Thanks so much for this fantastic video! I took a class with Joanne at ETC last month and loved this technique. I recently got a counterbalance loom and am going to give it a shot.
I bet you had a great class! Joanne is a wonderful teacher. Enjoy your loom and when you give half-heddle sticks a try I hope you will send me a picture.
I just started my weaving lessons, so I have no idea what is going on; but it's so well explained that I ALMOST do, I think soon I'll be able to use this info. Thank you!
For all practical purposes I am a complete beginner at weaving, so I am sure it will be quite a while before I can actually use this information; but it definitely provides all the inspiration and motivation I need to keep me going. I just hope I live long enough to get to use it.
Jim, the great benefit of this method is that it is extremely simple to set up. Four shafts, four treadles, very few tie-ups, a few extra bits. You can do it!
Good day! I saw your page on Instagram, the second day I watch your videos, very very interesting!! Thank you so much for the information and for sharing so generously! Everything is very clear and the explanations are clear. I still have to study and study, and your videos have helped a lot! We need to look for shafts with a big eye))), Smalandsvav was in the plans for a long time, and for damask with half shafts, a separate bow and thanks! I hope to see your new works, good luck to you and good health! Sorry for the auto translation)
Marina, thank you so much for writing! I am so happy you found my channel and that it is useful to you. These pattern-making techniques are very powerful - it is amazing what you can do with just a few changes to your loom. I wish you good luck and joy with your weaving.
Thank you Geri! I really enjoy half-heddle sticks too - so much more elemental than all the palaver with a drawloom ;-) I guess Drawloom Basics was different than Drawloom ABCs, where you concentrate on one setup for a week? That is an interesting distinction I didn't appreciate.
Thank you for this! Since I saw your series about drawloom mechanics last year (which is absolutely fantastic, thank you!!!) I had been wondering if it'd be possible to do something similar on my countermarche... I had missed this fantastic video! Now the challenge is really to find the heddles, or I will have to tie a lot of knots :) Thank you so much again, your videos are so clear, so well thought out and so well produced. I know it must be a ton of work, but it's super appreciated :)
Thank you so much for your comment! I appreciate the kind words and am always happy to hear the vids are helpful to folks. They are a total labor of love. I'm delighted to hear you will be trying the technique - if you tie all those heddles you are way stronger than me ;-) Another great resource is Joanne Hall's new book 'Weaving with Long Eyed Heddles,' which includes several structures that can be woven on a countershed Swedish-style loom with just a few mods required. You'll get hooked, I bet.
Your very clear video has opened my eyes to a whole new world. Please could you tell me what I need to modify on a 4 shaft counterbalance loom to weave the pattern. I have also watched your Smalandsvav video and will look to see if I can add two short lamms for the plain weave.
I am so happy you found my channel! For sword-damask, the biggest mod you will need to make to your loom is replacing your standard heddles with long-eyes. From there you should be pretty much good to go. A great book that shows all the possibilities for this kind of setup is Joanne Hall's 'Weaving with Long-Eye Heddles': it discusses damask; Smålandsväv; and additional structures too. If you do try Smålansväv you might be able to operate your plain-weave shed without lamms - you can use a V-shaped corded tie-up as in the good old days. I can provide additional info if you decide to go this route.
Great videos. What is a V shaped corded tie up. Could you also please let me know what book or graphs you use when weaving words on your cloth. Thank you.
Very cool! I am going to try to give this a go. I was surprised to see that this is what I had done with my rigid heddle loom so I could weave a twill scarf. Who knew?!
Yup - sticks with string heddles have been used to expand the capabilities of looms for forever! I am delighted to hear you're going to give this method a try.
So, a countershed loom is required for this strategy because warp ends must be able to move both up and down. If you are interested in complex/figurative designs, other methods (such as split-shed weaving, pick-up, etc) work better on jack looms.
For sword damask with long-eye heddles, a countershed loom is necessary because each warp end has to have the ability to move both up and down - up for ground and down for raised pattern units. There are ways to do pick-up designs and figurative patterns on a jack loom but I must confess they are not really in my wheelhouse. Something that would work great on your loom would be Deb Silver's split-shed technique - check it out if you haven't already!
All you need for this setup is a countershed loom with pulleys or a countermarch. No drawloom required - in fact, doing it this way is simpler and faster than messing about with pull handles and drawcords!
I love watching your videos. Damask weaving is something I am aspiring to as a novice weaver. Is this kind of adaptation on the technique only capable on a loom that has lifting and sinking shafts?
