Loom Maintenance Update

 

the back plate of the dobby removed for inspection - the top edge of the plate is damaged, especially at shaft #7  (the plate is laying flat on the top of the loom - hook for shaft 7 is obviously higher than the rest of the hooks)

the back plate of the dobby in place while shaft #7 is 'locked' on the knife - showing the damage to the top edge of the plate which is in place in this photo

The Louet Megado is a very refined, highly engineered piece of equipment.  Small changes in the alignment of the various pieces can cause havoc and prevent it from working well - or at all.

When the loom was new and I was just getting to know it, the TexSolv cord for shaft 7 jumped off the pulley at the bottom of the shaft and not realizing what had happened kept on treadling.  It didn't take long to see something had gone quite horribly wrong, stop and examine the loom, then put the cord back onto the pulley.

Since then I've woven on the loom without issues, but the cord had been abraded so when I realized it was shaft 7 that was the culprit in the current shenanigans, it wasn't hard to put two and two together.  But had I actually got the right answer?

Since the loom is rather expensive and quite 'new' at 3.5 years, I really did not want to do anything until I was positive about what the problem actually was.  Of course by the time we did some trouble shooting, made some adjustments and I test drove them, it was very late on Friday afternoon when we had to say, stop, it's time to contact Louet support.

We had read through the trouble shooting items, I asked on the Megado owners group on Facebook, we did anything suggested that we hadn't already tried before and I phoned Jane Stafford Textiles quickly before they closed for the weekend and ordered the TexSolv pegs we *thought* might be needed to fix the issue.  We had zeroed in on that damaged cord for shaft 7 as being the likely culprit and if Dave at Louet confirmed that, I wanted the pegs already on order because they were going to take a few days to arrive.  (Shipped on Monday, arrived this morning at 10 am.)

Dave spent some time with Doug checking this and that, and then asked for a photo of the back of the dobby while it was 'locked up'.  Doug had already spotted that 7 was not the required 2-3mm away from the top of the back plate, and that the edge of the back plate had been damaged by the screw digging into the plate.  That 'spike' is a piece of the back plate that had been gouged out and was standing up.

Then Dave asked for the back plate to be taken off so that he could see the back of the 'hooks' and we noticed the damage on the flat surface of the plate.  Dave told Doug to rotate it 180 degrees which would give an undamaged surface again.

Dave sent a video showing how to adjust the TexSolv cord when/if it stretches.  We hadn't expected it to be such a small and very simple fix, and Doug did that last night.  The screw for shaft 7 was now in a much better position.

The cord is still abraded, however, so the plan now is to finish weaving this warp and replace the abraded section of the cord.  This morning we took another look and there were a couple of other cords underneath that looked loose.  When the pegs arrived this morning Doug crawled under the loom and managed to insert pegs into the cables that were 'sagging' a little bit.  It was a lot easier to put a peg in and make a 1mm adjustment than take the dobby off to do that tiny adjustment at the side of the shaft.  The 2mm adjustment at the side worked well, and 7 now looks like it is in a good position.  

Taking hope in my hands, I started weaving, but at a slower pace than my 'usual' weaving rhythm.  I wasn't sure it was actually fixed so wanted to watch what was happening and be ready to unlock the knife if it happened.

The towel wove without any problems whatsoever, so I stopped for lunch, then wove another towel.

I might have tried to weave one more, which would have finished that weft colour, but apparently I ran out of spoons.  

Things we did:  give the dobby a thorough inspection and a cleaning; attach the tension springs to the back beam (I had not been using them for the first 3.5 years, but they worked to reduce bounce on the back beam return to neutral and did not significantly increase the amount of foot pounds to treadle so I'll leave them on, now); examination of the cords noting damage on shaft 7, slight sag on some others; examination of shafts to make sure that when I treadled they were not sticking on anything, or hanging up on a neighbouring shaft; heddles were not bunching up anywhere; some repair heddles not needed for this warp were cut out - the rest (currently being used) will be removed and additional heddles added to shaft 7 so that repair heddles are not needed if I run out on a shaft; check of the dobby head mounting to the loom and sensor/magnet alignment (which were correct); check of the tension on the shaft cords to the dobby head - with no tension on the cables I gently pulled each 'hook' forward and let it 'snap' back.  #7 was slower and felt 'soggier' than the rest - an indication it was under less tension/looser than the rest.

I have a much better understanding of the mechanics of the loom now and an even greater appreciation for it, and hope I can keep weaving on it for a few more years.

There is still so much yarn that needs to be used up!

Shaft Envy

When I started weaving in 1975, most people had four shaft looms.  Some few had 8 (this was in North America - Europeans had looms with more) but more than that was very rare.  There were a few 12 and 16 shaft looms but they were not particularly common.

