I’ve spent the last few days learning how to thread Amazing Grace. It sounds simple – the thread goes through the heddle eye, right? What’s so complicated about that?
Plenty, actually. To begin with, the heddles are 36″ long and secured by long, flexible springs at the bottom; this makes them easy to tangle. Second, they’re fixed at bottom and top: you can’t move them around the way you would on a shaft loom. And third, they’re quite densely populated – 15 per inch in each module, and I’ve got them stacked four modules deep, so 60 heddles per inch. All of which can easily lead to tangles, missed heddles, and other antisocial loom behaviors.
Here’s what the setup looks like:
The heddle eyes are just barely visible (click to enlarge, then look closely) – they are tiny, maybe 3/16″ on a side. I’ve been threading with a 1.75 mm crochet hook (the 2.25 mm was way too large), though I’ve also tried using just my fingers.
Fortunately, there are some tricks you can use to make threading easier. You can use elastics (or bungee cords) to hold the unused heddles out of the way. The heddles are easy to pick out if you look at the bottom of the loom, where they are attached in nice neat rows and columns. And if you are selecting heddles from the bottom, the tangles straighten themselves out easily.
Of course, it takes time to figure all of these things out. So rather than focusing on getting the threading done, I’ve been focusing on improving my process. With every set of threads, I’ve asked myself, “Is there a better way to do this? Is there a way to make selecting the next heddle less confusing?” And then I experiment with a new technique for the next set of threads. This has slowed my threading down for now, but will greatly increase my speed later. And I’m in this for the long haul.
Most people don’t think consciously about the process by which they get things done. That’s a pity, because refining your methods can both improve your work and make it easier to create. I’m passionate about evangelizing this, which is, of course, why I wrote a book on the subject.
Anyway, I have now benchmarked my speed at 1.6 heddles/minute. Still very slow, but with some more improvements to the threading process, I hope to get faster soon.
I just picked up a new needle threader for my serger. It is a wire loop that is at a 45 degree from the handle. Might help with those fine threads. Most of the time I do not need but every once in awhile you get a thread that is not stiff enough.
That’s a great idea! I’ll give it a try tonight. Thank you!
What an incredible process! I suspect there are many cups of tea and quiet pacing around the room included. Very proud of you Tien, I doubt I could do it
Yes, indeed, and long breaks when I get too frustrated! But I’ll get there…thanks for the encouraging thoughts!
Have you tried programming the loom to lift the heddles in succession so you can easily see the next heddle more easily. I don’t know how many heddles you have in one row front to back, but you could simplify the weave file by lifting all of the front row at once, then the next row, and so on and still be able to see clearly the next heddle. If you isolate each row on both sides with bungees, that would make it even easier. It’s a pain to thread a jacquard loom, but on most looms it only has to be done once. Of course, on the TC2, if you want to change sett, you have to remount the heads and rethread.
I have tried that – the trouble is that the heddles are so close together and so long/springy that they tangle easily, so it’s easier to pick them out from the bottom.
And yeah – not looking forward to having to re-thread once the other modules arrive!
If you’re keeping the same sett when you add new modules, maybe you could move the current modules without unthreading them.
Dear Tien,
I was going to make the same suggestion that Cathy made but I see that you said you already tried it. The AVL/TIS (28 deep) and AVL Jacq2G (14 or 28 deep) & Jacq3G (120 deep) looms have banks of hooks so it is a bit different set up. Maybe you could combine what you are now doing with lifting them in sequence.
Maybe Vibeke has a trick…
Good luck!
Sheila O’Hara
http://www.sheilaohara.com
I’ve been working at it and think I’ve found a method that works – pick the heddles from the bottom and bungee-cord the mass of heddles to left and right to create space to work in. I’m up to 2.5 heddles/minute! Hoping to get even faster, and to finish threading over the weekend. Will update the blog once I’m done!
Unfortunately, I think I’m going to be changing the sett – from 60 epi to 90 epi, 29″ wide. That way I can do double weave with either of my favorite yarns – 30/2 silk and 60/2 silk. But fortunately I have 25 yards of warp to weave off before I have to face rethreading!
So did you get the software to map the location of the 8 modules so you can load one of the “threading” patterns that will lift the heddles in sequence?
I did! The problem isn’t identifying the next heddle, it’s making sure it’s not twisted around any of the others. Picking them off the bottom by hand turns out to be easier, or rather, more accurate…