Any suggestions for when weaving wider widths?
After a few months of procrastination I finally worked up the mental capacity to take on warping my 54" Fireside loom. There were a number of reasons, but I got there in the end. I now have a 42" baby blanket as my first project. In general it's going well, but it certainly feels hard on my body. The treadles are heavy to push. It's a bit of a challenge to get the shuttle all the way across, but I am slowly improving at that (I'm using a 15" open bottom Schacht shuttle, it's lighter than some of my other shuttles, but longer, so I figured that would be helpful). I do have a bench that slides, although the rails could use some lubricating because it doesn't slide very easily. So reaching to either side to throw the shuttle is a bit difficult.
I'm somewhere between 5'5" and 5'6", so not super tall, but also not particularly short. I would say my legs and torso are relatively proportional. I'd love to weave the full width on this loom at some point, but right now that feels like it would be impossible if I'm having such a hard time at 42". Just wondering if any other weavers with wider looms have suggestions for things they've learned over time help with weaving on wider widths.