Check off the loom

finally got the 2/2 plain weave check finished. Reasonably chuffed with it. I'll cut off the hanging weft trails and darn the remains back in 2nite then give it a soapy foot pressing in the bath before gently steam ironing it. Must remember this time to keep a copy of it in loom-state for future comparison

Having cut it off halway along the warp for the sake of starting off afresh with new tensioning, i have another 2 metres left to weave. I have decided to do this in straight twill. However, it occurs to me that it looks different on one side to the other. I am assuming that i threaded to loom with the draft pointing in the middle and that's why things are the way they are. Anyway, i like the effect and will probably try to create large blocks of colour alternating on each side.

However, before i do that, i have to sort out the hideous treadling problems with which this tie-up is being afflicted. This is the first time i've tried to do a twill tie-up on a counterbalance set up, i've only done it on my jack loom before, and there's no tie-up on that at all. You may guess from the following picture that i am not getting an absolutely perfect shed. And the lamms are clattering off the shafts. And one of the main pulley strings snapped towards the end of the last piece and the whole bloody lot came clattering down on the left-hand side, undoubtedly putting considerable strain on the warp. I am tie in rescue cords in future to prevent such an occurence from occuring

And here's two pictures of handsome animals, cos they're nice, and terribly noble creatures. The great white thing is Blot, my brother's dog, and the wippet with the fluttering eyelashes is Eris, my little girl. Aren't they pretty?

That's all for now. I'll post more on this when i get the treadling sorted out and all that

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