Broken Ends

Before I start with the main body of this post, I thought I'd share this.

Don't you just hate the way selvedge threads are always breaking because you don't use a temple because they leave nasty holes in the cloth, are a pain to move and anyway, whatever?

This obviously doesn't apply to those blessed by the rolling temple, you lucky people you.

Anyway, check it out. It's an elastane yarn that's been twisted with 2 plys of worsted, to make a 2/48Nm yarn with a composition of 97/3 worsted/elastane.

The worsted has been competely worn away by the reed, yet the elastane filament holds out. Cool huh?

Now check out these awkward guys here.

The way this cloth is constructed is that there are 4 main blocks. The black is woven on the first 4 shafts, to make a 2/2 twill, and the colours are woven on 3 seperate 6 shaft blocks. the whites are on 5-10, the lights on 11-16 and the darks on 17-22. The back two shafts have some spare heddles for in case I felt like putting in a floating selvedge.

What's happening is that I am losing a lot of ends, more even than I'd expect to use from an awkward sod of a yarn like 2/32's worsted, which has never treated me with the greatest kindness, if truth be told.

But not throughout the cloth in total, just on the back sections. Which would lead one to think there was something wrong with the elevation of those shafts perhaps, or the heddles I put on them.

Except that it's only happening in the blue and the pink. Which would suggest that the yarn is weak.

But then why does it keep happening when I repair the ends with a different spool?

I just don't know, I really don't.

See that? That's how things should look. I've not broken a single end in any section except the deep pink and dark blue. Maddening.

Like I say, I suspect I have a couple of rubbish cones in there. Maybe they were sitting up there in the boxes for so long they've totally dried out and gone brittle, it happens apparently.