested in the answers.
For now I struggle to find a new 'normal'. However, in spite of everything, the loom is ready to weave (I checked ppi yesterday) so I'm going to get dressed, head to the loom, finish crunching numbers for the liftplan and see if it looks like I've 'guessed' (educated, but still, not proven - yet) correctly, and see if I can get at least half a towel woven. I don't feel 'horrible' from the double whammy of Covid and flu vaccines, but I planned on today 'off' if necessary, so I won't berate myself too much if I only get to the loom once today.
And tomorrow I think I talk to the doctor about what we try 'next'. If I can keep weaving, I'll be a happy camper. Even happier if we can successfully deal with my aging body to a better degree of functionality.
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