Weaving with a small rigid heddle: Questions and debates

 I have received a set of small wooden heddles from Robin Goatey. from TheDancingGoats etsy store. He has an excellent YouTube channel as well.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheDancingGoats/videos

A selection of beautiful heddles.

These beautiful heddles are recreations of ancient weaving tools from the Roman period and the early Middle Ages. 

I am enjoying using each of these heddles with a variety of threads. I have picked out designs from my book The Art of Simple Band Weaving https://www.blurb.co.uk/b/11486284-the-art-of-simple-band-weaving

Heddle one        Bryggen Norway

Here is the weaving drawdown. 

seven warp ends in 3 ply sock yarn

Heddle two   - Briord France

There are only 13 warp ends but the simple bead pattern is very effective. 

thirteen warp ends in 6/2 American cotton

The Roman heddle recreation.

I particularly loved the heddle based on one from Aquincum, in Hungary. The original is broken but one side was decorated with two dolphins.  Robins' recreation of this heddle is beautiful.

Here is the weave drawdown for the 11 thread pattern

eleven warp ends in 16/2 linen

The Handle

The unusual feature of this heddle is the handle - the two dolphins, on one side.  Usually the 'handle' is on the bottom of the heddle.  This means that the heddle when on a horizontal warp will be stable with the handle - the weighted part of the heddle, underneath.  On a horizontal warp this Aquincum heddle has a tendency to shift sideways and downwards.

To make the shed when the weighted part of the heddle is on one side requires the heddle to be moved vertically up and down with one hand.  This involves using the right hand to change the shed each time.  (or the left hand depending upon which way you set up the warp and heddle.).  Holding the handle to keep the shed open with the the right hand means that the shuttle is taken through with the left. The right hand then takes the shuttle. Changing the shed by lowering the heddle with the right hand involves holding the shuttle and the heddle in the same hand. 

Another way of using the heddle.

What if the heddle has the weighted part, the handle, underneath?

Heddle pulled to the left

Heddle pushed to the right 

In this position, the weft would need to be inserted vertically, first from the top and then from underneath. Once the shuttle is in the shed, the heddle can be released. 

There are many Medieval images depicting tablet weaving on a loom consisting of two vertical poles with a cross piece. Here the shed is vertical and the beater can be seen inserted vertically through the shed. 

The warp spacer appears to be in the wrong position

The third and fourth  pictures are interesting as they appear to show a vertical frame with holes to keep the warp threads from each tablet separate. In picture three, the weaver is manipulating the tablets but has not yet commenced weaving. However, picture four shows the warp spacer in front of the woven part of the band. Clearly, this would not work. The shed would not extend through the warp spacer. 

Of course, depictions in art of craft activities may not be accurate. The depictions could be intended to show the craft as visible as possible rather than the actual position of the weaver in relation to the warp. The Oseberg Tablet Weaving loom has been reconstructed and the warp is shown as being in the same position as these pictures. Here is a link to the reconstruction.

https://sites.google.com/site/thasthimindunna/home/recreations/loom

One re-enactor says that although it looks fantastic, the weaver has sit next to the warp and to twist her torso. This proves to be very uncomfortable for long periods.  

Trying to find a modern weaver using this particular method is not easy.  Most re-enactors seem to use the  Oseberg style loom as if it were a modern day inkle or backstrap weave with the cards positioned so that the weft is inserted horizontally. 

The Swedish Band Loom

The Swedish band loom is designed so that the weaver also has to sit in front of the warp.  Here is a link to band weaving at Skansen Museum, Stockholm.

https://youtu.be/jPeBqxW6ZUw?si=gR5ZQdD4giYvLckf

Personally, I find this position very uncomfortable and I weave on my band loom from one end. My band loom is the second method shown on my YouTube video. Five ways of weaving narrow bands

https://youtu.be/ZzhuDomPtxE

So, although the Oseberg loom and subsequent depictions in Medieval art show the warp as stretched between two posts and vertical, this is not an easy option for a re-enactor. 

