Newsletter in PDF Format

As the Whorl Turns:
      What’s Happening at Schacht
 

Cranbrook Loom Day, April 30, 2005
Our weaving experts Betsy Blumenthal and Jane Patrick will be hosting an intensive one-day Cranbrook Countermarche Loom workshop. This workshop is geared toward anyone who owns a Cranbrook Loom or is thinking about buying one. We’ll start the day by assembling a loom and then move into understanding countermarche tie-ups and troubleshooting. By the end of the day, you’ll understand how a countermarche loom works, what it can do, and the situations in which countermarche action excels. We’ll top off the day with a dinner party at Barry’s and Jane's house. Please call us at 1-800-228-2553 to register.

Rigid Heddle Loom Table Clamps
These new clamps will make it possible to attach any of our rigid heddle looms to a table top. The clamps attach to the loom using the same holes as the trestle stand and therefore will fit any rigid heddle looms with this capability (very early looms will need to be modified). The table clamps keep the loom securely fixed on the table and at chair height, allowing you to weave comfortably.
 

A Letter from the Editor

Dear Weavers and Spinners,
     If you’ve been wondering why there was no winter newsletter, the best answer is that I’ve been busy weaving for and writing a book for Interweave Press. Due out in 2006, it will feature beginning weaving projects woven on simple looms. I’ve been having a blast looking at weaving basics and designing projects that I hope will inspire non-weavers and weavers alike. I’ll keep you posted about the release date as The Book gets closer to publication. Meanwhile the factory has been working on new products. Read on to learn more. Sorry you’ve had to wait so long for this latest installment.
    If there are topics you’d like us to cover in our on-line newsletter, please write to me at  janep@schachtspindle.com

Best regards,

p.s.: We've been having some fun, too. Here's Barry and I trying out our new Hi-Lo Spindles.

Page 2

Niddy-Noddy
Lots of inquiries for our long-awaited niddy noddy. Just to let you know that all is not forgotten—look for them to be available in about six months.

Hi-Lo Spindles
Our popular drop spindles just got better. Now available are our 3” and 4” Hi-Lo Spindles. A brass hook has been added to the shaft for high-whorl capabilities; we’ve kept the shaft groove in the opposite end of the shaft for low-whorl spinning. The 4” spindle has kept its familiar profile, but the 3” has a new, thinner shape that resembles the 4”. The 3” weighs 2.2 ounces; the 4” weighs 3 ounces. Retail price: $15.00.

We want to hear from you! If there are products you don’t find in our line that you’d like to see there, write us at info@schachtspindle.com.

Fiber Conferences 
A great time to learn more, make new friends, visit vendor booths, and get recharged for spinning and weaving. Plan now to attend these conferences, and look for Schacht products at many of our vendors that you’ll find there.

April 30
    Cranbrook Loom Day
    Schacht Spindle Company, Inc.
    Boulder, CO

May 7-8
    Maryland Sheep and Wool
    Howard County Fairgrounds, Glenwood, MD

June 12-18
    Midwest Weavers Conference
    Lakeland College, Sheboygan, WI

June 18-19
    Estes Park Wool Market
    Estes Park, CO

July 12-17
    Mid-Atlantic Fiber Association Conference
    Nat'l Conference Center, Landsdowne, VA

July 28-31
    Intermountain Weavers Conference
    Durango, CO

October 1-2
   Taos Wool Festival
   Taos, NM

November 10-13
    Spin-Off Autumn Retreat (SOAR)
    Interweave Press, Park City, UT

Page 3

Dear Violet Rose,
I was wondering if someone could possibly explain what the numbers mean in yarn sizes. I have been looking at cone yarns and I'm confused as to the sizes. I am trying to clear up the difference between yarns that may say something like 10/1, 20/2 or 30/2. What does each number mean? I need to know what numbers represent the thinner yarn and what numbers represent the thicker. I hope someone there can help me.
-- Ginger

Dear Ginger,
Yarn counts can be a mystery, but here’s a way to think about it. The first number represents the size: the bigger the number, the smaller the yarn. The second number represents the number of plies, i.e., 2 means the yarn is a 2-ply, 3 indicates a 3-ply yarn.

