Winding Warps

 

Warp winding station

Close up of cross

More angst on line about warp winding, warp beaming, general dissatisfaction with the whole warp dressing process.

Warping is not difficult, but is *is* complex.  It is a process fraught with invisible considerations - a combination of physics and well, what appears to be 'magic' when someone who is good at it, does it.

But it isn't magical.  It is a precise series of steps that needs to be done in order, consistently, applying tension when necessary and controls that do not hinder the process, but enable the weaver to precisely get the job done.

It is not helped by getting frustrated, but examined and adjusted to better suit the situation at hand.

In other words...it depends.

I see all sorts of comments and they are all fine - as far as they go.  But hardly anyone tells why they do what they do.  

Here is my attempt to explain what I do, and why.

1.  Warping station

I place the board so that it is solidly against the wall.  It doesn't shift around or wobble. I can wind with some tension (not a lot, just to keep things happy) and press each pass of the yarn down towards the base of the peg.  I do not overlap the threads but place them beside the ones that have gone before which keeps each pass of the yarn pretty close to even - in tension and therefore length.  When I press them towards the base, some of the threads closer to the base might overlap, but they do that by increasing their tension in order to climb over/under the previous ends.  Once they are released from that path, they go back to the same tension and length as the other passes.

2.  Generally I use two ends at a time.  In the first photo you can see the two tubes each standing on a peg to keep the yarn stable and evenly winding off the spool because each end is threaded through a reed that takes the yarn up off the tube, centered.  Each yarn can balloon outwards without catching on each other or anything else.  This keeps the yarn from spiraling out evenly tensioned, not catching and jerking on its journey to the warping board.  I set each tube so that it empties in the same direction, in my case to come off the tube in a counter clockwise direction.  Whatever you do, be consistent.

3.  I keep a finger between the pair of ends as I find the yarn comes off the tubes smoothly.  Some people don't and say they don't have any issues.  Personal choice.  The cross is a 2x2 cross.  By doing two ends at a time I halve the time I need to spend winding the warp.  I find that using 2 ends in a pass generally makes things go more smoothly, especially if the yarn is a bit hairy or textured.

4.  I count out as many threads as I need in an inch or so.  In this case the epi will be 20 so 10 passes or 20 threads in a 'bundle'.  I use a counting string of a thicker yarn, contrasting in colour.  The thicker yarn is made even thicker by trebling or doubling and doubling (for 4 strands in the bundling yarn) and then as I complete each bundle of one inch (or whatever is appropriate for the warp) I twist the two ends of the bundling string to create a X between the previous bundle and the next.  Continue to done.  (If more than 15" in width in the reed, I will wind two chains.)

5.  When the warp is wound, I tie a single 'knot' to secure the counting string.  The yarn is hairy enough that is all that is required, so it is easy to pull gently on one of the 'strings' to loosen the knot and quickly and easily removed the string when it is time.  

6.  Tying the cross is done by tying the entire (half) warp above or below the cross with a single string, bundled in the same way as the counting string.  I do not tie the actual waist of the cross because I find that compresses that area and makes it more difficult to separate the threads later.

7.  Then the choke tie is tied, about 18" or so from the cross.  See second photo for a close up shot.

For this tie, the whole point is to secure the warp chain and discourage it from sliding around and becoming messy.  So I do the same thing with the choke tie and introduce a twist into the chain about 1/3 of the way through, then another 2/3s of the way into the chain, and then I pull very firmly on the tie to make sure the yarn is trapped as much as possible in the tie.

8.  Take one more close look at the warp chain.  Does it look correct?  All the ties have been tied?  Then cut the warp yarns off (they can be loose, the counting string will control the threads).  Pull the bottom peg out and then carefully drop the warp into a box/bin for the next step.

No, I don't chain the warp.  Notice I did not tie any other part of the warp.  This warp is only 5 meters, and really doesn't need any gathering ties.  Notice I did not say 'choke' ties.  When I *do* tie along the length of a longer warp.  I don't tie them very tightly, just enough to prevent yarns from straying from their path, too much.

