Almost threaded

I’m about 3/4 done with the threading, and am pleased with the results so far.  Thanks to the registration marks, the colors are even across the warp, and the gradual color gradations line up.  Here’s a pic of the warp as it hangs from the trapeze:

I did run across some problems when I painted the warp.  The first was shrinkage: I forgot that when you put a yarn into water for the first time, the fibers relax, and the warp length shrinks.  I had placed the registration marks 68″ apart, figuring that would be plenty of safety factor for a panel with 60″ warp length.  But when it came time to paint, the marks were only 64″ apart!  That’s a big difference, and allows very little adjustment in weaving.  Next time I will place the registration marks 72″ (or more) apart to allow for shrinkage.

As a result of that, the first panel will not be usable whether or not my other calculations are correct – there is too much green in the panel.  That’s OK; I had expected to toss the first panel into the sample box as I work out kinks in my calculations.  I’m hoping to be able to weave off the other panels as usable panels of the finished garment, but if I can’t, that’s OK: this is a sample warp and the most important thing is what I learn from it, not what it produces.

Back to work!  If I work hard at it, I think I can have the warp threaded and sleyed by the time I leave for work.  Watch this space for a bit of actual weaving this evening.