Today we are going to go behind my Mira II loom, and I’m going to show you a little bit about a tool that I recently got. We’re going to talk about weaving and the warping process, and this new addition to my loom which promises to make life so much easier when warping a loom.
If you’ve been doing any weaving, you’ll know we wind warps using a warping board. You wind yarn all around the pegs on the warping board to get the right length of yarn to put on your loom. Then there’s a whole process to dress the loom… to put the yarn onto the loom and make that your warp. And for a lot of people, they talk about how the warping process really is the slowest part of weaving. It’s the thing that prevents people from wanting to do weaving—it’s a bit of a hurdle, a bit of a hiccup to do all those steps.
On today’s Taking Back Friday video, I’m talking about the new addition for my Mira loom and how sectional warping is hopefully going to make my life a whole lot easier.
I would love to hear from you if you have a sectional warp beam, or if you would be interested in learning how to use a sectional warp beam. Anything to make the warping process easier, more accessible and faster, so we can get to the fun of weaving yarns together.
UPDATE: Fast forward to a couple of years later and our School of SweetGeorgia Sectional Warping course, taught by Laura Fry. If you’re at all interested in learning more about this process, I encourage you to check it out!
IN THIS EPISODE
- what I mention in the vlog: Here are links to the items talked about in today’s video…
- I talk about other things I’ve tried in the past to help make the beaming process easier, such as in the earlier Making a Warping Trapeze video.
- The warping board I show in the video is a 4.5 yard Schacht Warping Board.
- I am using a Leclerc Sectional Warp Beam with 1″ sections, and a Leclerc Tension Box. You can find more info about them here. The bobbin winder I show in the video is the Leclerc Electric Bobbin Winder. And I’m using a Leclerc Bobbin Rack with yarn guides and plastic bobbins from Leclerc. These items are currently not listed on our site, but we are happy to help with any order info if needed. Reach out to us at: info@sweetgeorgiayarns.com.
- The yarn I’m winding onto the Mira loom for a handwoven baby blanket project is Gist Beam Organic 3/2 Cotton yarn.
- want to learn more about weaving? We’d love for you to join us over at the School of SweetGeorgia! We have an array of weaving courses available for all skill levels, plus you can chat with instructors and fellow weavers in the SOS Community Forums. For makers new to the SOS site, you can sign up for a 14-day trial for only $1, with access to everything that SOS has to offer. Enter the coupon code: CRAFTWITHUS on the plan of your choice on our sign-up page.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my sectional beam and working with yarns off the various spools. I am totally self sufficient and have warped on up to 16 yards at a time. I never have those tangles and mess and I make fewer threading mistakes on my 60 inch loom.
I often design as I wind on by 1 inch sections. I can add / change/ repeat colours across my piece or do duplicated colour sections where I want them spaced (eg. at 2 inches, 4 inches, 8 inches, 10 inches etc.) by moving the tension box to the correct section. Then return to the 3 inch, etc. with another colour combo. I’ve done gradients across the piece this way just by adding the next colour to the tension box set up. I rarely wrap onto the plastic bobbins unless I have short lengths or very few sections I want that colour. When I do, I use a yardage counter so not to end up with much left over short ends. Any left overs can be used to weave with. I often wrap onto toilet paper rolls because I can use my ball winder right from the skein. I also have pulled from both inside and outside of balls at the same time. It works fine as long as you contain the ball in something at a distance or weight it an bring the threads between the bars of the bobbin holder.
I hang my 1 inch sections over a couple leash sticks close to the 8 harnesses for threading. Then you just pick your taped 1 inch section to thread through the heddles. When you thread you can easily double check each 1 inch section for any mistakes.
All good. Do enjoy