Also note, I do not have studio pets that will be tempted to stick their nose or claws into my yarns.  Your mileage may vary.

Truth be told, it is taking me longer to type this out than actually winding the warp.  

If anyone wants more info on warp beaming and warping valets, I have plenty of posts - just use the tag in the long list of tags and click on warping valet.  I've written multiple times about the process I use, and people constantly question why I do what I do.  Isn't it annoying?  Fiddly?  Confusing?  No.  No.  No.  What it does is give me consistent results that provide for happy weaving.

What will that look like for you?  Don't know.  Everyone gets to choose what they want to do.  So if something I do doesn't resonate with someone else?  I am not the weaving police.  If you are happy, bless you.  If you are not?  Maybe think about what you are doing and start to examine your processes, maybe change a few things.

One last thing - I don't aim to control every single individual thread in a warp.  A warp is a collective.  There may be tiny differences, but for most handweavers in the 21st century, they are not end of the earth failures.  Most times a little faith will go a long ways towards successfully completing a project.  And take some time to be thoughtful about what you are doing.  Only then will you really learn what you need to do.  And of course, change one thing?  And everything can change.  

Understanding that one simple principle will go a long way towards understanding what you are doing, and when you might need to change something to better serve your objectives.

Under Tension

 

Warping Valet

First thing this morning I logged onto Facebook and immediately saw two posts by two 'new' weavers, each one complaining about nasty, snarled, tangled warps.

I didn't read the answers being given.  Each person was giving their best answer - and most of them had pearls of wisdom in them.

However.

However.

If you don't address the reason those snarls and tangles developed, it will be hard to get rid of them appearing.

Usually it is some sort of 'tension' issue.  Where and how it happened will depend because if the warp isn't controlled in some way, which can be easily done by the application of the appropriate amount of tension, problems will appear.

So, the where/when question.  It is a lot more difficult to diagnose the issues when you have little experience.  

Problems can be introduced right from the warp winding, and at several points along the process.

Generally I suggest that people wind 2 warp ends at a time.  I put my index finger between the two threads to discourage them from trying to twist around each other.  Some people say it doesn't matter.  Try it, see which way 'works' for you.

I try to wind under light tension, keeping the threads pushed as far to the base of the peg as I can.  I don't lay them over the previous ends, but lay them parallel, and after a few passes push that bundle towards the peg.  There should be enough tension that the threads do not sag between pegs.  There should NOT be so much tension that the pegs bend inwards.  You are building tension issues in as you wind if you let that happen.

I use a counting string, and bundle each 1" (see other posts* on warp winding for more info) and tie the cross in 4 (the arms of the X) places.  By tieing the cross like that, the cross is very quick and easy to find to insert the lease sticks.  Once the lease sticks are securely holding the cross, untie the 4 arms of the cross so that the threads can move freely to fill the raddle or rough sley the reed to establish the width in the reed during weaving.  No, I don't wind a chain for every inch.  If the warp is less than 15" in the reed and I'm using Brassard's 2/8 cotton, I will wind the entire chain at once.  If it is more than 15" in the reed, I will wind two chains, 8" worth.

Before I remove the warp from the warping board, I tie the cross, then a secure 'choke' tie about 18" from the cross.  This is a very tight tie that I figure 8 around the entire warp (but I make two twists, not just one, more like handcuffs than the figure '8') and using a somewhat thicker and study cord, make the choke tie quite tightly.

Then I make 'gathering' ties about every 2 yards/meters.  These are not uber tight, but hold the warp threads in a bundle.  These get removed as the warp gets beamed.  None of these ties are tied with 'knots' because they will need to be removed, so a single tie and bow is all that is used.

Then the lease sticks are set up in some fashion (different people do different things because of their particular circumstances/physical space requirements) and the warp is 'rough sleyed'.  Since I wind two ends at a time, I will take one loop (equal to 4 warp ends) and put it into the reed such that the intended density is achieved.

The lease sticks are then moved to the other 'side' of the reed so that the cross can be transferred (after beaming) to the front in order to thread the loom.