What drew me to weaving was being able to make complex patterning.  As such I got an 8 shaft loom fairly soon after starting to weave, but the loom itself wasn't a good fit for me.  As I learned more, I discovered dobby looms - the Llangolyn from the UK but also the AVL which was fairly new on the market.

As an aspiring production weaver, I was looking for lots of shafts, but also a level of efficiency that would make it easier to actually earn some money.  After reading Allen Fannin's book Handloom Weaving Technology, I settled on the AVL.  The deciding factor was that it was available in the US and it had a shorter height which would actually fit into my basement studio.

The AVL served me well for the better part of four decades (1981-2019) but Life Happens and it was time to get rid of it.

I found myself mourning the loss of the 16 shafts, sectional beam, computer assisted dobby.  I could live without the fly shuttle - hadn't actually used it for nearly 5 years - and the auto cloth advance (although that one really is lamented!)

After a few days of trying to figure out what I was going to do, I remembered weaving on the Megado not long after Louet rolled it out.  The lasting impression was how little physical effort it took to weave on, something that was getting more important to this aging body.

Over the years the number of shafts available on the Megado had grown to 32.  I looked at the website, considered upgrading to 32 shafts, thought about my poor eyesight and what it would take to actually thread 32 shafts...and walked away from the thought. 

How many shafts did I need?  I had been weaving with 16 for 38 years and while there were times when a few more would have been nice, they were too few to really make spending the extra money a reasonable expense.

So how many shafts does someone need?  That is, and always will be, a personal choice.  So I tell students to buy what they can afford and can fit into their environment.  They might begin with four, but if there are more shafts available, they might find they want/need them in the future.

One of the things that happened this past weekend is that I was dressing a small lever loom for the loom dressing demo.  I had offered to weave a sample for someone and it required six shafts.  So I had borrowed a small 8 shaft lever loom.  It happened to have two warp beams, which meant we had a discussion about why one would want/need to have two warp beams on a loom.

I had samples I had woven showing using two beams and we had a good talk about what is possible and why one might want additional mechanical assistance - like more shafts, double beams, a computer assisted dobby.

If more mechanical assistance can't be justified in someone's budget, then it is time to get creative - how can someone exploit the equipment they have to be as creative as they can be?  As a new weaver learns more about how threads interlace to make pattern/design, the better able they are to bend the rules.

So things like weaving using pick up can be done.  Like in my brother's jacket.

The pattern on the jacket was woven in pick up.  To weave this design using a shaft loom would have required way more shafts than any hand loom comes with.  I would have needed, at best, a draw loom or ideally a Jacquard.

But using a pick up stick, I was able to weave this design over the course of a few days, an hour at a time.  Probably why the beat isn't perfectly consistent (which bothers me, but not a lot).

The thing is, if a loom isn't a good fit, it can always be sold on and a different one purchased.  I have been through a lot of looms over the years.  It's kind of like a car - as your needs change, a different car might be a better fit. 

It depends.

New Draft

One of the advantages of having a computer assisted dobby loom is that you can design and file away complete treadling drafts for a project.

This is my latest warp.  I call it 'lily pads' for reasons which will become apparent once I get started weaving.  I hope!

But I thought it might be interesting to see something of how I approach setting up the loom to weave.

The threading is one repeat of the draft in the above image.  I know it's small I was trying to get the whole - or as much of - the complete treadling as I could.  However the 'important' bit is there.

At the very top of the treadling draft is the hem area.  Notice I have several repeats of straight progression, then a gap.  Then several more repeats of the the straight progression, but in the other direction.

What you are seeing is the hem from the 'last' towel and the beginning of the next towel, with an empty lag to tell me when to weave in a cut line (which I do in a different colour).  It also marks when I stop weaving and take a break.

The threading was repeated for the width of the warp (approx 24") with a couple of straight progressions to bracket the motif and act as a small border.  The motif is balanced, in other words where the motif is on the back 8 shafts, it ends at the other selvedge with the same part of the threading.  So each side will look the same.

So the treadling goes as well.  Beginning with the motif treadled on the 'back' and ending with the same motif, plus the hem area.

In some cases I don't do anything different for the hem, just keep weaving yardage, then measure and cut the cloth up to make the towels.  But having a woven in cut line makes the cutting apart of the process so much easier that I now set up the towels so that job is easily done on my work table, where I serge the raw edge, cut the towel off the cloth roll, then serge the other end, set that aside, then serge, cut, serge, etc.

I miss having the AVL where I could just carry the cloth roll, still on the beam, to the table and have the cloth just roll off the beam in a nice tidy way, but new loom, new processes.  And I don't do 40 or more long warps any more.  I do believe that 20 will now be my max.

Now down to tie on and weave the header, see how it all looks.

