Warp-Weighted Loom Update #5: Making the Loom Weights

You know, there's a good reason to re-read some of the things I have lying around here. With my Spin-Off magazines, I typically use them as reference material once I've read them through once, and they're my go-to resource for pattern information (ie, going from unspun fiber to finished garment). But with all of my research into warp-weighted looms, it never occurred to me to also check out these magazines to see if it had mentioned anything in regards to these looms. As it would turn out, the Summer 2013 issue has such a mention.

As a reenactment and teaching project, the warp-weighted loom they used wasn't exactly like the kinds Iron Age peoples would have used...but it does give me some ideas about how to make a modern version. Iron Age looms built in Britain, for example, would have been made of hazel. The tree would have been about 4-5 years old, with a straight, sturdy trunk. They would have looked for a piece which had branch with a 45 degree fork near the top, then tried to find a second hazel trunk of similar proportions. After minimal trimming and drying, the loom would be ready for use. Well, there isn't any hazel in Korea, so I have to think and search a little longer to figure out how I'll build the structure. I'm not a carpenter, so perhaps I'll shoot for some grown-up Tinker Toys: pvc pipes.

While my brain grinds on that conundrum, I plan to make some loom weights. I was excited to learn more about how the spinners featured in the Spin-Off magazine made and set up their loom, but they didn't include such details. Now, sometimes it's easy to look at a simple tool and be able to make one just like it, and it does the job just fine. On the other hand, these simple tools have had a long history of use, so their ideal shape for the job they're intended for is fairly exact. With that in mind, I didn't want to spend time reinventing the wheel, so to speak, and a paper by Linda Mårtensson, Shape of Things: Understanding a Loom Weight, offered some help. The author created a series of experiments to test which kinds of set ups that Iron Age peoples might have utilized. This would help archaeologists determine the kinds of cloth people would have made when the only extant evidence are loom weights. Due to the experimental nature of this analysis, I have a well-defined starting point.

Iron Age Brits would use donut-shaped loom weights made of unfired clay. They were rough and clearly handmade, but I suspect they could make lots of weights at once if they wanted. There are some interesting details about the evolution of the loom weight as it traveled from Anatolia to Ireland, and you can read more about it in Prehistoric Textiles written by E.J.W. Barber (see below for full bibliography). The style of loom weight I'm going to attempt is the same style that Mårtensson used in one of her experiments, mainly since the dimensions and weight are also listed. This should make it easier for me to reconstruct the length of fabric she made, and hopefully it'll provide a safety net for the instance when I mess up (because I probably will). This is the paper clay I'm using:

My loom weights:

• 10cm circle
• 2cm diameter
• 200g wet weight
• 1-1.5cm hole

I'm shooting for a finished weight of around 160-180g, and 9cm by 1.8cm size of the weight. I made two weights to get started so I can make future adjustments as necessary. Two weights will help me figure out the average shrinkage for the paper clay. If this turns out as expected, I will need to make about 20 more of these weights in order to make a cloth 28cm wide. Whew.

So far, the weights have been drying for a day, but they still feel pretty wet. I should take some bets to see how long it'll take for them to dry completely. My best guess is that it'll take a full week. I should weigh them daily to actually know how long it takes. I'll post a follow-up on the weights when they're dry. I think I might spend another post talking about the history of loom weights (I'll take some interesting excerpts from Barber) since it's interesting from a weaver's point of view, but also from an archaeologist's point of view.

I've also updated my bibliography, in case you are keeping up with me:

Current Bibliography:

Albarella, U., Johnstone, C., & Vickers, K. (2008). The development of animal husbandry from the Late Iron Age to the end of the Roman period: a case study from South-East Britain. Journal of Archaeological Science, 35(7), 1828-1848.

Andresen, S. T., & Karg, S. (2011). Retting pits for textile fibre plants at Danish prehistoric sites dated between 800 bc and ad 1050. Vegetation history and archaeobotany, 20(6), 517-526.

Barber, E. J. W.(1991) Prehistoric Textiles. The Development of Cloth in the Neolithic and Bronze Ages with Special Reference to the Aegean. Princeton NJ.

Degano, I., Ribechini, E., Modugno, F., & Colombini, M. P. (2009). Analytical methods for the characterization of organic dyes in artworks and in historical textiles. Applied Spectroscopy Reviews, 44(5), 363-410.