I have a video on You Tube that shows how I use a warping valet, which might be helpful.  See other posts on this blog, under 'rough sleying' or 'reed as raddle'.

Using a warping valet (or warping trapeze) means that the warp will go onto the beam under tension.  I use a 'firm' warp packing of bamboo or wooden blind material.  Some people don't like that because their loom may not have much room to wind it onto the beam.  My Leclerc Fanny can easily beam a 11 meter long warp *with* warp packing.  YMMV.

By keeping tension on the warp as it is being beamed, it will be wound onto the loom under consistent tension.  The firm warp packing will behave better than long rolls of paper/cardboard.  But again, do what you prefer in order to get the result you want.

However, if you want to beam an 9 meter long warp in under 10 minutes, no snarls, no tangles, maybe take a look at the video and decide if it is something you want to try.

For more details on warping trapeze/valets, check out Kati Meek's book Dance With Your Loom.  Or take a look at my online classes for Long Thread Media and School of Sweet Georgia (The Efficient Weaver - same topic, slightly different presentations - I hang out on School of Sweet Georgia to answer questions.)

Or my book, The Intentional Weaver.  (No tariffs to US buyers, they are printed in the US.)

*check the topic list at the side for things like warp winding, rough sleying, etc.  There is a LOT of information on this blog - all of it free - but you do have to dig a bit.

In the world of weaving, a little *appropriate* tension is A Good Thing...

Warping Valet/Trapeze

There is a perception that in order to use a warping valet/trapeze you have to have a lot of room.  I use one in large part because I have very little room.

You can see in this photo that I have another loom in front of the Leclerc.  There is - at best - three feet between the breast beam of the Leclerc and the other loom.  There is just enough room that I can have my loom bench at the Leclerc and a narrow 'path' between the two looms.

The other loom doesn't have a ceiling rod to use, so Doug made a 'trapeze' for me out of two 2.x4s and a closet dowel.  That loom has at most three feet between the breast beam and the wall in front of it.

One of the things many people have difficulty with is getting their warps beamed 'well'.  There are many different approaches to getting this part of the process done.  Over the years I have found that beaming with tension is a key component of getting warps that behave. 

One recommendation for beaming is to stretch the warp out for as far as you can, then put weight onto the warp chain and drag it along the floor.

When you have only three feet in front of the loom, the sections you can beam are very short. 

Weighting the warp as it hangs off the breast beam means even shorter sections. 

By routing the warp chain up and over a valet or trapeze, longer sections of warp can be groomed and then beamed.  This makes for a better job (as far as I'm concerned) and it also makes the whole process more efficient.

I have had so many people contact me to say using such a device - either ceiling mounted or the 2x4/closet dowel - have made weaving much more enjoyable as it no longer is a chore of hours. 

Here is a video I did of me beaming a 9 meter long place mat warp.  Notice the clock.  This clip was done all in one go and was not edited in any way. 

9 meters.  About 10 minutes.

It Should Not Be Hard

Weaving should not be hard, but like any new skill there may be wallowing at the beginning of the learning curve. 

Here is a warp during beaming. No I do not routinely beam front to back.  What I do is use a reed to space the warp out to its intended width, beam, then thread, sley and tie on.  

This is not the only way to get a warp onto the loom.  It is just one way.  But the principle of using tension during beaming is sound.  A thread under tension is a thread under control.  

If there is room a warp can be stretched out and weighted.  Recently someone posted a photo showing how they use a chair to apply tension.  I’m assuming that if more tension is required books or other weight could be piled on the chair seat.  Some people use bags of books or bricks.  The warp then slides across the floor.  

I don’t have the luxury of space so I use a rod in the ceiling.  Kati Meek has documented how to use what she calls a trapeze in her book Dance With Your Loom.  Many people, myself included, have blogged about how to do this.  

Some yarns are more co-operative than others, but if aspiring weavers remember that a thread under tension is a thread under control, then figure out how to apply that in their particular circumstances, beaming might not be so off putting.  