Carrot/Stick

I used to beam the AVL with a wound warp but wasn't sure if I could make it work on the Megado.  The warp is silk, fairly fine, and it's for a proposed article for Handwoven.  I have already had some...oopsies...with this project so I was foot dragging on getting it beamed.  Not to mention the studio got snow globed again and I could not get to the loom to work on it for several days.

However, late last night Doug got the last shelving unit assembled (it was too big to fit down our winding stair case) and that got put into place - against the wall behind where I sit at the loom. 

Moving the Megado far enough away from the wall for the shelving unit to fit means I now need my supplemental lights moved so that I can see properly to thread.  Sigh.  Dominoes.  Again.

The Megado is a different loom from the AVL and it quickly became apparent that this process was going to go a whole lot more smoothly if I had help, so I asked Doug if he had time to assist.  He did, so we jumped in.

It went smoothly enough - sort of.  It is only a six meter long warp, so the small amount of difference in build up of the yarn should not be enough to cause too many issues.  If it does, the warp is long enough I can cut/re-tie after the first scarf.  But silk does have some elasticity, so we will see how it goes.

Then when I was transferring the cross I got impatient and instead of waiting for helping hands, I forged ahead.  The lower lease stick fell out of the cross.  So then I had to carefully pick it up again.  When we did the actual cross transfer, somehow not all the threads made it to the correct place.  Not enough that I can't fudge it.  But still.  One more oopsie on top of too many.

But the warp is beamed.  Now that is done, I'm going to go weave on the small loom which I got dressed yesterday.  A little carrot for bulldozing through the obstacle the silk warp had become.

Another lesson in humbility...

Planning

Now that I'm well over the half way mark on test warp #3(?), my thoughts are turning to the next warp.

In the stash reducing effort, I had planned some more tea towel warps in order to use up the fine single linen yarns that I accidentally (ahem) acquired.  I used a little of this coppery brown on a previous warp and was quite pleased with how it turned out. 

While I have a lot of yarn, it is in limited colourways because as a production weaver, I would tend to beam long warps sectionally.  So I needed enough yarn packages to wind each 1" section.  In the case of the 2/16 cotton for tea towels, that generally meant 32 epi when using the linen for weft.  (I may change the density to 36 once I run out of linen and start weaving up the rest of the cotton with cotton weft.  TBD.)

Beige/browns are not my personal favourite colours, but I have all this yarn left so I'm going to use it next and see how much of it I can use up.  I'm not sure I can use up all of the brown on 20 yards, but I'm still feeling my way with the Megado, and I'm not sure I want to go longer than 20 yards yet.  The current warp is around 15 yards (I forget) and 20 seems like a nice comfortable next step.  Just to make sure I'm getting the beaming down so that I get good tension.  Also, I'm not sure how much cloth I can put onto the cloth beam before I need to cut off and re-tie.  As the cloth builds up, setting the tension can become more challenging.  I'm used to being able to just keep on weaving, letting the cloth build up on the storage roller on the AVL, but the Megado has a more traditional set up and the cloth beam might - or might not - be happy letting 20 yards worth of woven cloth build up.  Again - TBD.  All part of getting to know the loom!

As we transition away from production weaving, re-organizing the studio, getting rid of production equipment, I am keeping a close eye on the calendar.  This weekend is my final 'sale' of the year - and my business.  I will be sorting through AVL loom parts and figuring out what might be of interest to AVL loom owners as replacement parts - I did invest in new gears in an effort to get the loom to behave, so someone might want to purchase those.  They are brand new and I paid a lot of money for them, so it would be nice to get some money back on them.

Plus I will be getting photos of some of my inventory and posting them here.  As someone pointed out my prices are in Canadian dollars (although I would never refuse US$!  I mean, in case someone wanted to 'tip'!!!)

Today I have a massage booked and she always tells me to rest afterwards.  So I'm going to go to the loom this morning, see if I can finish shawl #3 and make a start on #4.  The goal is to get them fringe twisted so that Doug can press them this weekend or Monday.  And then we'll be talking to some people who have expressed an interest in obtaining the press.

Little by little.

Tweaking the Set Up

Little by little, the studio is taking shape.  With the replacement of the AVL with the Megado, changing the old computer cabinet into a music storage cabinet, I needed something for the laptop to sit on.  We jury-rigged something until Doug had time to fetch the table from the annex, but I asked if he would put a shelf underneath. 

There were a few things I wanted to have beside me, rather than behind me - pads of post-it notes, pencil, scissors and a place to put bobbins.  And the boombox.  The Megado has a fairly loud solenoid click, and with hearing loss a reality, I felt it would be prudent to wear hearing protection while weaving with the Megado - just like I'd done for 40 years with the AVL.  Different looms, different noises, but still...noise. 