Frei, K. M., Berghe, I. V., Frei, R., Mannering, U., & Lyngstrøm, H. (2010). Removal of natural organic dyes from wool–implications for ancient textile provenance studies. Journal of archaeological science, 37(9), 2136-2145.

Good, I. (2001). Archaeological textiles: a review of current research. Annual Review of Anthropology, 209-226.

Joosten, I., van Bommel, M. R., Hofmann-de Keijzer, R., & Reschreiter, H. (2006). Micro analysis on Hallstatt textiles: colour and condition. Microchimica Acta, 155(1-2), 169-174.

Mårtensson, L., NOSCH, M. L., & STRAND, E. A. (2009). Shape of things: understanding a loom weight. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 28(4), 373-398.

Rast-Eicher, A., & Bender Jørgensen, L. (2012). Sheep wool in Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe. Journal of Archaeological Science.

Ryder, M. L. (1987). The evolution of the fleece. Scientific American, 256(1), 112-119.

Strand, E. A., Frei, K. M., Gleba, M., Mannering, U., Nosch, M. L., & Skals, I. (2010). Old Textiles—New Possibilities. European journal of archaeology, 13(2), 149-173.

Tomlinson, P. (1985). Use of vegetative remains in the identification of dyeplants from waterlogged 9th–10th century AD deposits at York. Journal of archaeological science, 12(4), 269-283.

Vanden Berghe, I., Gleba, M., & Mannering, U. (2009). Towards the identification of dyestuffs in Early Iron Age Scandinavian peat bog textiles. Journal of Archaeological Science, 36(9), 1910-1921.

Viklund, K. (2011). Flax in Sweden: the archaeobotanical, archaeological and historical evidence. Vegetation history and archaeobotany, 20(6), 509-515.

Dye Testing: Brand 2 Results

The results are in for Brand #2 dyes! I have to say, things didn't start out too well for this brand. For the life of me, I couldn't get the yellow dye to mix with the water to make a solution. I tried all of the tricks I know, but I still couldn't get the powder blobs to make friends with the water. Even after letting it settle for a day, it continued to refuse to play nice. So, I wasn't able to dye with this powder. The red, blue, and black worked just fine, and had decent coverage just like Brand #1 did. It still didn't dye the merino as well as I wanted it to, but I'll talk about the differences when I finish Brand #3 (I've only just started on those).

Here we go, red, blue, and black:

For the sake of consistency, I dyed the same kind of fibers for each color: merino, silk noil, icicle nylon, faux cashmere (nylon). Without any additions to make the dye take more evenly, this brand dyed very evenly. It dyed the icicle nylon and merino the best, even if the merino doesn't look as saturated as the rest.

I really like the blue from this brand. It's very different than the Brand #1 blue, which is more stereotypical of primary blue. Brand #2 blue has a wonderful Caribbean vibe, and I think it has a lot of potential as a primary color. The red and black turned out very similarly to Brand #1, so nothing too interesting there.

For me, this brand of dyes is like comparing bing cherries to rainier cherries--both are delicious, but one is slightly sweeter than the other. I eat both kinds of cherries with a voracious appetite--go ahead, ask me how long it takes for me to eat 5kg of cherries--and I can't really choose if both are available to me. Those are the days when I buy both. :) So, I'm kind of torn with these two brands so far. Brand #1's black was horrible, and so was Brand #2's yellow. I kind of want to meld these two brands into one so I can be the epitome of happy.

Brand #3 is in the process of being tested, and so far I kind of like the idea of it being able to dye both protein and cellulose fibers. For those of you Facebook fans who have already gotten a preview picture of Brand #3's yellow, you know that I'm a little confused how this dye works for both types of fiber. Well, I guess it's time to get out the dyepot...

Japan Trip: Where the Fiber is

I'm pretty excited to say that we, Mr. IT Guy and I, are heading to Japan for a much needed vacation in about a week. It was somewhat a sudden decision, but we found out about cheap flights from Korea to Japan and thought, "Why not?" I know that the summers in Japan can be similar to those in Korea (hot, humid, rainy, dank, etc.), but somehow you can just deal with these weather conditions a little better when you're on vacation. After all, we dealt with them just fine on our last summer trip there.