Thank you very much. Yes, a countershed loom (pulleys or a countermarch) is necessary for the damask shed to work correctly with long-eye heddles. But a good starting-point for a new-ish weaver is simple two-block 3/1 twill damask, which can be woven on any loom with eight shafts.
@@DuellingRabbits Okay!! Is it possible with an 8 shaft loom to create pictures in the woven fabric using pick up sticks/weaving sword in the 3/1 twill damask set up? I imagine it would be a slower weaving process than having half heddles. When I came across your drawloom videos, you answered so many questions I had about creating pictures in weaving and it is something I aspire to create with my own projects. I currently have a second hand 4 shaft table loom that has been wonderful to learn and experiment on, but I've been looking at other second hand looms that are capable of doing Damask, an 8 shaft Leclerc Compact to be specific. I wanted to be sure I could do basic damask on it, and possibly with pick up sticks create images. Thank you for any additional information you can give!!
@@lizkimber Hmmm. I have no personal experience with the Spring. I know that putting a drawloom on is more trouble than it is probably worth and there is not as much depth as on a Swedish loom. But a weaving sword with non-standard hand-tied long-eye heddles? I honestly don't know. Let me know how you get on ;-)
@@krimvalley The Compact is a jack loom so I'm afraid for this weaving method ... not so much ;-( With a jack loom you are limited in the damask you can weave: the rule of thumb is that you need X shafts for every pattern block, where X is the number of threads per unit. So, two-block 5-end satin requires 10 shafts; two-block 3/1 twill requires 8 shafts. If you are interested in the requirements for this kind of weaving I recommend Sara Von Tresckow's book, 'When a Single Harness Simply Isn't Enough'. Electronic copies are available through Woolgatherers. She has a whole section on how to get started and what the loom requirements are for all kinds of double-harness techniques (not just drawlooms). It's a really valuable resource - I studied my copy for a year before I took the plunge. Of course, there are other ways to weave pictures with a jack loom: diversified plain-weave and split-shed weaving come to mind ...
Hi Amy, am I correct in understanding that if you are weaving damask with half-heddles and a weaving sword that your warp should be going through the middle of the long-eye heddles, but if you are weaving damask with a drawloom then your warp should be going through the bottom of the long-eye heddles? Thank you!
Aye, Cap'n, you be exactly right (said with a pirate accent). On a drawloom, the action on the ground shafts is a true rising shed. With a weaving sword, ends are deflected in both directions off neutral - so we get that three-layer shed when we are weaving ground only. Are you going to give it a whirl?
Tracy, my sword is not homemade although it would be very easy to do. Mine was made by Glimakra specifically for sword damask - they can be purchased from Vävstuga Weaving School.
The counter-shed action required by the movement of the warp in the long-eye heddles means a jack loom is not really suitable, I'm afraid. But there are other cool things you can do, of course, including pick-up and split-shed weaving. I have heard of experiments on table looms where folks threaded ends above the heddle-eyes on rear shafts to get an approximation of a second harness but have no personal experience of this.
This is so beautiful! Would this concept work on a Jack loom? I've been weaving only a couple of years and am very intrigued by this! Thank you for sharing your wisdom! ❤
Thank you for your kind comment - but I hasten to point out the wisdom isn't mine - I merely stand on the shoulders of weavers past ;-) The mechanics of the damask shed are such that either a counterbalance or countermarch setup is necessary. Just one of the many advantages of these wonderful looms.
Wow! This is fascinating; thank you so much for posting this very informative video.
I'm glad it was helpful. Are you thinking of giving the technique a try?
I recently discovered that damask is what I want to get into with weaving. In one video, you've made it go from terrifying, to conquerable. Thank you.
Always wonderful and well thought out. Thank you Amy and Joanne. :)
So cool - You're wonderful at explaining things like this that make sense to me
Thank you very much - I'm so glad it's all making sense! And it is cool, right? So much fun.
Thanks so much for this fantastic video! I took a class with Joanne at ETC last month and loved this technique. I recently got a counterbalance loom and am going to give it a shot.
I bet you had a great class! Joanne is a wonderful teacher. Enjoy your loom and when you give half-heddle sticks a try I hope you will send me a picture.
Wonderful AS ALWAYS!!! I wove the design from the Vav magazine. It is so much better to see it visually! Thank you very much for doing This!
It's true, seeing things happen can make the whole thing click. And there's nothing like trying something yourself to see how it works.