There are still lots of things to be done, but these little steps of progress feel good.  The studio becomes a little more functional every week.

The corner at the back, behind the computer stand, will have another set of shelves installed, but they need to be fitted to the space so will take some time and effort yet.  Once those are done and whatever I decide to store there gets stored there, the final position of the loom and stand will be determined.  And then the rest of the studio can be adjusted as well.

In the meantime I managed three sessions at the loom today.  The bad news is that I'm so far 'behind' where I'd hoped to be I don't know if I can get the shawls off the loom and fringe twisted in time for Doug to press next weekend.  But the press is waiting for this warp to be done as these will be the last things pressed on Puff.  The end of an era!  Then it will be back to the small flat bed press.  So in all likelihood I probably won't make shawls in the future, just scarves.  To be determined.

Now that I'm almost at the half way mark on this warp I have been thinking about the next warp.  I will return to tea towels, so the width will decrease to 24" but the length will increase from 32 turns of the beam to 45.  The warp will be 2/16 cotton at 32 epi.  The yarns are already pulled for two tea towel warps, each one intended to use up as much linen as it takes to weave them off.  I just have to decide on a design.  I will continue to scale up slowly until I'm sure I've worked out all the processes so that I'm getting good results.  This warp was 32 turns and so far the tension is fine, so that is feeling positive.

And it just dawned on me that the Megado has almost no vibration to speak of so I could actually listen to CDs on the boombox, not just the cassette tapes.  Hmm....more options!

Next Test Warp

The Megado is definitely a different loom from the AVL.  There were many things about the AVL that worked for me very well and beaming sectionally was one of them.  The beam of preference was up high which meant I could stand and turn the crank, cut off and tape the section, then easily attach the leader string to the next.  And all the while, the sections were visible and I could ensure that the 'ribbon' of warp was going into the section flat, not bunched up against one or other of the dividers.

The Megado is a much smaller loom with a lower profile.  The beam is down low and the first couple of warps I struggled with the new location and how best to address filling each section.  Part of the problem is that the sections are below the back beam and the box 'race'.  I'm using the AVL tension box because I prefer it over the Louet that was supplied.  For one thing it has a 10 dent reed to guide the threads, and the reed mount swivels, so I can make the ribbon narrower if necessary.  Or do a compound sleying to keep the ribbon about the correct width.  The AVL beam was also a full yard, while the Megado is just 14".  So lots more turns to get the same warp length.

I didn't like working in the shadow, needing to bend over to be able to see if the ribbon was laying flat so this time I added a light to illuminate my actual work area.  Especially with this very dark warp which is mostly a very dark navy, 4 fairly dark green and the rest black.  Hard to see in the first place, then even more so on another gloomy day, in the shadow of the loom.

The stool is the exact height that makes the job do-able, but it means leaning over to crank, especially on this wider warp, so I'm taking more frequent rest breaks to make sure my back doesn't get too...cranky...in doing the job.

I am also having to tweak my hand motions - how and where I tape the bouts, then tie off the ribbon for the next section, then attach the leader string.  After 20 sections, it's becoming smoother and I'm not having to stop and think about it every single time.  But it still isn't my new default, and may not be even for the next few warps.

My goal is to get this warp beamed today and begin threading.  There are 1080 ends in the warp and it is going to take a while.  I'm hoping to get it threaded before we leave, but if not it will get finished when we get home.

The threading is a re-run of the last tea towel warp I did on the AVL, adjusted for this wider warp.  The tie up and treadlings will be changed.  It is a 'fancy' twill over 16 shafts, with the motif repeated across the width and straight draw borders.

As a test warp, it will do.

The warp should be long enough for four shawls.  I will use the same red, blue and purple for three of them, then finish with a slightly finer grey rayon slub.  For that I will most likely add extra interlacements to increase stability.  The scarves have a lot of drape so the shawls should as well.  I may beat a little harder because wider warps generally have more resistance than narrower ones.  And a slightly denser (more ppi) cloth will also have more stability than one with less.  I think that might be A Good Thing in a shawl.

Change one thing...everything can change...

When Things Don't Go 'Right'

As adults we think we should not make mistakes - that everything we turn our hand to should be 'perfect' the first go round.

There is a hard lesson in there.  Because whenever we try something new, something different, there is a high probability that not all will go smoothly.  That our results won't be perfect.

Far from perfect, at times.

When you are slithering around at the bottom end of the learning curve, it is hard to feel joy.  Irritation, yes.  Frustration?  Absolutely.  Joy?  Not so much.

Yesterday I beamed test warp #3 on the Megado.  Part of my mistake was once again beaming a warp that is a very dark blue/black.  This made it hard to see as I tried to evenly fill each section.  I thought I was getting better at it, things seemed to be progressing in a direction that looked better than the time before.