The dolphin heddle may have been used in this position with the warp attached to the two uprights; not in a horizontal position which we are used to, but in a vertical position.  The heddle handle would then be moved horizontally to the left and right to provide the shed. The weft would be inserted vertically downwards then upwards. 

There is no definitive answer. It is only through trail and error that we can reconstruct ancient methods of weaving, and spinning. I do feel that we need to remember that just because we weave or spin in a particular way that this has always been the case. 

For example, when weaving a narrow band using a rigid heddle and backstrap, we weave so that the woven part of the band is nearest to our waist.  In North Sweden, the Sami in one area have always woven using a rigid heddle and backstrap with the warp tied to the waist band and the woven part beyond the heddle. The weft is beaten in, away from the body, on the other side of the heddle.  It is thought that this method reflects the action of a warp-weighted loom where the weft is beaten upwards. Side borders in tablet weaving on a warp weighted loom use this method.  

So, the side handle on the Dolphin heddle is an anomaly. 

What do you think?

Happy weaving and exploring!

Susan J Foulkes

October 2024

A Sámi Plait

 In my blog for May 2024, I described the process to plait a flat braid for the end of a bookmark. 

In Sweden, finger weaving is thought to have been introduced to the Swedish people by the Sámi.  Göran Karlholm, in his booklet about Swedish woven bands, found that the techniques are similar. He thought that it was likely that Sámi from a nearby village taught the art of finger weaving or exchanged bands as payment for goods.  Decorative plaiting is a lovely addition to the end of a woven band or belt.

In Kautokino in north Sweden, the  Sámi used two colours in a five strand braid which gives an added dimension to the braid pattern. This type of ending was used for handwoven belts, hat bands and mittens for Sámi women.

Making the decorative plait

Step 1

Step 2

Step 3

Plaiting in progress

Close up

It is the same procedure as the bookmark flat braid in my earlier blog. There are two moves.  

1. Take the right hand group to the left, over one and under one group.
2. Take the left hand group to the right, over one and under one group.

The  design emerges because of the starting colour order of the five groups of threads. 

The Sámi have a variety of decorative braids in different patterns. These patterns are not new.  If you examine braids from other early cultures you can find some lovely examples.  The delight in the beauty of even small and seemingly insignificant parts of a garment is universal. 

I made a YouTube video to show how to plait. 

Plaiting with five groups of threads.  https://youtu.be/SZt3p87oI68

Susan J Foulkes  September 2024

Sámi in the news

There have been a number of articles in the newspaper in the UK about the Sámi in Sweden.  

Three recent articles from the Guardian newspaper.

Sámi call to protect reindeer in Sweden after 10,000 road deaths in five years

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/09/sami-call-to-protect-reindeer-in-sweden-after-10000-road-deaths-in-five-years?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

‘A lot of collective trauma’: Sweden’s Indigenous Sami people speak to truth commission

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/apr/30/a-lot-of-collective-trauma-swedens-indigenous-sami-people-speak-to-truth-commission?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

In Norway, this process culminated in a report to the government last year. 

Commission exposes injustices against Norway’s Indigenous people

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/01/commission-exposes-injustices-norway-indigenous-people-sami-kvens?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Over the past few years, the History of Anthropology Review has published some very interesting and thought provoking articles about dealing with memoires of harsh assimilation policies and racism towards the indigenous population. 

An article in The Norwegian American, published July 2021 and updated in Febraury 2024,  discusses Bååstede: The Return of Sámi Cultural Heritage.  

https://www.norwegianamerican.com/baastede-the-return-of-sami-cultural-heritage/

After years of negotiation amongst the University of Oslo,  Norwegian Museum of Cultural History and the Sámi Parliament, almost half the 4,200 objects from the Sámi collection in Oslo are being returned to the geographic areas where they were originally created. They will be housed and displayed in one of the country’s many Sámi museums. 

Susan J Foulkes  September 2024

Making a rigid heddle - the very simple way.

Many years ago when I prepared my second online workshop about band weaving I was aware that obtaining a rigid heddle for backstrap weaving was not easy in the UK. My first workshop booklet gave details on how to make your own heddle. I have updates the information a little as nowadays it is possible to buy very sturdy craft sticks from craft stores.  