As some of you know, I've been working with a lovely lady in Japan who has been my fiber and dye go-to person. Ever since I found out that Japan has an appreciation for yarns made of natural fibers and fleeces which are easily available, I've wanted to go to a fiber/yarn shop there. Some days, I feel like I'm sitting in a fiber-free void in Seoul, and it hurts my creative soul. Unfortunately, Korea still seems to be on the acrylic yarn craze bandwagon, but I have hope for the future here. But it isn't the future yet, so I am really looking forward to getting my fix in Japan.

I heard from a mutual Facebook fan that Natalie Redding (from Namaste Farms) knew of some places in Japan that sold fibery goods. A friend of hers, Junko, gave me the low down on the best fiber shops to visit in the Osaka/Kyoto areas. I'm going to post below the links and do some research later to see which ones I'll be able to try and visit while we're in Japan.

• Teoriya: This shop specializes in weaving supplies and yarn. There is a pretty wide selection of plant and animal fiber yarns available in this shop, including some wool yarn directly imported from Sweden.
• Spinnuts: The online shop features a ton of variety, from fleeces to spindles. There is a wide variety of sheep fleeces, many of which come from Australia.
• Hitsuji: This place has lots of equipment and books available, in addition to yarns and fibers. What's really cool about this shop is that they sell natural dyes. If I wanted to get my Wild Color on, I know where to go to get the stuff!
• Textile Aoni: I can't get a proper translation of this page, and since the Google translate feature doesn't work (I assume this isn't text based?), I have no idea what this shop sells...or where to find it. I could email the owner and hope s/he speaks English.
• Habu Textiles: Now this is a swanky shop. If you're a fiber guru and you've been to New York, you might have popped your head into this shop. This shop mainly sells yarn and notions (buttons and beads), and the way the pictures are taken, I feel like I'm sitting in a serene rock garden. 
• Avril-Kyoto: This one sells mostly yarns and needles, and has lots of knitting and felting workshops on-site. 
• Sometake: This shop is a haven for merino lovers. There are tons of colors to choose from, and it almost all comes in combed top preparation. There are also luxury fibers like alpaca and cashmere.
• Semba Center: This place vaguely reminds me of Dongdaemun in Seoul, except they have whole floors dedicated to fibery goods. As a bonus, there are lots of restaurants nearby, making this place easily a whole day visit.

A funny side note. While I was checking these websites out, I had to ask Google to translate them from Japanese. Now, the translate feature has come a long way since its inception, but funny things happen. For example, what we know of as "batts" get translated as "butts" by Google. So, if you check out these links and translate them to English, try to control your laughter when you read "Germany Butts" and "Irish Butts." :D

So, I think I have some favorites. I really want to try and visit Spinnuts and Semba Center if I can. We have a fairly open schedule while we're there, so I'm pretty sure Mr. IT Guy won't mind if we go to a couple of places. Osaka is noted as a culinary hotspot, so we will find some good food no matter where we go. We also have some plans to attend Universal Studios and see the new Harry Pottery features while we're there. I'll post more about my fibery adventures when we get back in a couple of weeks!

Double Mini Review!: Little Monkey SNS and Falkland

Falkland is one of those wools that many beginners try out at first, then move on to softer fibers. Falkland is a great utility wool, and can make excellent luxury socks. If you haven't tried it yet, it's a very inexpensive, very common wool, so buy a pound and spin it up! :)

Originally posted on June 25, 2012:

Quick review today. First, I’m going to talk about a fiber artist, then I’ll finish up with a concise chat about Falkland. I bought these super cute mini batts from LittleMonkeySNS:

She makes such inspiring batts, and gave me the inspiration for making authentic gradient batts. Because I didn’t have much per batt (each were about 1/2 ounces), and the colors had the potential to turn to mud, I decided to spin a bulky, soft-spun single. I laid one batt on top of the other, ripped off parallel strips, and drafted both batts together.

The yarn turned out beautifully, and since it’s spun with only just enough spin to keep it together, I managed to get 44 yards of a bulky weight single out of 1 ounce of wool. Not bad, eh? :) I’m thinking that I might just make a swatch of this yarn to see if it gets too muddy. The pink-coral color worries me, since there is a lot of green. I’m feeling more comfortable putting these color opposites into batts and spinning them, but I’m still a little hesitant when it comes to knitting with them.