I left the warp to thread until today.  Which is when I discovered that I had not done as good a job as I had thought.  Instead of progress, it felt like failure.

I'm supposed to be a 'master' weaver.  Today I am not feeling like a master of anything at all.

However, there is no learning without effort, and so I got nearly half of the warp threaded, then stopped for lunch.  I'm not certain the slight discrepancy in the warp ends will actually be a big problem, or is small enough that I can still get something out of this warp.  I put some extra on because I am still only getting to know this loom and if I have to, I can cut off after the first scarf and re-tie. 

A reminder that it took the best part of a year to get comfortable with the AVL keeps me going.  Obviously this is going to take longer than I'd hoped.  However, I still have a few more tweaks I can apply to the next test warp.  And each time I do this, it's a bit better.

Rome was not built in a day.  Getting to know a new loom will take time.

Beginner Mind

One of the most valuable things a teacher can do is fail.  Failure is a wonderful reminder of how it feels to experience 'beginner mind'.  When things don't go right, right from the get-go, you are forced to remember another time, another place, when you had to think through a problem and find a solution.

While working on the latest rayon chenille warp today, I found myself thinking about the Megado.  I bought the Megado for the benefits I knew it had, smaller footprint, easier to operate, but forgot about the fact that I did not befriend the AVL in a warp or two.  In fact, it took over a year to become friends with that loom, constantly tweaking my processes all along the way.  Then, when I upgraded to the Compu-Dobby, I had to do it all over again.   And again when the air assist was added.

Beginner mind helps remind me to be compassionate with my students.  Especially the Olds students.  Some of them are very experienced, which usually means they have processes in place that they might have to work hard to change if they decide to do that.  Some of them are quite inexperienced, which means they may not have the vocabulary - of language and of processes - in order to grasp principles.

This afternoon I beamed the second last rayon chenille warp.  Doug has just made a small tweak to the Megado and if all goes smoothly with these last two chenille warps, I could get back to the Megado by Wednesday.

I have a threading designed for the next test warp, and I am scaling up slowly.  Instead of 10" in the reed, it will be 12 (minus 4 ends, due to the repeat) and it will be beamed for three scarves instead of two.

I will pay more attention to the rhythm of this loom, which is very different from the AVL.  I think I have the threading sorted, with a stool that I can fairly comfortably sit at to thread.  I'm hoping Doug can install the lamp holders before Wednesday, too, because we have had a number of grey dreary days and it will be another dark navy (mostly) warp of 2/16 bamboo rayon - which is difficult to see.

Without the pressure deadline of trying to make inventory, I can relax and let myself think through additional tweaks. 

Remembering to embrace beginner mind was a good reminder today.  A little compassion for me, as I slither along on the slippery end of the learning curve.

Praise

Since I have been open about the challenges I have been having becoming friends with the Megado, I want to be completely clear about one thing.  The customer service I have been getting from Dave at Louet has been stellar.

Part of the challenge is changing to a loom so very different from the AVL I had been weaving on for the better part of 40 years.  There were aspects of the AVL I truly loved and having a loom that is different enough to require some quite different processes has been a challenge.  And that is on me, not the loom.

It is going to take me some time to tweak my processes and I am not expecting anything other than some time at the slippery end of the learning curve to make it work the way I want/need it to.

Some of the challenges were related to the different computer set up.  Dave spent the better part of 30 minutes one day getting the initial set up working with the built in software.  Not his fault I didn't like that software, he was kind enough to offer to help me get my desktop set up so that I could use Fiberworks, my preferred weaving software.

Between us, our schedules did not mesh for a couple of days, but on Sunday Dave spent a further 30+ minutes trying to get the desktop to connect and after trying everything he could think of we switched to the laptop, which did work.

That second session was pure customer service above and beyond the call of a company who has their very own built in computer with software. 

Yesterday I got the loom and laptop talking to each other after some further compatibility issues, and left trying to weave on the loom until today.

It didn't take very long to get everything up and running this morning and I set about weaving a further test swatch, then decided to go ahead and weave a scarf, if I could. 

I got about four inches into the scarf when shaft two stopped working.  I got Doug to come take a look because it appeared that the solenoid for shaft two had come loose from its anchor and I assumed it would be a fairly easy fix once the dobby head was off the loom.  But I wanted Doug to take a look and see what he thought.

So I shut everything down and Doug took the head off the loom to see about tightening the solenoid, but in the end it kept slipping so he emailed Dave for advice.  I remembered that Dave had said he was out of town so suggested Doug phone before the end of their business day.  With a three hour time zone change, that would be very soon.

Doug was able to reach Dave and explain the problem.  They had quite a long conversation about what to do, and while Dave said he'd never heard of another instance of this happening, he was able to give Doug suggestions about what to do.