Currently reading Fatal Pursuit by Martin Walker

Cross Purposes

One of the things we forgot to tape for the DVD The Efficient Weaver was how I rough sley the reed as a raddle and how it gets put into the loom.  Since someone also asked about transferring the cross, here is a photo essay showing those steps.

Laying the reed across a couple of small boxes, I sley the warp into the reed.  In this instance I want 10 epi, but have wound two ends at a time.  Since you never want to separate the loops at the end of the warp chain, a complete loops goes into one dent, then three are left empty to achieve 10 epi density.

Once done, the reed is flipped over top of the lease sticks.

The loop of the warp is now picked up and held by a third lease stick.

The bundle of reed and lease sticks is laid across the bin (or box) and carried to the loom.  In this instance I also threw in the cones I expect to use for weft, just to keep everything together.

The reed is inserted into the beater (see picture below) and the third lease stick holding the loops is carried to the back of the loom.  The apron rod then picks up the loops from the stick.  In this picture you can see the loops are messy.  These uneven loops straighten out quickly by going to the front of the loom and gently pulling on the warp chain at the choke tie, which hopefully has done it's job and not allowed any unevenness to transfer beyond the choke to to the rest of the warp.

The loops have been straightened out.  Since this yarn is textured, it needs a little extra grooming.  I do this by grasping the choke tie, applying gentle tension on the chain and then sliding the lease stick back and forth to encourage the threads to even out.

The weight is applied to the warp chain to provide tension for beaming and the lease sticks are raised as close to the warping valet as possible without snagging any of the threads.  The goal here is to have equal tension on the threads.  Snags will increase tension on those threads caught up. in the snag.

The warp is beamed by rolling the warp forward.  The lease sticks will descend to the breast beam at which point the weight is removed and moved further down the chain and lease sticks raised as high as they can easily go.  Repeat, inserting warp packing, until done.  Here I've divided the warp chain into two sections.  If I didn't the warp is wide enough that the outside ends will have more tension than the inside ends for the last few feet.

Removing the masking tape (or whatever is used to secure the lease sticks) the stick closest to the reed is tipped up on it's edge to form a shed.

Using a longer set of lease sticks I insert one into the shed behind the beater and...

slide it to the back where it is inserted into the Angel Wings (sold by Purrington Looms).  I've found the front set of holes is about perfect for me to thread from.

Removing the first lease stick, the second one now forms the other shed of the cross and another long lease stick picks up the shed behind the beater and...

gets inserted into the front hole of the Angel Wings.  The clamps hold the lease sticks so that they can't pop out of the Angel Wings and the warp is secure.

I cut the loops at the beater and the warp is now ready to be threaded.

Void, Voided

click photo to biggify

So much for a nice stretch of purely studio deadlines.  Between my mom and both of us, we are having Life Happening.

It started with Doug's surgery to fix an annoying problem, then my putting my back 'out'.  Mom is having some health issues and between the three of us we are running around with multiple health related appointments.

After a nasty couple of days I woke pain free this morning and since I'm supposed to walk more than I sit, decided to try weaving on the AVL.  The first session wasn't an unqualified success but after icing it and winding a warp it settled down and I was able to finish the first towel.

Warp winding isn't walking as such, but with the constant change of body weight from foot to foot with each pass of the yarn on the board, it mimics walking and I've actually felt much better doing that than sitting.  I've managed to wind 5 place mat warps and started storing the weft yarns in the bin with the warp to be woven off later.  (foreground stack of bins)

There are still a couple of bags of yarn on the work table which will have to be put away - once my back is feeling better.  Carrying heavy stuff really isn't recommended right now.

Oh yes - in case you are wondering how I dealt with the missing 6 threads in the warp...you can just see the 6 replacement tubes dangling off the back of the loom.  The rod in the ceiling I use for a valet originally began life for just this sort of thing - hanging repair ends.

I let them down nearly to the floor, then when they get close to the rod I let them down again.  I can weave about 1.5 yards before I need to deal with them, which is just about exactly one session worth of weaving.

Scary Things

Yes, this warp might appear to be a little scary.  Click to biggify and see just how tangled it is!