Now, the Falkland. I really like this wool. It’s soft enough for next-to-skin items, and averages a micron count range of 22-26. Merino can be as fine as 13/15 microns, and as “coarse” as 23 microns, but all of which are appropriate for intimate items (like scarves and cowls, not those other kinds of “intimates” per se!). Falkland follows in as a close second for soft items, and has features that appeal to those who don’t like the bounce and poof of merino (or cormo). Falkland is very lustrous and strong, and though it may not have a fine crimp, it still has an adequate amount of bounce. Here are the samples I made:

Falkland wool can be used as a multi-purpose soft wool, though it won’t have as much durability as medium and coarse wools like romney. Shawls, cowls, scarves, mittens, socks, cuffs, etc. make excellent projects to show off the falkland properties. In terms of sheen, Falkland falls between merino and romney, though closer to the merino side of sheen rather than the romney side. The next wool I want to talk about will be blue-faced leicester, or BFL. It has many qualities similar to Falkland, though it has its own place in the continuum of wools.

Disclaimer: I wanted to point out, again, that these posts aren’t meant to educate people about the history of the wool and sheep or the ultra specific details of how to use it. I just want to show people what I do when I experiment and compare, and provide a list of things that came to my attention. I’m learning more each day I test and experiment, and only through empirical data can I finally come to cogent and well researched opinions about the type of wool to be used for specific projects. Until that day, bear with me as we adventure along in the world of wool.

I’ve got a back log of stuff I wanted to get through this last week and a half, so more posts will be coming later this week. I have more stuff to add to the Etsy shop, so be sure to stop in and give me some love!

Happy Independence Day, America!

I promise that I'll be back in a day or two with some new(er) posts. Things have been kind of hectic over here lately, especially since I'm trying very hard to get my paper written so I can have it in publishable form by October this year. I'm on track to get it done by the end of August, but since school is supposed to start in October, that's the ultimate deadline. My paper has changed quite a lot since my last iteration, and I hope to talk a little more about it when it's just about done. It's a very exciting concept, tying textile production to the landscape, and I hope it helps expand the field of textile studies.

We're also heading to Japan again this summer--YAY--and we've been outlining the stuff we want to do there. I've been looking into fiber shops in Osaka, and if anyone knows of any there (or who wants to help me look!), post in the comments below. I really want to be in a fiber shop...it's been almost a year since I was last in one!

Anyway, have a lovely 4th of July, America. We miss all of the fun ya'll are having, so have a little extra fun, just for us. :)

Mini Fiber Review: Finn and Llama!

Testing out new wool by sampling is a wonderful way to build your expertise as a beginner. You may not fully understand how to use each fiber type until you've been spinning a little longer, but there is no rule saying you can't experiment starting on your second skein of yarn. So, have you been pining over that ounce of Cotswold? Or have you been intimidated by double coated fleeces like Soay? I say, you should just jump in and try it out. You don't have anything to lose, and you'll definitely learn something valuable in the end!

Also, the finn/shetland wool I mention at the bottom of this post is with me in Korea, so I'll try and do a review of it when I can. Once I finish one of these projects (the project for my loom or the lock-spun yarn project), I'll get that on the wheel! :D

Originally posted on June 13, 2012:

Today I’m going to chat about 2 new fibers to me: organic llama and finn wool. I bought these fibers precisely for doing fiber reviews, and I must say, they threw me for a loop. First, we’ll begin with the organic llama. I began my first spinning adventures with alpaca, then trudged around in wool and perfecting my dyeing technique for the next year and a half. Coming back to the camelid family was fun for me, and this fiber was a pleasure to spin. I bought this llama from a fellow Etsy seller, SheepandI. She has a fun shop that includes antiques and homegrown organic wool.