It took a bit of finagling to get the head mounted into the loom again, but eventually it was and Doug readjusted the blade, which had gotten slightly out of alignment in the process.

And then I was able to connect the laptop again, and weave another test section. 

I am so very impressed with the service that Dave provided through all of this initial stage of getting to know the Megado.  He never once talked down to me as I fumbled my way through the computer set up.  He did not blame me or Doug for the issue with the solenoid.  He thought through the problems I was having, came up with suggestions to fix the situation and walked me through the steps in getting the loom running.

I have only owned a very few looms in my career, and this level of respectful customer service is so very much appreciated. 

There are still things I need to work on, but getting this warp into the loom has provided valuable information about what I need to do to come closer to my goals.

I am able to use Fiberworks, which means I don't have to learn new weaving software.  I can even load my files from my main desktop, where I do most of my designing, onto a thumb drive so that I can access those files from the laptop.

The loom itself is very light to treadle and while there are a few more tweaks I might get Doug to address, it feels comfortable to sit at.  I even had a tall enough stool that I didn't have to purchase another.  The loom is quiet although I may go back to using my headphones which will help filter out the sound of the solenoids activating.  But even that isn't particularly noisy.

I was able to thread the loom without too much trouble once I found out that the breast beam lifts out in order to get closer to the shafts.  Doug will mount lamp fittings so that I can add a couple of lamps to shine into the heddles.  As winter comes on, having the supplemental light will become even more important.

But more than anything, I just want to say that Dave at Louet gets 10 gold stars from me for the customer service he has provided.

Lift Off!

Whew.

Even though I've been weaving with a computer assisted dobby for ages (early 1990s?) changing looms meant changing dobby and changing how that dobby connects with my computer.

I love the elegance of Fiberworks, have been using it since the beginning to drive the AVL and really wanted to be able to use Fiberworks to drive the Megado.

The desktop I was using?  Had other ideas.  It stubbornly refused to connect to the loom. 

Fortunately I have options, to whit a laptop which also has Fiberworks installed on it.  I use it for teaching the Olds program so having Fiberworks available on it was a must.

After much backing and forthing with Dave van S, we finally got the loom and the laptop to work together with the loom's built in computer, but my preference was to use the desktop/Fiberworks and Dave kindly offered to try and help me with that.  But he was on the road and it took a couple of days for our schedules to line up.

This morning he called and we tried and tried to get the desktop to talk to the loom and just could not make it work.  Since I have a love/hate relationship with that particular computer, I had already decided that if we could not get it functioning today I was going to just switch to the laptop.

After repeated attempts to get the desktop to behave, Dave commented that I didn't have Fiberworks on my laptop.  I assured him that I did.

So I swapped out the desktop for the laptop and within just a few minutes the laptop was connected and the loom was live! 

Now the desktop can go into storage as a back up, the computer cabinet will be turned into something else, and I can start getting the Megado set up with a test warp.  Hopefully tomorrow.

For now I am taking the rest of the day off.

Huge hat tip to Dave and Jane for all the times they stepped in to help.  I think Dave has more patience than I will ever have and I am grateful beyond words.

One Step, Two Steps

We continue on our progress to do the studio re-organization and get the Megado up and running.

I finally felt able to work my way through the manual for the computer dobby set up.  It was a bit confusing because they provide so many different formats in order to run the loom.  Which is great, but it took a while for me to work my way through the manual and figure out what it is I wanted to do.  Or at least find the method I wanted to use.

I didn't want to use the wifi hookup, for reasons, but a direct cable.  Turns out that was pretty much the last option they gave so I had to read through a lot of stuff I didn't really understand to finally find what I was looking for.  Then I had to locate the cable they said they included - Doug had put it 'away' - only to discover it was too short for my space requirements.  Doug suggested 12 feet but Staples only had an 11' in stock, so it may mean shuffling the computer cabinet or loom so that they can live closer to each other.   I'd kind of like to have less of a gap between the two to discourage walking around the loom in that direction, so when he gets home I'll ask him about shifting one or both.

Doug's helper got the sectional rake staples installed yesterday.  When I put them in the other day I found them very loose - and we aren't anywhere close to 'dry' season here.  I was worried that the staples would just fall out while I had a warp on the beam.  That would have been a disaster for the tension, so Doug and helper worked on opening the staples slightly so that to go in they had to be pinched together and should now stay in the holes. 

Since I got home I have had a huge flare of pain and my hands were suffering so instead of my taking on the task of doing the staples I had to ask for help.  I have no idea what is going on with my body, but I'm not enjoying it much.  However I'm taking Aleve and hoping that the pain flare is related to my gut issues and once that settles, so will the inflammation in my body generally.

The two guys emptied all the boxes of silk and put it on the shelves for me, too.  I have no idea what I'm going to do with it all but that is a job for next year.