But these tangles don't scare me.  When I took the first photo, it was about 12 minutes to 6.  It took about 5 or 6 minutes to get the warp looking like this:

And by 6:15 I was back upstairs with the 10.5 meter long warp beamed, the cross transferred, the lease sticks set into the Angel Wings, studio shut down for dinner.

Just knowing that I have the warping valet, will be tensioning the warp for beaming and that this particular yarn can be brushed with little ill effect means I can confidently go ahead and deal with it.

Biggest lesson?  Don't let our fears control what we will - and will not - do.  Unless of course bodily harm might be a consequence!

Getting From Here to There

A friend asked if I could do a video of how I got the warp from the rough sleying into the loom.  Not having a camera operator to follow along as I did it, I just took some still photos, hoping that will be enough information to help understand my process.

The first photo shows the warp, already rough sleyed.  In this instance, I am using a 9 dent reed putting 6 ends into every third dent in order to get close to my desired width.  The warp was wound with three ends at a time and I don't want to split those ends up, so 6 at a time is required.

The warp is meant to be 24" in the reed for weaving.  Using the 9 dent reed, it is slightly wider than that, which is what I prefer if I can't get it exact.

Once the warp is rough sleyed, I flip the reed over top of the lease sticks.  Notice there is about a finger's width of space left between the lease sticks.  I've found that much closer and the sticks will tend to 'pinch' the threads making it more difficult for the warp to slide between them.

With a wider warp I have to take the yarn in sections in order to create a shed to slip a third lease stick into the loops to prevent them from falling out of the reed and to make it easier to carry the loops to the back of the loom.

Showing the warp loops all onto the third stick, piled on top of the stick and the reed.

The bundle of sticks and reed is placed on top of the bucket in which the rest of the warp is stored...

...and carried over to the front of the loom.  The bench has been set to one side, the beater still has the top on it but no reed and the heddles are pushed to either side of the loom.

The reed and lease sticks are lifted up and the bottom of the reed slid into the beater.  Very important at this point to ensure that the warp is not caught in the beater either at the bottom of the reed or the top.  The loops are carefully eased through and then the beater top fastened down to hold the reed in place.

For a wider warp it is often helpful to have another set of hands to assist with this bit, but I can do it by myself.

The third lease stick with the loops on it is carefully eased by the heddles and placed into the Angel Wings.

With the stick being held by the Angel Wings, it is a fairly simple matter to thread the apron rod through the loops and apron, securing the warp to the back of the loom.  Once secure, remove the stick.

After that is done, I go to the front of the loom and gently ease any uneven threads back to even.  If the choke ties are properly secured, there should be little to no slippage of the rest of the warp during this process.  After straightening the loops out at the back of the loom, the warp is placed around the valet rod, the choke ties are removed, the weights hung and beaming can commence.

Tangles

2/8 natural cotton looped over the apron rod.  There is enough twist in this yarn that once let off tension it will tend to pigtail or twist back on itself, causing a rather distressing looking mess.  However....

in spite of the warp looking rather nasty at the lease sticks, it took about 5 minutes at the back of the loom to open the pigtails and then...

by grabbing the choke tie and gently pulling, the slack in the threads equalized so that the warp looked quite tidy by the time I was ready to insert the rod from the overhead warping valet and add a weight in the form of a half-filled gallon jug so that I could begin to wind the warp onto the beam.

With the tendency of the warp to twist and grab onto a neighbour, I moved the lease sticks more easily by tipping the stick to open a bit of a shed and separate the two layers of yarn.

I use the lease sticks to clear and hold any errant ends at equal tension to the rest of the warp.by sliding them as far away from the beater as possible, then allowing them to move forward as the warp is being beamed.

And yes, indeed, if the tangles are too persistent, I will even use a brush to help straighten the threads.

Now I won't use a brush on every yarn, every time.  Sometimes it isn't necessary as the yarn is more co-operative than this one.  But if the yarn is strong enough, I will use a brush to make the beaming go more efficiently if necessary.

There are all sorts of people who have just gasped in horror at this confession I am quite sure. 

