Sample blanket in linen

There's generally a lapse between me weaving something and writing about it, but with all the excitement of inkle weaving and my new Henning band loom the story of weaving Janet Phillip's sample blanket in linen yarns is over a month old. This is what I was up to at the end of August. I had this on the loom between my Japanese Indigo dye sessions.


A fellow weaver asked recently if I use a temple (or stretcher), yes, I normally do. There are weavers who do and weavers who don't and some have strong opinions about them. I don't have any strong views. This is what works for me. I favour the Toika and Glimakra wooden temples, I have some of each and a good range of different sizes. I also have Toika metal temples but with their larger and longer teeth they are brutish in fine fabrics, so I save them for rugs.

If you don't know what a temple is, in the above photo there is one next to the weaving shuttle. It has little teeth at either end that are down into the woven fabric, teeth pointing outwards and maintaining an even fabric width. While weaving this linen sampler I was moving it more frequently than usual because linen stretches less than cotton or wool and needs keeping at even tension. If the edges draw in a little this increases the tension in the selvedges.

I had several threads snap when this warp was first on the loom and I was weaving my header rows to get the threads spread and check the set up was right. This problem was cured by use of a "size". Size is painted onto the threads to protect them. It helps the fibres stick together and dries to make the yarn smoother in the heddles and reed, less friction means less broken threads. Actually, it meant no more broken threads, worked a treat.

As I have never used size before I dug around in various weaving books and found different recipes. I didn't know what to choose, so I e-mailed the Yahoo list "WeaveTech" to ask for help. I got a great response from people who were used to linen and had their own favourite recipes. I also got advice about different types of size to use on different types of thread.

The top favourites for linen are a recipe given by Kati Reeder Meek in her book "Reflections from a Flaxen Past" (details given below) using flax seeds or alternatively a mix of flour and water with a vegetable oil or tallow.

I was going to try out more than one recipe, but Kati's method worked so I stuck with it. I did get into some difficulties first time I tried to make it because of the differences between US measuring systems and European, but basically the principle is you need eight parts water to one part seeds (whatever the unit of measurement), put in a saucepan and heat gently. I found it takes about 3/4 hour to turn to a gel "the consistency of egg white". First time, I got stuck because I brewed it up too strong (not enough water) and then I couldn't get the flax gel through a sieve in order to remove the seeds! It works beautiful at 8:1. I added a teaspoon of vinegar as preservative, although the mix is kept in a jam jar in the fridge. To apply it to the warp I used a piece of synthetic sponge, wiped it on to the top and bottom of threads between the back beam of the loom and the heddles. I tied a twist of bright thread to the selvedge as marker so I knew how far the size went, even when the warp was advanced along the loom. It dries very quickly, but a slightly damp warp is an advantage with linen, which is 20% stronger when wet.

If you haven't looked back at my earlier posts about Janet Phillip's sample blanket, the details for weaving this are given in her beautiful book "Designing Woven Fabrics" which was published last year, here's Janet's website. It is a twill sampler, with 10 different patterns across the width of the loom, and 50 different treadling patterns, so you end up with 500 different weave patterns displayed. This gives you a design tool for your own weaving projects.

O.K., so I wove it once before in cotton, why weave it again? My theory was that I could learn about how linen behaves by comparing this blanket to the cotton one I wove before. I also chose to work with a lower colour contrast between warp and weft, and then to use two different colours in the weft. As the linen thread is finer than the 2/6 cotton I used before I doubled each pattern section, using twice as many warp threads, but I left out the last threading pattern which is a wavy twill. Because of using two different weft threads, I made my warp extra long, this time I put on 6 metres. Looking back I used a 6 metre warp when I wove in cotton, and added a chenille weft sampler at the end of the warp.

I actually have another warp on my loom at this moment, and am weaving the same sample blanket in wool, and once again learning a great deal about weaving, weave patterns and how different wool yarns behave compared to the cotton or linen. No photos just yet, so let me entertain you with some of the lovely patterns in the linen sampler.




And here's the whole great length of fabric off the loom. Once it was off the loom, for the first time ever I was handling a great length of hand woven linen, and it feels simply gorgeous. It is both soft and smooth at the same time, even before I'd washed out the linen size, but even more so when washed and finished.


Washing? This I did in the bath, with many changes of water. Then so as not to damage the linen I took it outside wet through (no washing machine spin) to drip dry on the washing line. I pegged it by one selvedge, taking care to wrap as little fabric as possible around the line, again, to avoid damaging the linen. The fabric was so, so soft now. Beautiful.

Then, following the instructions common to all my reference sources for weaving linen, it was time for the cold press / smoothing iron / mangle. In my case, the tools I had for this job were my marble pastry board and a (very carefully cleaned) rolling pin.

Why the cold press? Heat can make linen brittle. The purpose of this cold pressing is to push the threads into place around each other, and make sure that they set into the weave structure - not into folds or creases. This actually increases the strength and integrity of the woven fabric. It didn't take long. The rolling pin I used as a smoother, pushing back and forth, not as a roller. The process brought a lovely shine back to the linen, but it remained soft to touch.

Looking at the finished blanket, I wanted to compare the pattern squares in linen with the same pattern squares in cotton. I realised this would be easier if the pattern sections were labeled, especially as most were woven twice over in the linen sampler, in the two different weft colours, and a couple I left out because I had got to the end of the warp and ran out of space to weave them all!

These little tags were made from a cotton cloth tape I bought in the local sewing supplies shop, it is a special weave that doesn't need hemming. I wrote the names with a laundry marker pen, cut the tape, sewed on the labels with my sewing machine.

Now for anyone wanting to learn about weaving linen, here are my three favourite books.