Other progress was that the new apron was installed on the Leclerc Fanny.  I was going to dress that loom this morning until I remembered I need another apron rod, which Doug may buy today, along with a rod for the Megado - because I want an apron on that loom, too.

What I have accomplished this week was to almost complete the hemming of the place mats Doug pressed on Saturday.  My hands settled down enough that I could do that, thankfully.  There are still something like four dozen more to wet finish/hem but I'm still very low on inventory in spite of those waiting in the wings.  I have seriously been thinking of cancelling the Calgary show in November, in no small part because I have so little inventory and I've been sick enough plus the looms still aren't running.  Even if I felt well enough.

But the loom is nearly in its place, the computer cabinet is ready for me to test the dobby as soon as I finish running the cables, the rods will make at least one of the looms functional, maybe today.

Tomorrow evening on my way to guild I'm going to go to the annex and do a quick inventory and see just how much I do - or do not - have ready to go.  There is a bin of tea towels that just needs their tags/prices which I could drop off and get it out of my road here.  It won't take long to affix the labels.  A job for this afternoon?

I am sick to death of the heaps of loom parts and clutter everywhere.  I just have no time to go through all the bits and pieces, list them, then see if anyone is interested.  I may just tell Doug to load it up and take it to the landfill.

My patience, never very thick to begin with, is wearing very thin.

On the other hand, I will be weaving on the Leclerc very soon, and hopefully on the Megado in a day or two.  I still need to work out how I'm going to thread it.  And if I'm going to be able to work with the Louet tension box or if Doug needs to add the AVL rail to the Megado. 

Still a work in progress...

Pillars, Posts

A bout of insomnia last night left me with a brain that was fizzing, not letting me sleep.  Instead of beating myself up about long past things, I set about thinking of how I wanted the studio set up.  I twisted and turned things around and around again, trying to think how best to utilize the space.  In the end I didn't change much of anything at all.

But there were also things that had been shoved into that end of the studio to get them out of the way of other things, so this morning I poked and shoved and started moving things in order to get other things into their final (for now) placement.  I can't move the loom, so haven't been able to move it away from the wall.  The computer cabinet is up on a dolly and I can't lift it down by myself, but it will go pretty much where it has always lived, just maybe a few inches closer to the back wall, which will give a narrow storage space behind it for bits and pieces of things.

I measured the circumference of the warp beam just so I know what it is, but still have to test the Louet tension box.  This morning I was going to make the apron for the front of the loom, but I can't get at the front of it so that will wait.

There are a variety of stools of various heights.  The black one is closest to 'best' height so I will keep that and likely dispose of the shorter one I'd been using at the AVL.  I have two low stools and right now I don't know which - if either - will work for threading.  The Louet has a much higher front profile than most looms.  One of the other taller (but too short to weave with) stools might work better, so I'm not getting rid of anything yet.  Which means I have an accumulation of *stuff* that keeps being in the way of what I want to do.

There is a low, three shelf rack that I used beside the AVL and will likely use for this loom.  It's handy to hold bobbins, measuring tape, drink, miscellaneous items, but it needs to be cleaned off.  A job for later today perhaps.

The silk yarn I expected to use for my test warp is finer than I remembered, but the cashmere is quite a bit thicker so I can get away with 60 epi - which is what my spool rack will hold.  I need to count out how many spools I have, then figure out how long/wide a warp I could wind.  At 2/60 or so, the partially filled spools have a lot more yardage on it than it would appear at first glance.  It would be nice to empty some of those spools.  Stash reduction, and all.

It is another grey wet day, dreary, and I'm sleep deprived.  I've not been well for two weeks and I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.  However, there are tiny signs of improvement.  So I think I'll go clean off that shelf and when Doug and his helper are here tomorrow, get them to set those pieces I can't move on my own into place.  And set up the desktop.  And who knows, maybe even see if I can get the dobby to fire up.  The instructions are a little...funky...I may be asking for help.

Currently reading Death in Ecstasy by Ngaio Marsh.  First published in 1935 it is showing its age.

Ms Megado

The photo is of a 32 shaft version but I decided to stick with 16.  I've been weaving with 16 shafts since 1982 when I got the AVL, and while there are times when more would be nice, decided that with elderly eye sight I probably couldn't see to accurately thread those last 16 shafts.  Not to mention the additional cost.  So, 16 it is.

This morning I got notification that 'my' loom is on Canadian soil and I should be getting a tracking number shortly.  I'm not sure how it's coming, but I assume by courier.  I'm just hoping we can arrange for some (younger) assistance for Doug to carry the boxes down the stairs to the studio.  And maybe even assemble it.

