Rey Skywarper's New Apron (strings)

-
Rey Skywarper’s new apron (strings)


Well, it's done. It's not done perfectly, but it is done. The apron strings on the warp beam have been replaced. The length of the apron strings used about 36" and now they're closer to 26". I'm hoping that won't cuase an issue lter. The back apron rod can still meet the castle in case that would be the issue.

It took me a bit to realize what I had to do. I started by hammering in the staples with knots in and actually just about broke an apron string at the staple location by doing so.

Apron string issue


I tried to fix it by doubling up the waxed yarn at that staple, then I started knotting the waxed yarn after the staple was all the way in (which was honestly a lot quicker).

The next step here is to replace the front apron strings, but I need to find more staples. Stan found some for a staple gun, but the ones that Macomber sent me were substantially thicker, which I think helped me use similar holes from the ones that were used originally, seemingly regular staples from a staple gun.

So I think I'm going to go forward with the placemats first and replace the front beam apron strings afterwards. It really drives me nuts that the apron strings are not the same length on the front beam, but until I find those staples I'll make do with what I've got. I could just go out and find these staples myself. Because I changed my plan for the placemats I didn't buy enough warp yarn and the yarn I bought is a special order from The Woolery so it'll take a little longer to get here. Things are just nuts at work, though, and I tend to spend my nights until around 11pm and a lot of weekend time as well working. Once I can measure those last 20 warps, I'll just start weaving and I'm sure I'll forget about the front aprons for a bit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weaving Project 004 - 10/2 Color Gamp

-
Image
NAME: Lunatic Fringe 10/2 cotton 27 color gamp DATES: 1/15/2023 to 6/26/2023 SOUNDTRACK: 90s Alternative and Stevie Nicks YARNS USED: Lunatic Fringe 10/2 cotton PATTERN: Lunatic Fringe 10/2 cottong 27 color gamp shawl SOURCE: Lunatic Fringe Yarns LENGTH OF WARP: 5 yards WIDTH OF WARP: 36" SETT (ENDS PER INCH): 24 epi DIMENSIONS BEFORE WASHING: 33" x 51.5" DIMENSIONS AFTER WASHING: 30.5" x 44.5" % SHRINKAGE: 8% LENGTH OF WASTE WARP: 24" GOAL OF PROJECT: a rainbow shawl WAS GOAL MET? not really... DISCOVERIES: Well, I wrote a lot about the warping process last time, so I'll skip that part now. The result of this gorgeous warp is a delightful fabric. There were a lot more lessons learned from the rest of this project aside from the warp. I was confused as to why there was so much warp left over after I finshed mirroring the color stripes for the shawl. I realized only after I'd cut it off the loom that I wove the mirrored stripes u
Read more

Replacing the Front Apron Strings

-
Image
Rey's front beam apron strings were different lengths. Some of the apron strings were knotted and some weren't. Some had broken at some point while others were still in tact. This wasn't just annoying to me because the apron rod wasn't even. It was making the warp different lengths at different areas which was making the tension different in different parts of the warp I started by taking out all the original staples holding the previous apron strings in place. While the warp beam doesn’t turn unless the friction brake is engaged, the front beam turns in one direction all the time, which made it tricky. Once I got all the existing staples out, I was able to string the waxed string from the front beam to the screws and back, pound the new staple in on top of the string, knot the string, and go back to the screw. Then I used a snitch knot to tie the strings to the apron rod. The apron strings were different lengths making the tension different in different parts of
Read more

Weaving Project 003 - Spiral Houndstooth Cowl

-
Image
NAME: Spiral Houndstooth Cowl DATES: 4/23/2022 to 1/2/2023 YARNS USED: Harrisville Shetland in Black and Delphinium PATTERN: #59 SOURCE: A Handweaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns LENGTH OF WARP: 120" WIDTH OF WARP: 15" SETT (ENDS PER INCH): 8 EPI DIMENSIONS BEFORE WASHING: 14" x 79" DIMENSIONS AFTER WASHING: 12" x 70" % SHRINKAGE: 11% LENGTH OF WASTE WARP: ~16" GOAL OF PROJECT: a balanced fabric 10 1/2" x 68" for a cowl WAS GOAL MET? absolutely! DISCOVERIES: Firstly, I'm super proud of this one. I absolutely hated weaving it, though. I'm used to knitting and I'd compare the process of weaving this to knitting alpaca yarn on metal needles. It can be done, but it feels kind of slimy. While on the loom the pattern wasn't really that visible. It looked like a simple checked pattern. It really only became visible after the fabric was blocked (I guess in weaving terms this is wet finished). I made a sample so I
Read more