I just started my weaving lessons, so I have no idea what is going on; but it's so well explained that I ALMOST do, I think soon I'll be able to use this info. Thank you!
Awesome. Thank you for the comment and welcome to the wonderful world of weaving!
For all practical purposes I am a complete beginner at weaving, so I am sure it will be quite a while before I can actually use this information; but it definitely provides all the inspiration and motivation I need to keep me going. I just hope I live long enough to get to use it.
Jim, the great benefit of this method is that it is extremely simple to set up. Four shafts, four treadles, very few tie-ups, a few extra bits. You can do it!
I think I've just gone to heaven. Thank you!
Are you going to give it a whirl? Please send pics if you do!
Good day! I saw your page on Instagram, the second day I watch your videos, very very interesting!! Thank you so much for the information and for sharing so generously! Everything is very clear and the explanations are clear. I still have to study and study, and your videos have helped a lot! We need to look for shafts with a big eye))), Smalandsvav was in the plans for a long time, and for damask with half shafts, a separate bow and thanks! I hope to see your new works, good luck to you and good health! Sorry for the auto translation)
Marina, thank you so much for writing! I am so happy you found my channel and that it is useful to you. These pattern-making techniques are very powerful - it is amazing what you can do with just a few changes to your loom. I wish you good luck and joy with your weaving.
Loved seeing this video! I enjoyed doing this at Vavstuga in drawloom basics. A nice refresher, and you are a wonderful instructor. ☺️
Thank you Geri! I really enjoy half-heddle sticks too - so much more elemental than all the palaver with a drawloom ;-) I guess Drawloom Basics was different than Drawloom ABCs, where you concentrate on one setup for a week? That is an interesting distinction I didn't appreciate.
Thank you for this! Since I saw your series about drawloom mechanics last year (which is absolutely fantastic, thank you!!!) I had been wondering if it'd be possible to do something similar on my countermarche... I had missed this fantastic video! Now the challenge is really to find the heddles, or I will have to tie a lot of knots :)
Thank you so much again, your videos are so clear, so well thought out and so well produced. I know it must be a ton of work, but it's super appreciated :)
Thank you so much for your comment! I appreciate the kind words and am always happy to hear the vids are helpful to folks. They are a total labor of love. I'm delighted to hear you will be trying the technique - if you tie all those heddles you are way stronger than me ;-) Another great resource is Joanne Hall's new book 'Weaving with Long Eyed Heddles,' which includes several structures that can be woven on a countershed Swedish-style loom with just a few mods required. You'll get hooked, I bet.
Your very clear video has opened my eyes to a whole new world. Please could you tell me what I need to modify on a 4 shaft counterbalance loom to weave the pattern. I have also watched your Smalandsvav video and will look to see if I can add two short lamms for the plain weave.
I am so happy you found my channel! For sword-damask, the biggest mod you will need to make to your loom is replacing your standard heddles with long-eyes. From there you should be pretty much good to go. A great book that shows all the possibilities for this kind of setup is Joanne Hall's 'Weaving with Long-Eye Heddles': it discusses damask; Smålandsväv; and additional structures too. If you do try Smålansväv you might be able to operate your plain-weave shed without lamms - you can use a V-shaped corded tie-up as in the good old days. I can provide additional info if you decide to go this route.
Great videos. What is a V shaped corded tie up. Could you also please let me know what book or graphs you use when weaving words on your cloth. Thank you.
You are a great teacher!!!
Thank you! 😃
Very cool! I am going to try to give this a go. I was surprised to see that this is what I had done with my rigid heddle loom so I could weave a twill scarf. Who knew?!
Yup - sticks with string heddles have been used to expand the capabilities of looms for forever! I am delighted to hear you're going to give this method a try.
I have a 8 shaft jack loom. Not counter march. Could i do this if i got some long eyed heddles. So very interesting.
So, a countershed loom is required for this strategy because warp ends must be able to move both up and down. If you are interested in complex/figurative designs, other methods (such as split-shed weaving, pick-up, etc) work better on jack looms.
now I get it! I was wondering what are half heddle sticks..
That's awesome to hear! I am so happy you found my channel and that the explanation makes sense
;-)
i have a sinking shed loom (Louet David 3). Does it have to be a counter balance, or will a sinking shed maybe work?
