I Surrender!

No, not on Lee's Surrender.  That is still going well.  In fact, the honeymoon's not over with us yet.
  But Johann D's 32 has been nothing but trouble, with broken threads galore.  The sample on top is the start, where the hand was too stiff, and threads broke over and over, usually the end threads.  Sample two had a better hand, but lots of skips and many broken threads.  I realized that hanging floating selvedges off the sides wouldn't help, since it seemed to be any thread in the outside half inch on either side.
  I started over again, this time with some fine black bamboo, and I kept the warp tension only as tight as necessary to get a good clean shed.  I didn't beat very hard, only enough to contact each throw.  I checked after every pattern repeat, and got six repeats with no broken threads.
  I was happy, looking forward to getting back to it after breakfast, thinking I'd finally found the solution, but inwardly vowing to take it "one throw at a time," like an addict, thinking I could control it.
  The next throw broke three threads.  Enough!  There is too much yarn, waiting to behave and make beautiful projects!  There are too many wonderful possibilities hanging on my yarn rack that promise to make weaving fun and exciting.  Johann D.'s 32 is not the culprit, but what is?  The tencel passes its warp-worthy test of being hard to break, and when it does, there is that satisfying PING of final resistance.
  Now I'm afraid to use the other warps I have dyed in that tencel, worried about using undyed pieces of it for warp, too.  I guess it will just have to weft, but oh!  You should feel the wonderful hand of the last bamboo-tencel sample!  It's soft and drapey, and would make a lusciously warm and sensuous scarf!  I can't reverse the order, because the bamboo is lumpy and weak, too troublesome for warp.
  I will wind the tencel onto bobbins some other day.  Yard work awaits, the lawn and hedge that haven't been cut since before I went to Virginia, and I've got five knitting projects in various stages of completion on the couch.  I know exactly what goes on next, though:  a beautiful peach-orange-red dyed bamboo warp, probably in Johann D.'s 32!

Comments

LA said…
For me, weaving is relaxing. So, I understand that when a warp gets too frustrating, it's time to wind it off the loom. Another project for that thread will appear.
Tina J said…
Good for you! I can hear Grace now, "cut it off!"

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