I'm not entirely sure I'm going to be happy with the Louet sectional beam tension box, so we kept the AVL box and rail and if I'm not, Doug has worked out a plan to install the AVL equipment on the Louet.  But I will do a test warp and try it to see.  I kind of desperately need shawls so the first warp will be 20 yards/meters of 2/16 bamboo (from Brassard) and I will try to use up some of my fine rayon stash as weft on the warp.  Then they will have to be fringe twisted and wet finished. 

I don't have much time on the slippery slope of the learning curve (accidentally typed 'curse' - oops?) so I'm hoping that it won't take long before I'm comfortable on the loom.  Ideally I'd like to have the test warp on and off the loom before I leave on my next trip, but that is most likely wildly optimistic!

The loom was purchased through Jane Stafford Textiles and the customer service has been great.

Doug and his helper are working on a shelving unit that will hold yarn.  The counter that held the photocopy machine was really taking up more space than necessary.  I think if I can get to the table in the opposite corner to clear it off, the photocopy machine can go live there.  But emptying the annex as quickly as we can means I need more shelving here so one wall will now have shelves floor to ceiling.  Then another couple of corners have also been cleared of what used to live there and will also get shelving.

In the meantime I work at using up as much stash as I can.  The less I have, the less I will be storing, and the sooner we can clean the annex out.  With the increase in rent earlier this year, it's getting way too expensive, especially as I shut my business down. 

Not doing craft fairs after this year means I don't need to be producing inventory, therefore don't need storage for it.  I won't need all the booth apparatus, either. 

As the decisions are made, the ramifications ripple through and I am anxious to get everything done as quickly as I can. 

Simplify, simplify, simplify.  I can hardly wait for a simpler life.

Wear and Tear

evidence of wear on the breast beam just under the threading/reed hook

"Things as imagined, things as they are, things as used, and things as discarded all have their own emotional resonance which weave and interplay with the others to form a complex embodiment of feeling in materiality” Hillary Davidson

The Leclerc Fanny was 'rescued' from an art centre in Alberta. Originally made around 1950, it had been well loved and used by probably two weavers previous to it making it's way to the art centre where it languished for an number of years until I bought it.

We drove out to Alberta in the winter - through the Rocky Mountains in February as I recall. I forget what year it would have been, but sometime in the late 1990s. For the past 20 or so years, I have woven miles of cloth on it.

I had been through several other looms, none of which were really working well for me so I had high hopes this would be my loom and it has been. In so many ways it has been a workhorse.

We upgraded it because it still had the original dog and pawl brake so Doug installed a friction fit braking system. I bought all new cords for it but kept the original aprons. The back apron is showing signs of failing soon and I may need to replace it. I have a length of cotton I had bought for the AVL that is left over and will work just fine. Once I have the time, energy and space to lay out a large piece of cloth and cut it to size, make the slits for the rod, sew the rod pocket and so on. The current apron has cloth 'tabs' that I love, but I'm not about to try and replicate those. Another sign of the age of this loom because anything after about the mid-1950s has a back apron more like the front apron pictured. OTOH, I could just order a new apron from Leclerc and not have to fuss with it.

Yesterday as I started threading the next place mat warp, the light reflected on the curve of the beam and I really noticed the amount of wear on the beam. Evidence of the abrasion the cloth makes each time the warp is advanced and tightened. Or at least that is what I assume because I don't remember the beam having nearly this much wear on it when I got it, new-to-me.

Or maybe I'm just in a state of hyper-awareness about my equipment - my tools of the trade. Maybe because I am in the process of downsizing and getting rid of so much I am paying more attention to the things I am keeping. Noticing that they, too, are getting old(er), wearing out.

Hillary Davidson is an historian who writes about the history of clothing/fashion. Her Twitter handle is @FourRedShoes. I always enjoy her observations about clothing and fashion and will look forward to reading more of the things she writes about. I think she may have a book coming out soon-ish.

This morning I was emailing with Dr Paulette Steeves who also has a book coming out next year. I mentioned to her that I will look forward to it and that once I've shut my business down I anticipate having more time to read.

The emotional resonance of downsizing has been getting to me and I find I haven't much mental wherewithal to read very much of substance.

But currently I am reading (in small bits and pieces) Sarah Parcak's book on the work she has been doing with satellite imagery.

I have always enjoyed reading about people of other times and places. Recently I've 'discovered' Adrienne Mayor and will be looking for her books. The local library has a couple of her titles and if I weren't so busy and out of town so much I'd put them on reserve. However, all of this disruption and the emotional resonance of getting rid of so much of the equipment and tools accumulated over 40+ years will be over soon enough.

I thought I would be sadder than I am. Maybe because I'm not quitting weaving, just changing my focus. I'm not going to be without a loom, but getting a new one. One that will - hopefully - allow me to weave for a good many more years.