u/Mx_Torquill

Thanks so much for the assistance in getting the first project on my adopted loom up and running! I cut and washed the first towel as a sample, and it came to 16"x23.75", right on the dot for my desired 16x24 (though I'll lose a little to hemming). Everyone who recommended 20epi was right, it's got beautiful drape and the perfect heft for a drying towel. It's got pinprick holes between the ridges like huck lace, but it's not cheesecloth like I feared. I'm very pleased! On to the rest of the set!

8/2 unmercerized cotton, 20epi, 8-shaft pinwheel twill.

I just finished setting up my first project on a newly adopted Harrisville Design 8-shaft floor loom. It was supposed to be kitchen towels in pinwheel twill, with 8/2 cotton. I have the most even warp I have ever wound onto a loom, it's beautiful... and the sett is wrong. I don't even remember now what pattern told me to use 18epi, it's been something like two years since I drew these up. But even with shrinkage and fulling I feel like I'll end up with cheesecloth.

I can back up and re-sley at (based on examples for twill I'm seeing various places) 24epi. It'll turn my 16" towels into 12" napkins, but oh well. Live and learn.

My concern is that the warp is beamed for the lower sett. A change of a few epi is no big deal, especially on a deep loom like my big countermarch. But I'll be reducing the warp width to 3/4 on a loom that is only 34" from front to back. Am I going to see tension problems? I don't want to go through the ordeal of winding the warp onto the cloth beam and back (I'll never get it this perfect again, sigh) but if the alternative is fighting with the selvedges for the whole six yards, I'll do it. It's not like it's 30 yards.

It's a good thing I enjoy setup. I think this delay would drive me around the bend otherwise :)

I forgot how soothing it is to measure a warp on a board, rather than doing it direct. Just sit and wave your hands gently, slow down, feel the rhythm.

This will be my first FtB warp. I might also set up a warping trapeze to wind under tension. I used rods in the past, but I like the thought of the steadier pull of gravity rather than friction on unmercerized threads. Still trying new things.

It continues to amaze me how many ways there are to measure and beam a warp.

(warp: 8/2 cotton towels, 16 epi, straight draw twill with a pinwheel draft)