I could carefully beam a warp without resorting to such tactics but it would take me a whole lot longer and I'm not a patient person.  Nor do I have the time to coax my yarns into behaving.  If they won't behave nicely, I will brush them if the yarn is strong enough and smooth enough.

My bottom line is this:  I have limited time in order to accomplish what I want to do.  I am not going to waste time messing about with something when a little bit of brushing or finger combing etc., will give me decent results.  I don't advise messing about with the brush, either.  A quick swipe here and there to straighten ends is all it usually takes.  

Not all looms are crated equal.  Nor are all yarns.  And least of all, not all weavers are the same.  Learn as much as possible about the nature of the yarns being used, understand how the loom functions and most of all, learn as many different ways and about as many different tools as possible so that appropriate methods can be used for the situation in hand.  

Are you happy with your results?  Great.  If not, try something different.  Do what is necessary to obtain the results you desire.

Oh, the warp is 15" wide, 20 epi, about 11 meters long and it took about 10 minutes to beam it once the pigtails were straightened out....

Video of a similar type of warp here

Seeing Red

Three warps.  Three red warps.  Turns out my stock of 2/8 cotton is much more depleted than I remembered and what I have the most of is red.  So the next two towel warps on the Fanny will be red based.

It's really hard to tell from the photo but the top most warp has two different dye lots in it.  One half of the warp is going to be a more intense 'lipstick' red, the other half a more scarlet red.  I'm sure that it will be quite subtle, but if not, it's a design feature....(s'my story and I'm sticking to it!)

The warp on the AVL is 2/16 cotton in a scarlet red.  The beginning will be woven off with the last of the singles 16 half-bleached linen, which will use up that cone of Lynn's yarn once and for all.  The rest of the warp will be woven with a very softly spun 20/2 scarlet red from Lynn's stash.  This 30 yard long warp may not use up the entire cone of that but it should put a good dent in it.  :)

I have made a pretty good stab at staying on top of the administrivia, but will have to balance my ledger and cheque book so my papers can be delivered to the accountant before I leave.  Since I'm up to date on my entries, though, that task should not take too long.  She says, optimistically!  And there is the writing for Handwoven to do, too.

There is a call for instructors for a conference I'd like to apply for - that also has to be done before I leave. There is the planning for the Project That Cannot (yet) Be Named.  I'd hoped to have done that before now, but other things have gone 'critical' and needed to be dealt with immediately.  But it's time to get cracking on that project because I have a bunch of weaving to do for it.

I have also been spectacularly unsuccessful at losing weight over the past 6 months.  The best I can say is that I haven't gained any.  :(  Since my weight had been climbing, I suppose I can rate my efforts a partial success?  But I had really hoped to peel off 15 pounds - guess that will go back onto my list of goals for the new year?

Christmas will be a low-key affair - lunch with mom, then come home and weave?  Sounds good to me!

Currently reading The Dark Vineyard by Martin Walker

Slip Sliding

back to the Fanny and warping valet

warp wound of two 2/8 cotton with one strand of variegated cotton flake

ready to transfer the cross - the lease sticks aren't going anywhere so long as tension is kept on the warp

In spite of a whole lot of distractions I did manage to rough sley, beam and begin threading the warp with the second cone of Lynn's yarn.

But distractions abound!  There have been so many that I completely lost track of the upcoming holiday season and realized we had not booked reservations at the one restaurant in town that actually does a Christmas dinner.  It looks like they might be full, so now I have to scramble for an alternative.  Cooking here at the house is not attractive, and mom isn't all that interested in doing a big family meal either.  So, not sure what we'll do.

Also realized that it is just 3 weeks until I leave for NC - and still no paperwork from the school.  It's probably stuck in the holiday mail but I'm feeling antsy about booking my tickets.  By the time I realized that, they were closed for the day so I just sent an email asking for the class list by email so I can contact the students.

It also means that I'd better hurry up and book our tickets.

Tomorrow Doug will beam a warp onto the AVL.  My afternoon tomorrow is 'shot' with a badly needed massage treatment followed by a tune up with the chiropractor.  My back has not been happy threading today, but I'm about 2/3's of the way through and still hoping to at least start weaving tonight to see how the cloth looks in terms of quality.

