How do you warp a cricket loom?

Answer 1

you can warp a cricket loom one of two ways: Direct method or Indirect method.

Direct Warping (courtesy of freehavenfarmltd on YouTube)

Indirect Warping (courtesy of various sources)

measuring the warp

Paulina, weaver from San Juan from aldea on Vimeo.

FROM SCHACHT SPINDLE COMPANY

Indirect Warping Using a Warping Board

For this method, a warping board is used to measure the warp. The warp is first measured on the warping board and then brought to the loom for threading.

Set up a guide string

Step 1. Determine which pegs of the warping board to use by cutting a piece of string a few inches longer than the length of one warp thread. Use a string that is a different color than your warp yarn.

Tie one end of the string to a peg and work back and forth around the pegs until the string runs out. Adjust the starting point until the end of the guide string comes out even at the set of 2 pegs marked x in figure 11.

Measure the warp

Step 2. Tie the end of the warp yarn to the starting peg. Wind back and forth across the warping board following the guide string until you reach the ending two pegs. Wind a figure-eight around these (figure 12). This is the cross and its purpose is to keep the warp ends in order. Wind back to the beginning peg. You have now measured 2 warp ends. Continue following this path until the total number of warp ends are measured.

Figure 10: tie the warp ends to the front apron rodFigure 11: Wind the warp Figure 12: Continue and wind the warp back in the reverse direction Remove the warp from the warping board

Step 3. Secure the cross by tying it loosely with contrasting yarn in five places (figure 13) using overhand knots. Now tie choke ties along the warp at about 18" inch intervals. Tie these tightly with a bow tie. Choke ties keep the warp from tangling. After the warp has been tied, remove it from the warping board. Cut all the loops on the non-cross end and tie the end of the warp bundle in an overhand knot.

Thread the heddle

Step 4. Wrap the warp around the front beam so that it extends about 10" past the heddle.

Step 5. Place the heddle in neutral. Find the center of the heddle and then measure out to one side half the width of your warp. (For example, if your warp is 10" wide, measure out 5" and begin threading at this point.)

Step 6. Hold the cross in one hand so that each section is separated (figure 14), and then cut the loops at the end and the five ties holding the cross. Notice that the threads stack up Lincoln-log style. Take the top end and use the heddle hook to thread it through the slot at the outermost edge of your weaving. Take the next thread and thread it through the adjacent hole. Alternately thread slot, hole, slot, hole until all warp ends are threaded.

Step 7. Tie groups of about 1" of warp ends in overhand knots across the entire warp. Then tie each group around the back apron rod and secure this knot by tightening it up to the first knot (figure 15).

Wind the warp onto the warp beam

Step 8. Begin cranking the warp onto the warp beam in a clockwise direction. Remove choke ties as they approach the heddle.

Step 9. When the warp has been rolled around the warp beam once, insert heavy paper between the layers of warp to separate them.

Step 10. Continue winding on, stopping every so often to pull hard on the warp bundle to tighten the warp on the warp beam.

Figure 13: Tie the cross Figure 14: Hold the cross

Figure 15: Tie the warp to the back apron rod Step 11. Stop winding when there is about 10" of warp left in front of the heddle.

Tie onto the front apron rod

Tie onto the front apron rod in the same way as for the direct method (step 15, figure 10, page 7).