Tag Archives: double shedding device

The fun continues!  I am using two shedding devices to create a textured weaving as I mentioned in a previous post when I started this adventure (click here to read the previous post).  I had seared into my brain how I thought this would work and how it would look, but I am surprised that my vision is so close to reality.  I don’t know about you, but I fail as much as I succeed.  I guess that’s the result of taking risks.  I am a devoted risk taker.

To recap:  I warped the loom with two shedding devices at 14 ends per inch.  The top shedding device raises two neighboring threads at a time.  The bottom shedding device raises every other thread (i.e., the “normal” way to weave tapestry).  I have been using two strands of a fairly thin tapestry yarn (please don’t ask what . . . I found a bunch of this beautiful stuff I purchased a thousand years ago in a basket . . . I know it’s not American) as well as Brown Sheep Waverly Yarn (the same yarn we include in our two tapestry kits:  woven purse kit; smart phone kit to weave the double warps.  And I’ve been using our hand-painted silk for the tabby weave (single warp threads). You will also note some of that wonderfuld the real gold thread near the top. The result is a combination of a lot of texture and a lot of possible detail. It reminds me of doing regular needle point and petit point on the same canvas.  I have always loved that effect.

Some detailed photos of progress since my first post on this project:

 View of the Loom with two shedding devices:

I have been anxious to try two shedding devices in a different way:  attaching warp threads 1, 5, 9 etc. to one shed; attaching warp threads 2, 6, 10 etc. to the second shed; attaching warp threads 3, 7, 11 to the third shed; attaching warp threads 4, 8, 12 etc. to the final shed.  Yes, this is a little confusing to do, but well worth the effort.  That being said, I was in too much of a hurry to see what this would look like.  I decided to hand pick the warp threads before taking time to set up a second loom with two shedding devices.  I whipped out my Lani Loom without the shedding device (I also wanted to be able to play with her in my lap which cannot happen when a Mirrix Loom has two shedding devices attached because you really need to extend them fully and that goes beyond any size lap I know of!) and grabbed some of those cool (and new to our website) curved bamboo needles:  I love these needles because that little curve on the end allows you to pick the shed easily.  Plus the wood just feels good in your hand and the eyes are really large.  They are really well made and worth adding to your accessory stash.

I put on a warp of 12 ends per inch.  I tried my luck at a twill  (under one, over three moving that pattern over so you are progressively going under one and over three put moving that pattern over one.) The visual below explains it a lot better.  In tapestry, you do not see the warp threads but you see the texture of the pattern.  It will be a lot easier to weave this using the shedding devices because I know at least for me I tend to get a bit confused trying to figure out how to move the pattern over correctly.  I made a lot of mistakes.  But hey, you can’t tell.

Let me show you some pictures of the Lani Loom project.  The bottom right is the twill.  The shiny stuff is tabby with silk. Tabby is when you go over one and under one, etc.  It’s what is considered “normal” for tapestry.  The gold wool pattern is twill and the rest of the wool patterns are under two, over two.  I could do this forever.

My next goal is to design a weaving  using the second shedding device.  For now I am just playing.  I am having a lot of fun with color (my addiction) and, of course, with all these amazing textures.

I just wanted to know that some people don’t consider anything other than weft-faced tabby weaving (the warp doesn’t show, and it actually doesn’t in my examples, but there are “tapestry” weavers who weave in tabby and do let some of their warp show).  But I think that’s a bit silly.  Have you ever seen Helena Hernmarck’s work?  Check out her website: http://www.hernmarck.com/.

 Do you want to weave with two shedding devices? You can purchase a second one for your Mirrix here.