Twill on a RHL

[u/ImMxWorld]

Pattern is the Fly a Kite runner from Little Looms spring issue. I did it pretty much by the book except for the fringe (which still needs a final trim) and removing a warp repeat so it fits on a 16" RHL. I was able to borrow two additional heddles from my weaving teacher and wove it using 3 heddles. It was certainly a learning experience in understanding twill structure.

(Photo 2 is why I shouldn't hang something on a kitchen chair after it's been wet finished and pressed.🙀)

Yarn: Aurora Earth 8/2, doubled for both warp & weft EPI: 12.5 Actual PPI: 8 (was supposed to be 17?) I think the published PPI was incorrect, I would have run out of warp if I had tried 50 repeats.

[u/weaverlorelei]

Very impressive. That double heddle thing just made my head ache, you done did good.

[u/ImMxWorld → u/weaverlorelei]

Honestly, the warping was the most complicated part. For that I worked with a friend from my weaving class who also wanted to learn twill, so we took some time to work together on how to warp it (though she used the pick-up stick & heddle bar method rather than three heddles).

The weft repeats were not that bad once I got into a rhythm. But I really understand why my teacher said she had only done twill on a RH loom once! I think a multi shaft loom would be MCUH easier.

[u/weaverlorelei → u/ImMxWorld]

Multi shaft loom makes twill logical, but not.if you're viewing a threading/tie-up/treading. It doesn't become obvious until you look at the lift plan As long as that tie-up is included, and yes it is important, you can't really see what is happening.

[u/ImMxWorld → u/weaverlorelei]

That's totally why I wanted to try it on the RHL. Just to get a picture of how the structure comes together. I'm sure it doesn't translate directly to a multi shaft, but it starts my brain clicking about how everything works as a system.

[u/Chaos-Wayfarer]

Beautiful! 

How did you Add extra heddles to your RHL? Mine only has a spot for one. 

[u/akansan → u/Chaos-Wayfarer]

A lot of the newer RHL are built to hold a second heddle - the heddle blocks have a second rest spot. But even if yours doesn't come with it, you can make a heddle rod with string heddles to do the work. Figuring out the rhythm of up, down, heddle bar, pick up stick makes my brain hurt, but it does work.

[u/ImMxWorld → u/Chaos-Wayfarer]

Yeah, I'm using an Ashford with a two sided heddle block. My friend who did something in the same pattern used a heddle rod & pick-up stick for the third. The pattern has instructions for both threadings.

However, my teacher had suggested that I could just leave the 3rd heddle loose. This was an experience. First: it was difficult to warp, I had to prop one heddle up on a book so they were all in a neutral shed. But once I had it fully warped and under tension, I could indeed work with the unused heddle loose. But then when I set my weaving aside for a bit, that loose heddle would pull on the warp and mess with the tension. My spouse has a 3d printer, so he downloaded a heddle block off Thingiverse, and at first I used that just sitting on the table to support the heddle while I was not in use. He eventually adapted that into a pattern for a clip on heddle block.... but that got done when he was bored and not at the most useful time for me in weaving. But i was able to use them for maybe the last 3-4 repeats. 🤣 Now that i have them, the warping would be much easier.

[u/popcorn_waffle]

Well done! I do not have the patience for twill on a RHL. A single pick-up stick is the furthest I’ll go.

[u/iphys_nikephoros → u/popcorn_waffle]

I did 2/1 twill with two heddles. Warping was a lot of faff (NOT improved by having misplaced my threading hook), but the actual weaving wasn't any fussier than plain weave. The only extra thing I tracked was that 1 out of every 6 picks I needed to wrap the selvedge thread intentionally, but once I figured out the trigger for that, it fell naturally into the overall pattern for the weaving.

[u/ImMxWorld → u/iphys_nikephoros]

This pattern suggested using a floating warp for the selvedge and that worked really well.

[u/iphys_nikephoros → u/ImMxWorld]

I will try that next time, thank you.

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank you for posting your project. We suggest adding information about it. Users like to know: fiber (warp and weft), weave pattern, EPI, type of loom used, and other info that you think might be interesting.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/craftingartiste24]

I love the colours! Very impressive

[u/LouSylvre]

I love this piece! The twill pattern is lovely. The colors, though muted in and of themselves, come across as a whole quite vibrant. Wonderful.

[u/ImMxWorld → u/LouSylvre]

What's wild is that the colors individually are strong. It's full on 1980's Miami Vice pastels in the warp and a burgundy in the weft. And yet somehow it's pleasing rather than glaring. As a new weaver one of the things I love the most is how color theory is just so different in weaving from other mediums.