Minimizing Draw-In

Something I've been working on is minimizing draw-in. The first pieces I wove on my table loom had more than I'd like, so I've been researching how to minimize it. After trying all the advice and tips to little effect, I stumbled upon Madelyn Van Der Hoogt's "Ask Madelyn: Avoiding Draw-in: All About Weft Angle." 

According to Madelyn, the angle of the weft after shooting the pick and before beating is key. No matter how straight the thread looks, in the end, it must go over and under various warp threads. It needs some "give" room to accommodate that. Pull a weft pick too straight across, and the only give is at the selvedges. The result is the edges drawing in so that the woven piece is narrower than what's threaded on the loom. Madelyn's article states that the best weft angle to minimize draw-in is about 25°.

Weft yarn angled at 25°.

That's what I've been experimenting with as I weave table runner 2, and I have to say it's helping! Draw-in for my dishtowels was over 2 inches. For my first table runner it was exactly 2 inches. For this one, it's about 7/8 inch. 

Because my table loom is so compact, I do find it a bit challenging to achieve that 25° as the fell (woven edge) gets closer to the reed. I'm assuming this will be less of a problem when I can get back to weaving on my floor loom. For now, I'm throwing the shuttle and then adjusting the weft angle by hand, which slows things down a bit. But then, having to switch the levers by hand makes for slower weaving anyway. And that's okay because I'm not so much into speed as I am rhythm. 

Minimizing Draw-In © Nov 2023

by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Table Loom Sampler: First Set of Samples

I've made a start on my sampler. Initially, I was going to follow the sampler directions in  Learning To Weave, but then changed my mind. I wanted to weave a sampler, but after learning how to adapt weaving drafts for a direct tie-up table loom, I was more interested in experimenting with this and putting the loom through its paces. (Or maybe putting me through my paces.)

Finding that blog post about lashing on the warp reminded me about the two-stick header. 

I have found this to even out tension across the warp wonderfully. 

My first tentative inches looked pretty good, except for the right-hand selvedge. 

Then I started pulling in the weft a little more before beating and it was better after that.

So far, I have five, three-inch samples to show you. Both warp and weft are 8/2s cotton. Sett is 20 epi. Threading is straight draw (1, 2, 3, 4, repeat).

Sample 1

Plain weave

Lever lift sequence:

1-3

2-4

repeat

Sample 2

2-2 twill

Lever lift sequence:

1-2

2-3

3-4

1-4

repeat

Sample 3 

Vertical herringbone from Marguerite Porter Davison's
A Handweaver's Pattern Book.

Lever lift sequence:

3-4

1-4

1-2

2-3

1-4

2-4

2-3

1-2

repeat

Sample 4  

Swiss twill from Marguerite Porter Davison's
A Handweaver's Pattern Book.

Lever lift sequence:

4

1-2

2-3

3-4

repeat

There are a couple of things to note on this sample. One is the weft bump in the center of the sample.

Freyed weft thread.

Since this was just a sample, I didn't worry about it.

The other is the warp float on the selvedges. 

This is common with twills, and the solution is usually to change the direction that the shuttle is thrown. For this pattern, that simply shifted the warp float from one selvedge to the other. The answer would be a floating selvedge. 

A floating selvedge is a warp thread on the outer edge of the warp, which is not threaded through a heddle. That means it isn't subject to the lift pattern and potential warp floats. Discovering this is an excellent reason to always sample!

Sample 5

 Ribs 3 & 1 from Marguerite Porter Davison's
A Handweaver's Pattern Book.

For a seemingly simple pattern, I had trouble with this one. My selvedges, for one thing. The other is inconsistent beating. 

Lever lift sequence:

1

2-3-4

1

2-3-4

repeat

Observations so far:

• I need practice but the sampler is turning out better than I thought!
• I especially need to develop consistent beating. Part of what I need to get used to is that there are two positions for the beater bar. I'm not really sure when to change, but I suspect this affects my weaving.
• The loom is quiet
• Nice clean shed
• No tension problems! (notable after using the no tension to wind on the warp method)
• I need a taller stool (or a shorter table)

Table Loom Sampler: First Set of Samples 

© Aug. 2023 by Leigh at Leigh's Fiber Journal

Related posts:

First Warp on the Table Loom

Table Loom: Direct Tie-Up & Reading Drafts

Table Loom Sampler: Second Set of Samples 

Table Loom Sampler: Third Set of Samples

Sampler Off the Loom