I have been merrily weaving along and just noticed that the left selvage has taken a significant dip! I have made a few clergy stoles using the same warp & weft yarns and did not have this occur before. I unwove 12" or more trying to find where things went wrong. I got back to a place where the weft appeared straight but the dip shows up as I reweave. It is really noticable within a few inches of new weaving. Should I just start over? Hang weights on certain warp threads? If so, which ones? Thank you for any suggestions/assistance!

Comments

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 03:25

sarahnopp (not verified)

Can you post a picture showing the dip area? That might help.

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 11:45

Claudia Segal (not verified)

A picture would be great.  You can also try adding more tension to the front (cloth) beam.  I have had this happen a couple of times and it is usually the result of lack of even tension of the warp as it was wound onto the back beam.  Try adding somethin small like a butterfly of several yards of waste yarn between the layers of fabric on the front beam.  

I also learned a little trick from Amelia Garripoli to add a piece of brown craft paper over the warp threads that are tied onto the front beam.  As the cloth builds on that beam, it can cause uneven tension in the warp.

Claudia 

Tue, 05/24/2011 - 14:28

Joanne Hall

Sometimes the selvage threads migrate away from the weave.  This can cause the weft to beat down more at the selvages.  The cause of this is from not pulling the weft snug enough at the selvages.  Sometimes a weaver will leave the weft turns at the selvages too loose in order to prevent the item from getting narrower.  But, the weft should be turned tightly around the selvage warp threads.  Then the weft is bubbled by curving it across the web or by leaving it at an angle.  You also need to bring the heddle back to the center, neutral position before beating, rather than beating on an open shed.  This problem is more common on narrow warps.

Joanne

Fri, 05/27/2011 - 13:28

Theresa Kelley (not verified)

Thank you all for your advice. I unwove back to the beginning (therefore, no pic) and retied the warp. I have been paying much more attention to each shot and see that it still wants to dip a little on the left selvage. I have been nudging the left selvage warps up into place. I don't know if that is the proper thing to do! I will be glad to finish this warp!
Tue, 11/12/2013 - 02:25

Weavejoyforall

Has anyone ever used bamboo skewers or thin rods (dowels) to spread warp threads(yarns) as a header for new weaving projects instead of rag or waste yarns?