I’ve had a few fun conversations with Shirley, and after one in particular, we discussed removing the harsher hairs from her llama to produce ultra soft, premium llama wool. She subsequently dehaired and listed these premium products in her shop, specifically this listing. Even though mine still contained the guard hairs, they are few and easy to pick out, and the remaining llama is actually quite soft. I could wear it next to my skin, though people with allergies/sensitivities may want to try the dehaired version instead. Here’s the roving I bought from her:

Two things I’ve been failing to mention are 1) how I chose to make my samples; and 2) how I keep track of them. Whenever I prepare samples for myself or for reviews, I like to make a thin and a thick sample, a 2-ply and a -ply. To obtain this goal, 3 samples is usually sufficient. I will produce a thin 2-ply, a thick 2-ply, and a 3-ply of whatever size. The reason why I think 3 samples works for getting an idea of how a fiber will look spun up is very simple (and effective). First, you can see how poofy a yarn can get if you compare a thin 2-ply with a thick 2-ply. I’ve found some fibers to poof up more in a thicker yarn than it’s relative poofiness in a thinner yarn. For the 3-ply, it gives you an idea of how 3, 4, etc. plies will look with this fiber, and it’s a great way to decide how much twist you’ll need to make a multi-plied yarns. That’s the gist of why I do what I do for the sampling part, and I am by no means an expert spinner. I just do what I can via experimentation.

When you’re sampling, it can be difficult to keep track of which fiber this was prior to spinning since the process of spinning can change the surface texture (which is also why I keep a sample of the unspun fiber). When you compound multiple samples of the same fiber with multiple samples of other fibers, you can see the impending nightmare that can produce! Now, everyone who samples has their own system of organizing them, to a lesser or greater degree. I have a space problem as it is, and by keeping the samples on small notecards in small bags, I can group them all together in a big gallon-sized bag. I know that a lot of people that keep them in binders, but they’re too big and rigid for the places I need to stuff samples. :) If you manage to improve on this method, drop me a line!

This llama roving had a slightly longer staple, about 4-5 inches, so I was able to spin a relatively low-twist 2-ply yarn:

The 3-ply I made was spun with a bit more twist so I could get a tight, round yarn. Whenever I make a three ply yarn, I always use the Navajo method. I should do a post on making a 3-ply yarn this way, since it’s really easy and often mistaken as difficult to use. Anyway, I think llama is a new possibility for sock yarn because of the longer staple length (it’s easier to maintain a consistent diameter). I would even blend it with some romney for the crimp and strength characteristics of the wool.

The finn I got the chance to play with was wonderful! I will note briefly that the specimen I used (5 ounces bought from another handspinner, not the sheep owner) was heavily covered in scurf. Scurf is a term used to describe sheep dandruff. But that’s exactly what it is, dandruff [edit: this is probably a mixture of dandruff and lice]. Now, normally this wool would be swiftly converted into a plant insulator or bird bedding, but I couldn’t ignore how insanely soft the wool was. I’ve been brushing out the locks with a dog brush before sending it through the carder, and a majority of the dandruff falls out. I’m wondering how patient I can before I just give up on the whole 5 ounces! (The task seems daunting when you’re only carding 5-10 grams at a time, and it takes you 2 hours to get just that much done.) I’m going to find some other finn to test out, and if I find something new, I’ll revise my following review. For now, let’s just go with it:

Poofy, eh? :) Something I immediately noticed (besides the softness and the scurf) was the mixture of crimp and curly the locks had, and how long the staple was for its fineness. Typically, very soft and fine wools will have short staples, but this finn wool had a minimum length of 5 inches unstretched.The second thing I noticed was its sheen. When pulled taut to remove the crimp/curl, the wool was moderately shiny--another unusual feature of fine wools. In a nutshell, finn wool threw me for a loop! Here are the samples I made:

The first 2-ply I made didn’t have quite enough twist, as you can see in the following picture. Because of the really long staple length, the fiber was still securely locked in place. The loose twist coupled with the crimp of the fiber produced a very interesting 2-ply that has a lot of potential. In my second two ply sample I added more twist and produced a balanced yarn that looks more “normal.”

The 3-ply was made with a bit more twist than it wanted, and it turned out to be a beautiful, round, balanced yarn. Because of its poofiness, I think finn wool will bloom into airtight luxury mittens and hats, though I have much more carding in my future if I want to try that theory out!

The fibers I presented here gave me a pleasant surprise because of the unexpected outcome. Ultimately, these posts are meant to increase awareness of the fibers and provide a set of more detailed pictures than what I’ve been unable to find on the internet. Further, I am trying to present a practical and tactile review which sometimes gets lost in the jargon. Hopefully, you found this post useful, or at the very least amusing as you wile away your evening hours. Drinking may help with the latter camp. I requested a sample of finn/shetland from a finn wool producer, so if you want to know how that goes, be sure to stop by my Facebook page.