This explanation from Yarn, a resource guide for handweavers, text by Celia Quinn, Interweave Press, 1985 (now out of print), will help clarify how yarn counts work:

In the count systems…, the number indicates how many skeins of a standard length equal one pound. The higher the count number, the finer the yarn. Example: #1 cotton = 840 yards per pound. Example: #10 cotton = 8400 yards per pound (ten 840-yard skeins weigh one pound).

If there are two numbers with a slash between them, such as 10/2 or 7/3, the 2 and 3 refer to the number of strands in the yarn….To determine the yardage per pound of a count number which has a ply number, you must calculate the yardage of the count number and then divide that by the ply number. For example: #10/2 cotton: 1 #10 cotton = 8400 yards per pound divided by 2 = 4200 yd/lb. Some of the count systems….

— cotton, silk, some synthetics: #1 = 840 yd/lb.
— linen: #1 = 300 yd/lb.
— Bradford worsted for some wools, hair fibers, some synthetics: #1 = 560 yd/lb.
— Run system for some wools: #1 = 1600 yd/lb.
— Cut system for some wools: #1 = 300 yd/lb.

A place to further understand yarn counts and yarn sizes is the yarn chart in each issue of Handwoven magazine. You’ll find the yarn chart in the "Getting Started" section where there are pictures of the actual yarns used in the issue, along with their count and yardage per pound. Keep in mind that a 10/2 pearl cotton, for example, will be a different size than a 10/2 worsted wool, because the count is based on a different number.

Good luck with your weaving.

V. R.

Page 4

Materials
Warp and weft yarn: Butterfly mercerized cotton, 496 yards (250 grams) of gold, and 496 yards (250 grams) of teal

Weft accent: Paton's "Grace," 136 yards (50 grams) of ginger (a pale green)

Equipment
Schacht 20" Rigid Heddle Loom with 10-dent reed
2 or 3   12" stick shuttles
Warping board or warping pegs

Warping
Warp Length: 2 yards
Warp Width: 14 inches
Number of Ends: 70 gold ends, 70 teal ends; 140 ends total
Warp ends per inch (e.p.i.): 10 ends per inch
Weft picks per inch (p.p.i.): 10 picks per inch

You can wind two warps, one for each color, or wind both colors together on a warping board or warping pegs.

"Log Cabin" weave looks complicated, but it's really just plain weave. The magic happens in the color order.

Weaving
Background: For the background pattern, the treadling order and the color order are the same as the warp threading and color order. Weave (T, G) five times for the first block, then weave (G, T) five times for the second block. One repeat of the background consists of these two rows of blocks.  Weave one repeat, then weave the border.

Border: The border is woven with the pale green (P) cotton in place of the gold for alternate blocks and the blocks are shorter. Weave [ (T, P, T, P, T); then (T, G, T, G, T) ] two times and end with (T, P, T, P, T).  Do not carry the contrast (P or G) wefts along the edge of the weaving.  Since each contrast color weaves only two picks per block, leave a short tail at the beginning of the the first pick and tuck the tail in at the end of the second pick. Cut the second pick flush with the edge of the weaving.

After completing the border, weave the background again with (T, G) five times followed by (G, T) five times.  Weave until approximately 16" of warp remain, ending after (G, T) five times.  Weave the border again, as described above, then weave one more repeat of the background. 

A note about weaving with two alternating weft colors: There is no perfectly neat way to cross the yarns at the edge when you are weaving with alternating  weft colors. The most important rule is to be consistent. You can choose to always wrap the second weft yarn over the first, or you can choose to always avoid wrapping the wefts. Whatever choice you make, be sure that you do it the same way every time your wefts are on the same side. This will produce a consistent edge on both sides.

Finishing

Trim the ends to approximately six inches and finish in groups of five ends with a twisted fringe, or a firm knot. We used a twisted fringe, carefully choosing one color for each side of the twist for a dramatic effect. Machine wash, line dry, and press. How to make a twisted fringe:  Divide a group of 5 threads into two groups by color. One group will have three threads, the other will have two threads.  Twist each group of threads clockwise until it kinks.  Hold the ends so that they don’t untwist.  Put the two groups together, secure with an overhand knot, and allow them to twist counterclockwise around each other.

a group of 2 gold, a group of 3 teal two groups twisted together

Copyright © 2005 Schacht Spindle Co. Inc.