I still have the 'experiment' to do for Handwoven, a short article to write up in addition to the experiment notes, prepare class handouts for the Block Weaves workshop and pull the yarns for the warps.  It's looking like I may have to send them by Expresspost (expensive!) in order for them to get there in time.  I won't be able to fit it all into my carry on suitcase.  Oh well!

There are other things lurking in the background, too, but they haven't gone critical - yet.  This year is slip sliding away - and so is my time to get things done....

MIMO part II

Sometimes people comment that they would love to use a valet but they don't have any room for one.  Not having any room is partly why I use one.  In the first photo you can see how closely to the back of the AVL my work table is.  It is so close that in order to beam the AVL sectionally, I have to roll the work table farther away from the loom.  Using the warping valet mounted in the ceiling I don't have to move the table - just have to be careful when I bend down!

Here I'm using the reed swiveled in order to keep the warp going into the proper sections.

This photo shows a little more of the set up - reed between beam and sectional rail, the warp running from the bottom of the beam, under the rail, up over the warping valet and the water jug I use for weight.  The chain is in one of my little boxes.

And a more distant shot so you can see it better.  The lease sticks have been brought up to the valet as far as possible and will move downwards as the warp rolls onto the beam.  Then the lease sticks will be moved as high as possible.  Repeat.

Once the warp is completely beamed, I transfer the cross from one side of the reed to the other.  With the weight still holding the warp, the sticks behave quite well.  Tipping the lease stick upright creates a shed on the other side of the reed...

into which I insert one of my longer lease sticks.

Then the short lease stick nearest the reed is removed and the 2nd lease stick tipped upright.  I move the long lease stick as far away from the reed as possible (you can see it 'hiding' behind the beam sectional rakes) in order to create a second shed into which the second long lease stick is inserted.

The lease sticks are then clamped together and hung from the loom's castle between the beam and the shafts.

Dressing the AVL this way is a bit more fiddly than dressing the small loom, so why do I do it?

I'm doing it because the rest of the process using the AVL is going to be a lot faster/easier than using the small loom.  A little 'extra' time spent at one stage of the process in order to save lots of time further along is never a waste of time!

Apparently I'm feeling a Part III on this theme coming....

Helping 'Hand'

Sommar asked for more information on how I use the warping valet.

No, you can't just have a single anchor point.  If the dowel isn't anchored at each end, it will pivot or rotate at the centre and be a real nuisance.  So whether you have solid braces or chains hanging from the ceiling, there needs to be one at each end of the dowel for stability.

How long the braces/chain are is dependent upon how high your ceiling is and how tall you are.  If you don't want to mount something permanently to your ceiling you might check Kati Meek's book Dance with your Loom for how you can mount an apparatus to your loom by clamping it in place.  You then need to remove it after each time you dress the loom but....  She calls the device a warping trapeze.  I learned of this tool in Sweden (prior to Kati's book being published) and it was translated into English as a 'warping valet' so that's the name I learned for it.  :)

As for how I attach the weights, I don't use a chain but a loop of string.  4/8 cotton - not rug warp, but a softer spun yarn that is a bit 'grabby'.  The loop goes around the warp chain, pull the knot through the loop and attach an 'S' hook to the loop.  The water jug also has a cord attached to it with two loops, one near the jug, one about 1.5 yards away.  

To begin with I use the loop nearest the jug.  When the warp is almost beamed, I use the loop furthest away from the jug so that the long cord will go up and over the valet so that I can beam the warp almost it's entire length using the valet.

When the warp and cord are too short, I take it off the valet and then hang the weight off the warp over the breast beam for the final couple of feet.

I'm sorry, but I didn't understand the question about the warp lease.  Email me with more details and I'll try to answer.  laura at laurafry dot com

Check the label 'warping valet' as I've posted about using this tool quite often.  Or check my You Tube channel as I have at least one video clip showing the beaming using the valet.  User name lauraannfry1