For your completed heddle you will need: 

• I used wooden coffee stirrers. Nowadays craft sticks are much better.  These tend to be stronger and smoother but will still need some sanding. 
• glue (woodworking PVA would allow for final adjustments—impact adhesive sticks straight away).
• fine sand paper or wire wool. 
• a drill: you will need a very fine drill bit.
• And a length of wood, approx 24 mm in width at least as long as four sticks.  (This should be flat one side but may be shaped on the other. This will be used to sandwich the sticks into place and forms the top and bottom of the heddle.)

1.  Choose sticks  that are straight and not warped.  

2.1 Sand them to ensure that they are completely smooth. 

2.2  Mark the centre and drill a small hole in each stick.  You will need at least 18 sticks for the final heddle, plus extras for the top and bottom.

2.3 Measure the width of the heddle by separating the sticks with a space.  This will be the final width of your heddle.

2.4 Sand them again and finish with wire wool.  Make sure that the sides of the sticks are smooth.  You will need more sticks than you eventually use for the heddle.  Some will splinter or split.  In others,  you may find that your drilled hole is not central.

3. From your piece of wood, cut four pieces the final width of the heddle.  These will form the top and bottom of the heddle.

4. Take two undrilled sticks ( or more if the heddle is wider) and glue them to two of the wide sticks on the long edge. Leave until the glue is dry. These will form the buffers against which you line up the rest of your stirrers.

5. Spread glue along the wide sticks and place one drilled stick at each end.  You now have the outline of your final heddle.  It is important that the corners of the frame are square.  Use a piece of square card ( a postcard for example) as a right angled corner to check.

6. Start to place the rest of the sticks into place onto the glued ends sticks  Adjust the gap between each stick.  Make the gaps as even as possible. Use a piece of card  as a spacer.

7. 1  To complete your heddle, glue the remaining two cut wide pieces of wood to the top and bottom, sandwiching the ends of your stirrers.

Side view of heddle top/bottom

7.2 Place a weight on the completed heddle and leave the glue to dry.

The completed heddle

8. You will need to sand the top and bottom of the heddle as any unevenness will catch on the warp threads.  

The heddle is now complete.

I made several heddles like this and gave them away.  Here is the one that I kept.

Threading the heddle 

I made some other simple pieces of equipment to make threading a heddle easier. 

Here are a set of cross sticks for making the warp, and a heddle holder. The cross sticks are two narrow slats of smooth wood with two fasteners to hold them together. The heddle holder is a rectangular piece of wood with four screws to hold the heddle upright. As you can see I am not a woodworker!  

Threading the heddle.

The heddle is slotted between the sets of large screws so that it is upright. The cross sticks hold the warp. I use a heddle threader and a needle threader.

Here is a close up with half the warp threaded through the slots and holes.

Weaving.

I use a back strap and a band lock.  

Here is the drawdown for this simple warp faced band.

Here is the warp diagram for this band. The centre of the band is marked.

The warp plan - there are 18 warp ends in total. 

   X 5   X 5

Blue {1 {1

Brown 1} 1}

Pale blue 8

This band is a sanada-himo band which are the traditional woven bands in Japan. The weft thread is thicker than the warp threads.  here the warp threads are a 16/2 cotton and the weft is a natural 8/2 cotton ( approximately twice as thick as the warp threads). The final width of the band is about 6mm.

Weaving the sanada-himo band

I use a band width checker to ensure that the width of the woven band is constant.  Attached to the back strap is a band lock device which is a quick release way of attaching the woven band to the backstrap.  

I bought this one a few years ago.  They are available from 

https://www.vavkompaniet.se/

They are called strap locks. 

This is a wonderful shop in Boras in south Sweden.  Check out the beautiful heddles.  I have the horse, the bird and the heart heddles. They are lovely to use. 

The Finished band.

Some more tips.

I used my own handmade heddle stand - yes, it is a bit crude. For thinner heddles I have successfully used an IPad stand from IKEA.

The IKEA IPad stand

I found that an additional strip of felt holds the heddle more firmly and more upright.

The heddle sits at an angle in the stand. If the heddle is very fine then the slot holding the heddle may need to be padded. 