Review: PLY Magazine Autumn 2013 Issue

I think I may be in love with these magazines. Seriously. I did an initial impression review a little while ago, and now that I've had time to sit down and read from cover-to-cover, I'm ready to spew forth some thoughts. If you haven't read that initial review, head over and read it now to get some context. I'll be making references to it in this review.

This issue features colorwork as its main topic. I know that other fibery magazines will have a primary theme to each issue, but it never feels like a salient topic in those magazines. I think it has something to do with the ad coverage, thus subduing the importance of the topic slightly. I'm going to hit on this idea when I review the Spring 2014 issue of Spin-Off.

Colorwork is a fantastic topic to delve into, since many beginners ask me the question: How do I spin this dyed combed top/batt? Well, on the one hand, that's easy. On the other, it's complicated. Of course, the easiest way to spin either of those fiber preparations is to pull the fiber into long strips and get spinning. But they don't all really mean to ask me how to spin these fibers; they are asking me how to spin them with color in mind. That's where handspinners set themselves far, far apart from commercial products--you just can't get our kind of creativity mechanically. This is the slump where some beginners find themselves. They want to play around with colors in the way that commercial spinning mills can't, but they are daunted by the incredible meshing of colors masterful spinners can make. Really, there needs to be a teaching aid, some kind of middle ground.

I post on this blog what I can for those spinners who want to challenge themselves with color, but I'm only one person with only my expertise. This Color issue from PLY is the perfect option for those seeking to explore the specific ways to exploit color in yarn. They have a large group of spinners from which to pull various levels of expertise, and everything PLY covers in this issue weaves colorwork into the process. For example, the first article of the magazine covers chain plying to lock in your color changes. It covers the pros/cons of chain plying, how to do it, some tips, and it even has pictures comparing the colorwork of a 2-ply, 3-ply, and chain ply. In fact, there are several pictures in this article which show the reader the various stages of the chain plying process. The combination of (several) pictures and clear text should be enough to take any beginner down the path to chain plying. Better yet, it shows the beginner how you can blend colorwork together with technique--by chain plying, you are in complete control of keeping the colors of a gradient dyed top lined up.

All of the articles in this issue (and in the Winter issue I have as well!) connect with the topic. Some are more prevalent than others, such as color blending and fractal plying, but there is enough connection in order to refer to this entire issue as 'the color issue.' If you're specifically looking for new ways to combine color and preparation and technique, buy this issue. For those who are building a reference shelf, buy this issue. In fact, any spinner who has ever spun anything colorful should have this issue on hand. As a masterful spinner myself, I have learned many things in this issue.

Want to hear a little more? Okay. I'm ready to admit that I fall into spinning traps. You know, the kind of 'home base' traps you revert to when you're tired, trying a thinner/thicker yarn than you feel comfortable with, or when you aren't trying to be too creative with the yarn you're making. My first several yarns were all constructed the same way. Split, draft, spin, repeat. It didn't matter what I spun, either. Early on in my spinning education, I learned how to make drum carded batts. I split, drafted, and spun those in the same way I spun top. This is a classic spinning trap because it was the first way I learned how to spin, and soon it became the only way I thought you could prep fiber for spinning. Many beginners fall into this kind of trap. But it's okay. There's a way out, and you can skip the infinite loop with the PLY article written by Jacey Boggs, Spinning Across the Top: Beyond Stripping.

Keep your hands loose, and your fiber fluffy. As you spin, the fiber will pull off in a left to right/right to left direction. If you've ever bought a gradient dyed braid (where the colors transition from, let's say from green to blue) and wondered how to keep the transitions the same as they are in the braid, spinning across the top makes the perfect technique to use. There are a plethora of pictures showing you the various steps of the back-and-forth technique, as well as plenty of tips and stories to read.

Here's an example of some of the science and research they do for some of their articles.

Here's an example of an advertisement embedded cleverly into a tips/tricks article.

There you have it, the Color issue of PLY in a nutshell. It has been an enlightening experience for me. I'll do more reviews for PLY in the future, and I'll also do reviews for Spin-Off and fibery books I encounter along the way. I still have to read a few books to read before I review those, but they'll make their way here too! :)