Linen Handspinning and Weaving, Patricia Baines, pub. Batsford, 1989, ISBN 0-934026-52-1
(Out of print)

This book includes a lot of history. It is the best book if you want to grow flax or spin linen thread, as well as weave, not to forget caring for your woven cloth. There is a lot of detail, and a long bibliography.


The very best information on hand weaving linen as at the end of this amazing history book,
Reflections from a Flaxen Past, for Love of Lithuanian Weaving, by Kati Reeder Meek, Pennannular Press International, 2001, ISBN 0-9700648-0-2.

This is a self published book, and Kati has crammed into its 202 pages more than you would imagine possible. She travelled to Lithuania and carried out extensive research there and also among ex-patriate Lithuanian weavers who have settled in the U.S. There is a section featuring the individual weavers and their work, showing a rich and varied tradition.

One of the pages of old photographs shows some wonderful old band / sash weaving looms, little table top looms but some have dobby or jacquard devices (no drawlooms though, like my Henning Band Loom).


This third book is another good history book, not much on techniques for weaving, but plenty of 19th century American linen patterns collected by the author.

Linen Heirlooms, Constance Dann Gallagher, pub. Charles T Branford Company, Massachusetts, 1968, Library of Congress Catalog Number 68-55173 (no ISBN).


Now if I didn't sneek in enough views of the linen in the above photos to get across the interest and beauty of this, here are some more views







Just to finish, some pictures showing the same weave patterns, first in cotton, then linen.

Mike Crompton Inkle Loom

Here is my new Mike Crompton floor standing inkle loom, purchased from Frank Herring & Sons. I included a stool to give an idea of height, and where you sit to weave on a loom like this. It has a screw tensioner and all the pegs are removable, handy for storage and also for changing the loom layout to suit a different warp length.

I know... it would look better with a warp on, and you'd like to see some weaving. I've not had time yet! The weekend has been busy, with a trip out on Saturday to collect a Henning Band Loom that was free to a good home, and Sunday I was recovering as I'm still not back to full strength after my long illness. I hope to get a warp on soon, I'm really looking forward to using this beautiful loom.

Henning Band Loom

This blog post is going to be more pictures than words, as I don't know much more about this loom than what I can share in pictures. We'll start with the single sheet of paper that is all I have to tell me what this loom is. There is no instruction book. You can click on any of the three black and white images below to see them enlarged.



Editing to add: I have just looked at the above picture again, it looks to me as if the bobbins dangling off the back of the loom are for pattern threads, so these are not wound on the warp beam with other warp threads. What do you make of this? Comments most welcome at the end of this post.



If you didn't click on the first picture and squint at the text, you'll have missed these words:

A new loom for ribbons and narrow table runners.
The work is EASIER, FASTER and more UNIFORM.
A good method to learn the basics of weaving. It also provides good exercise for stiff wrists and ankles.
It holds steady because you sit on the bench with the weave in front of you.
It gives up to 15 cm (6 inches) weaving width.
The loom is made of birch.
Common two-leaved twill and fancy weaving with date and name.
12 harnesses for fancy weaving.
Separate stretching of the pattern threads.
A UNIQUE feature is that the weaving reed is always perpendicular to the weave.
The Weaving reed has three different partitions, 40, 60, and 80 reed blades per decimetre (per 4 inches).

The maker is Brunne Snikeri, of Villvagen 8, 872 00, Kramfors. (I discovered this is in Sweden).

Here are some bits that came with the loom, spare reeds, lease sticks, a spare toggle, reed sleying hook and a small shuttle.

It also came with a bundle of warp sticks, a peice of brown paper which also has been used as a warp separator, and a bag of texsolv and cotton heddles.

(But not the tea mug, this being an English home there's always one of those around, this particular one made by British craft potter Mike Dodd.)


Here's my photo of the whole loom, there are signs that it has been well used and no doubt well looked after until at some point put into store. We guess it dates from 1970s or 1980s.

That cluttered, scruffy looking room is our Lived In room. (most English homes have a Living Room, or Lounge, ours is not really smart enough to take either name).

Starting at the bench end of the loom, here is the front warp beam, with apron and brake.



In front of the warp beam, a read in the beater.


This sequence of three pictures shows how the beater works with parallel action to ensure that the reed "is always perpendicular to the weave"


The two shafts are simply two dowels with texsolv heddles that fit into slots in wooden frames.

These pictures show the front shaft at rest, and raised by a pushrod from the treadle.

Looking down the left hand side of the loom, from sitting on the bench, this is one of the treadles. The other is on the right hand side.

I'm repeating the first photo so you can see where the treadles are in relation to the rest of the loom.


In front of the shafts, this frame holds 19 bobbles for drawcords that can be used to lift individual threads.


The main drawloom sits behind the shafts, with 12 frames lifted by 12 bobbles.







At the back of the loom there is a raddle, and a clamp that sits on the warp beam. Below, a cloth beam with apron and brake is the same as at the front of the loom.

Editing to add: in the black and white photo above showing dangling bobbins behind the loom, it looks as if the main warp threads run under this piece of wood and pattern threads over it. What do you think?


On the bench there is some tray space, before and behind the shafts.


It looks fairly good in the photos so far, but the joints that attach the front and back of the loom to the tray sides are damaged and so they can move apart, and there is a lot of sideways movement in the beater, caused by wear.


What happens next with this loom? We take it apart, clean it up, mend the joints, refinish the wood as necessary and renew the drawcords. Wash the old heddles, re-assemble. In the meantime, I'm researching different types of band weaving and thinking about how to weave interesting patterns.

Can anyone tell me anything about this loom, or the bands woven on them? Comments welcome!