The front view.

Here is another view showing the threading in action.

Happy weaving

Susan J Foulkes  August 2024

Susan J Foulkes  August 2024

West County Whipping or West Country Whipping?

 

The Ashley Book of Knots by Clifford W. Ashley.

The ever reliable Ashley Book of Knots describes a number of ways of finishing cords.  The method I use is West Country Whipping. It is described on page 528.  According to Ashley, it was named in 1848. However, in subsequent books such as the British Admiralty Manual of Seamanship it was renamed West County Whipping. 

It is a sturdy way of ending a braid or band. Its structure is secured by the regular half knot so that if any strand breaks it will still hold and the whipping replaced. 

This is the whipped end of the Bookmark of Kells project in my blog for May 2024. This project appears in Little Looms Summer 2024.

It is very easy to do.  It consists of a series of half knots finished with a reef knot. This short video shows the process.

Start by tightening the end of the cord or band by pulling on the weft. 

Take a short length of yarn sufficient for making the binding.

1. Tie it with a half knot.
2. Turn the band or cord over and tie another half knot.

These two moves make the binding.  To finish, tie a reef knot. 

This binding is very secure. It can be used for bands, cords and tassels.

narrow bands

Tassels can be tied with this type of whipping.

binding a tassel.

Here is the link to the YouTube video. 

West Country Whipping for bookmark

https://youtu.be/kp5nrA7DLAI

Susan J Foulkes  August 2024

Binding the ends of a Sámi belt.

A beautifully finished Sámi belt.

Sámi belts have a range of different endings. One of the most decorative is the multi-coloured binding.  This is easy to do.

This type of binding is called a three-strand plait in the Ashley Book of Knots on page 488. This is an amazing book. My copy has started to fall apart as I have referred to it so often. 

A Sámi belt 

Here is a belt that I wove using the Sigga heddle.

Sámi belt woven on the Sigga heddle. 

 

Sigga belt  width: 25mm  length: 172cm  Material used: Sámi band weaving wool

I wove it for a workshop at the International Conference on Braiding in Denmark 2022. The warp stretched across the room.

 

Weaving the belt at home

I made a number of belts and band samples to illustrate the different patterns made with this type of weaving.

Two samples of binding.

I am giving a workshop in Oxford this month.  I wove a number of short samples so that participants could learn how to finish a band. These bands are woven on a Sunna heddle with 9 pattern slots. 

Samples to practice binding.

The Decorative Binding Sequence.

Here is the sequence in pictures to show the process of binding.

Step 1 Divide the warp into four sections. Two sections are used to make the binding on each side. These are called the foundation groups.

Step 2 Take two strands of yarn from the right hand side. This is the working strand.Take them over the first group and then under the second group.

Step 3. Take the working strand over the left group and then under the first right hand group.

These two movements are repeated for the length of binding that is required.  movements 

Step 4. Take the working strand over the right hand group and under the left. Pull tightly and push up the working end to fully cover the group of threads. 

Step 5. Take the working strand over the left group and under the right hand group. Pull tightly and push the binding together. 

Step 6 Changing colour. The white working strand is over the left group.  It will be part of the  right hand group of threads for the next binding colour.

Take the next coloured binding thread from the right hand group.  Take the blue working strans over the right group and under the left group.

Step 7. Changing colour. The blue binding thread will be in the left hand group. The next colour, red comes from the left hand group. This is to ensure that each group remains approximately the same thickness. 

Keep binding until you are happy with the length.

Finish with a tassel or West Country Whipping.

The Working Thread.

It is important that the working threads are of the same thickness. The eight red pattern threads and the one blue central pattern thread are twice as thick as the other background threads. So for this binding, the working thread is two strands when using a background thread. This makes them the same thickness as a single pattern thread.  

The Ashley Book of Knots suggest that the binding thread, the working thread, should be at least five or six times longer than the area you wish to cover.

I have made a YouTube video to show the process in action.

Here is the link:

Sámi Decorative Binding

https://youtu.be/_9Qzr-9UEmc

Happy decorative binding!

Susan J Foulkes  June 2024