# Weaving HELP, please, kind of non trad. Rigid Heddle



## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Am hoping there is a weaver here who can help.
Here are the details- using 24 inch rigid heddle. 
Want to use handspun as weft, and have it to be seen.
What size warp do you put into 10 dent? Put in worsted weight, and the rotten stuff sticks for every shed, and have missed a ton of threads due to having to manually manipulate every thread. 
I used worsted weight, and chunky art yarn, which is not showing, the stripes are showing through. How can I make it more subtle? I posted this in rigid heddle on Ravelry, but I think that is mainly dishtowels, or I am dense, and asking super stupid questions. 
Here is a link to scarves I'd like to make- what kind of warp is that? 
Flickr: koron007's Photostream


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

You want the weft "to be seen" - so you want a weft-faced weave.

That means you need to use a warp thread smaller than your weft - crochet cotton works well, as it is sturdy and holds up and is finer than most handspun. It generally disappears if you beat the weft down reasonably well.

The RH group on Rav is MUCH more than "dishtowels" and I'm sure you'll get a good answer there, but there's my "haven't done it much but have a few thoughts" input.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Well I'd say the warp need to be the same or smaller then the weft. If you weave on an Inkle loom that is a warpfaced weave and your warp and weft are the same. The difference, I believe, is that in Inkle weaving you beat the weft down as tight as possible. So go for a balanced weave and don't pack the weft down just have the threads lightly touch if touching at all. When you full the finished fabric the spaces will fill in.

I'm not much of a weaver so maybe one of our more experienced weavers will show up to help you out.

If you look at those pictures you will notice the weave is fairly loose and it looks like they are using a similar warp to the weft (not the lumpy stuff).


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## InHisName (Jan 26, 2006)

Looking into purchasing a loom, but do not know enough about them. Is there a book, sort of like the fleece and fiber source book, that reviews looms and what they do? Not looking into rug looms, but rather for cloth, skirts, vests, that sort of thing. 
Saori Santa Cruz - Saori Looms & Equipment
Someone on Ravelry owns this business, and I love what they make with them, but wondering if it can be done on other looms as well. 
Taking scissors to my warp faced fabric on the rigid heddle has helped a lot! Next time, smaller warp, not so closely placed together.


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

March, you are right that to get a weft faced weave you have to beat hard - that's tricky to do on a RH loom, you generally can't get a lot of oomph in the beating ... so a smaller warp thread will let your weft threads show more. Of course to avoid your edges curling in you will have to make sure you leave lots of ease in the weft as it goes through (don't pull it snug, leave it angling up at the end where it comes out so it has extra yarn to cover all the up and down bits between the warp threads).

Unless I'm not understanding your question ... you want the weft to show and the warp to disappear under it, is that right?

IHN ... no answers for you from me. Franco might know!


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## Katherine in KY (May 11, 2002)

As I understand Saori weaving, you can do it on any loom from a fancy multi-harness one to a cardboard box. I'm sure that Interweave has done a loom comparison, but I can't put my finger on where; you might check their website as well as Weavolution.com, the weavers' Ravelry. There was a big interest in weaving in the 60s and 70s, and lots of people bought LeClerc and other jack-type looms which they are now selling off as they no longer weave. They use to be really cheap, but with the current revival in fiber arts, they do bring higher prices, but you can often find one on Craigs list or even Freecycle. If you're interested in weaving fabric I would get at least a 4-harness loom so you can do twills. I think you can find a more useful loom for the same price as the Saori ones. HTH.


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

I agree with the replies you are getting. You need a thinner warp to make the weft more pronounced. What about using crochet yarn or sock yarn as warp then use the handspun as weft.

Have a good day!


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