For sword damask with long-eye heddles, a countershed loom is necessary because each warp end has to have the ability to move both up and down - up for ground and down for raised pattern units. There are ways to do pick-up designs and figurative patterns on a jack loom but I must confess they are not really in my wheelhouse. Something that would work great on your loom would be Deb Silver's split-shed technique - check it out if you haven't already!
I so wish I had your draw loom and could do this
All you need for this setup is a countershed loom with pulleys or a countermarch. No drawloom required - in fact, doing it this way is simpler and faster than messing about with pull handles and drawcords!
I love watching your videos. Damask weaving is something I am aspiring to as a novice weaver. Is this kind of adaptation on the technique only capable on a loom that has lifting and sinking shafts?
Thank you very much. Yes, a countershed loom (pulleys or a countermarch) is necessary for the damask shed to work correctly with long-eye heddles. But a good starting-point for a new-ish weaver is simple two-block 3/1 twill damask, which can be woven on any loom with eight shafts.
I have a louet spring that both sinks and lifts. But i dont think it can do this. Id love to be proved wrong
@@DuellingRabbits Okay!! Is it possible with an 8 shaft loom to create pictures in the woven fabric using pick up sticks/weaving sword in the 3/1 twill damask set up? I imagine it would be a slower weaving process than having half heddles.
When I came across your drawloom videos, you answered so many questions I had about creating pictures in weaving and it is something I aspire to create with my own projects. I currently have a second hand 4 shaft table loom that has been wonderful to learn and experiment on, but I've been looking at other second hand looms that are capable of doing Damask, an 8 shaft Leclerc Compact to be specific. I wanted to be sure I could do basic damask on it, and possibly with pick up sticks create images.
Thank you for any additional information you can give!!
@@lizkimber Hmmm. I have no personal experience with the Spring. I know that putting a drawloom on is more trouble than it is probably worth and there is not as much depth as on a Swedish loom. But a weaving sword with non-standard hand-tied long-eye heddles? I honestly don't know. Let me know how you get on ;-)
@@krimvalley The Compact is a jack loom so I'm afraid for this weaving method ... not so much ;-( With a jack loom you are limited in the damask you can weave: the rule of thumb is that you need X shafts for every pattern block, where X is the number of threads per unit. So, two-block 5-end satin requires 10 shafts; two-block 3/1 twill requires 8 shafts. If you are interested in the requirements for this kind of weaving I recommend Sara Von Tresckow's book, 'When a Single Harness Simply Isn't Enough'. Electronic copies are available through Woolgatherers. She has a whole section on how to get started and what the loom requirements are for all kinds of double-harness techniques (not just drawlooms). It's a really valuable resource - I studied my copy for a year before I took the plunge. Of course, there are other ways to weave pictures with a jack loom: diversified plain-weave and split-shed weaving come to mind ...
Hi Amy, am I correct in understanding that if you are weaving damask with half-heddles and a weaving sword that your warp should be going through the middle of the long-eye heddles, but if you are weaving damask with a drawloom then your warp should be going through the bottom of the long-eye heddles? Thank you!
Aye, Cap'n, you be exactly right (said with a pirate accent). On a drawloom, the action on the ground shafts is a true rising shed. With a weaving sword, ends are deflected in both directions off neutral - so we get that three-layer shed when we are weaving ground only. Are you going to give it a whirl?
Is your weaving sword homemade? I don't see many available to purchase in that style.
Tracy, my sword is not homemade although it would be very easy to do. Mine was made by Glimakra specifically for sword damask - they can be purchased from Vävstuga Weaving School.
Can this be done with a jack loom instead of a counter balance loom?
The counter-shed action required by the movement of the warp in the long-eye heddles means a jack loom is not really suitable, I'm afraid. But there are other cool things you can do, of course, including pick-up and split-shed weaving. I have heard of experiments on table looms where folks threaded ends above the heddle-eyes on rear shafts to get an approximation of a second harness but have no personal experience of this.
This is so beautiful! Would this concept work on a Jack loom? I've been weaving only a couple of years and am very intrigued by this! Thank you for sharing your wisdom! ❤
Thank you for your kind comment - but I hasten to point out the wisdom isn't mine - I merely stand on the shoulders of weavers past ;-) The mechanics of the damask shed are such that either a counterbalance or countermarch setup is necessary. Just one of the many advantages of these wonderful looms.
Well done video
Thank you, Lorraine.
really: Wonderful
Thank you as always for your support!
@@DuellingRabbits
This is not a compliment
Real you deserve this
@@DuellingRabbits
This is not a compliment
Real you deserve this